Can i get some major networks - TVfools info supplied

[rhedayi]

Hey fellas, a little bummed I am 30 miles from mt. wilson in so cal but cant get signals due to mountains in the way. I posted a thread in the FTA section looking for some guidance on live tv, they suggested I post here.

Last night I experimented with a RCA yogi 45m antenna and had it on my wooden shed, could not get anything but 24.1 24.2 24.3 24.4 and 30.1-30.9 I think

I want some basics like abc or kcal 9, looks like nbc wont work

I did get 39.1 (4-) from a 105 miles away when I point the dish south so there is some hope !

tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d5134ced7165dac

 

[Mr Tony]

WOW!
For being that close to Mt Wilson that is one fugly tvfool. We usually only see stuff like that in the mountains

One good thing is you do have some networks on VHF
ABC, KCAL, FOX and KCOP are all on VHF

I would recommend a larger antenna setup...probably 2
VHF would be something like this
http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/30-2476
or the smaller one
http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/30-2475

UHF I would recommend like an 8 bay antenna or a deep fringe UHF antenna and aim towards San Diego. It sounds goofy but at 100 miles away it has some signals that would be better than the LA ones. You would combine them with this
http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/33-2230

I can't even guarantee that you;'d get the UHF stations relaibly. VHF tends ot "bend" over mountains better and thats why in Appalachian Mountain area lots of stations went VHF.

 

[rhedayi]

I told you it was bad.....but its all good. Let me pick your brain please
Since I bought an rca ant751 "yogi" antenna, should that be able to do as well either of the 2 antennas you suggest for picking up for hi vhf ? I can further try to aim it but it seemed useless last night. I am happy to buy one of those antennas to see if I get a signal.
I would be more than happy to simply get those 4 basic channels with an antenna, honestly, ABC and KCAL9 would be perfect

 

[Mr Tony]

Let me pick your brain please

thats what we're here for

Since I bought an rca ant751 "yogi" antenna, should that be able to do as well either of the 2 antennas you suggest for picking up for hi vhf ? I can further try to aim it but it seemed useless last night. I am happy to buy one of those antennas to see if I get a signal.

I noticed your tvfool shows 10 feet. Is there anyway to get the antenna higher?
The antenna you have is mainly designed for areas that have easy access to the towers. Because you have 2edge (which means the signal bounces off 2 things before it gets to you) the old theory of "bigger is better" does usually apply.
While I cant guarantee glitch free reception on the 4 VHF stations I used an antenna like the larger one (the 1st one) I linked above when I lived in my house here in Suburban Minneapolis. I used it to get a distant CBS station (KEYC) that was 72 miles away and it worked great. For the $10 difference I would get the larger antenna.

You could always put a pre-amp on the existing antenna....but honestly (me personally) if you can go bigger for the antenna do it. You can always pre-amp it after that.

I would be more than happy to simply get those 4 basic channels with an antenna, honestly, ABC and KCAL9 would be perfect

the nice thing is there are some decent subchannels on those VHF stations
ABC, Live Well, Laff
KCAL
FOX
My, Buzzr, Movies! and Heroes & Icons

 

[Mr Tony]

one other note is antenna manufacturers like to fabricate the mileage on the antennas....like those cheap Chinese "150 mile" antennas

Most numbers are under optimum conditions....like flat land with minimal obstructions

 

[FaT Air]

ant751 "yagi" 45 miles with the 'best' of conditions. All would have to be LOS. And not even a tree in the way for that 'mileage. IMHO. I can't dispute what Iceberg has recommended. Looks, to me, the best option available.
When dealing with 'edge' signals the bigger the better. And if you could try them another 10 ft higher, the reliability may improve. Maybe not (?) YMMV.
In my experience, in a 'tough' situation, moving a UHF antenna a foot in any direction can make a vast difference. VHF, it's about 3 or 4 feet.

 

[rhedayi]

I appreciate the input iceberg. There are lots of crappy things to deal with. At my last house, I used a Radio Shack UHF antenna in the attice space and I had literally 70 channels. This house, I have the mountain issue, then we get 60 mph santa ana winds, my neighbors house is literally in front of my signal path. I can order the larger one and see what I get. Appreciate the input buddy !!

 

[rhedayi]

ant751 "yagi" 45 miles with the 'best' of conditions. All would have to be LOS. And not even a tree in the way for that 'mileage. IMHO. I can't dispute what Iceberg has recommended. Looks, to me, the best option available.
When dealing with 'edge' signals the bigger the better. And if you could try them another 10 ft higher, the reliability may improve. Maybe not (?) YMMV.
In my experience, in a 'tough' situation, moving a UHF antenna a foot in any direction can make a vast difference. VHF, it's about 3 or 4 feet.

thank you also

 

[larrykenney]

I agree with Iceberg's suggestions for antennas. Looking at your TVFool list, you don't have any really strong signals, so you really need antennas with a lot of gain, and, in most cases, higher is better. I've got one of the best antennas for VHF and another for UHF (see link below for pictures) and I still have problems with stations that are 65 miles away out of Sacramento and Stockton, CA. I have a 1000+ foot high hill between here and the transmitter site. Sometimes they're solid, sometimes they're below the cliff edge and I get "No signal". The further away the station is, the more its strength will vary from day to day, daytime to night time. You might have seen those distant stations when conditions were good, so I wouldn't plan on getting them all the time. Good luck!

My antennas: http://www.larrykenney.com/tvantennas.html

 

[Mr Tony]

In my experience, in a 'tough' situation, moving a UHF antenna a foot in any direction can make a vast difference. VHF, it's about 3 or 4 feet.

agreed. I always thought the higher the better. But when I lived in my apartment and had the antenna in the closet lowering it a foot on the mast made a world of difference

 

[rhedayi]

I need to order the larger one and see what I can get with it, thanks fellas

 

[FaT Air]

Let us know what transpires, Thanks.

 

[Mr Tony]

I need to order the larger one and see what I can get with it, thanks fellas

yeah please let us know. We're here to help

 

[mikekohl]

You've got an open shot to Box Mountain, so that's why channel 24 is working. A lot of locations in the San Fernando Valley and north on I-5 simply cannot see that Mt Wilson antenna farm despite its 6000 foot elevation.
Tropo will often open up San Diego and Tijuana, with nothing in the way but mostly water and distance. However you may have neglected one other possibility from a local source that may still be viable. Go to www.filmon.com and see what Los Angeles area channels are carried. The HD version of everything was supposed to be $10 or less per month. Another option might be to look at the latest Roku private channel offerings for networks on their latest (non Roku 1, 2 and basic stick) devices. While you will need high speed internet for both, it may be less costly and more satisfying in the end. Good luck!
(ex southern California antenna installer from the 80s and 90s)

 

[mikekohl]

Correction: FilmOn has apparently exited putting U.S. broadcast stations on their website. Even when they had legal issues about putting up the O & O network flagship stations, the great majority of the Los Angeles spectrum was there to watch. See what Roku can do, because you are in a miserable off-air reception location, even while residing near a market with over 100 digital subchannels.

 

[boba]

I'll post it again DISH Welcome Pack at $19.99 will offer the major networks and some cable channels.

 

[Mr Tony]

Correction: FilmOn has apparently exited putting U.S. broadcast stations on their website. Even when they had legal issues about putting up the O & O network flagship stations, the great majority of the Los Angeles spectrum was there to watch. See what Roku can do, because you are in a miserable off-air reception location, even while residing near a market with over 100 digital subchannels.

yeah thats pretty sad when you can be that close to a major market and get barely anything

 

[Mr_Flintstone]

WOW!
For being that close to Mt Wilson that is one fugly tvfool. We usually only see stuff like that in the mountains

One good thing is you do have some networks on VHF
ABC, KCAL, FOX and KCOP are all on VHF

I would recommend a larger antenna setup...probably 2
VHF would be something like this
http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/30-2476
or the smaller one
http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/30-2475

UHF I would recommend like an 8 bay antenna or a deep fringe UHF antenna and aim towards San Diego. It sounds goofy but at 100 miles away it has some signals that would be better than the LA ones. You would combine them with this
http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/33-2230

I can't even guarantee that you;'d get the UHF stations relaibly. VHF tends ot "bend" over mountains better and thats why in Appalachian Mountain area lots of stations went VHF.

Have you used one of these personally? That's some impressive VHF gain. If they perform as advertised, I might try to get one for use in SE Kentucky for VHF-12.

 

[Mr Tony]

Have you used one of these personally? That's some impressive VHF gain. If they perform as advertised, I might try to get one for use in SE Kentucky for VHF-12.

not this model personally (I have some Y10 7-13 units that are no longer made) but I know other folks have purchased these and they have worked real well

edit: FaT Air has one and says it works great
http://www.satelliteguys.us/xen/posts/3777273/

another member
http://www.satelliteguys.us/xen/posts/3777598/

and another
http://www.satelliteguys.us/xen/posts/3720992/

 

[Mr Tony]

Have you used one of these personally? That's some impressive VHF gain. If they perform as advertised, I might try to get one for use in SE Kentucky for VHF-12.

I dont remember how good (or bad) it was for you to get WYMT (I remember you asking a while back)
Can you post your tvfool?