need help.........

[Playactionpass]

I have the Channel Master CM5646 UHF/VHF/FM Antenna. I could get the nbc and pbs station in hd. The scanning on the 811 dish picked up 2 more dt stations but they were not strong enough to lock in. I added the Channel Master 7777 Titan2 VHF/UHF Preamplifier. It improved the signals I was already getting slightly but the signal on the other 2 didn't improve. I realize that the meter isn't a true meter but if they are strong enough signals to pick up on a search it seemed like the preamp would have done the trick.

Here is the list and the location. They are all in the same area.


uhf WAIQ-DT 26.1 PBS MONTGOMERY AL 244° 24.9 27 70%
uhf WSFA-DT 12.1 NBC MONTGOMERY AL 202° 42.4 14 - 94%
NBC is the most distant station and this one has the srongest reception by far.

uhf WNCF-DT 32.1 ABC MONTGOMERY AL 240° 23.8 51 -just dt no hd yet.This one flashes from 0-50%.
uhf WCOV 20 FOX MONTGOMERY AL 202° 42.4 20 (says they are hd but they are not on list and the scan did not pick them up.) still a little snowy


Montgomery, AL WSFA-DT [14] 600.0 507.0 dH 31°58'28"N 86° 9'44"W DT-LIC NBC
Montgomery, AL WNCF-DT [51] 58.00 246.0 dH 32°22' 4"N 86°15'42"W DT-CP ABC
17'30"W TV-LIC PBS
Montgomery, AL WAIQ-DT [27] 750.0 175.8 H 32°22'55"N 86°17'33"W DT-CP PBS
Montgomery, AL WCOV-TV [16] 1.10 156.0 32°20' 6"N 86°17'16"W DS-STA Fox

I got a uhf /vhf because I want to get vhf channel with the antenna too and I read where more hd channels would be added to vhf. I thought it might be because the other 2 aren't fully hd yet but it did pick them up on a search and the preamp(set to vhf/uhf) did not make that big of a difference. The antenna has been adjusted.Any Suggestions. Thanks

 

[Carl B]

You're getting 14 and 27 because they are at or near full power, 600 kw and 750 kw. Channel 20 isn't a digital channel, it's analog, but pretty good power at 617 kw. If you point your antenna directly at it, you should be able to receive the signal clearly. You should get 51 if you point directly at it.

You're never going to see Channel 16. At your distance, their 1,100 watt transmitter doesn't have enough ERP. Your daughter's hair dryer has more watts than that channel.

Note that your antenna is for RED areas (i.e., medium directional). What colors do you get from antennaweb.org for your channels of interest? If they are beyond RED, you probably need a bigger antenna because of their low ERP. The UHF end of your antenna isn't all that robust; only rated for 30 miles.

Other things to look at are your length of coax, type of coax, interconnects in the coax line. If your coax run is over 50 feet that would degrade your signal at the TV. Are you using RG-6 coax cable? You should be. Quad-shielded if possible. How many barrel connectors, wall plates, splitters, etc. are in the coax line between the pre-amp and the TV? Minimize these for best signal.

Good Luck!

 

[Playactionpass]

Thats a start

I don't have any splitters,pretty short run, and I am using rg6 so I will try to aim it at 51 abc again.

Montgomery, AL WSFA-DT [14] 600.0 507.0 dH 31°58'28"N 86° 9'44"W DT-LIC NBC
Montgomery, AL WNCF-DT [51] 58.00 246.0 dH 32°22' 4"N 86°15'42"W DT-CP ABC

So these numbers in bold are kw. ok. It seems like a big difference.Wouldn't they be more likely to increase power when they are fully hd or are they digital now and just not carrying any hd content? They are listed as just a dt station right now with no hd content on their site. Thanks alot for the help.

 

[Playactionpass]

Ok got it.

I barely moved the antenna and it shot up to close to 80%. Other channels are as good or better too. Maybe WCOV-TV [16] 1.10 156.0 will increase their power so I can get fox. The montgomery cbs affiliate isn't even on the list so I guess it will be a while for ota. I have it on dish right now so I am just waiting on fox. Btw I forgot to mention that the antenna is in the attic so I feel better about the antenna now. I was worried that it was too small. Once again thanks for the help. It is greatly appreciated.

 

[Carl B]

You are welcome, glad I could be of some assistance. This response is delayed because I've been on vacation. Just catching up on all the forums.