Have I chosen right?

[middleofnowhere]

I'll just double check w/ u guys before sending my $$ down a hole.
Here's my channel report: http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...1dda9f73fd3ead
I'm looking at getting an Antennacraft Colorstar c290 from Radioshack, since all i want is NBC, CBS and PBS, any others are not needed but i can take them.
Going to use about 75ft of whatever coax Dish left in the house when i quit my subscription. I can't find any markings so I don't know what type it is. It's coax, right?
Antenna 25 ft off the ground on a metal pole attached to the side of the house.
In the future I might put a splitter at the antenna in to run another TV, as dish had me wired for two TV's.
I have the ability (power, cable, mountings etc.) to put in a pre-amp at the antenna to eliminate losses from cable & splitter, if i need to.
Does this sound right?

[GroundUrMast]

It sounds like you're on the right track. Is the path clear of trees or other obstructions?

The C490 has a couple more dB of UHF gain... that would not be over-kill IMO.

A Heavy Duty Long Lasting Outdoor Antenna is the Winegard HD7082P antenna.

Aim the HD7082P antenna at about 228 degree magnetic compass direction.

Here is how to aim antennas , http://www.kyes.com/antenna/pointing/pointing.html.

Looking at the tvfool radar plot and channel list for the Digital Current Plus Pending Applications Included channel list , The Digital Tv stations/channels down the list to and including KDKF-DT REAL UHF Digital channel 29 , virtual number (31.1-2) ABC - ABC News , should be received.

If not , then install a Winegard HDP-269 preamp.

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Here is more information about the Digital Tv stations/channels.

http://www.rabbitears.info/market.ph...&callsign=8268.

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As always , trees and tree leaves do a good job of , reflecting , reducing , blocking , Digital Tv reception and so do buildings and other obstructions including your own roof and house.

It is best to install the HD7082P antenna at a location that has the least amount to no amount of obstructions of any type or kind in the directions of reception including your own roof and house.

________________________________________

For 1 Tv connected use No splitter.

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

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

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Here are some places to buy antennas and etc. ,

http://www.solidsignal.com.

http://www.amazon.com.

http://www.winegarddirect.com.

[middleofnowhere]

No, there are a couple (2 or 3) tall pine trees in the way, but i managed to pick up stuff (barely) through them with a smaller, (4 bay flat verticle type) homebuilt antenna. Was going to put up the C490 but it's freaking 12 feet long! The poles I have aren't strong enough for that in a big wind. Not to mention the side is facing a neighbor and I would prefer to not get any complaints from him....

P.S should I take a suggestion from your name and ground my mast really well? We usually don't get very many thunderstorms but last year we had a tree strike no more than 1000 feet from the house.

[GroundUrMast]

I think you'll find that grounding the mast and coax correctly is not very expensive or time consuming (relative to the cost of cable or satellite service). The basic steps are summarized in post 20 of this thread: http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=901

Here are some Strong and Sturdy antenna mounts.

http://www.ronard.com/909911.html. if using a tripod antenna mount use a 5 foot tripod antenna mount.

http://www.ronard.com/34424560.html if using a eave antenna mount use the #4560.

http://www.ronard.com/ychim.html.

http://www.ronard.com.

Buy the ronard antenna mounts at solidsignal by typing the word ronard in the solidsignal search box or buy from ronard.

http://www.solidsignal.com.

Here is a , Light Weight Aluminum , No Guy Wires , Lay Over Tower , Do antenna installation and adjustments standing on the ground.

http://www.palcoelectronics.com/pe300.aspx.

[middleofnowhere]

I'm not getting half of what i'm supposed to be getting. Only NBC, ABC (weak) and two fuzzball analog channels. I got extra PBS with my homebuilt chicken wire antenna!
This is without splitter or amp (don't have it yet), just 75ft dishnetwork cable from antenna to TV.
I can place it (the antenna) out in my yard on a 10ft pole which would decrease trees to none, while adding 25 ft more cable. Would that get better reception? if not, i'll just grab a c490 and deal with it.
One note: It has to go though two joiners (not splitters, just cable screw connectors) before it gets to the TV. Could this cause undue cable loss?

Yes a antenna that is installed at a location that is clear of trees will improve reception.


At solidsignal.

The C490 is $82.99.

The HD7082P is $70.99.

The HD7084P antenna is $88.99.

The Winegard antennas are Heavy Duty Long Lasting Antennas.

If the connections are good , inline coax coupling reduces signal strength a small tiny amount. Less then 1 dB.

However , All outside coax is suspect of being bad. And all other coax is suspect of being bad.

Here are ways to seal coax and coax connections so that water and weather can not get in the coax or connections.

http://coaxseal.com.

Mastic tapes. 1 inch wide X 10 feet long.

Scotch brand.

Type Scotch 2229-1 and Scotch 2228-1 in the google search box or amazon search box.

I am using Scotch 2228-1 rubber mastic tape for Many Years to seal the coax and connections.

Please note that coax seal and mastic tapes will not make bad coax and bad connections , good.

[middleofnowhere]

p.s correction: there will be 145ft of cable between the edge of my yard. I have power for a pre-amp.

[GroundUrMast]

Originally Posted by middleofnowhere

I'm not getting half of what i'm supposed to be getting. Only NBC, ABC (weak) and two fuzzball analog channels. I got extra PBS with my homebuilt chicken wire antenna!
This is without splitter or amp (don't have it yet), just 75ft dishnetwork cable from antenna to TV.
I can place it (the antenna) out in my yard on a 10ft pole which would decrease trees to none, while adding 25 ft more cable. Would that get better reception? if not, i'll just grab a c490 and deal with it.
One note: It has to go though two joiners (not splitters, just cable screw connectors) before it gets to the TV. Could this cause undue cable loss?

Does this mean you have a C290 in place?

As teleview already mentioned, used coax is suspect, particularly if it's been outside. If the ends have not been sealed from the weather 100% of the time, it's nearly certain you've got water in the coax -- if so, discard it and start with new.

Trees can be quite troublesome. The effect of a tree in the path is much more difficult to overcome than the small amount of loss due to a few extra feet of coax. More important than just signal strength, a tree will reduce the quality of the signal. Amplifiers can not correct multipath or similar signal quality problems.

[middleofnowhere]

Yes, i bought a c290 from radioshack, put it up, 2 channels i feel ripped off!
I don't have any new coax, all my coax is at least 5 yrs old, maybe i should get new stuff. The dish coax is all inside except for the last 10 feet where goes into a covered junction box ( where antenna's hooked to).
Trees could be killing my reception, one of the trees it has to go through is a dense juniper tree.
I'll report later on the outcome of moving the antenna to my yard.
P.S I had to d a tacky-splice on my old coax with a crimp connector and electrical tape. Not sure if it's good enough for what i need, but i'll give it a shot.
P.P.S I know amps can't fix a signal, i just think i'll need a boost though my old coax line.

[GroundUrMast]

The juniper tree is not helping the situation. Moving the antenna is a good solution.

The crimp connector and tape may be OK for a temporary DC connection... but could be a major discontinuity to RF. If you must splice coax (avoid it if at all possible), use standard coax connectors and an F-81 'barrel connector'.

Better yet, start with a known good coax (only long enough to reach from the antenna to the ground), the antenna, a known good TV, a dry day, and an extension cord. Test reception at various locations with this test set-up. Once you have a good location or have proven the need for a larger antenna, you'll know what your cable length will need to be.

FWIW, Home Depot sells coax by the foot, so if you need a single piece over 100' you can avoid any splices.

[middleofnowhere]

Currently the antenna is mounted at the end of my house. This is where most of the trees are, but it didn't require restringing wires. howEVER after doing some compass-pointing I think I can move it to the center of my house (mine is L shaped), shorten my coax to a 45 ft length and get a clear shot to CBS, the channel i want (superbowl). I can probably get NBC from it too, but the signal would have to bend around my stovepipe. My current travelling scedule puts me in a small car with 2 other people and no way to get the C490 in. Therefore, i'm stuck with the C290 until next Wednesday. I need to have CBS by Sunday!

P.S gave up on putting it in my yard. The splice seems to be making reception IMPOSSIBLE.

To Prove Reception.

Install a New matching transformer (balun) that connects the C290 antenna to the coax.

Install -->New continues length of coax<-- from the matching transformer to the Tv.

Run the -->New continues length of coax<-- through a window or door.

Having extra feet of one loooong coax is not that big of a deal.

Aiming the antenna through trees Is A Big Deal that , reflects , reduces , blocks , Digital Broadcast Tv Reception.

At some point in the proses of having Reliable and many Digital Broadcast Tv channels.

You must correct the outside coax and coax connections.

And any other bad coax and connections.

The Digital Broadcast Tv Reception is Weak Signal Strength at your location.

You have no choice , you must deal with the trees situation , the antenna must have a better shot at the Digital Broadcast Tv Transmitters.
__________________

The compression type coax fittings/connectors are the best to use when making up new lengths of coax.

Home Depot and Lowes has the IDEAL Brand of compression type connectors and fittings and IDEAL Brand tools.

[middleofnowhere]

OK, i moved the antenna around and i get PBS out of it now. CBS is nonexistent. Possibly the coax but everything else is flawless with no trees. Still using old, crimp connector patch. Balun on the antenna is brand-new, the whole antenna is right-out-of-the-box.
Discovered I can watch the Super Bowl online, so this is not such a issue.
However, would be nice to be able to get more than 3 broadcasters via Antenna. Picture quality beats all other sources.

Remove ALL satellite system componets , Remove multiswitches , Remove splitters , Remove power supplies , Remove power injectors , Remove amplifiers , Remove etc..

Yes it is Ok to use the satellite system coaxes.

______________________________________________________________________________

Do Not use any type or kind of Radio Shack antenna system preamplifier or amplifier.

______________________________________________________________________________

I recommend use the HD7082P antenna and HDP-269 preamp and the rest of the setup I have recommended.

[GroundUrMast]

Can you describe the "crimp connector patch" a bit better? I'm not sure I understand the connection. Earlier, you also mentioned electrical tape being a part of the connection.

Are you using a part like this? http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2103505

Or this? http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2103579

[middleofnowhere]

I'm using a crimp like the first link. Crimped the copper inside together, wrap with tape, lay the outer metal jacket over and tape some more. Is working great (PERFECT, 75% signal and better) right now for NBC, PBS, ABC.
Checked the transmitter MAP not the REPORT..... Pretty sure that CBS will never come in, and that my current channels will be all i ever get. Nearby ridge that's 100 feet higher is skipping CBS and everything else from the west right over my head.... Plus 7000 foot (i'm at 4000) mountain in the way...Either need to move to the other ridge or move to other side of valley.

I give up.