Need help in choosing antenna!

[Midas617]

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...f1f09a9a858ff0

First things first:
I have a 2 story house the current antenna is mounted on a 3ft tripod and a 10ft mast with a 2 way splitter going to 2 tv's. one of the tv's is connected to a HTPC with a happauge 2250 which has crappy sensitivity compared to the tv tuner, but I use it in able to record various series and watch them when i can.

Both leads have drop amps which are the Electroline EDA-2100.
since i do not know how to split a pre-amp signal from the roof.

I am currently using the Winegard Model HD9085P Pointed northeast about 45 degrees, (which I just picked up this weekend for $20 on craigslist, and i works much better than the Channel Master DB8 I just replaced it with). now I can pull in both boston stations and my locals. the sweet spot would be east but there are trees in my neighbors backyard blocking the line of sight, if I point east I get all my locals with no pixelation but then I lose the boston feed.

What I would like to do is get an antenna that I will be able to point north and still have enough gain to get my locals. I have a RCA TVPRAMP1R Preamplifier laying around to use with the antenna I need.

I was hoping to use the current HD9085P for the wife, give the tv in the master bed it's own feed so i can get her all the locals plus channel 50.1, which I don't care for the same way she doesn't care for the Boston channels.

after some research I narrowed it down to these two:

http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.asp?p=HD7084

http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.asp?p=HD7698P&more=yes

or if you guys have any other reccomendations.




I get channels
10.1 nbc
6.1 abc (spotty signal during the day and wind)
64.1 fox
12.1 cbs (spotty signal during the day and wind)
36.1 pbs
28.1 cw (spotty signal during the day and wind)
5.1 abc-Boston (spotty signal during the day and wind)
25.1 fox-Boston (spotty signal during the day and wind)
2.1 pbs-Boston

*note: the spotty signal during the day and wind hardly happens on the sony tv directly connected to antenna only with the crappy happauge.*

[rabbit73]

Your tvfool report link is broken in the middle; try it again.

[Midas617]

Originally Posted by rabbit73

Your tvfool report link is broken in the middle; try it again.

Ok, I fixed in the original post also, here's the new link:

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...f1f09a9a858ff0

[rabbit73]

Thanks, that's better.

With signals that strong, you shouldn't need the amps. WJAR has a Noise Margin of 67.4 dB. When you add the 14.5 dB gain of the HD9085P, that brings you up to 81.9 dB even before adding the gain of the amp. I suspect tuner overload; try it without the amps.
http://www.winegard.com/kbase/uploads/HD9085P.pdf



Interpreting Noise Margin in the TV Fool Report
http://www.aa6g.org/DTV/Reception/tvfool_nm.html

one of the tv's is connected to a HTPC with a happauge 2250 which has crappy sensitivity compared to the tv tuner

I have had a difficult time with the Hauppauge 850 and 950 USB tuner software. Have you added the signal monitor? It will give you useful information about signal quality (SNR and errors) which is more important than signal strength.
http://www.hauppauge.com/site/suppor...l_monitor.html

it works better than the Channel Master DB8

It should work about the same. CM doesn't make the DB8.

now I can pull in both boston stations and my locals. the sweet spot would be east but there are trees in my neighbors backyard blocking the line of sight, if I point east I get all my locals with no pixelation but then I lose the boston feed.

The sweet spot for Boston and the locals should be more like NE. Trees really mess with UHF signals; avoid them.

What I would like to do is get an antenna that I will be able to point north and still have enough gain to get my locals.

What channels are in that direction? I would think a Winegard HD7694P would be able to get your locals and Boston down to WHDH NBC if aimed about 55 degrees magnetic, IF THERE ARE NO TREES IN THE WAY.

after some research I narrowed it down to these two:

They are not suitable for you. The 7084 is a big antenna that covers VHF-Low (real channels 2-6), which you don't have. The 7698 is a big high gain antenna for distant stations, like the weakest Boston channels.

*note: the spotty signal during the day and wind hardly happens on the sony tv directly connected to antenna only with the crappy happauge.*

Maybe the Sony can handle overload and multipath from the signals filtering through the trees better than the Hauppauge tuner. My Sony TVs have a Diagnostics Screen that gives signal strength, SNR, and errors; very useful for antenna work. My latest Sony is a KDL32R400A that has a wide range signal strength scale with one dB steps. It will measure digital QAM cable signals and digital 8VSB OTA signals. See Attachments No 3 and 4.

[Midas617]

Originally Posted by rabbit73

Thanks, that's better.

With signals that strong, you shouldn't need the amps. WJAR has a Noise Margin of 67.4 dB. When you add the 14.5 dB gain of the HD9085P, that brings you up to 81.9 dB even before adding the gain of the amp. I suspect tuner overload; try it without the amps.
http://www.winegard.com/kbase/uploads/HD9085P.pdf



Interpreting Noise Margin in the TV Fool Report
http://www.aa6g.org/DTV/Reception/tvfool_nm.html

I have had a difficult time with the Hauppauge 850 and 950 USB tuner software. Have you added the signal monitor? It will give you useful information about signal quality (SNR and errors) which is more important than signal strength.
http://www.hauppauge.com/site/suppor...l_monitor.html

It should work about the same. CM doesn't make the DB8.

The sweet spot for Boston and the locals should be more like NE. Trees really mess with UHF signals; avoid them.
What channels are in that direction? I would think a Winegard HD7694P would be able to get your locals and Boston down to WHDH NBC if aimed about 55 degrees magnetic, IF THERE ARE NO TREES IN THE WAY.



They are not suitable for you. The 7084 is a big antenna that covers VHF-Low (real channels 2-6), which you don't have. The 7698 is a big high gain antenna for distant stations, like the weakest Boston channels.

Maybe the Sony can handle overload and multipath from the signals filtering through the trees better than the Hauppauge tuner. My Sony TVs have a Diagnostics Screen that gives signal strength, SNR, and errors; very useful for antenna work. My latest Sony is a KDL32R400A that has a wide range signal strength scale with one dB steps. It will measure digital QAM cable signals and digital 8VSB OTA signals. See Attachments No 3 and 4.

Thanks Rabbit 73 for all your useful input, and sorry for the delay in my reply since I was more busy than usual this weekend.

Between 30 and 150 degrees I have trees blocking my line of sight.
and thanks for the link of the happauge signal monitor, I'll play around with it.
And you are correct about the DB8, it's antennas direct.

As for the tv's, I've been out of the tv market for about 7 years since I bought the KDL-52xbr6 and before that the kdl-52w3000, so no tuner metering capabilities in either of them, just my luck!

What I really want to do is take the Winegard HD9085 for my wife to pick up channel 50.1, plus the other rhode island channels. since each tv has it's own lead from the roof, and start from scratch for the tv with the happauge tuner with a new antenna.

So, Giving the information that you have with my line of sight issues because of trees, which new antenna would you recommend for me to pick up locals and the Boston channels on the tv with the happauge tuner?

Thanks in advance!

[rabbit73]

I still would pick the 7694, but no guarantee because of the trees.

[Midas617]

Originally Posted by rabbit73

I still would pick the 7694, but no guarantee because of the trees.

Thanks Rabbit!