Antenna(s) recommendation, central RI

[EricTV]

I'm looking for Antenna recommendations in central Rhode Island.

Out of the list of stations in the report, I'm looking to get Providence local channels (WLNE, WJAR, WPRI, WNAC -- all clustered about 19 miles away at 60-62°) and WGBH/WGBX in Boston (44 miles away at 25°).

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...903835420554b3

What the report does not show is that there are large oak trees (40-50 ft taller than my house) in that general direction. I have tried room and attic antennas with very limited results (slightly better on a clear winter day with no foliage than on a wet summer day).

I am planning to connect the antenna to my HDHomerun tuner to go to the different TVs, so I won't have to split the signal.

Will a single directional antenna work with a 37° span between the towers or will I need two antennas and a combiner?

I'm comfortable with installation but I have a limited understanding of radio reception.

Thanks,

Eric

[Tower Guy]

Take a look at your Rabbitears report
https://www.rabbitears.info/searchma...tudy_id=158020

WGBH is now on VHF low band. You need a large VHF low antenna properly aimed at about 40 degrees. A Winegard HD8220u or ChannelMaster 3020

WNAC and WPRI are on VHF high band. A smallish antenna designed for VHF high should work OK, (ANT751 or similar) but they are not in the same direction as WGBH.

The remaining stations are on UHF. You need a fair amount of gain to get some of the Boston stations, and they are 30 degrees off axis from Providence. To get both on a single antenna you should consider a 4 bay bow-tie style antenna Stellar labs 30-2426 or similar aimed slightly favoring Boston.

Couple the two VHF antennas together with a HLSJ and then add the UHF with a UVSJ splitter joiner.

[EricTV]

Thank you for your thorough response. Those antennas are enormous and may cause marital issues.

After posting my question, I realized that I can livestream WGBH with the PBS app. Since other Boston stations are redundant with Providence, let's focus on getting the Providence/New Bedford stations:
10-1 (25) WJAR (NBC) - 75.8°
6-1 (24) WLNE (ABC) - 75.8°
64-1 (12) WNAC (FOX) - 74.1°
12-1 (7) WPRI (CBS) - 74.2°
36-1 (2) WSBE (PBS) - 75.8°
and whatever subchannels are transmitted with those stations.

If I understand properly, we're now dealing with only 2 UHF channels and 3 VHF channels, all within 2° of each other.

Eric

[Tower Guy]

ANT 751 or the current variation of that old number.

[Tim]

Originally Posted by EricTV

Thank you for your thorough response. Those antennas are enormous and may cause marital issues.

After posting my question, I realized that I can livestream WGBH with the PBS app. Since other Boston stations are redundant with Providence, let's focus on getting the Providence/New Bedford stations:
10-1 (25) WJAR (NBC) - 75.8°
6-1 (24) WLNE (ABC) - 75.8°
64-1 (12) WNAC (FOX) - 74.1°
12-1 (7) WPRI (CBS) - 74.2°
36-1 (2) WSBE (PBS) - 75.8°
and whatever subchannels are transmitted with those stations.

If I understand properly, we're now dealing with only 2 UHF channels and 3 VHF channels, all within 2° of each other.

Eric

You will still need a wide antenna if you are going after physical channel 2 in Providence. VHF-Lo band antennas have some big elements. One of the smallest covering all those channels would be the Winegard YA7000C. It is a little over 8 ft wide with the extensions for VHF-Lo and 37" long. If you can get by without that PBS station, then you can use a smaller antenna covering just the UHF and VHF-Hi bands. The YA7000C would be a good one to try, especially if you purchase from somewhere that accepts returns just in case it does not have enough gain for your location.

[EricTV]

Thank you both. I probably can live without channel 2.
I did a quick photoshop to see what the 751 would look like mounted at the highest point (chimney) either with the supplied mast or with a taller mast. No mast will be tall enough to get above the tree line.

[Tim]

Originally Posted by EricTV

Thank you both. I probably can live without channel 2.
I did a quick photoshop to see what the 751 would look like mounted at the highest point (chimney) either with the supplied mast or with a taller mast. No mast will be tall enough to get above the tree line.

Do have a spot anywhere on your house where the antenna can get a clear shot without looking directly into the trees? Trees with leaves, especially wet leaves, are really troublesome for UHF.

[EricTV]

Originally Posted by Tim

Do have a spot anywhere on your house where the antenna can get a clear shot without looking directly into the trees?

Unfortunately not. I could put the antenna at the very southern end of the roofline, which would help a bit. I could cut down a couple of trees closer to the house, but there are thousands more right behind them.

[EricTV]

Here's a photo pointing roughly in the direction of the transmission towers. As you can see, it is almost impossible to get above the tree line. Let me know if that changes your recommendation.

[jrgagne99]

It looks like the southern end of the house has the best shot of seeing the RI towers. If the 751 doesn't work, a Winegard 7694 has a little more horsepower that might pull them in. There is also the 7698, which has even more gain), and possibly the Denny HD-Stacker (made by Winegard), which has similar performance to the 7698 but in a shorter overall length, due to the stacking.

Also, don't underestimate the effect of height. A couple feet up (usually) or down (occasionally) can make a big difference.

I recommend using temporary setups to try 751 at the chimney first. If that doesn't work, then try it at the south end. Then move on to rigs with more gain. Choose suppliers with liberal return policies. Be sure to use good quality RG-6 (preferably less than 50-feet) going directly to only one TV to start. You don't want to muddy the waters of your reception problem with distribution gremlins.

[EricTV]

Thanks. I'll look at an eave mount, which will allow me to get as far south as I can. It'll also let me run the wire to the attic through the gable vent and it's closer to the ground rod than the chimney is.
With the price difference I might start with the 7694 rather than the 751. The smaller size of the 751 is tempting though. It's hard to compare "horsepower" from the data available on the manufacturers' websites.

[Tim]

Originally Posted by EricTV

Thanks. I'll look at an eave mount, which will allow me to get as far south as I can. It'll also let me run the wire to the attic through the gable vent and it's closer to the ground rod than the chimney is.
With the price difference I might start with the 7694 rather than the 751. The smaller size of the 751 is tempting though. It's hard to compare "horsepower" from the data available on the manufacturers' websites.

With the trees thrown into the equation, I think bigger is a good idea. And as jrgagne99 said, "Choose suppliers with liberal return policies."

Many folks will recommend that you 'walk your roof' and see if you can find a sweet spot for your antenna.

Difficult to tell in the picture, but how far from your antenna would the closest trees be if you placed the antenna at the south end of the house?

[EricTV]

Originally Posted by Tim

Difficult to tell in the picture, but how far from your antenna would the closest trees be if you placed the antenna at the south end of the house?

Roughly 50-60' from the peak.

[jrgagne99]

Originally Posted by Tim

Many folks will recommend that you 'walk your roof' and see if you can find a sweet spot for your antenna.

That is also a good idea, but the problem with finding a "sweet spot" in this case is that due to the close proximity to the trees especially near the chimney, the location of the sweet spot is likely to change as the trees grow. Finding a sweet spot on the southern end of the house, 50-60 feet away from the trees should mitigate against that effect somewhat.

[jrgagne99]

Originally Posted by EricTV

The smaller size of the 751 is tempting though. It's hard to compare "horsepower" from the data available on the manufacturers' websites.

Yes, comparisons across manufacturers can be difficult to obtain. Even when they do post gain vs. frequency charts, they can be on different bases (i.e. dBi vs. dBd) so you need to do a little math to compare.

I recommended to try the 751 first due to its relatively small size and your wife's sensitivity to the aesthetics.