Reception in far west Chicagoland

toddec · 17-May-2011, 6:29 PM

Looking to get rid of cable and wondering what antenna is best (after all, isn't that why I'm posting?). My profile is: http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...5747481e9f7cba

I really just want the major OTA stations: WLS, WGN, WMAQ, WBBM, WTTW, and WCIU. I'd like to keep the antenna inside if at all possible. I have some room in the attic, but not a whole lot (especially facing towards the towers). I might be able to make more room if necessary but there's definitely not enough for an antenna to rotate.

Thanks in advance!

GroundUrMast · 17-May-2011, 7:29 PM

Most stations are on UHF channels, I wish I could recommend a panel style antenna because it would be quite compact but you have need for at least one high VHF station, WBBM.

An Antennacraft HBU-33 can be tried in your attic. If your attic turns out to be a poor receiving environment, the HBU-33 is not too difficult to fold back down so it can be moved outside, where it will have no trouble receiving signals predicted in your report.

No need for a rotator or amplifier.

John Candle · 17-May-2011, 10:44 PM

For reception of the Real UHF channels and Real VHF High channels I recommend a Winegard HD7694P antenna outside but you can try it in the attic pointed at about 86 degree magnetic compass. And if you will like to receive VHF Low station WOCK-CD 4 , real channel 4 then I suggest a Winegard HD7082P all channel antenna mounted on the roof top and pointed at about 86 degree magnetic compass. WOCK programing is on four digital sub channels , 4-1 http://www.mega.tv , 4-2 www.arirang.co.kr/index.asp , 4-3 http://www.latv.com , 4-4 http://www.americaone.com. . Read and understand about , REAL Digital Broadcast Tv Channels , Virtual Digital Broadcast Tv Channels , Analog Tv Channels , http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=695 . Here is how to point Tv antennas , http://www.kyes.com/antenna/pointing/pointing.html

John Candle · 17-May-2011, 10:53 PM

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toddec · 18-May-2011, 3:51 AM

Thanks for the information and references. What are the advantages/disadvantages of the Antennacraft HBU-33 vs. the Winegard HD7694P? Is one significantly better/worse than the other?

John Candle · 18-May-2011, 4:04 AM

Both antennas will have the same reception. . The Winegard is a more heavy duty stronger antenna. The Winegard has a built in matching transformer. The Antennacraft is not as strongly built. The Antennacraft uses a separate matching transformer.

GroundUrMast · 18-May-2011, 6:13 PM

The Winegard will be more difficult to fold down if you need to move it from the attic to outside. If you are going to install it outside, and have no need to ever fold it back down, the Winegard would be my recommendation as well.

dkreichen1968 · 18-May-2011, 7:41 PM

I'd think that the HBU-33's little brother, the HBU-22, would be adequate, and would be much smaller than the 33.

John Candle · 18-May-2011, 9:05 PM

When signal strengths are in the moderate to weak range it is better to select more antenna. Cutting it real close to the border line to save a few bucks is not a good idea. . With a smaller antenna you will find your self saying . If had the better antenna I could have added one more tv to the hook up with out using an amplifier. Now I will have to spend more money for a amplifier then having the better antenna in the first place.

dkreichen1968 · 19-May-2011, 2:17 PM

First off, it is my experience that high VHF signals in the 25.7 NM(dB) range aren't all that weak. The 4.1 dB gain of the HBU-22 should work fine unless the poster is splitting to a lot of TVs. Second, the poster already mentioned that they were space limited, so it might help if they didn't have to figure out how to mount the titanic in their attic.

Dan

mtownsend · 19-May-2011, 4:56 PM

The Winegard HD769xP antennas tend to get more gain in less space than the similarly sized AntennaCraft HBU-xx antennas.

For example, the boom length of the HD7694P (pdf data sheet) is 65" while the boom length of the HBU-33 (pdf data sheet) is 85", yet the HD7694P has about 1-2 dB higher gain on both high-VHF and UHF bands.

The HBU-22 (pdf data sheet) has a 70" boom length, making it about 15" shorter than the HBU-33, but the high-VHF gain drops quite a lot (about 3-4 dB lower). Yes, it's smaller, but for a relatively small drop in size, it's losing quite a bit of performance.

So in other words, the HD7694P is actually shorter than the HBU-22 and has better performance than the HBU-33.

It is also true that the Winegard antennas are very hard to fold back down after you've snapped the VHF elements into place. If you really need to fold the antenna again, be careful with this one.

dkreichen1968 · 19-May-2011, 5:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mtownsend

So in other words, the HD7694P is actually shorter than the HBU-22 and has better performance than the HBU-33.

It is also true that the Winegard antennas are very hard to fold back down after you've snapped the VHF elements into place. If you really need to fold the antenna again, be careful with this one.

I would say that based on this information that the HD7694P would be the prefered antenna. Good gain in a small package!

John Candle · 19-May-2011, 8:51 PM

Talking about a VHF high band tv transmission that is 27.5 NM(dB) that is a good mid range signal strength as a example. Is a lot different then WYIN-DT UHF 17 at 12.3 NM(dB) , a Low signal strength. For combination VHF-UHF-FM antennas it is a good idea to error on the side of more antenna. And this information also holds true for VHF only antennas , UHF only antennas , FM only antennas. . Antennas are to be selected for the lowest signal strength of the channels to be received.

toddec · 2-Jun-2011, 3:46 AM

I went ahead and got the Winegard HD7694P, it seemed like it would be a better fit in my attic. So over the Memorial Day weekend I got the mast and antenna set up/oriented (pretty simple), then tonight I finally connected the coax from the basement to the TV.

VERY pleased with the reception I'm getting - lots of channels, crystal clear HD. In addition this OTA experiment went over really well with the wife and son. Next step is to to get a Homerun to hook up to the entertainment center Mac that runs everything, and set it up to access the channels and record as a DVR. Then we can finally ditch the cable...

Thanks all for the advice!

John Candle · 2-Jun-2011, 5:50 AM

Very good that is working well. I do my best to make sure that the question askers have the best reception.

John Candle · 2-Jun-2011, 5:54 AM

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