Anybody have experience with this antenna?

[comfortably_numb]

All that extra coax has made for bad physics, those two loops hanging under the antenna, just made the shield of the coax part of the antenna. Also the coiled up spool of coax is making a poor mans choke bauln.

I made the loop so that the barrel doesn’t snap the adapter out of the antenna’s transformer. I’ve had experiences with those breaking before. I’m also assuming that’s why the manufacturer put the coax clip on the boom where they did. I can do something about the coiled up coax that is sitting up there, though. I just need to get the tool to put a barrel on the end so I can cut off the extra coax.

 

[Jim5506]

I once had about a 2 ft diameter loop of 3-4 turns of cable behind my 722, very weak signal from the dish even though it was only about a 30 ft run.

Single loop is no problem.

Uncoiled the loops and the signal strength tripled.

I could actually watch the signal meter rise as the coils were unlooped.

Definitely a choke created there.

 

[comfortably_numb]

I once had about a 2 ft diameter loop of 3-4 turns of cable behind my 722, very weak signal from the dish even though it was only about a 30 ft run.

Uncoiled the loop and the signal strength tripled.

I could actually watch the signal meter rise as the coils were unlooped.

Definitely a choke created there.

Is it the location of the coil or the coil itself that is the issue? I could go up there and uncoil it, then run the excess down the tube and spread it out in the yard until I can get the compression tool.

Any suggestions on the loops near the antenna? I can put the preamp at the base of the J-pole, but I'm not sure what to do about the loop under the matching transformer. Should that lead just be a free-hanging wire? I'm confused because the manufacturer put a coax clip on the boom.

 

[Comptech]

I once had about a 2 ft diameter loop of 3-4 turns of cable behind my 722, very weak signal from the dish even though it was only about a 30 ft run.

Single loop is no problem.

Uncoiled the loops and the signal strength tripled.

I could actually watch the signal meter rise as the coils were unlooped.

Definitely a choke created there.

Thank you, much easier than arguing with Gary. He won't read the part that says a poor mans choke.

 

[Comptech]

Tie wraps are your friend. Run the cable 90 degrees from the antenna, you can make one drip loop were it enters the house, make it large enough that you don't kink the coax. And as always, the shorter the run the better.

 

[Jim5506]

Is it the location of the coil or the coil itself that is the issue? I could go up there and uncoil it, then run the excess down the tube and spread it out in the yard until I can get the compression tool.

It is the coil itself, randomly splaying the cable anywhere is preferable to coiling it around and around.

No need necessarily to shorten the cable unless you want to or have no other choice.

 

[comfortably_numb]

Ok, so I made the changes you guys suggested. I uncoiled the coax at the foot of the mast, pulled it down the tube, cut off the excess, terminated with a new barrel. I then situated the preamp lower on the mast, relocated the antenna lead to a 90 degree angle, and HOLY COW, what a difference. I'm now getting a near 100% signal on KTWU, and I'm also picking up KSCW VHF 12 from Wichita, 203 Miles from here! I guess that could be tropo, but it's only 12:30 here, and that seems highly unusual for this time of day. At any rate, THANK YOU THANK YOU for the suggestions. I had no idea such small inexpensive changes could make such a difference.

 

[comfortably_numb]

Now I’m getting KNWA-50 from Rogers Arkansas. 191 miles away. For a VHF-only antenna, this thing is amazing. Best $35 bucks I ever spent.

 

[boba]

Now a week later are you still getting Tropo or has the range dropped off? Are you still getting all your UHF stations with the VHF antenna?

 

[comfortably_numb]

Now a week later are you still getting Tropo or has the range dropped off? Are you still getting all your UHF stations with the VHF antenna?

I still get tropo several nights a week. It’s different stations from different directions each time, though. The two target VHF stations in Topeka that I wanted still come thru pretty well most days.

I get all my UHF stations with the VHF antenna except one- and it’s one of my market’s main stations. So I’m using the old RCA ANT751 for UHF, and the Stellar Labs for VHF, using separate feeds, separate preamps.

 

[harshness]

I uncoiled the coax at the foot of the mast, pulled it down the tube, cut off the excess, terminated with a new barrel.

The term "barrel" is not something you should use in reference to RG6 cable terminal. The term you should use is "F connector" or "F plug".

Barrel is another term for an F-81 coupler.

 

[comfortably_numb]

The term "barrel" is not something you should use in reference to RG6 cable terminal. The term you should use is "F connector" or "F plug".

Barrel is another term for an F-81 coupler.

 

[Comptech]

Now I’m getting KNWA-50 from Rogers Arkansas. 191 miles away. For a VHF-only antenna, this thing is amazing. Best $35 bucks I ever spent.

HaHa, told you so! lol

 

[Ironmagz]

Ok, so I made the changes you guys suggested. I uncoiled the coax at the foot of the mast, pulled it down the tube, cut off the excess, terminated with a new barrel. I then situated the preamp lower on the mast, relocated the antenna lead to a 90 degree angle, and HOLY COW, what a difference. I'm now getting a near 100% signal on KTWU, and I'm also picking up KSCW VHF 12 from Wichita, 203 Miles from here! I guess that could be tropo, but it's only 12:30 here, and that seems highly unusual for this time of day. At any rate, THANK YOU THANK YOU for the suggestions. I had no idea such small inexpensive changes could make such a difference.

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If you can get my Wichita stations 200 miles away I better be able to get them at 60!

 

[Jim5506]

VHF travels farther than UHF over the horizon (longer wave length refracts sharper), so it is not unusual to occasionally get VHF from far far away. Back in the NTSC days our NBC station was 2 edge 82 miles away but reception was 24/7/365 with a clear color picture.

 

[Kyle91]

I have 2 of them stagger stacked 1500miles away of RECEIVE and not a bad price lol
Know if we can just find someone hoo could just make a hi&low band vhf tv antenna
All in one.