OTA Antenna

[Sibby]

Hi all,

Being a new HDTV owner, a friend of mine turned me on to this outstanding site.  Great stuff here!  I've very new to all this but am learning so much!  I just got a Mits 55511. I am extremely happy with it so far and from reading through the threads here, sounds like I will be in the future.  Just gotta figure out all this NetCommand stuff now .  

For starters, I live close to Hwy 100 & Bluemound, so I think I'm in a pretty good location for good OTA reception.  When I got the set a week or so ago, I figured I'd connect a set of Wal-Mart Panasonic rabbit ears I had laying around, just to see what I could get.  With the ears sitting right on top of the box I got 12 and 4 (and even FOX popped in and out).  So I thought "well, let me take these ears up in the attic and see what it can do."  Once setup up there I was amazed and got ABC, PBS, NBC, Tele, and CBS, all crystal clear.  I figured this would be a temporary thing until I got something better but I was thinking..."This is great! If it aint broke!"

Then this past weekend everything seemed to change.  I can't get almost anything anymore. Only NBC and ABC, and if I'm lucky, at the same time.  That friend of mine I mentioned earlier told me it could be the change in weather we've had recently.  Could it be that extreme? For receiving everything to nearly nothing?  Maybe I was just on the edge of cutting out with those ears, I don't know, I'm quite new to this.

So what I'm asking for is some advice on a more permanent solution.  So knowing what I could get in the past with just ears, my location, as well as me wanting to put this up in the attic, what direction would you fine people say I should go in the pursuit of a more permanent antenna?  My wife is getting worried with me climbing up and down those rickety attic stairs every ten minutes.

Thanks in advance!

Sibby

[Gregg Lengling]

Sibby...as you said if it ain't broke.......well it is...rabbit ears are not the best thing at all.  The change in the weather does affect reception.  Local reception is better in the winter when there is less humidity in the air and no moisture on a roof (if you are trying to get a signal through the roof).  Yes you are in a pretty good location...but for a reliable signal I would go with an on-roof antenna.  This way you don't have to worry about signal losses through the roof and you also will then have a directional antenna that will increase the signal levels you are getting.  I live in Cedarburg and have an outdoor antenna and the worst signal I have (not counting Fox6) is channel 22 (WVCY) at about 70 (this is watchable on my RCA.  So if you can go out and install a nice antenna on the roof and use good coax (RG6).

Welcome to the fold.

[Sibby]

Thanks for the RE Gregg.  

I like what I here.  Installing a roof antenna should be easy enough, but now the question is, what models or types of outdoor antennas should I be looking at?  And another thing I've read about here is using a rotor.  Is that something that's installed on a roof antenna, and how are those controlled exactly?  And is it nessecary?  Excuse me for the naive questions but I'm a newbie as well as a youngen, so I have 2 things working against me  This is my first crack at HD in our first house, so I want to get it as perfect as possible so I can justify to my wife of why exactly I dropped $5000 on a home theater

Thanks!

[sp44again]

I'm in the same boat. This week I can't get CBS58 (1-1) to show up. It just says searching for signal. I still get 4-1 and 12-1 fine though. Weird.

[Gregg Lengling]

A rotor would only be necessary if you wanted to try and receive either Madison or Chicago stations.  I wouldn't expect much from either at your location except during band openings and that wouldn't matter when it happens.  Rotors have a control box that is wired down to your viewing position and has a control knob and indicator to point it in the proper direction.

As far as antennas go...many people are just using Double Bow-Ties, these are for UHF only but for your location the signal would be strong enough that you should also be able to pull in the VHF locals also.  However I'm one that prefers to have the proper antenna...typically what is called a Log-Periodic.  This is the style you see where it has very long elements at the back and continues to get shorter and shorter to the front,in addition there is a usually a reflector about 25% of the way from the front to help pull in the high UHF stations.  Usually you can pick up a medium gain one from Radio Shack for under $50.00.  And yes Radio Shack antennas are pretty good (they are just private labeled and made by the big boys).

[cgardnl]

Sibby  --

As Gregg says, the best antenna location is outside, but there are advantages to having it protected from the Wisconsin weather in an attic.

I'm getting great reception with a Radio Shack yagi in my attic (albeit, I have only a five days' experience in varying weather conditions.  See my post yesterday to dclutter on the same topic for more of the story).

I would recommend giving a better antenna in the attic a try and see if you need to go outside.  Also, your set, like mine, probably doesn't have a signal meter, so without professional help, you won't know how close you are to the edge.

[Sibby]

Thanks cgardnl,

Yeah, I think the plan is to try an in attic antenna first, and then go outside if I don't get a good reception.  Like I said, with just some cheap a** rabbit ears I was getting a good signal until the weather warmed up.  So with something with a little more meat on it I think it may work ok considering my location.

You are correct, my TV does not have a signal meter, but along those lines, are there other ways to test that signal strength?  Possibly some inexpensive gadget I could buy?  Otherwise I guess I'll just have to do the "nudge and yell down to my wife" method.

Sibby

[wxndave]

First let me say welcome to the group.  The best possible signal  would be a roof top antenna.  Attic antennas lose about 2/3 of the signal by being located indoors.  The roof can cause reflections, these reflections can cause muilti-path.  Multi-path is much like a ghosting picture.  This can cause errors in the signal, which will make it look like you have a lower signal.  If you were using a signal meter you would see that you have enough signal level, but you may still may not be able to recieve the station.    

Greg is right about getting a small roof top from Radio Shack.  Channel Master makes most of their antennas.  If you would like to read a good write up on reception go to //www.cbs58.com and look under the technical section.  

Over the weekend I finally put up my tv antenna.  All my problems with reception are now gone.  I put up a Radio Shack VU-190 on a 10 foot tripod.  You don't need anything this big.  I put this up because I want to try to pick up other cities.  Before I put up the antenna I had it in the garage attic and had problems with channel 4 analog and Digital.  I couldn't pick up CBS 1-1 or 22-1.  I hope this helps.

Dave

[sp44again]

Hey Sibby I get all the HD stations with a RCA indoor antenna. I live in New Berlin so if I can get everything with it I think you could. I got it at Best Buy. I'll get the number if you are interested in trying it.

[Sibby]

Thanks for the RE's guys.

Yesterday I went out and bought a Radio Shack VU-190, even before I read this post.  My plan was to put this up in the attic (for now).  I know I lose signal strength up there but I figured my signal is strong where I live so it should all balance out.

So last night I hooked it up and after some adjusting, I now get the following channels:

1.1 - 1.4
4.1
10.1 - 10.5
12.1
22.1

I know this antenna is a directional antenna unlike the Terk 55 for example.  So now I just have to figure out what direction to aim this thing in.  I aimed it in the general direction I know the towers to be and it seems to work fine, but I'd like to aim it correctly.  I stumbled on a site I got from this forum that let me plug in my address and told me what direction the towers were from me.  So I gotta find that and see what I can get.

Depending on how this works out....I may put the antenna up on the roof come summer.  Although someone told me because of city codes I might not be able to?  I'm a new home owner so I have no idea.  I'll figure this stuff out.  Thanks alot guys, everyone's posts helped me out so much!

Sibby

[Gregg Lengling]

You should also be able to receive 18-1 and 24-1 as they have very strong signals (you can just try the real channels 25 and 61) and it should redirect.

As far as City codes regarding roof-top antennas, I've never heard of one in this area...and I don't think Tosa has one (I think that's where you are). Some subdivisions though have association rules that prohibit rooftop antennas....a quick look around the neighborhood should tell you.

[Sibby]

Thanks Gregg,

I'll need to do a rescan to try and get 18 and 24.  Who knows, maybe I'll even pick up FOX now, I did earlier in this journey.  As far as rooftop codes, I'll check that out as well, thanks for all your help.  I very much appreciate it!

Sibby

[cgardnl]

Here are some links I found in my research that provide some information:

Telecommunications Act of 1996 (you can't be prohibited from erecting an antenna on your property):

http://www.hometheatermag.com/showarchives.cgi?7:4

This will give you a lot of antenna technical info:

http://hometown.aol.com/kq6qv/HDTVprimer.html

This will give you compass headings for the broadcast towers specific to your address:

http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.asp

Good luck.  Keep us posted on your progress.

[chure]

Without thknking, I went last night to buy an OTA, upon coming back home and going up on the roof I noticed that I was lucky enough to have an older antenna, the style you see where it has very long elements at the back and continues to get shorter and shorter to the front, already on the peak of my room with a cable going through the roof.  (Unless that's backwards?) I was able to fish the cable through the wall, and floor to the basement where my HD receiver is.  I receive a majority of the broadcasts in analog and "digital" at a quick check last night, but I noticed that Fox 6 didn't come in "digital" just "searching for signal".   I didn't try aiming this at all, I just plugged it in and went.  Is the front the end with the shorter elements, that I should aim?  Also, I've read about grounding the antenna, I didn't notice anything, but will act like a lighting rod and blow my receiver if it's not grounded?

[Gregg Lengling]

The shorter elements are the front end.  And yes it should be grounded..if it isn't you need to run a ground (#12 aluminum that you can buy at RatShack will do in a pinch) and use a brass transistion clamp to the antenna mount and then run it down to a 8' copper clad ground rod driven in the ground...once again using a brass transition clamp.  The transition clamps allow for dissimilar metals from causing a reaction and reducing the conduction between the two.

As for Fox6..if you don't live within a few miles of Hwy 57 and Brown Deer road you won't receive them...they are running ultra low power on an antenna only 125 feet in the air beaming SSW of the studio....hopefully sometime late summer or fall they will have completed their work on the main tower and move it over there and more people(other than the 3 or so on this forum) will be able to receive their 480p widescreen.   :bang: