Can I improve signal strength?

[blanquitoman1984]

I was wondering if i can improve my signal strength from what I already have my lowest signal is 72 but sometimes it gets choppy. I was wondering if I can do anything to make I better. I have a pretty big antenna on the roof. As I said most of the channels are really good, and that is that I am about 60 miles from Los Angeles. If there is something I can use can you tell me exactly what to buy, such as at a Walmart or Radio Shack.

I just thought about something, this may be silly, but can I combine the roof signal, with the signal from an indoor antenna. and join them into my dish 722 receiver

Thanks for the help.:up

 

[zaxxon]

What kind of antenna do you have on the roof?????????

I have a CM4228 with a CM7777 pre-amp on my roof and pull in stations sixty miles away with no problem.

Only problem with a CM4228 is that it is a UHF antenna only, although it will pick up VHF station eight and above.

I live south of Richmond VA and all of the HD channels are UHF so it is no problem to me. In the spring I will add a rotor and will be able to pick up NC.

 

[blanquitoman1984]

What kind of antenna do you have on the roof?????????

I have a CM4228 with a CM7777 pre-amp on my roof and pull in stations sixty miles away with no problem.

Only problem with a CM4228 is that it is a UHF antenna only, although it will pick up VHF station eight and above.

I live south of Richmond VA and all of the HD channels are UHF so it is no problem to me. In the spring I will add a rotor and will be able to pick up NC.

I have something similar to this.

Can I use that pre amp that you mention.

Can I Buy It at Radio Shack?
How much improvement do you notice with the pre amp? Is it worth it?

 

[qwert1515]

I also live close to Los Angeles (45 Miles away from the transmitters). Our digital local channels are broadcasted in the UHF band so the Channel Master 4228 is a good antenna (I am using it ).

However in February of 2009 (Next Year) our local ABC(7), KCAL(9) and KTTV(FOX 11) will move into the upper VHF band so you will need an antenna that can pick up the higher VHF band (The Channel Master 4228 should be able to).

For preamps I recommend the Channel Master 3041 sold at Frys Electronic. I have also tried the Channel Master 7778 UHF/VHF preamp and had similar results. I have tried the Radio Shack preamps but I have had no results with them at my location. I have a relative who lives closer to the transmitters and he has perfect reception with the Radio Shack preamp.

If I do not use a preamp I can only pick up KTLA and NBC , with the preamp I can pick up all the LA channels (CBS and KCOP have occasional dropouts in the afternoon)

 

[blanquitoman1984]

I can pick up almost every signal channel perfect, ABC is usually at 73 but then it drops to 70 and it gets choppy. This morning I saw NBC and it is at 98. I think I will try the pre amp that you said from FRy's. The purpose is only to improve ABC. Can the pre amp in any way make things worse? Or only better. Thanks

I forgot, you say most are currently on UHF, and will go to VHF. Can you tell me who is currently in VHF that way I know if I can currently receive them. If not that way I can start shopping for another antenna.

By the way what is the call number for KCOP, that is the only one that I do not have.

 

[Cokeswigga]

I have no problem receiving LA channels, and I am over 70 miles away!
ABC is the weakest out of all of them

Where are you located?

We should be considered very lucky.... all of our channels transmit from the same location... and they are on tall towers on the top of a mountain. This means that they will travel a LONG way.

Here are some things to consider:

1.) Antenna height (get it up in the air as much as you can)
2.) Antenna Direction (spend some time pointing it)
3.) Antenna gain (get the biggest that you need)

I found that the pre-amp DID NOTHING for me... the gain of the antenna alone was sufficient to give me a good signal. ( I am 70 miles out, and I have about 50 feet of coax)
Don't waste your money yet, I am guessing that you probably don't need one. How long is the coax from your antenna to your TV (or sat box)?

Preamps can make things worse... remember that they will amplify any signal, include noise.

By the way.... yes some of the LA Channels are going to VHF and some are staying on UHF...

I would recommend buying a VHF/UHF antenna.

Since it sounds like you are having issues with the one channel, maybe you need an antenna with better gain or with better front/rear ratios. Since you are going to need to receive VHF this may be the time to upgrade.

Like I said, I am 70+ miles out, I have the largest VHF/UHF antenna that winegard makes (the HD-8200p it's huge.....14 feet long).. and I get CBS/NBC at 90+, FOX is in the 80's and ABC is around 70-80 depending on the day.



As far as combing antennas.... for the most part you will need to combine similar antennas (so connecting your indoor to you outdoor antenna probably won't work, and might make it worse)... and there are a lot of rules that go along with it....... The antennas need to be properly spaced, aligned, and connected. You will probably see much better results from getting a high gain single antenna.

 

[ciwsguy]

Interesting topic as my digital stations are normally rock solid. Last night we had some severe weather blow thru here with about 70 mph winds and noticed pixelized images on the HD set, or what you cal a choppy signal. Checked signal strength on my HD receiver and saw varying signal strengths, but levels displayed on the set shouldn't have been enough to momentarily lose lock or chop the picture. The Analog stations looked normal. Went outside to a safe area and saw my antenna buffeting up and down, and side to side in those strong winds. I think it was the wind twisting the antenna so much that that was my pixelation source. Today, the digital signals are back rock solid. So be aware your antenna may be moving due to the ambient weather conditions if you ever see it. It could be the source of a chopped up signal.

 

[harshness]

A higher number doesn't bring proportional quality. The bane of HD is multipath; just as it has always been. Multipath can't be improved much by amplification; often it makes it worse. The greatest improvements come from the proper application of antenna(s).

To this end, you sometimes have to give up on things that you would like to be able to do including:

1. Mounting the antenna indoors or in the attic.
2. A cool looking antenna that won't catch the wind.
3. Just one antenna

What works for someone in the flats of Kansas is probably not going to work for someone who lives in New Mexico or even on the other side of a big hill.

Given that antenna design is not a new thing and the goal is still the same as it was when thinking about antennas began, finding someone local to set you up is probably the easiest. On the other end, is designing, building and setting up your own configuration (which is likely a lot more expensive as any ARRL antenna-head will attest).

Sometimes it is as easy as calling Sears and having them set you up.

A little more difficult is trying every off-the-shelf antenna that seems to meet the specifications. There are some retailers that support this approach.

In any event, the first step is to figure out what antennaweb.org says about your situation and studying the map that shows what directions the signals are coming from.

In my case, all of the desired signals come from one direction, are 50 airline miles away and I can see most of the towers with a telescope. A $35 RS VHF/UHF/FM antenna is magic on the roof. A neighbor who lives a mile south of me has two antennas and some fancy tanks (filters) to get a quality signal because he's on the other side of the hill.

 

[Cokeswigga]

To throw in another wrench, OTA tuners are different from one another (even within the same manufacturor.

For example, I had a DishNetwork 811 that could NEVER tune in ABC

As it turns out, I was receiving a multipath signal of ABC from a mountain that was off-axis from the tranmission antennas.

This multipath issue confused the receiver and made it so that I could hardly ever receive that channel.

Once I upgraded to the DishNetwork 622, I was immediatly able to receive ABC without any problems.

So not only do you need to choose and antenna that will work for you, but you may also need to consider your tuning device and try out a few different ones too