Better reception - antenna recomendation ??

Esteban · 16-Nov-2010, 5:19 PM

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...81a34a76362cf1

Above isthe link to my location. There seem to be many stations available but most are a distance away.
My present situation.;
I have an older, non HD Tv, & a cheap convertor box. I have a, amplified outdoor antenna , pointed due N. that has been out there for years. It is a " Wineguard Bowtie- type , " that does fairly well. I can receive , at most, about 6 channels. I can get a good signal on a couple of channels [ 20-1 & 20-2 ] & the others are borderline signals. These are 9-1,,, 28-1,,,28-2,, & 51-1 . I can get on the roof & turn it & pick up 2 more channels, but that is it. There isn't a rotary motor on it. For the area, I am on a higher elevation, about 125 ft above sea level , & the antenna is 15 off the ground above my house, & there are only a few trees , nearby.
I would like to be able to improve the reception on the channels & get, plus possibly pick up some more . What do you recommend ??
Thanks in advance !!

Tigerbangs · 16-Nov-2010, 5:50 PM

Time for a good VHF-UHF antenna mounted on your roof with a rotator. You need a real one this time, with VHF as well as UHF elements, and I would recommend using a Winegard HD-7082P and a Channel Master 9521a rotator, or an AntennaCraft TDP-2 rotator.

You have a local channel 5, a low-band VHF channel, which is the student-run station at University of Florida available to you, which is why I suggested an antenna with low-band capability.

With this antenna-rotator combination, you should see all the stations down to W07BP-D on your TVFool.com listing, but, remember that you'll have to turn the antenna towards the different stations. I think you are going to be very pleased with the results!

Esteban · 16-Nov-2010, 8:49 PM

Wow ! Half that many would be a shock to me. What few places around here that sell antenna, said that I was getting about all I could expect. Of course, satellite service is their biggest pitch.
I do have Dish Network, but would possible cancel that if I got a good selection of local stations .
Do you suggest an amplifier, too, or just wait & see after the antenna is installed ?
One more question, where do you find a listing of these channels with programs listed , like a " T.V. Guide ?"
Thanks a lot !

John Candle · 16-Nov-2010, 10:26 PM

http://www.titantv.com is a tv guide. Titantv takes some time to figure out because it shows the parent stations and the rebroadcasting stations and is a little overly optimistic on transmitters that can be received. It is done this way because it is better to be optimistic then pesimistic. . Read and understand this http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=695 . Here are places to buy antennas and etc. http://www.solidsignal.com , http://www.starkelectronic.com , http://www.amazon.com

John Candle · 16-Nov-2010, 11:02 PM

Many people now days are cutting the pay cable and cutting pay satellite tv , the popular term is 'cable cutters' pay cable and pay satellite dislike those two words. And are going with a Tv Antenna and ROKU/NETFLIX , ROKU is the little box that receives streaming movies and tv shows for $10.00 a month over the internet.http://www.roku.com

John Candle · 17-Nov-2010, 12:04 AM

As you have figured out some sales people know about http://www.tvfool.com and http://www.dtv.gov and http://www.roku.com but pretend to not know or play it down. . And here is one that pay cable and pay satellite will not say any thing about. Free Satellite Tv. http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=265

Esteban · 17-Nov-2010, 10:06 AM

Thanks for all the above info & links. I will be reading up on all this soon.
Tigerbangs,, Getting channel 5 really doesn't inerest me too much. Is there a different , maybe smaller or without a rotator, antenna you would recommend, then, or still stay with your recommendations ?

Esteban · 17-Nov-2010, 10:48 AM

I doubt that I will use " Roku ." I don't watch many movies. " Titan " does seem to be confusing. They are showing ONLY the Comcast cable channel lineup. I currently have Dish . I am guessing that the 1st thing for me to do is get an antenna up, scan for all channels, make a list of what networks I am receiving , then cross reference to Titan ??
Anyway, I would like to reduce, my $55 Dish bill , or eliminate, Dish, & go to this, if possible. I live on a low fixed income, so like many people, I am looking for ways to cut back on expenses.
I will look at the antenna buying links.

John Candle · 17-Nov-2010, 1:20 PM

Titantv has listings for broadcast tv , cable , satellite. Change it to the one you need to look at. . The antenna and rotor and new coax cable and the rotor control wire is a one time cost. I found the antenna at amazon for $75.00

Esteban · 17-Nov-2010, 1:35 PM

Hmmm.

Under " Channel Lineup, " the only thing I see is Comcast digital cable. There aren't any other offerings . How do I change, or look for ' over the air " in my location ?

John Candle · 17-Nov-2010, 2:35 PM

At the middle it says channel lineup and there is a little black pointer pointing down , click on that. And then in the box that drops down , at the bottom of the box it says create a new channel lineup , click on that. Experiment and find out how it all works

Esteban · 17-Nov-2010, 2:41 PM

That did it. Thanks for the help. Now I guess I will " window shop " for equipment I need. If I don't care about receiving channel 5, is there another recommended antenna. I will have to try to put this up by myself.

Tower Guy · 17-Nov-2010, 5:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tigerbangs

With this antenna-rotator combination, you should see all the stations down to W07BP-D on your TVFool.com listing!

Is WESH's channel 24 fill in translator actually on the air? If not it will be tricky to get an NBC station.

John Candle · 17-Nov-2010, 7:15 PM

You can direct your UHF antenna at magnetic compass 27 and get what ever you get at magnetic compass 45 and 357. But will not receive Fox 31 at 107 magnetic compass.

Esteban · 17-Nov-2010, 7:20 PM

I don't know about #24, but even with my present antenna I can get # 9, fairly well, another NBC.

Tower Guy · 17-Nov-2010, 8:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Esteban

I don't know about #24, but even with my present antenna I can get # 9, fairly well, another NBC.

That works. I'm surprised that TVfool doesn't show WNBW as NBC.

Esteban · 21-Nov-2010, 2:12 PM

Well, some good news. I was driving by a yard sale & saw an antenna . It was a brand new CM 4228HD [ 8 bow-tie ] & I picked it up for $50 . I brought it home & immediately hooked it up INSIDE " the house. I scanned & got 4 additional channels that I didn't get with the present antenna, including 3 #5 channels & 28-2. All the channels I was getting had a greatly improved signal as well. I am very pleased & will install on the roof this week. I will come back & post the results.

Esteban · 22-Nov-2010, 6:48 PM

Well, I just installed the CM4228HD on top of the house , pointed it to the best single position I could get for reception [ 10° ] . Shockingly,,, I do not receive any more channels that I did when it was inside the house . I know it is not the recommended antenna, but I get ;

5-1 ,, 5-2,,5-3, ,9-1, ,20-1 , 20-2 , 28-1 , 28-2 , & 51-1 . Mounting it on top the house DID improve SS by 10% on channels 5 , 9 , & 51 . All channels are now 67 - 92% which is good where I live.
I think for any further improvements I will need to add the rotor , raise height, add new cable , etc. ???
I saw a rotor online that used the same cable as the antenna . Any opinions on that ??
Thanks for all the help !!

John Candle · 22-Nov-2010, 7:12 PM

If the antenna amplifier has been out in the weather for a long time it is likely bad. ALSO the coax that goes out side from the inside of the house is likely bad. I would connect the antenna with new coax and No Amplifier and see what you can get. The http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=460 rotor that sends every thing over the coax is a good rotor. Be sure and use coax that has solid copper center conductor wire. Not copper covered steel.

Esteban · 22-Nov-2010, 7:26 PM

John,
Thanks for the reply & help ! The amplifier from the old antenna is inside the house, behind the TV. The coax is 10years old w/ 15ft exposed the rest is in the crawl space. Probably 50ft of coax cable is used. I am partially disabled and crawling under the house or installing a large, heavy antenna is about too much for me to do. This " bow-tie" I bought was pretty cheap & I thought I would try it first. What do you think of its reception, so far ?? Another thing is that antenna is right next to the Dish . Will that effect it ??