Seeking help & advice for antenna

Esteban · 11-May-2011, 12:18 PM

You guys helped me a lot with my antenna choice, & now my friend is looking into getting an antenna.
I have included her report . She has 2 TV's & only one is HD . She can probably get the antenna 30ft in the air & above the roofline. She has BIG Oak trees to the East , which are probably going to pose some problems. I believe she will have to go with a very good antenna to even try to overcome these problems.
All suggestions & advice will be appreciated !!

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...8d1799c033de3c

GroundUrMast · 11-May-2011, 4:45 PM

Your friend does not sound like a hardcore DX hobbyist. If she is, she will need some extraordinary antennas.

If she wants to receive the major networks, go with a Winegard HD7694, or the Antenna craft HBU-33 or 44. Given the trees, I'd err on the large side to be safe. There should be no need for amplification if there are only two sets. Too big an antenna, and you may have a hard time splitting the aim between the FOX station and the rest.

John Candle · 11-May-2011, 7:57 PM

Extraordinary measures would be , W32DI-D 32 and on down and the stations would likely not be received , the signals are very weak and the adjacent channel and co-channel interference would interfer with reception. . GUM's suggestion of the HD7694P or HBU-44 are the right size for reception. Start with the antenna aimed at about WCJB-DT 16 , 85 degree magnetic compass. If one Tv is a analog tuner and no digital tuner then here are converter boxes , http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=380

Esteban · 11-May-2011, 8:24 PM

Thanks for the replies & antenna suggestions. I had already told her not to expect a lot & she understands. Her $$ satellite bill will be paying for all this,,, if she can receive enough stations to be satisfied. I pulled a 50 ft & 75 ft report, & they are the same. She would have to get it over 120 ft to clear those " Granddaddy " Live Oak trees.
My situation was similar & a CM 4228hd helped me to receive 10 different stations . It is easy to take it down & take to her house to just try & see how it does. She has a convertor box for the bedroom TV. If her satellite dish is disconnected , I will use that cable to connect the antenna ,afterwards.

John Candle · 11-May-2011, 8:42 PM

You are a good guy , taking care of others. . There is also ROKU/NETFLIX for 8 dollars a month. http://www.roku.com. Here is a idea , if the big oak trees are blocking to much signal then if the trees are close to the house and beyond the trees there are no more trees for some distance then it is possible to shoot under the the trees , pointing the antenna up a little to the transmitters. Or put the antenna on the other side of the trees.

Esteban · 11-May-2011, 8:57 PM

Thanks. She takes pretty good care of me, too. Two old single people looking out for each other !!

There are many, many trees on her property, but I will look at those options . Putting it past the trees would probably be 300 ft away from the house !
I will " smoke it over " next time I am at her house.

Oh, neither of us are able to get a good high-speed internet connection , either. DVD's from Netflix by mail would probably be as good as we can get.

Esteban · 21-May-2011, 1:17 PM

An update.

I took down my antenna & just tried it at her house at ground level. Fortunately, there is a gap between large trees at 78° . I was able to receive some signals, mostly weak, using my 4228 antenna. Lifting it 6ft off the ground produced better reception & even received #5 & 9. I am sure that if she used one of the above recommended antennas at the top of her house, 30ft up, she could get good service . She is going to consider doing this & " cutting " satellite service.
Thanks again, for all the help !