Antenna Selection - In NJ Between Philadelphia and NYC

[zeusrock1]

TV Fool Report

TV Fool report shows I should be able to pickup most philly stations (278 degrees) without much trouble. It would be great to try and get NY stations (43 degrees), but I have a feeling they are too far away unless I have outside mount. I see ABC is VHF Lo, so I'm looking for antenna that covers all ranges (VHF Lo, VHF Hi, and UHF).

Would be ideal for attic mount, nothing up there but lots of space and the horizon is clear in all directions. Would like to power 3 tvs (upstairs, downstairs, basement).

Are there many differences between the Winegard HD8200U and HD7084P? Both are priced similar. Any other suggestions?

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Attics and the Inside of Buildings Are Not a reception friendly environment and Never Will Be a reception friendly environment.

Begin the reception process with a antenna in the attic.

The HD7084P antenna has a little more antenna gain then the HD8200U antenna and is a little smaller in size.

Recommend install the HD7084P antenna in the attic aimed at about 250 degree magnetic compass direction.

250 magnetic compass direction is a in between aim direction of the groups of Tv stations to the West and South West.

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Install a , RCA TVPRAMP1R , preamplifier.

For 1 Tv connected use No splitter.

For 2 Tv's connected use a , Holland Electronics , HFS-2D , 2 way splitter.

For 3 Tv's connected use a , Holland Electronics , HFS-3D , 3 way splitter.

Buy the , HFS-2D and HFS-3D , splitters at , www.hollandelectronics.com , or , www.amazon.com

Here are some places to buy antennas and etc. .

www.amazon.com

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If reception situations/problems happen with the HD7084P antenna in the attic that are not resolvable with antenna aim and location adjustments in the attic then move the HD7084P antenna to Above the Peak of the Roof.

Here are some Above The Roof antenna mounts.

http://www.ronard.com/909911.html.
Use the , ronard(911) , 5 foot tripod antenna mount.

http://www.ronard.com/34424560.html.
Use the , ronard(4569) , eave antenna mount.

http://www.ronard.com/ychim.html.
Measure around the chimney and use a , ronard(2212) , ronard(2218) , ronard(2224) .

Buy the ronard antenna mounts at , http://www.ronard.com , or , http://www.amazon.com

[technicolor]

Originally Posted by zeusrock1

TV Fool Report

TV Fool report shows I should be able to pickup most philly stations (278 degrees) without much trouble. It would be great to try and get NY stations (43 degrees), but I have a feeling they are too far away unless I have outside mount. I see ABC is VHF Lo, so I'm looking for antenna that covers all ranges (VHF Lo, VHF Hi, and UHF).

Would be ideal for attic mount, nothing up there but lots of space and the horizon is clear in all directions. Would like to power 3 tvs (upstairs, downstairs, basement).

Are there many differences between the Winegard HD8200U and HD7084P? Both are priced similar. Any other suggestions?

We just had our installation finished in toms river. I got the antennacraft hd1850. I'm probably a little father from the NY tower than you. She nailed the NY channels, like hard. All major channels are at 100% signal. Got mine off amazon (solid signal) for like $140.

If u don;t go with my suggestion, yeah the winegard hd8200u is a good choice

[StephanieS]

I am in agreement with Teleview. Philadelphia is the practical viewing choice. You have the opportunity for reliable reception of nearly all of Philly's signals.

NYC for DX purposes may be fun to play with, however reliable reception will be evasive. You'll notice WABC is at 7db strength according to your plot. That is at the red line of reception where atmospheric conditions can effect the signal and make it drop in the slightest way. The rest of the NYC signals cluster around 0 db and below. Which will make them even more skittish.

There is also an additional problem with NYC in some cases: co channel interference. You'll notice that red "C" next to the call signs. That means some of the NYC signals have channels that could interfere with them on the SAME channel. Co-channel interference can destroy your ability to receive programming on a single channel. Think of it as two signals cancelling each other. Your tuner can't lock one one because another is present so you see nothing.

Sadly, there are several NYC signals in this boat that outside of extreme measures will likely never receive.

Thus, we are back to Philadelphia. Enjoy your reliable Philly reception. Your plot is reasonably easy for that market.

Cheers.

[zeusrock1]

Thank you everyone for your replies and advice - I really appreciate it. After reviewing these replies and reading more, my main goal is to receive from Philadelphia. I get good signals and most channel content will be similar. I'll be extremely happy to get most of the major networks.

Will also be fun to test for NY signals, additional sports options would be a huge bonus. Will let you know when I get an antenna and what my results are.

[zeusrock1]

Originally Posted by technicolor

We just had our installation finished in toms river. I got the antennacraft hd1850. I'm probably a little father from the NY tower than you. She nailed the NY channels, like hard. All major channels are at 100% signal. Got mine off amazon (solid signal) for like $140.

If u don;t go with my suggestion, yeah the winegard hd8200u is a good choice

Very happy to hear your install worked out great! Looks like your NY stations have stronger signals compared to mine, not sure I'll have as much luck, expecially with an attic mount, I'll have to try and see

[technicolor]

Originally Posted by zeusrock1

Very happy to hear your install worked out great! Looks like your NY stations have stronger signals compared to mine, not sure I'll have as much luck, expecially with an attic mount, I'll have to try and see

Hey your welcome.

Also wanted to mention, u could only gain by adding a preamp. Smart ideal with a 3 way splitter. You'll be losing 7db of gain with a 3 way.

I have the antennacraft 10g212, 30db adjustable. Great unit.

POst back and let us know how things worked out for you. I am also experimenting with a second antenna in the attic pointed at philly and i am having a hell of a time with channel 6 and METV.

[GroundUrMast]

For folks who's reception conditions call for a preamp, it may appear to be a cure all. However, if you use the wrong preamp, in strong signal conditions, you risk overloading the preamp which will produce interference inside the amplifier, making for less reliable reception.

When faced with a mix of strong and weak signals, I'd suggest using a 'high-input' preamplifier. Examples: Antennacraft 10G201, 10G221 & RCA TVPRAMP1R.

http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=13646

[zeusrock1]

I ordered the winegard 7084P. I'm gonna try without preamp first. Not sure when I'll get to install, looks like it's going to get cold again this weekend, but will update when I get things going.

Thanks for the link on amplifiers!

[zeusrock1]

Installed the antenna in the attic today! Not many issues with the install, a floor in the attic would of helped speed things up. Picked up some 1 1/4 conduit for a mast and cut it down a little bit, then secured to attic floor and averhead cross joist. Very secure and can rotate by hand easily.

Connected coaxial to the upstairs Vizio tv, set to air and ran the auto-scan in 3 different directions.

43 degrees (NYC) - 40 channels, got WABC, but none of the other big stations.
250 degrees (Between Philly and South Jersey) - 58 channels.
279 degrees (Philly) - 73 channels!!!

I think I'll leave it pointing directly at philadelphia, I'm very happy with the reception. Out of the 73 channels that were identified during the scan, around 12 or so didn't come in clearly or were audio only. There are a handful of religious or foreign language.

I need to figure out if a preamp is still required, not sure if it'll help much, but may run the test in the link above if I have off work tomorrow due to snow storm. Thanks again for everyone's help

The Tv reception signal strengths are not overly strong at your reception location.

It is Ok to Test reception with and without a , RCA TVPRAMP1R preamp or a Antenna Craft 10G201 preamplifier.

Most attics have electric power , so can put all parts of the preamp in the attic.

When Testing reception without the preamp , disconnect all parts of the preamp , the preamp unit , the power injector/power supply.

http://www.antennacraft.net.

http://www.amazon.com.

Also note that attics are areas that have all manner of electric and electronic noise and signal reflections bouncing all around , a amplifier will amplify electric and electronic noise and make multi-path reflected signals stronger , all this can degrade reception.

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Here are some Digital Broadcast Tv Receiver/Recorders.

http://www.epvision.com.

http://www.channelmasterstore.com.


Here are some and not all TvGuides.

http://www.zap2it.com.

http://www.titantv.com.

http://www.msn.com/tv/guide.

http://www.tvlistings.aol.com.

http://www.yahoo.com.

http://www.tvzap.com.

http://www.totaltv.com



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For Internet Streaming.

The December 2013 issue of Consumer Reports , page 42 , has Pratical and Useful information about , receivers and programing.