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Old 10-Sep-2014, 2:05 AM   #1
shammock12@aol.com
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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
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Old 10-Sep-2014, 4:07 AM   #2
GroundUrMast
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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
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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.)

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Old 10-Sep-2014, 11:52 AM   #3
shammock12@aol.com
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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!
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Old 10-Sep-2014, 2:34 PM   #4
stvcmty
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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.
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Old 10-Sep-2014, 4:46 PM   #5
shammock12@aol.com
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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?
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Old 10-Sep-2014, 5:07 PM   #6
Tower Guy
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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.
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Old 10-Sep-2014, 5:33 PM   #7
GroundUrMast
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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.
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Last edited by GroundUrMast; 10-Sep-2014 at 5:36 PM.
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Old 10-Sep-2014, 5:59 PM   #8
Ben Myers
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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.
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Old 10-Sep-2014, 6:07 PM   #9
Stereocraig
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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.
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