Advice on a new antenna for new guy.

commandrew · 14-Oct-2011, 7:44 PM

Hello and thank-you in advance for your expertise. I have a lot of respect for people who share their advice and knowledge of a subject freely.

Ok here is my situation. I live in a single story duplex. I rent so I cant put an antenna on the roof. I've recently purchased a tv card for my HTPC and set it up. Only problem is the tv tuner in the computer doesn't seem to be as good as the one in my tv.
Channel 7.1 has come in intermittently thru the tv tuner but never thru my tv cards tuner, even when antenna situation stays the same. To improve situation I moved my antenna to the attic. BTW my antenna is a cheap flat antenna I bought from biglots. Anyway now that I have it setup to use my attic id like to purchase a better antenna but I need advice. Id like to get as many channels at possible but I don't want to spend a fortune. If I'm missing any info u need please let me know. Thank you very much. -Andrew

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...60b5452166598e

commandrew · 15-Oct-2011, 12:11 AM

update:

ok I think I've discovered one part of the problem. I'm getting a strong signal from 7.1 in media center but it won't play the channel. I tried it in Avermedia and it works fine. So that seems to be an entirely different problem and probably clouding the issue.

All I really need is a suggestion for a good antenna to mount in my attic. I'm not too concerned about getting channels from many miles away but i would like the ones i get to come in strong bc I'm using media center as a dvr.

Thank you

John Candle · 15-Oct-2011, 3:32 AM

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John Candle · 15-Oct-2011, 2:54 PM

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commandrew · 16-Oct-2011, 4:24 AM

Cool thank you for all the helpful info..

One problem; I should have mentioned the the attic space Im using is above my laundry room and the walls go straight thru to the ceiling. In other words the attic space I have is pretty small. It's about 9 feet wide, 6 feet deep, and 6 feet high. The antenna you recommended is 80 inches so I'm worried about it fitting if it needs to be rotated in a certain direction. It would only be a problem in the worst case scenario but I dont want to risk it. Do you have another recommendation that's a bit smaller?

Thanks again!!
-Andrew

John Candle · 16-Oct-2011, 5:24 AM

There is no rota51 degntenna. The constra

commandrew · 16-Oct-2011, 6:22 AM

I was just saying that my attic space won't accommodate 80 inches side to side. Not that I would be rotating it again after it was pointed in the correct direction.

commandrew · 18-Oct-2011, 11:02 PM

Any experience with the Channel Master 2016? It has decent reviews and looks like it would fit better in the space I have? Also pretty affordable. Please advise.

O also I want to split my signal; any advise on which splinter to buy?

Many thanks.

GroundUrMast · 18-Oct-2011, 11:38 PM

A roof mounted antenna will offer more reliable reception...

The CM2016 is a competitor of the RCA ANT-751... The Winegard HD7694P beats both by any measure.

The signal from KOAB is so strong that I can't recommend any amplifier. Even the high input designs are at risk of overloading at your location.

Use a splitter with the exact number of output ports that you intend to use. If you end up with an unused port, install a terminating resistor on the empty port. Look for splitters that are rated 5 - 1000 MHz, the loss per port should also be specified... more ports, more loss. A typical 4-way splitter loss will be 7 or 8 dB per port. Ideal branded product at Home Depot is an example... there are many other perfectly good splitters on the market.

commandrew · 19-Oct-2011, 12:01 AM

Ok I ordered the ant-751. Can't wait to see how it performs. Thanks for the help!