TV Fool  

Go Back   TV Fool > Over The Air Services > Help With Reception

Notices

Reply
 
Thread Tools
Old 10-Sep-2014, 1:05 AM   #1
shammock12@aol.com
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 3
Exclamation At my wits end..Pls help with FOX and CBS

I currently have the Mohu Leaf antenna installed and I am able to get ABC and NBC clearly; however, CBS is intermittent and FOX almost never comes in and when it does the signal is very pixelated. FOX is unwatchable. I have tried every angle in my house and tried other TVs and still no FOX. I have tried using an amplified RCA indoor antenna and still no luck. I have tried placing an FM trap on both Mohu Leaf and the amplified RCA and still no luck. I currently have the antenna pointing anywhere between 100 and 110 degrees E on an outside wall in corner wall.( have to angle it differently to get ABC and NBC). Is getting FOX impossible based on my analysis below.


http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...d2433cb028601a
shammock12@aol.com is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-Sep-2014, 3:07 AM   #2
GroundUrMast
Moderator
 
GroundUrMast's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Greater Seattle Area
Posts: 4,773
The poor performance on real CH 12 is not a big surprise because the Mohu Leaf is primary a UHF only design. Real channels 13 and lower are VHF. As a result, the Mohu Leaf would not be an ideal option in your area.

However, your report indicates that reception should be relatively easy if the construction materials used in your home do not included those that reflect, block or absorb TV signals. There are some homes that simply block, reflect or absorb too much signal to be able to achieve acceptable indoor reception. Are you willing to consider mounting an antenna outdoors?

Before spending more on another antenna, you can test reception outdoors, using the existing antenna... You would likely need a factory assembled cable and a 'barrel' connector. Both items are commonly stocked in the big home improvement stores.

Example:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/CE-TECH-5...0-ft/203717795
http://www.homedepot.com/p/PerfectVi...0008/204583259
__________________
If the well is dry and you don't see rain on the horizon, you'll need to dig the hole deeper. (If the antenna can't get the job done, an amp won't fix it.)

(Please direct account activation inquiries to 'admin')
GroundUrMast is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-Sep-2014, 10:52 AM   #3
shammock12@aol.com
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 3
I can get channel 12 in intermittently but my main concern is 54 which would be a UHF channel, correct? I also tried taking the Mohu Leaf outside and was unable to get channel 54 in. Would an attenuator assist? Could a stronger signal overlay the weaker 54 signal?

Also, I am unable to mount outdoor antenna because of homeowners association rules.

Thanks for you timely response. Great customer service!
shammock12@aol.com is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-Sep-2014, 1:34 PM   #4
stvcmty
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 135
The FCC protects your right to put up an antenna. http://www.fcc.gov/guides/over-air-r...n-devices-rule Unless you live in a historic area or rent and the landlord forbids drilling holes you can put up an antenna. (Even if someone lives in a historic area or a landlord forbids putting up an antenna, there are still ways to put up an antenna, it is just a bit more involved.)

****

Do you need WCES, PBS? That impacts what you need for reliable reception.
stvcmty is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-Sep-2014, 3:46 PM   #5
shammock12@aol.com
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 3
Since I don't watch a lot of TV and only need FOX, I would like to figure out a way to only use an indoor antenna. Am I totally out of luck getting with 54 with just an indoor antenna?
shammock12@aol.com is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-Sep-2014, 4:07 PM   #6
Tower Guy
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Delmar, NY
Posts: 1,236
Quote:
Originally Posted by shammock12@aol.com View Post
Since I don't watch a lot of TV and only need FOX, I would like to figure out a way to only use an indoor antenna. Am I totally out of luck getting with 54 with just an indoor antenna?
The Mohu Leaf is one of the better UHF indoor antennas. I'd be surprised if another indoor antenna would make a difference. Your best bet would be to place the antenna in a window facing the FOX station and rescan the TV again.
Tower Guy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-Sep-2014, 4:33 PM   #7
GroundUrMast
Moderator
 
GroundUrMast's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Greater Seattle Area
Posts: 4,773
When determining if a signal is UHF or VHF, ignore the virtual channel, consider only the real channel. UHF signals are in the range of real channels 14 and higher. There are two separate ranges of VHF signals that could be assigned to television broadcasting, Low-VHF is the group of real channels 2 through 6 and High-VHF is the group of channels 7 through 13.

WFXG uses virtual channel 54.1, this tells us nothing about what band (UHF/H-VHF/L-VHF) is used to broadcast it. The virtual channel has no bearing on the real channel used to broadcast the signal, which in this case is real channel 31. Your TV fool report provides a cross reference between the virtual channel and real channel so that you can be certain of the the real channel number which many people would not know otherwise.

Again, your report indicates that reception of WFXG should not require extreme measures, but should be fairly easy. The Mohu Leaf antenna would not be the antenna I would recommend in your application, but it covers the UHF band and could be used as a test antenna.

It sounds like you've tried many locations indoors, perhaps exhausting all possible locations. You have accumulated a significant amount of evidence that the interior of your home is a very poor reception location. If so, you can try:

Testing reception outdoors, using your existing antenna.
An outdoor antenna inside the house or attic. (the added gain may be enough to overcome the impairments to reception)
An outdoor antenna outdoors clear of obstructions (the most likely to provide the best results)

If I was in the same situation, I would install an Antennacraft HBU-44 or Winegard HD7698P outdoors, with an unobstructed view toward the east-south-east (about 110° per a compass). Both of these antennas are rather long so I would not consider using them in an indoor application. I would consider these antennas because they would give me a reasonable shot at reception of the weal signal from WEBA as well as all the stronger signals from the same general direction.

If all I wanted was reliable reception of WFXG, I would be able to use a much more compact antenna such as the Antennas Direct DB4E. But that antenna is a UHF only design so I would not expect reliable reception of the signals that are broadcast on VHF frequencies. The compact size/shape of the DB4E would make it possible to try indoor and attic locations. If those locations fail (not the fault of the antenna), I'd have to head outdoors.
__________________
If the well is dry and you don't see rain on the horizon, you'll need to dig the hole deeper. (If the antenna can't get the job done, an amp won't fix it.)

(Please direct account activation inquiries to 'admin')

Last edited by GroundUrMast; 10-Sep-2014 at 4:36 PM.
GroundUrMast is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-Sep-2014, 4:59 PM   #8
Ben Myers
KD3WB
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 51
Quote:
Originally Posted by shammock12@aol.com View Post
Since I don't watch a lot of TV and only need FOX, I would like to figure out a way to only use an indoor antenna. Am I totally out of luck getting with 54 with just an indoor antenna?
UHF hot spots can be quite small. Try the antenna in different places near the ceiling and on the floor.
Ben Myers is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-Sep-2014, 5:07 PM   #9
Stereocraig
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 472
I really hate seeing people needlessly wrestling w/ all of the potential problems of indoor antenna mounting.

Do yourself a huge favor and mount one on the roof. You'll be happy that you did.
Stereocraig is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Tags
fox, indoor antenna, reception

Go Back   TV Fool > Over The Air Services > Help With Reception


Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off




All times are GMT. The time now is 9:23 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Copyright © TV Fool, LLC