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Old 5-Jan-2015, 2:22 AM   #1
Penobscot
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Antenna help for Plant City, FL

Thank you for your volunteer time to help us all cut the cord. I really appreciate you all sharing your knowledge and time. And with that, let’s get this thread started. Dish Network is on my list to fire and I need your help to do it. I will follow all the direction you give me. I’m very handy and can construct anything you tell me to do. I can run/pull wire, make conx and so forth. However, I don’t know anything about antennas; I’m clueless. I don’t even understand the lingo. I’m a cutting the cord noob right out of the womb.

Please tell me what to buy and I’ll do it. I don’t mind spending money. If you feel uncomfortable “endorsing” a product, then give me two to choose from. If you want to send me links to read and educate myself, I’ll read them all.

Below is the analysis of my location:
http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...2c151fc33f86b0

There are several stations in the SW and NE quadrants. Can I receive from both markets? My goal is to get an many channels as I can from the Tampa area first & then the Orlando market.

The analysis is based on 35 foot antenna mast. I got to this number because my house is two stories (20 feet ) and putting an antenna 15 feet above it doesn’t seem that hard. If you told me the antenna needs to hit 40 feet so it’ll be better, then I’ll do it. Once this is up and going, I’ll need to split the signal to 6 TVs. I’ll only start with the one TV in my office for a month or two and then open it up around the house once I work out the kinks. I also need some type of DVR for my bride to record her shows. My house is immediately surrounded by oak trees, but I live in a agricultural area of strawberry & blueberry fields. Please tell me if you need more info to make a better recommendation.

I know I’m asking you all for a lot of help. If some advice you give me doesn’t work out and I end up spending more money to fix it, I’m good with that. I’m asking for help and you’re giving it to me for free; that’s a deal! Please tell me how you’d do this if it was your house.

Again, thank you for your time and hospitality. I look forard to cutting the cord with you.
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Old 5-Jan-2015, 11:48 AM   #2
ADTech
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Tampa will be easy (provided you have a moderately clear signal path) , Orlando will be very difficult and a clear signal path is absolutely mandatory.

What do those signal paths look like?
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Old 5-Jan-2015, 1:44 PM   #3
Penobscot
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All of signals coming from the SSW (Riverview) are over rural areas & suburban neighborhoods. The signals coming from WSW are coming from Tampa but skirt the downtown skyline. There might be 6-8 story building or two between us. The ones coming from ENE (Orlando) look like they clip part of the down town skyline and airport. There are a lot of tall (8-10 floors) condos & apartments in that area. And for my location, other than immediate trees around the house, it's all flat land agriculture for miles, no tall structures. The general terrain in Florida is flat. The highest point in my county is the landfill. We have to bury our trash in mounds because if you dig deeper than ten feet, the hole will fill with water. There is one ridge in central Florida and some of those Orlando signals could be hitting the tail end of that. Is this what you need?
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Old 5-Jan-2015, 3:00 PM   #4
timgr
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Trees (and buildings) close-in could be problematic. Look here at "UHF and trees" http://www.hdtvprimer.com/antennas/siting.html

Can you get above the tree line with your antenna, in the direction of the transmitters?
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Old 5-Jan-2015, 3:41 PM   #5
ADTech
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Actually, trees and buildings were what I was interested in.
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Old 5-Jan-2015, 3:45 PM   #6
Penobscot
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I don't think the trees will be much of an issue. Yes, I can get up above the tree tops. Besides, it's not like I live in a forest, it's more like a tree line.
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Old 7-Jan-2015, 12:20 PM   #7
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How serious are you about getting Orlando? That's where the significant challenge will be. There will be stations from Orlando that may not be receivable in your location due to re-use of either the same or adjacent channels, so coverage from Orlando is going to be a question mark.

I'd probably go with a DB8e aimed fully at Orlando, forfeiting WESH (it's bracketed on both sides by adjacent local full power stations anyway) plus our new amplifier (not on the website yet but available from inside sales). This approach, which relies on receiving the locals off the "back" of a UHF antenna, *should* work but isn't worry free. It will *probably* work, I'd give it a 90%+ odds of getting your desired locals off the back. It may require some tweaking though, so be prepared for that. For example, adding a VHF retrofit kit will improve the odds of getting your local VHFs. For the small incremental cost of the kit, I'd do it anyway.

If it works, you've got a rotor-free single antenna solution.

The stations that transmit from Tampa proper are an eclectic mix of low-powered stations (religious, foreign language, etc) and may or may not be of interest to your family. I did not consider them in my recommendation as I usually focus on the "majors" unless otherwise requested.
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Old 8-Jan-2015, 2:58 AM   #8
Penobscot
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ADT Tech - I'll call tomorrow to order the antenna, amp & retro kit. I'm still trying to figure out which mast I'll buy. And that leads to a few more questions. In previous post, it's noted that I must get above the trees around my house. And, you said that capturing the Orlando channels might work. Is that because I'm just above the tree tops or is it because I'm on fringes of their signals? If I went up to 60 feet, would that change things? I've found a few old ham/cb radio towers that will reach 60 feet and I'm considering buying one. Does reaching 60 feet change anything?
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Old 8-Jan-2015, 11:23 AM   #9
ADTech
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Quote:
Is that because I'm just above the tree tops or is it because I'm on fringes of their signals?
It's both.
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Old 8-Jan-2015, 12:19 PM   #10
timgr
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Penobscot View Post
... Does reaching 60 feet change anything?
Run the same report at 60' and see how it changes. See how the NM changes for the Orlando/DB stations.
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Old 8-Jan-2015, 1:43 PM   #11
Penobscot
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Here's the analysis at 60 feet.
http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...2c158e8d5d73dd
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Old 8-Jan-2015, 4:57 PM   #12
timgr
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To me, it does not look dramatically better. Adds 1-2dB to the weaker stations. That's something, but I'd see what I got at 35' first, if that's a relatively easy installation. Erecting a 60' tower will be a lot of work (are you going to climb it once it's up? Not sure how that works), even if you can get the tower cheaply 2nd hand.
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Old 8-Jan-2015, 6:37 PM   #13
Penobscot
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Timgr - Since the gain will be minimal, I'll forgo the 60 foot tower and just do a roof mount mast. As far as building the tower, I've never done it. But we country folk are very resourceful and I'm sure I'd get’r done. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. And no, I wouldn't climb the tower, but I could find a young man to shimmy up it for the right price.
ADTech - I called today and spoke to Kati. Y'all are out of BD8es and she's going to call me when they come back in stock. She even said she'd give me a discount since you helped me out. Thanks man.
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