CT shoreline antenna help

[Crguy]

I am new to this stuff and was hoping someone could point me in the right direction. I bought a small inexpensive indoor antenna and 50' of cable and moved it all over the house to see what kind of reception I could get. I was able to get 10-11 channels. None of them were local. I do have several large trees surrounding my property. I really just want to get a local news station and would be interested if it would be possible.
http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...8e03f7364ad99d

[ADTech]

I was able to get 10-11 channels. None of them were local.

If they were not local broadcasts, you would not have received them.


Which specific antenna did you use?

Which specific channels were received?

[Crguy]

The antenna is a Antennacraft indoor ultrathin antenna (MN:1500080)
The channels that I receive are all digital according to my tv tuner and are as follows: 26-1 Ion, 26-2 Qubo, 26-3 Ion Life, 26-4 Shop, 26-5 QVC, 26-6 HSN, 67-1 WFTY-ET, 67-2 WSTV, 67-3 GET TV, & 67-4 Esc. By "local" channels I mean like a fox, nbc, or cbs affiliate that I can get "local" news & weather. I briefly was able to receive 61-1 WTIC-TV which is our local fox affiliate.

[rabbit73]

I was able to get 10-11 channels.

Actually, you only got 2 channels, WHPX ION, on real channel 26, virtual channel 26.1 and WFTY Tel, real channel 23, virtual channel 67.1. Each has sub channels, but they don't count as separate channels because they come from the same station. They are your strongest local channels.

You also have WTNH ABC on real channel 10, virtual channel 8.1, but your antenna isn't very good at picking up real channel 10. Yeah, I know it says " It's designed to capture both UHF and VHF signals (channels 2 to 69) while extending the reception range for all local HDTV broadcasts," but that's advertising hype.

Antennacraft indoor ultrathin antenna (MN:1500080)

http://comingsoon.radioshack.com/ant...l#.VaRFxDjbJLM

•20dB amplification provides a clear signal
•Omnidirectional antenna pattern provides 360° reception without hassle of adjustment
•Slim design can be wall mounted, used on the included stand or laid flat
•Designed for local broadcasts, up to 20 miles from transmitters
•Includes 6-foot coaxial cable and cable management

It is the real channel number that determines which antenna is suitable. The virtual channel numbers were carried over from the analog TV days to maintain the same identity they had.

Are you wanting to stay with an indoor antenna or can you go outside for better reception?

[Billiam]

You will need an outdoor antenna, medium to high gain to get the signals in Yellow and possibly Red which should give you most of the Hartford stations. You'll want something that gets both VHF Hi and UHF. A rotor is recommended since you have signals coming in from a number of different directions.

[Crguy]

I have no problem installing an outdoor antenna. Do you have a suggestion for a specific type or model? I was more interested in getting your opinions if you thought it would be worth the effort and if I could pick up the channels I was interested in.

[Billiam]

Since Antennacraft antennas are now hard to find now that they are out of business I'd recommend using the Winegard 7697p. That combined with a rotor should give you every channel to at least WFSB and possibly a couple below that on your TV Fool report.

Use a good quality RG 6 cable to help reduce signals loss. If you find you need a pre amp try the RCA TVPRAMP1R. I use this in an area with stronger signals than yours and I can easily obtain a couple of Yellow signals on my TV Fool report with it and not have to worry about overloading the TV tuner.