Long distance antenna 60 - 100 miles?

[boba]

Was hoping for ABC, PBS and wherever can i get

You have 2 PBS that are 1 edge 17 & 40 miles so you have a good chance one will come in. ABC is more doubtful your nearest ones are 2 edge.
and 35-40 miles away. You might be able to aim the front of the antenna at channel 40 and pick up PBS off the back side of the antenna..

 

[comfortably_numb]

I live 50+ miles from my TV towers with a TV fool very similar to yours. I've tried a couple different antennas and I have to say, an RCA ANT751 worked best and it is not very big in terms of length. $50 at Walmart. Also it has VERY durable construction. I also use a $25 RCA pole-mounted pre-amp I bought at Lowe's. Mounted it on a J-pole formerly occupied by a Directv dish. Pulls in all the channels I want and they are all watchable. Worked better than a 7-foot Xtreme Signal antenna I tried.


Sent from my iPhone using the SatelliteGuys app!

 

[harshness]

ABC appears to be pretty much off the table for consistent reception. WEKW may be your best PBS shot, but it will move as part of the repack in a few years. I'd say your best shot is pointing at the NBC station and maybe getting WVTA.

In terms of cord cutting, you're more or less in a "have not" region for OTA.

 

[Dish Sub 2015]

Thanks for the ideas.
Few people mentioned to me that for the better digital reception the antenna need to be tuned at 90 degrees like the pictures below, is that true?

 

[Titanium]

TV signals are transmitted with horizontal polarization, not vertical. In some instances when a signal is reflected, it could arrive at the receive antenna location with a different orientation. You could try placing the antenna at any angle to optimize the signal quality, but simply orienting the antenna vertically will not provide better reception.

 

[boba]

It's been a week without any posting what did you decide to do?

 

[Dish Sub 2015]

Nothing yet, was busy the last few days
Any suggestions how can i get more channels ?

Does any of those amplifiers will help:

 

[comfortably_numb]

Nothing yet, was busy the last few days
Any suggestions how can i get more channels ?

Does any of those amplifiers will help:

I use an RCA TVPRAMP1R which you can get at Lowe's or Sears for $25 or $30. Works great and helps me pull in more stations. Also has a separate input for a VHF antenna if you want to use separate UHF and VHF antennas

Sent from my iPhone using the SatelliteGuys app!

 

[andy_horton]

Nothing yet, was busy the last few days
Any suggestions how can i get more channels ?

Does any of those amplifiers will help:

Comcast gave me one of these awhile back. Keeps signal more steady than anything else. Not sure if it amplifies enough or not. Someone else chime in??

 

[andy_horton]

Nothing yet, was busy the last few days
Any suggestions how can i get more channels ?

Does any of those amplifiers will help:

Hooked mine up tonight. It is an amplified splitter to split signals and keep the original levels for more than 2 TV's. It didn't increase my signal strength, just kept it steady. Hope this helps.

 

[Voyager6]

Nothing yet, was busy the last few days
Any suggestions how can i get more channels ?

Does any of those amplifiers will help:

At your distances from the stations, I would suggest a pre-amp.
Amazon product ASIN B0013CGNGY

 

[boba]

For an amplifier to work you need a signal. The first step is put up an antenna if you have a weak signal on a channel you can add an amplifier to try and improve the signal strength. An amplifier isn't going to work a miracle and get a signal where non exists. With a 2 edge signal you may have reflected signals that when amplified may cause a loss of signal giving fewer channels than an unamplified signal.

 

[harshness]

Broadcast TV is a little like drilling a water well; sometimes there's no water to be found or what there is may be foul (multi-path). Your water table (tvfool chart) looks grim.

Consistent reception may not be possible regardless of your efforts (antenna gain, height, orientation or amplification).

 

[Dish Sub 2015]

Thanks for the ideas.
Another question, the metal piece inside the LNB should be made from some sensitive metal, right?
Can I use one or few of those metal pieces for some kind DIY over the air antenna for better reception?

 

[harshness]

Another question, the metal piece inside the LNB should be made from some sensitive metal, right?

Absolutely not!

 

[Dish Sub 2015]

It will not work or the metal piece / wire is just some common metal?

 

[boba]

Look into the wavelengths of VHF & UHF signals and you might realize why satellite dishes/LNBs won't work.

 

[Tampa8]

For an amplifier to work you need a signal. The first step is put up an antenna if you have a weak signal on a channel you can add an amplifier to try and improve the signal strength. An amplifier isn't going to work a miracle and get a signal where non exists. With a 2 edge signal you may have reflected signals that when amplified may cause a loss of signal giving fewer channels than an unamplified signal.

Well kind of sort of... Yes there has to be a signal, no signal an amplifier won't work. And it all starts with a good antenna. BUT - it's not true you have to see the weak signal first. It may be there but not registering. An Amplifier may work in that case, it certainly does for me. No amplifier no Sarasota ABC signal at all can be seen. With amplifier I get the channel most of the time. Best is the type that connects at the antenna with power inserter used inside. However in a place like Tampa where lighting strikes occur more than most anywhere else it may not be the best way to go.

 

[harshness]

It will not work or the metal piece / wire is just some common metal?

The answer corresponds to the quoted question.

 

[harshness]

Look into the wavelengths of VHF & UHF signals and you might realize why satellite dishes/LNBs won't work.

The question was valid in terms of extending the metallurgy to longer elements but as it turns out, the downsides of the ideal metallurgy are a big problem. Gold (one up from aluminum) plating is cost prohibitive and copper and silver (lowest resistivity) have the difficult issue of being easily oxidized thus ruining the "skin effect".