Weak Signal Antenna Help

rodney · 27-Mar-2010, 8:32 PM

Hello,
I don't currently have an antenna or any reception, and the report for my location looks somewhat grim. Any chance for me to pick up 31 & 41? Or anything beyond that?

Any advice would be appreciated! Thank you.

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...b7c8819d444d75

Tigerbangs · 27-Mar-2010, 10:40 PM

Yes, you aren't too far from Mt. Ascutney, where those channels are located, but there are some hills between you and the mountain. You are going to need a deep-fringe UHF antenna mounted on your roof to see those channels.

You didn't mention how many TV sets you are looking to run from the antenna, but if you are only looking for one TV, and your total cable length won't exceed 75', you can probably get away with an AntennasDirect XG-91 UHF antenna aimed at 235 degrees. I would try it without a preamplifier first, and see how you do, but you may want to consider a preamp if you are going to run more than two TV sets from the same antenna. My choice would be a Channel Master Titan 7777 for this application.

When installing the antenna, use the built-in tilt mounting feature to bring the front of the antenna up about 20 degrees above the horizon to take advantage of the refractive effects of the signals coming off the tops of the surrounding mountains.

http://antennasdirect.com/91XG_HDTV_Antenna.html
http://manuals.solidsignal.com/AntInstallGuide.pdf
http://channelmaster.com/product-ove...ID=74&catID=39

You'll find the antenna more cheaply at
http://www.solidsignal.com

rodney · 29-Mar-2010, 8:23 PM

Thank you very much for your help. That's just what I needed.
I'm looking to run one receiver (MythTV box - not sure which tuner card yet), and should have a short cable, so I'll give the XG-91 a try.

I expect I have no shot at picking up anything from Mt. Mansfield, right? Or is there some sort of "extreme measure" I could attempt? It's 68.6 miles away, but all signals are listed in the negatives for me.

Tigerbangs · 31-Mar-2010, 5:21 PM

I wish that I could promise you that you'd see Mt Mansfield from where you are, but it's a big 'if' I have spent plenty of time in your area, and know that the alignment of the hills is critical to getting reception at any distance from the transmitters. if you won't have a rotator on your antenna, the alignment of the antenna is such that it won't be aimed at Mt. Mansfield, so if you see any reception from the transmitters there, it is likely to be incidental and sporadic.