Is it worth it to upgrade?

[jmulkey]

I have been reading through a number of threads on this forum. It is great to see how many knowledgeable folks on here are willing to help. There is a ton of information and I've been able to pick up quite a bit since I knew nothing about the antenna business a couple of weeks ago.

I have a cheap antenna that I use out at our ranch in Central Texas. It picks up a couple of stations. I've been trying to figure out if it is worth it to upgrade to a better antenna.

My TV Fool Report link is http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...da32f4b83542a9

I can currently pick up KBVO and KCWX. There are a number of channels - including the majors - at about (-15 NM). I've seen threads that lead me to believe I would need to get the NM up to about 10 in order to really have decent reception. An antenna consistently recommended is the Winegard HD-8200U. But, it looks to me like the gain on that antenna is about 10 - 13 DB in the range that I would need. So, my conclusion is that even with this quality antenna, I would not be able to receive the channels that I am interested in.

I am posting here to see if someone who really understands this better could just check my facts and either confirm what I am thinking or correct my logic.

The other thing that comes to mind is adding a preamp like the Winegard AP8275. But, it looks to me like unless your antenna gain gets you above 0 that would not really help.

Thanks for anyone's input on my question.

[Tigerbangs]

WOW, you really way out there, aren't you? Most of the stations that you would want would be from either Austin or San Antonio, and those stations are really too far away to receive without a sizable tower and a deep-fringe antenna rig. I suspect that you would see sporadic reception from many of them, but reliable reception would be a big question mark. You listed 20' as your default antenna height, can we do any better than that?

Would you have a tower or windmill of some height on the property that might give you some altitude? an extra 50' of altitude might make those stations possible if the other conditions are right.

[jmulkey]

Thanks for taking a look.

There isn't really anything existing like you suggested - windmill, etc - to leverage. I would have to look at installing a tower. Seems like 50' would be a major setup.

I think you are kind of confirming what I was already deducing from the other threads. I don't watch that much TV. My real interest would be in picking up football games during the season. The rest of the year, I doubt it would get much use.

[John Candle]

Here is free satellite Tv. http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=265 . And if you have broadband internet service speed of 1.5 Mbps or more then I suggest http://www.roku.com . Roku is the little box that receives sports , movies and tv shows via the internet. Roku/Netflix

[jmulkey]

Thank you, John.