OTA suggestions for Elkhorn

[paullfisher]

I live in Elkhorn (actually Sugar Creek) and want HD locals. I have DirecTV however to get HD locals I have to give up my Directv HD DVR with Tivo. I am not willing to do that. In addition, they only carry NBC, ABC and Fox on the bird.

According to //www.antennaweb.org, I am 40-50 miles away from the Milwaukee stations and they say I need an LD sized antenna. In addition, they don't show the digital signals as being available.

To make a long story short, I have found a Channel Master 4228 at http://www.marmaxdistribution.com/ for $42 and some change and its specs say it is good for up to 60 miles. Since all the DTV signals from Milwaukee except channel 10 are UHF would this be a good antenna to use? How far off of the ground would I have to have it?

Thanks for any information you can provide.

[murdoc]

I have that exact antenna and I am in West Bend (about 40-50 miles away).  There are a bunch of people on here using that antenna and it gets nothing but good reviews.  The channelmaster 4228 flat-out WORKS!  I have a ranch house and the antenna is mounted on the top of the roof with a 15' pole.  I have no real obstructions between me and the antenna farm in Milwaukee.  18-1 and 24-1 (who are currently not up to full power) come in around mid to high 80's for signal strength.  4-1, 6-1, 10-1 thu 7 12-1, 36-1, and 58-1 and 58-2 are all in the mid to high 90's.  

As far as your situation the higher you can get the antenna the better your reception will be.  If you are in a valley, I think a roof mount may be your only option.  If you are on top of a hill, you may be able to put the antenna in your attic.  A roof mount will always be better than an attic mount if you can do it.  The signals can get bounced around quite a bit coming through your roof and shingles.  An outside high mounting will give you the best performance.  Don't worry that the 4228 says UHF only.  10-1 comes in fine for me and others report the same.  Feel free to try a few configurations and see what works best for you.  Also DO NOT forget to properly ground your antenna.  Bad things can happen otherwise.

[paullfisher]

Thanks for the tips.    What I'll do is pick up the antena and mount it on my deck and play with it for a bit to see what I can do. Depending on signal strength I might put it on my roof.

I also have a ranch. Not in a valley, no real hills that I can think of between me and Milwaukee. I assume the DTV signal comes from the same antenna location as the SD signals?

//www.antennaweb.org says point it 55 degrees. I guess I'll use my Garmin GPS to help with that.

[murdoc]

Thanks for the tips.    What I'll do is pick up the antena and mount it on my deck and play with it for a bit to see what I can do. Depending on signal strength I might put it on my roof.

I also have a ranch. Not in a valley, no real hills that I can think of between me and Milwaukee. I assume the DTV signal comes from the same antenna location as the SD signals?

//www.antennaweb.org says point it 55 degrees. I guess I'll use my Garmin GPS to help with that.

Most of the DTV signals come from the antenna farm on Capitol Dr. in Milwaukee.  You shouldn't need GPS to aim the antenna.  A regular compass will do just fine.  0* is due north, stand behind the antenna (if you can) and try to eyeball 55* and aim the anteena that direction while checking your compass.

[JohnRacine]

Don't know if this will help, but here's my experience with my UHF antenna from Radio Shack.  
 
First off, I live on the Racine/Kenosha county line and I estimate I'm 60 miles from the Sears tower and about 25 miles from the Milwaukee antennas.  I have a Radio Shack U75-R mounted about 3' above my roof, on a small tripod.  I live in a two story and the antenna is on the second story.  There are many trees directly in front of (and behind) the antenna.  I did not use an amplifier and there's about 35' of coax running to my TV.

It sits on a rotor, which I found I didn't need.  Here's why:  I keep the antenna permanently pointed toward Chicago and find that all Milwaukee digital stations come in at all times off the back (including 10.1, etc).  Therefore, the rotor was a waste of money/time (oh well, live and learn).

I paid $19.95 at my local Radio Shack.  I'd say the antenna is about 2' long and seems to weigh only a pound or two.  The wind loading seems really light.  I'm extremely pleased with the performance of this very small and inexpensive antenna.  I have pointed it toward South Bend, IN and Grand Rapids, MI and, at times, I receive digital channels much to my surprise.

Hope this helps you and maybe someone else out there.

[Joseph S]

Tip: Aim your antenna for Chicago or Madison. You will be more satisfied with what is provided. Figured this was important on a night where Milwaukee is screwed over yet again.

[Nels Harvey]

I live in Elkhorn (actually Sugar Creek) and want HD locals.
According to //www.antennaweb.org, I am 40-50 miles away from the Milwaukee stations and they say I need an LD sized antenna.

Sugar Creek is 43.2 miles SW of the American Tower where several stations are located, or locating, and the others are generally the same distance, and virtually the same height.

To make a long story short, I have found a Channel Master 4228 at http://www.marmaxdistribution.com/ for $42 and some change and its specs say it is good for up to 60 miles.

This is a good antenna, and I would recommend it.  UHF is very line of sight, so the basic rule is the higher the better.

FWIW, West Bend (Main & Hwy 33) is 26.6 miles from the American Tower.

Nels....

[paullfisher]

I have a Radio Shack U75-R

Since there is a Radio Shack close to my house, I figured I'd go see how much they wanted for it and if they had one. They did and it was $26.36 out the door.

I have it sitting in my living room generaly pointing towards Milwaukee and WOW    I get OTA DTV! So far only channels 4-1, 4-2, 6-1 and 12-1 but if you look at a picture of my setup, you'll see why. I'm going to get a mast and stick it outside and point it the correct direction and see what happens.

Look at attachment for picture.

(Fixed price, sorry).

[JohnRacine]

Glad to hear that you are seeing some success.  The same thing happened to me when I was setting up this antenna weeks ago.  When I took it out of the box, I set it up on the tripod on my bedroom floor, and just ran the coax downstairs to my TV.  I orignally pointed the antenna north (towards Milw) and did a scan.  Much to my amazement, along with all Milw channels, all but one of the Chicago stations popped up off the back of the antenna (through 3 interior walls of my house).  Then, putting it a couple of feet above the roof has made it a sure winner for me.  And, I love the extremely small size as it's nearly invisible from the ground.  I put it right next to my chimney which blocks the view from some site lines....the antenna is below the top of the chimney.  

I installed this same antenna at my daughter's home, 7 miles to my south.  This time I didn't bother with the rotor.  She has the same results as me.  In her case, I pointed it toward Milwaukee and all Chicago stations come in strong off the back end.  So, for less than 30 bucks, we're watching all digital channels from Milw/Chi.

Now that the White Sox games are in HD on 26.1 (and Cubs are HD on 9.1), it's a nice plus.  I find that the PBS logo from Chicago is much less intrusive vs. 36.1.  The 11.1 logo looks like a shadow and is not as noticeable.  The Chicago ABC affiliate does not show that awful blue 12 that comes from Milw.  Hence, I pretty much do not watch Milw TV anymore.  Finally, I surely don't miss all those weather updates from Milw either.

Enjoy your new antenna and be very carefull working on your roof!

[jimbop99]

I found the u75-R at the Radioshack by Menards in Racine for $12.50. I'm still playin' around with it but I hope it works.

[coachcarstens]

Paul,

I was wondering how it went with you Radio Shack Antenna?  I also live in Elkhorn and am looking for an atenna.  If this attena works for you well, then I'll pick it up and give it a go myself.  However, if you did not find success with it, then I'll probably look to another antenna.

Chris

[paullfisher]

Paul,

I was wondering how it went with you Radio Shack Antenna?  I also live in Elkhorn and am looking for an atenna.  If this attena works for you well, then I'll pick it up and give it a go myself.  However, if you did not find success with it, then I'll probably look to another antenna.

Chris

Actually, I just put it really up today. Bought a tripod and a 5 foot mast from Radio Shack and Lowes respectively. It is now approximately 30-35 feet off the ground pointing at 55 degrees (NE).

Works great!

The channel scan shows 4-1, 4-2, 6-1, 10-1, 10-2, 10-3, 10-4, 10-5, 10-6, 10-7, 12-1, 18-1, 21-1, 21-2, 21-3, 24-1, 27-1, 30-1, 36-1, 52-1, 55-1, 55-2, 55-3, 55-4, 57-1, 57-2, 58-1, 58-2, 58-3, 58-4, 58-5.

Channels 21-1, 21-2, 21-3, 30-1, 52-1 don't actually come in.