Mohu Leaf 50 works. Worth upgrading?

srock · 1-Apr-2015, 9:22 PM

TVFool Report: http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...f1f087840dcda0

I decided to drop my cable TV but I'd love to still get PBS, ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX.

My first ill-informed attempt actually has surprisingly good results.

Mohu Leaf 50 in a small attic near the air vent. Its about 25 feet above the ground. Its in the south facing (exactly 180 degrees) corner.

Connected to Tivo Romio OTA with 50' RG6 cable.

I have tested with both the Mohu supplied amp and without, no difference at all.

The Green channels in the report all work! 22.1, 2.1, 54.1, 45.1, 54.1 (45 is a bit flaky, but good enough) as well as 2.2, 2.3, 22.2, 22.3, 44.2, 44.3, and 54.2.

My question. Given this setup, would swapping the Leaf 50 for a Sky 60 or a Clearstream 2V be worth attempting to gain at least NBC and CBS? Do not care which market they are coming from.

I can aim an antenna any direction in my attic space but I cannot mount it outside. The attic is not large enough to hold anything much bigger then the Clearstream 2V but I am open to other suggestions.

eden · 2-Apr-2015, 5:30 PM

When I was limited to indoor antennas I tried a lot of small ones. The best results I've had, by far, in three locations were with the Antennas Direct C2. Yes, I think the C2V will do better for you. How much is the question. The C2V will pick up strong signals off the back and a small change in direction can make a huge difference on weaker signals. I'd experiment with pointing it both northwest and varying the direction a little at a time and also with pointing it southeast as it will still receive some of the stations to the northwest.

srock · 2-Apr-2015, 5:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eden

When I was limited to indoor antennas I tried a lot of small ones. The best results I've had, by far, in three locations were with the Antennas Direct C2. Yes, I think the C2V will do better for you. How much is the question. The C2V will pick up strong signals off the back and a small change in direction can make a huge difference on weaker signals. I'd experiment with pointing it both northwest and varying the direction a little at a time and also with pointing it southeast as it will still receive some of the stations to the northwest.

Thanks for the reply.

Do you think positioning near a wall makes any difference? There are no windows but there is a vent on one end of the attic.

Or is the goal to just get it as high as possible then adjust its direction?

ADTech · 2-Apr-2015, 5:35 PM

Having lab-tested almost all of the indoor antennas out there against our products, I can tell you that nothing beats the C2V which as about the practical limit for an indoor antenna. Sometimes, size (and engineering) does matter.

Removal of the reflector screen makes the UHF portion of the C2V bi-directional (the VHF reception already is) with a wide, 65°+ beam width on both bands in both directions, a near perfect solution for folks with stations in nearly opposite directions.

srock · 2-Apr-2015, 5:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ADTech

Having lab-tested almost all of the indoor antennas out their against our products, I can tell you that nothing beats the C2V. Sometimes, size (and engineering) does matter.

Removal of the reflector screen makes the UHF portion of the C2V bi-directional (the VHF reception already is) with a wide, 65°+ beam width on both bands in both directions, a near perfect solution for folks with stations in nearly opposite directions.

Very cool. I'll give it a try.

eden · 2-Apr-2015, 5:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by srock

Thanks for the reply.

Do you think positioning near a wall makes any difference? There are no windows but there is a vent on one end of the attic.

Or is the goal to just get it as high as possible then adjust its direction?

For me the best way to find out the ideal spot for an antenna is old fashioned trial and error. A location change of even a few feet can sometimes make a difference. Since you're indoors to begin with it shouldn't be too hard to move the antenna around to find the ideal position. Do your testing with a station that's important to you which has a weak signal.

srock · 2-Apr-2015, 5:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eden

For me the best way to find out the ideal spot for an antenna is old fashioned trial and error. A location change of even a few feet can sometimes make a difference. Since you're indoors to begin with it shouldn't be too hard to move the antenna around to find the ideal position. Do your testing with a station that's important to you which has a weak signal.

Its just kinda cramped in the attic, especially trying to mount near the ends of attic. Moving the leaf from one end to the other was challenging and its quite small.

eden · 2-Apr-2015, 6:20 PM

Then pick a spot that's reasonably easy to get to and see if it works

srock · 2-Apr-2015, 6:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ADTech

Having lab-tested almost all of the indoor antennas out there against our products, I can tell you that nothing beats the C2V which as about the practical limit for an indoor antenna. Sometimes, size (and engineering) does matter.

Removal of the reflector screen makes the UHF portion of the C2V bi-directional (the VHF reception already is) with a wide, 65°+ beam width on both bands in both directions, a near perfect solution for folks with stations in nearly opposite directions.

Can you clarify (or link to a clarification) of "removal of reflector screen"?

Is that part #1 in the instructions?