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Old 30-Nov-2014, 8:37 PM   #1
rmam95
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HELP PLEASE with signal reception - Las Cruces, NM

Hi,

First of all, I want to thank the volunteers for keeping this forum going for people like me! We have installed a couple of different antennas... a guessing game! Last one we put up was Antenna's Direct DB8 at 26 feet off the ground with no visible obstructions... we live in the southwest so no big trees. Our TV fool report is as follows and I used the interactive map as previously suggested to locate our exact location. We do receive ABC, FOX, PBS and Lots and lots of Mexican channels... what we are trying to receive is NBC and CBS. We would appreciate any and all help.

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...d243e8ce8a270b

Thanks!
Angie

Last edited by rmam95; 30-Nov-2014 at 9:06 PM.
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Old 30-Nov-2014, 8:50 PM   #2
rmam95
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Sorry in addition to what I have mentioned, the coaxial cable is 50 feet in length no splices involved and the antenna is mounted on the peak outside.

Last edited by rmam95; 30-Nov-2014 at 9:04 PM.
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Old 30-Nov-2014, 9:56 PM   #3
Jake V
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You are likely receiving ABC on K38MH-D (UHF 38).

KTSM 16 (9.1) NBC and KDBC 18 (4.1) CBS are both "red" stations and are tougher to get.

Is your antenna aimed at 152 degrees as measured with a compass?
Does the antenna have a clear view to the horizon? If not, what's in the way?
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Old 30-Nov-2014, 10:04 PM   #4
rmam95
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Thanks for taking the time to respond!

We can view ABC Digital on 7.1

the compass is reading about 140 - do we have to move it exactly or is there a range?

clear view to horizon.

Also TV fool report states for NBC "Adjacent Channel Warning" Not sure what that means?

Would a "pre amp" work in our situation?... also, I recalculated the TV fool based on height for CBS 4.1 and between 24 and 26 feet it's a -2.0 db when I enter 27' and 28' it goes up to - 2.1
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Old 30-Nov-2014, 10:20 PM   #5
Jake V
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The first thing I would do is to aim the antenna at 152 degrees using a compass. If that does not help, then slowly move the antenna a little each way as a test, and then maybe up and down the pole a few inches. Sometimes you can find a sweet spot.

"Adjacent Channel Warning" means there is a channel right next to that one. In your case you have NBC on 16 and ABC on 17. Others can comment with more details.

A pre-amp might help, but first I'd adjust the aim of the antenna and exhaust that possibility (especially since it doesn't cost anything).
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Old 30-Nov-2014, 10:33 PM   #6
ADTech
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A number of the El Paso stations are unfortunately (for you) located on the southern tip of the mountain range outside El Paso and the signal path to your location is blocked by a number of the closer mountain peaks, notably the one on with KFOX is located, due to those stations being at slightly lower elevation plus the combination of directional antennas aimed away from you. This causes the signals from the NBC and CBS stations to be severely attenuated in relation to the Fox station although they are less than a mile away.

I recently went through this with a customer in your immediate area just this summer and with a very substantial investment in time and money, he was able to improve his reception of those stations, but it was never as perfect as he wanted.

That project involved a DB8e (better lower UHF response, a custom 40 dB notch filter for your nearby PBS station, and a preamp that could still tolerate both weak and very strong signals). He invested probably $400 trying to overcome the limitations of his location without achieving his goal.

The El Paso stations utilize UHF channels 15, 16, 17, & 18 which are sequential and each has at least one adjacent channel. This is normally not a problem when transmitter sites are located close to each other and the coverage area receives all stations equally well. Unfortunately, you have a 40 dB attenuator in your signal path that causes three out of four of those stations to be attenuated leaving channel 15 extremely strong while 16, 17, & 18 will be extremely weak. The simulation software flags the adjacent channel condition for channel 16 since it will be most affected by the extremely strong adjacent channel 15 signal.
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Last edited by ADTech; 30-Nov-2014 at 10:46 PM.
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Old 30-Nov-2014, 10:53 PM   #7
rmam95
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Wow! Thanks for the information AD Tech. That is so sad! I was really hoping to not miss the basic channels for our limited tv watching.
I would gladly invest more if it would help, but, it doesn't sound like it would
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Old 30-Nov-2014, 10:55 PM   #8
rmam95
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Is there something the city could do to improve our signal? It doesn't hurt to ask the city councillors.
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Old 1-Dec-2014, 8:41 AM   #9
Stereocraig
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rmam95 View Post
Is there something the city could do to improve our signal? It doesn't hurt to ask the city councillors.
You call the silly council, for potholes and junk cars in your neighbor's yard.

They have nothing to do w/ television reception =D
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Old 1-Dec-2014, 11:23 AM   #10
ADTech
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rmam95 View Post
Is there something the city could do to improve our signal? It doesn't hurt to ask the city councillors.
No. Call the stations and tell them you'd like them to install translators that cover your area. Odds are poor that they could do that at this point in time, though.

The western side of Las Cruces isn't too much of a problem, but the signals fade rapidly as one moves eastward due to the shadowing caused by mountains.
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Old 1-Dec-2014, 3:18 PM   #11
rmam95
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Thank You! I'll give it a try... I don't have anything to lose
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