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1-Dec-2011, 4:59 PM
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#1
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Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2011
Posts: 4
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Antenna help in the hills of Kentucky
Here is my report: http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...ec123d4dc0ce14
We have a ridge behind our house which is between us and the signal towers from Lexington and Danville/Richmond. One day this past spring we ran some coaxial out our door and hung some "rabbit ears" on our deck and picked up WYMT from Hazard that day. Can't get hardly anything with an indoor antenna.
Don't know if it matters but we have a metal roof. Am thinking about a 5 ft tripod mount with a 5 ft mast. Should be about 25 to 30ft above the ground. Have been w/o tv for almost 2 yrs now (have high speed internet though) but my wife would be happier with at least some tv. Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks a bunch!
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1-Dec-2011, 5:35 PM
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#2
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Moderator
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Greater Seattle Area
Posts: 4,773
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It looks like you would do fairly well with a Winegard HD7698P and a rotator. I would also expect you would need a preamp such as the Antennas Direct CPA-18 or Winegard AP8700.
I would suggest using a 10' mast section with the tripod. Extra elevation will be helpful and you'll get more distance from the metal roof.
The NTE TB-105 is a good investment if you are putting a large antenna on a rotator. It will reduce the stress on the rotator a great deal. http://www.nteinc.com/ecgproducts/pd...na_rotator.pdf
__________________
If the well is dry and you don't see rain on the horizon, you'll need to dig the hole deeper. (If the antenna can't get the job done, an amp won't fix it.)
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Last edited by GroundUrMast; 1-Dec-2011 at 7:24 PM.
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1-Dec-2011, 5:38 PM
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#3
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Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2011
Posts: 4
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Here are a few pics of the hill behind our house:
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3-Dec-2011, 4:26 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 121
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crgshhn, In the first photo of your house, what direction does your front door face?
Ground UR Mast, You mentioned maintaining additional height over a metal roof. Is 10' above any metal roofing a rule of thumb? I read something like that regarding flat metal roofing but can't find much about dealing with a pitched roof, ie, 5-12 pitch. Or a height over a neighboring metal roof.
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3-Dec-2011, 6:31 PM
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#5
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Moderator
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Greater Seattle Area
Posts: 4,773
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I'm thinking that safely using all available height will eek out a bit more signal. The terrain nearby is significant but not insurmountable.
As a rule of thumb, within one wavelength, there is quite a bit of interaction between an antenna and other metal, greater separation is almost always better. Flat metal roofing will act as a reflector, but sitting here, I have no way to predict the exact effect.
So the best I can do is suggest that the installer be ready to experiment with mounting location and elevation. They'll have more adjustment available with a 10' mast as opposed to a 5'.
__________________
If the well is dry and you don't see rain on the horizon, you'll need to dig the hole deeper. (If the antenna can't get the job done, an amp won't fix it.)
(Please direct account activation inquiries to 'admin')
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3-Dec-2011, 11:32 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 121
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Well I was really fishing for antenna over a metal roof generalizations, not so much pertaining to just the OPs situation. Rather than steer the conversation away from the OP, I'll start another thread. Thanks!
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5-Dec-2011, 6:49 PM
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#7
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Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2011
Posts: 4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by phone man
crgshhn, In the first photo of your house, what direction does your front door face?
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Well, you can't actually see the "front" of our house but here is the photo with my attempt at adding directional arrows. Does this help at all?
Thanks!!
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8-Dec-2011, 3:11 AM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,832
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Reception
Here is a way to get a antenna way up in the air , http://www.ronard.com/tree_adjust.html. Climb safely with the correct climbing gear.
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8-Dec-2011, 4:54 AM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,832
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Reception
To start with I recommend a 10 foot tripod on the roof , http://www.ronard.com/Tripods%200703/4712.html. And shoot for these stations , WUPX-DT 21 ION Television , WDKY-DT 31 FOX , WKYT--TV 36 CBS , WTVQ-DT 40 ABC , WLEX-DT 39 NBC , WKMR-DT 15 PBS. I recommend a http://www.antennacraft.net , U8000 antenna aimed at about 80 degree magnetic compass. The U8000 can be modified to receive in 2 directions buy drilling out the rivets of the flat metal clips that hold the reflector rods in the horizontal position , remove the the reflector rods and now the U8000's >< shaped metal reception elements will receive in 2 directions , no rotor needed. Or the U8000 can be put on a rotor. For a preamplifier I recommend a , http://channelmasterstore.com , CM7778 preamp.
Last edited by Electron; 8-Dec-2011 at 5:44 AM.
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8-Dec-2011, 11:49 AM
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#11
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Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2011
Posts: 4
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Okay, there is definitely more to this than I realized. How long of a mast should be used with the 10 ft tripod? Do I need to use guy wires also?
Thanks so much for all of your alls help!
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9-Dec-2011, 6:12 AM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,832
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Reception
No guy wires will be needed , The http://www.ronard.com , 10 foot heavy duty tripod will not need guy wires with a antenna or antennas mounted on it. If mounting only the U8000 , the bottom of the U8000 can just above the top of the tripod. If both the U8000 and YA1713 are used the U8000 will be mounted above the YA1713 with about a 2 foot separation between the bottom of the U8000 and the YA1713. . The CM7778 preamp will work with just the U8000 , or both the U8000 and YA1713. Flexability of use with the CM7778 preamp.
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