Need antenna recommendations

jc5000 · 7-Mar-2012, 3:23 AM

I live in an area that supposedly has great OTA signal strength so I thought I could get away with an indoor antenna hooked up directly to my set. It turns out that is not the case in this era of digital TV. I had recently installed a Winegard HD-7696P on the roof of my last house and it seemed to work pretty well. I am thinking of getting the same thing and putting it the attic here. Any suggestions on other antenna options?

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...0b86863c1e8819

Electron · 7-Mar-2012, 4:04 AM

The television stations transmissions are Very Strong at your location. It is amazing how many people want to "get way with" something when it comes to tv antennas. If the house is wood frame with wood or vinyl siding and no metal backed insulation then reception will be very good with a NON AMPLIFIED indoor antenna such as , Channel Master CM4010 or Terk HDTVi indoor antenna aimed at about 160 degree magnetic compass. Here is how to aim indoor antennas , http://www.kyes.com/antenna/pointing/pointing.html. . If the house has , concrete walls , concrete blocks , cinder blocks , bricks from ground to roof , big rocks for the walls , metal siding , stucko Wire , Radiant Barrier metal backed insulation , a metal roof , solar panels , then reception will be reduced or blocked. And as for this "era of digital TV" , this is the best era of Tv reception. Would you return to the era of Analog Tv with the blurry ghost filled almost unwatchable pictures??

Electron · 7-Mar-2012, 4:08 AM

For a outdoor roof top antenna install a Winegard HD7696P antenna aimed at about 160 degree magnetic compass.

GroundUrMast · 7-Mar-2012, 4:16 AM

Per your TVFR: Address was only resolved to street level and might not be that close to your actual location. For more accurate results, try entering a specific address or coordinates. To be sure you have an accurate TVFR, consider using this tool to generate a report: Online TV Maps

If your home is sided with metal, stucco or masonry you may not be able to get much signal indoors. Another possibility is that the many strong signals will likely overload an amplified antenna... Non-amplified indoor antennas would be quite capable in a wood-sided home if the first TVFR is close to depicting your conditions. http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=2828

If the conditions shown in your first TVFR are accurate and you choose to mount outdoors (which is almost always a superior location) , the HD7696P is plenty of antenna. Smaller antennas such as the HD7694P and Antennacraft HBU-33 are also 'plenty'.

If attic mounting is your choice, (avoid metal and tile roofs) then the 7696 is a very reasonable option.

Having said all that, I think re-running your TVFR is a good idea... just to be sure.

Electron · 7-Mar-2012, 4:25 AM

If you will like to look at a analog tv transmission , one of these analog tv stations might be on the air. KQHO-LP 56 , KVDO-LP 25 , KVQT-LP 21 , KVVV-LP 15. These are Low Power Tv Transmitters , low power tv transmitters have until Sept. 1 2015 to convert to digital , many have converted digital , some are transmitting analog. Full power Tv transmitters converted to digital in 2009.

jc5000 · 8-Mar-2012, 3:32 AM

I went ahead and reran the TVFR, It turns out that the original was only about two blocks off my location. Construction is wood frame and sheetrock walls with Hardie siding. Current indoor antenna is a non-amplified rabbit ear with central loop style model that I bought at Radio Shack. It does ok after positioning according to your instructions but isn't nearly as good as reception via the 7696 that I had on the roof when I was much further away from the transmitters.

So, is it pretty much always better to have a roof or attic mount antenna even considering the signal loss while traveling through the coax in the house? Roof is not metal or tile.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GroundUrMast

Per your TVFR: Address was only resolved to street level and might not be that close to your actual location. For more accurate results, try entering a specific address or coordinates. To be sure you have an accurate TVFR, consider using this tool to generate a report: Online TV Maps

If your home is sided with metal, stucco or masonry you may not be able to get much signal indoors. Another possibility is that the many strong signals will likely overload an amplified antenna... Non-amplified indoor antennas would be quite capable in a wood-sided home if the first TVFR is close to depicting your conditions. http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=2828

If the conditions shown in your first TVFR are accurate and you choose to mount outdoors (which is almost always a superior location) , the HD7696P is plenty of antenna. Smaller antennas such as the HD7694P and Antennacraft HBU-33 are also 'plenty'.

If attic mounting is your choice, (avoid metal and tile roofs) then the 7696 is a very reasonable option.

Having said all that, I think re-running your TVFR is a good idea... just to be sure.

Electron · 9-Mar-2012, 3:37 AM

Hardie siding is made of fibers and cement.

GroundUrMast · 9-Mar-2012, 4:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jc5000

...

So, is it pretty much always better to have a roof or attic mount antenna even considering the signal loss while traveling through the coax in the house? ...

But for the rare odd exception, an antenna always does better when it has a clear and unobstructed view of the transmitting antenna.

An outdoor mounted HD7694P will have gain that together with the strong signal levels should leave you with enough power to drive over 100' of coax and a passive 4-way splitter. I envy your signal conditions.

FWIW, Coax loss can almost always be dealt with by using the appropriate type of amplifier. Typical RG-6 has less than 7 dB loss per 100'. A wet composition roof can attenuate 20 dB or more while also producing multipath like impairments.

jc5000 · 9-Mar-2012, 8:17 AM

The roof mounted antenna is frowned upon around here. So, I am thinking I will try the attic mount first to see how it performs. I do have a clear south facing wall with window in an attic above the second floor where the HD7694P antenna can be positioned. The house is prewired with coax through a splitter on the second floor. Do you recommend that I start out with some kind of amp or should I test with just the antenna first?

Quote:

Originally Posted by GroundUrMast

But for the rare odd exception, an antenna always does better when it has a clear and unobstructed view of the transmitting antenna.

An outdoor mounted HD7694P will have gain that together with the strong signal levels should leave you with enough power to drive over 100' of coax and a passive 4-way splitter. I envy your signal conditions.

FWIW, Coax loss can almost always be dealt with by using the appropriate type of amplifier. Typical RG-6 has less than 7 dB loss per 100'. A wet composition roof can attenuate 20 dB or more while also producing multipath like impairments.

Electron · 9-Mar-2012, 4:29 PM

As you already know about here is the Federal Law that says Yes you can install and use a outdoor roof top tv antenna of any type or size. http://www.fcc.gov/mb/facts/otard.html. . Think about this , antennas are made of Aluminum and Plastic , does a reasonable and clear thinking person frown up on Aluminum and Plastic. Is it Ok to dislike Aluminum And Plastic and push the dislike off on to others. Do these same people that dislike aluminum and plastic also dislike the aluminum and plastic that is part of the airconditioner that is on Their roof?? Do they dislike the metal and plastic sewer vent pipes that stick up out of their roofs?? Or do they vent the sewer smell in to their attic so that no vent pipes stick up out of the roof. Or is the Real Truth that they are unhappy and maladjusted humans that have found a way , antennas , to stick too other humans.