Overwhelmed by antenna info, suggestions?

[Blown 89]

I'm getting a little overwhelmed by the information about TV reception with all of the information on the net and could use a suggestion or two on which antenna to get for TV reception. I'm looking to get the major networks (NBC, CBS, PBS, CW, FOX, ETC).

My TVFool report can be found here:
http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...9fbe5fd4b04ff6

What are my options for attic and roof mounts? The smaller and cheaper the better. Thanks guys!

A good deal of my life has been in Arizona, Chandler Az. . I am very familiar with Az. . The main body of the Phoenix Mountain Preserve is between 85050 zip code location and the Television Transmitters on South Mountain. Is your receive location at a house , apartment , condo, . Do have balcony , windows , roof that face toward South Mountain? . Think in terms of UP , not on the ground. . You are in the Pinnacle Peak Rd , Tatum Blvd. Area? Yes ? No? Tell me about the Pima Freeway in releation to your location.

[Tigerbangs]

All of the major Phoenix TV stations are on South Mountain in Ahwatukee, and present a moderately strong signal at your location. You do have a small peak that causes some shadowing between the transmitters and your house, so an attic antenna isn't recommended. You should do very well by using a Winegard HD-7694P or an AntennaCraft HBU-33 mounted on your roof, aimed at roughly 180 degrees as measured by your compass.

When installing your antenna, you may find it easier to use an eave mount, which will mount on the side of the house, but have the antenna peek over the highest point of the roof. Roofs in the Valley of the Sun are absolutely no place to be in summertime.

Be sure to use all high-quality RG-6u coaxial cable, preferably BLACK insulation cable, as the white cable doesn't resist Ultra-Violet light well, and will break down fairly quickly in the sun. Black RG-6u can be painted, however, if aesthetics are a consideration. If you shop carefully, you will find everything that you need for your installation for less than $125.00

Here are links to the equipment:
http://www.winegard.com/kbase/upload/HD7694P.pdf
http://www.antennacraft.net/pdfs/HBU33.pdf

Here is a good installation manual:
http://manuals.solidsignal.com/AntInstallGuide.pdf

[Dave Loudin]

Ah, Tigerbangs got in first. Anyways....


Using the data in your TVFool report, let's step through your situation. First, thanks to KAET, you need a high-band VHF/UHF antenna. Now, the quality factor that defines the antenna gain needed is noise margin. To protect against various fading factors not accounted for, a goal of +10 delivered to the receiver is desired. Antenna gain adds to NM, cable loss subtracts from NM. A pre-amp will "zero out" cable loss, but the internal noise of the amp will subtract from NM.

All of your your full-power stations have NMs of 40 or more, and even the low-power stations have NMs over 20 all from the same direction. Barring local obstructions, you have plenty of signal. A Winegard 7694 or an AntennaCraft HBU-33 should do the trick. Mounting the antenna in the attic has been shown to drop signals by 20 dB or so. You have enough from the major stations to handle that.

Good luck!

[Tigerbangs]

An attic-mounted antenna in Phoenix, with is concrete-tiled roofs foil-backed insulation and HVAC equipment in attics is a horrendously poor option for TV reception: mount your antenna outdoors if at all possible; the difference in signal quality will be immense.

Additionally, it is not uncommon to see Tucson TV stations in Phoenix when using an outdoor antenna: there is absolutely no way to expect them with an attic-mounted antenna. if you want to insure getting the Tucson stations, consider adding a rotator like a Channel Master 9521a to the antenna, which will allow you to turn the antenna between cities.

[Dave Loudin]

Roger, Tigerbangs!