hd stacker

Xilbus · 28-Apr-2011, 1:55 PM

Hi guys,

I just installed my hd stacker from Dennys on monday. Its been raining like crazy all week and overcast and ive been receiving Fox and CBS and 3 pbs stations from the states 100+miles away from me. Im looking forward to when the sky clears up to really test this baby out.

The antenna is installed on a 5 foot tripod and a 7 foot galvanized mast and 3 foot rotor mast on my roof on a 2 story house. im in Aylmer Quebec Canada :-)

Billiam · 2-May-2011, 3:22 PM

Amazing. Looks like you are obtaining the signals from Watertown, NY and that part of northern NY.

Are you getting Ch. 7 from Watertown? If so, does it come in reliably during all hours or only at certain times of day?

Xilbus · 2-May-2011, 3:50 PM

good Morning Billiam,

To be honest with you its been raining like crazy ever since i installed it but this past weekend was clear and sunny. Last night after the kids were put to bed i started to play with the rotor and i pulled in 57.1 .2 .3 from Plattsburg NY those are Mountainlake pbs , that was the 1st time that i turned the antenna that way. also on saturday night i scanned in 7.1 .2 .3
PBS from Watertown, then fox and cbs ABC and CW from watertown also.

The constant american channels that i get even in the rain is PBS 18.1 .2 .3
and Fox and CBS 28.1 .2 but i havent had time to focus on the mountain lake region, ill try later tonight to get a better angle to see if i can get it even in the rain and overcast.

I attached a few pictures for you

Billiam · 2-May-2011, 5:30 PM

I tried a HD Stacker here last Summer and compared it to a YA 1713 from Winegard on Ch. 7. At that time I had the antenna mounted ten feet off my roof and the coax was running into a Channel Master 7777 Titan Pre Amp. The YA 1713 was a little bit better than the Stacker since at that time it gave me a stable albeit weak picture on Ch. 7. Since that time the single YA 1713 developed the same signal dropout and in the Fall I added a second YA 1713 and coupled them properly and phased the cables per the instructions of a Winegard Tech. Unfortunately I now have seen another drop in signal strength and to add insult to injury it now appears as though a co channel in another city around 150 miles from here is also impacting my signal.

My options seem to be to try to use a horizontal coupling of the two existing YA 1713's and hope that solves the problem. Or to use a single antenna with more gain and perhaps more interference rejection capability but mount it a few feet higher than the present 15 feet. I can't get the existing unit any higher or even a horizontal gang either with the mounting surface that I have.

First, I will likely try a single all channel antenna with higher gain than the YA 1713's to see if that solves my problem on Ch. 7. If not, then I will have to try the horizontal gang and see if that works.

I'll be interested to see if you can get Ch. 7 from Watertown most of the time during the day or the better part of a 24 hour day, every day.

The HD Stacker is a good antenna by all accounts. I had not tried the UHF section but I am certain it works quite well. I've seen a lot of favorable reviews of this antenna and my own experience showed it worked nearly as well as the YA 1713 on Ch. 7. But now I may be able to overcome the slight deficiency in the gain of the Stacker by moving it higher and eliminating the need for a UHF separate as well. It will certainly look better than the current mess on my roof. :-)

Xilbus · 2-May-2011, 7:25 PM

Where are you located ? have you tried to contact Denny, maybe he could point out a few tricks to help you out. His support is top noch.

You wrote that you didnt try the uhf section so you didnt place the twin lead ? you should try that out, thats what makes this antenna perform, the two antennas help each other out.

Have you tried 91xg's ? that one of the most powerfull uhf yagi antennas out there. im sure with this you would get your channel 7. Do you have a two story house ? if not i would try a push up mast from channel master, id get a 30 foot one.

Billiam · 3-May-2011, 3:39 AM

Currently living about 40 miles NE of Kansas City, Misery. I sent a message to Denny on Sunday but as of 9:30 PM central time on Monday night, no reply.

Actually I did fully install the cable including the twin lead according to the instructions but I did not bother to actually view any UHF channels. My only interest was seeing how well Ch. 7 would come in because at this location almost any Yagi with medium gain will yield excellent reception of the KC stations and even the station in Sedalia which is 70 miles or so from here.

The 91xg is a UHF only antenna. Ch. 7 being VHF is too distant from here to be received even on a 4228 or similar 8 bay that can pick up higher channel VHF signals.

I have a one story. But I have devised a wooden structure around the chimney that allows me to have a mast as high as 20 feet without guys. That gives me about 37 feet of height at the top off the ground.

Xilbus · 3-May-2011, 9:51 PM

ahhh im sure he will reply to you shortly , let me know if he does reply.
how far away is your channel 7?

Billiam · 4-May-2011, 2:50 AM

55 miles. 2 edge with a NM around 3.8 at 32 feet off the ground. At 35 feet the NM is at 4.2. Still no reply from Denny. I am going to purchase elsewhere. Waiting two full business days is ample time to respond.

Denny · 4-May-2011, 4:02 AM

Hi Billiam, I don't have your email. I've checked inbox, junk etc... can't find it anywhere.

Denny

Billiam · 4-May-2011, 10:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Denny

Hi Billiam, I don't have your email. I've checked inbox, junk etc... can't find it anywhere.

Denny

Odd. I will resend it or PM you right here. Also, I will attach a link to a TV Fool message string on the subject. It would seem as though interference from a co channel is my primary problem while signal gain is secondary.

roadrunner · 18-Nov-2011, 1:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xilbus

Hi guys,

I just installed my hd stacker from Dennys on monday. Its been raining like crazy all week and overcast and ive been receiving Fox and CBS and 3 pbs stations from the states 100+miles away from me. Im looking forward to when the sky clears up to really test this baby out.

The antenna is installed on a 5 foot tripod and a 7 foot galvanized mast and 3 foot rotor mast on my roof on a 2 story house. im in Aylmer Quebec Canada :-)

I too have a HD Stacker. That was on the ground on a pole and was getting 15 channels . When I put up my tower 32 ft with rotor what a surprise I got. I am getting channels from Baltimore WBAL 2 Channels 43 miles, WJZ 13 2 Channels 43 miles also ,(Hagerstown MD) 70 some miles away . And a really big surprise , but weak, day or night time from WWPX Ion tv from Martinsburg WV 3 channels. I am using a pre amp an wineguard 8700 .Plus all of our local channels. Total so far with rotating tha antenna 28 channels . Not bad for York PA and still DXing to see what else I can get. Dennys antenna service has a NICE antenna, Wondering what it would do with a larger pre amp , Hmmmm ?

DaveBB · 20-Dec-2011, 2:32 AM

I've been looking at getting the HD Stacker for my house. I live in a very rural area in SW Wisconsin and the signals are coming from different locations. I have a 35' tower a new rotor and an antenna craft 10g-202 pre-amp. to make up for the 150' of coax cable I have to run from the antenna to the house. Does anyone have an opinion on if the HD Stacker would work well for me or if I should look into other larger antennas. Below is my TV Fool signal report link.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks Dave

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...40337cf48935ad

Billiam · 20-Dec-2011, 3:02 AM

The Stacker is not the right antenna for this situation. Ch. 4 and a weak Ch. 7 require a large antenna like the Antennacraft HD 1850 or Channel Master CM 3671. Both of these cover the entire VHF and UHF bands.

Tower Guy · 20-Dec-2011, 3:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaveBB

I live in a very rural area in SW Wisconsin and the signals are coming from different locations.

How has your luck been with WHBF on channel 4? Do you know if the second KWWL channel 7 is actually on the air?

I would guess that channel 4 is not reliable and if KWWL-1 is on the air it won't work either. The FCC web site calls KWWL-1 a construction permit, not an operational station.

So, in order to get CBS you'll need KGAN on channel 51. Only the highest gain UHF antenna will work. A 91XG is one such option. Next you need a VHF high band antenna. This could be a Y10-7-13. The VHF antenna can be below the rotator and fixed aimed at 262°. Couple the two antennas before your preamp using a UVSJ.

Billiam · 20-Dec-2011, 3:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tower Guy

How has your luck been with WHBF on channel 4? Do you know if the second KWWL channel 7 is actually on the air?

I would guess that channel 4 is not reliable and if KWWL-1 is on the air it won't work either. The FCC web site calls KWWL-1 a construction permit, not an operational station.

So, in order to get CBS you'll need KGAN on channel 51. Only the highest gain UHF antenna will work. A 91XG is one such option. Next you need a VHF high band antenna. This could be a Y10-7-13. The VHF antenna can be below the rotator and fixed aimed at 262°. Couple the two antennas before your preamp using a UVSJ.

Tower Guy's recommendation for picking up Ch. 51 is good. The 91XG and MXU59 from Antennacraft seem to be the best at picking up the higher UHF signals. I own both and have tested each one head to head on a variety of channels.

If you opt to go with a VHF only antenna then assuming that you will not need to pick up CH. 4, you should look to the Y10-7-13. It has more gain than the comparable Winegard model though it is still not on par with the all channel antennas I mentioned for VHF performance. Stacking two of these VHF only antennas may solve the problem. My Ch. 7 is virtually the same NM strength as yours and when I used the Y10-7-13 with a good pre amp I was able to get a viewable signal most of the time. Stacking two of these may be an option to consider or more height on your tower is a single antenna is the only option.

Tower Guy · 20-Dec-2011, 4:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Billiam

Stacking two of these may be an option to consider or more height on your tower is a single antenna is the only option.

If you opt to stack a pair of VHF antennas you can protect yourself in the event that KWWL turns on their cochannel repeater in Dubuque by stacking the two antennas horizontally with a spacing of 51". By doing so you will increase the signal strength of the main station by 2.5 db and null the second channel 7 by almost 20 db.

DaveBB · 22-Dec-2011, 2:38 AM

Thanks for your help. I would like to just have one antenna if possible. I remember getting the stations out of Madison (WKOW), Quad Cities (WHBF) and Cedar Rapids(KWWL) years ago (about 15 years now).
I Still have the old antenna on the tower and don't recall what type it was or who made it. It's pretty beat up missing elements and bent. And don't have coax running to it anymore. I'm still trying to figure out all of the info on antennas right now. To a newbie like me it's a little confusing. So I appreciate all of your help as I research all my options for receiving the new digital signals. So if you have anymore suggestions please let me know.

Thanks Again
Dave

Billiam · 22-Dec-2011, 2:44 AM

Dave. The two antennas I recommended initially are probably the best long range VHF antennas currently available. Either one, along with a good pre amp will likely give you the top 4 channels listed on your report. Anything after that is iffy at best at least as far are reliable reception is concerned.

clivek · 13-May-2013, 10:08 PM

hey there,
I am in Aylmer also, (wilfed lavigne near allumetiers) )i.e pretty high in the city and I was looking into which antenna I should purchase. Can you give me any more info on your experience to date with your antenna. I am looking to pick up the most american channels possible.

thx,

Billiam · 15-May-2013, 5:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clivek

hey there,
I am in Aylmer also, (wilfed lavigne near allumetiers) )i.e pretty high in the city and I was looking into which antenna I should purchase. Can you give me any more info on your experience to date with your antenna. I am looking to pick up the most american channels possible.

thx,

This thread is now two years old. From what I see the OP only posted 4 times to this forum and stopped. It is not likely that he will read your message and respond. A lot of people just pop in to get some information and then move on. This appears to be one of those cases.

You might want to drive around your area to see who is using what antenna on the roof of their home. You could talk to some of those people to see what kind of results they are getting.