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Old 7-Jan-2015, 3:44 PM   #1
Jupiter1
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Join Date: Jan 2015
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Advice Needed

I am looking to get off of Satellite Network.

- http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...2c1568ae3d21ea

- I currently have no equipment other than Dish Network, which supplies 4 TV's.

- I would like my stations to come from Oklahoma City, which is on the +/- 290 Azimuth line.

- As stated I have no Over Air equipment, and no real experience setting this stuff up.

- It will be an outside installation on a pole, and would like to know if anyone has any experience in high wind areas. I would prefer a Tower type that I dont have to guide wire, so the "Scaffold" type is what I want to look into. Probably 25-35' Installation, with a motorized Rotator. 40-60 MPH wind gust are not all that uncommon

- I have an older 1080P TV (Primary), and will need 1 converter.
- I would like a decent DVR.
- I would like to continue to supply at least 3 TV's.
- The Tulsa stations; Im not all that interested in, unless that is a better option.

Thank You for taking the time
J.
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Old 7-Jan-2015, 4:44 PM   #2
Tim
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Location: Acworth, GA
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You should probably re-run your report for 35 ft and see what kind of gain you would get for the additional 10 ft. but generally the higher, the better.

Barring no trees or building close in on 290 degrees, you should be able to get those stations with a couple of high gain antennas:
Antennas Direct DB8e or XG91 for UHF
Antennacraft Y10713 for VHF
Someone else may want to weigh in on one of the combo VHF/UHF antennas that may work

One of the Rohn self supporting towers would probably do a good job for you--either the BX series, or since you are in a windy area the heavy duty HDBX series.

If you are only interested in the OKC stations, you won't need a rotator which just adds another level of complexity (especially when you are in a high wind area)

If you are getting enough signal your might not need a preamp. Also depends on how long a coax feed you would have from the antenna to the point where you split to the other TVs. If you don't need a preamp you could split the signal to 4 sets with a Channel Master 4 port distribution amplifier. If you do have to use a preamp, then you may have enough signal for a 4 port splitter.

As far as a DVR, I really like the Channel Master DVR+. If your older TV has an HDMI port, it will connect directly to the TV. The DVR+ has two tuners built in so you can watch one show while recording another or record two shows at once. If your TV set does not have an HDMI input, you can purchase purchase converters to change HDMI to other formats. If you have an Internet connection, the DVR+ automatically downloads a program guide very similar to what you had with Dish.
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Old 7-Jan-2015, 5:43 PM   #3
Jupiter1
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Thank You for the Reply.

I did as You said and re-ran the report, but staged up the footage as I went because the gain benefits were very small until I hit 50'. As soon as I hit 50', most the stations change to LOS.

I dont know how reasonable a 50' tower will be in high wind, but i will check into Rohn. The reason I was wanting a rotator, is in case anything ever "tweaked", then I could turn it from the ground. But that is possibly counter productive.

Here is the new report.

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...2c159605d2134f

Thanks
J.
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Old 7-Jan-2015, 7:00 PM   #4
Tim
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Location: Acworth, GA
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Wow, big difference at 50 ft! Here is a link to a video of a ham operator that is using one of the HDBX towers. As you can see they are quite substantial. Takes quite a chunk of concrete to support one. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fD0ca90nKC4 The trade off is $$$...it will cost a bit to get to that height if you must use a tower.
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Old 7-Jan-2015, 8:28 PM   #5
Jupiter1
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Join Date: Jan 2015
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Channel 7 and Channel 13 say that they are VHF. Based on that 50' Height, and possible gain, Does that change any previous thoughts on the Antenna?

Thank You for the video, I will continue to look into the towers. May be much more cost effective to just Guy wire a tower, and I do have the room to do it if need be.

Lets assume I have a 100' run from antenna to splitter, and as much as 55' from splitter to DVR (which is whatever builder installed...(RG6?)).

Any suggestions on a specific type of coax?

Thank You
J.
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Old 9-Jan-2015, 7:41 PM   #6
Jupiter1
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Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 4
I just want to see if I can get any more responses to what recommendations on an antenna/antennas?

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...2c159605d2134f

I would like to be able to recieve both the UHF/VHF signals.

Would the combo antennas work?

Is there a way to run 2 different antennas on the same Coax in case i needed frequency specific antennas?

Thank You
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Old 9-Jan-2015, 8:01 PM   #7
timgr
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If you want a large single antenna that covers both VHF-high and UHF, the Antennacraft HBU series is often recommended. http://www.antennacraft.net/Antennas/AntennasHBU.html

If you keep the antenna low, or you have issues with obstructions or trees in the way, you'll need to go big. At 50' you should be able to get all the OKC stations with a modest antenna like the RCA ANT751 ... but I expect the ANT751 will be too weak at 25'. I would skip the rotator - just point directly at OKC 290 magnetic. If you can go high and want to try for Tulsa stations, aim your OKC antenna there and see what you get. Then if you want to add Tulsa capability and you think it's worth it, set up another antenna and tuner, or an A/B switch, and add the additional stations. If you go high enough, the OKC stations will be strong enough that you'll probably get many of them anyway, even if you are aiming at Tulsa.

Yes, you can connect two antennas on the same coax, but they need to be different bands. The combination recommended above could be combined using a UVSJ or preamp -
http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.asp?p=uvsj
http://www.amazon.com/RCA-TVPRAMP1R-.../dp/B003P92D9Y
The UVSJ or preamp will filter out the UHF from the VHF antenna and vice-versa, and then combine the signals. No problem.

The DB8e recommended above is an excellent antenna for UHF only, and you can combine it with an Antennacraft cut-to-band antenna Y5713 or Y10713 and that combination should outperform the HBU55. But if you want a large single antenna, Antennacraft is good, or Winegard or Channelmaster (don't know the specific models - just compare the spec sheet for the big HBU antennas to their offerings).

If I were going to guy wire, I'd go with a telescoping mast, not a tower. You can get close to 50' with a telescoping mast. Look here as an example - http://www.antennapartsoutlet.com/ I'd think you could easily extend another 5' above the last guy ring. Or sink a pipe in the ground or in a pad and put the mast on that to get a little more height.

Last edited by timgr; 9-Jan-2015 at 8:16 PM.
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