New guy looking for advice

[Nutfield]

: Hello. I just found this forum the other day.
I would like to get some advice/thoughts from the guys here with much more knowledge about antennas than I have.
I am disappointed with the 91XG that I installed on my chimney last week. The signal level is no better (maybe a little worse) than when I had the TV connected to the 160" (RS model VU-190 XR) VHF/UHF antenna that is in my attic.

The ‘bow tie’ on the 91XG is not triangular at all. It is more like two oval loops. I was thinking of bending the loops into more of a triangle shape before I try another antenna like RS’s 40" UHF unit.

I don’t want to put something as big as the VU-190 XR on my chimney and I don't need the VHF for my digital TV.
BTW, I am using a separate (RS model 15-2507) amp for each antenna and I used a compas to point them in the same direction. I am 42 miles north of the Boston transmitters.
The 91XG is connected to only one TV with about 60' of RG-6 coax.

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[jaytee4320]

I'm having very good performance with the Channel Master CM4228 uhf 8 bowtie, picking up digital channels from 60-80 miles away.

 

[dodge]

: Hello. I just found this forum the other day.
I would like to get some advice/thoughts from the guys here with much more knowledge about antennas than I have.
I am disappointed with the 91XG that I installed on my chimney last week. The signal level is no better (maybe a little worse) than when I had the TV connected to the 160" (RS model VU-190 XR) VHF/UHF antenna that is in my attic.

The ‘bow tie’ on the 91XG is not triangular at all. It is more like two oval loops. I was thinking of bending the loops into more of a triangle shape before I try another antenna like RS’s 40" UHF unit.

I don’t want to put something as big as the VU-190 XR on my chimney and I don't need the VHF for my digital TV.
BTW, I am using a separate (RS model 15-2507) amp for each antenna and I used a compas to point them in the same direction. I am 42 miles north of the Boston transmitters.
The 91XG is connected to only one TV with about 60' of RG-6 coax.

Any advice would be appreciated.

The 91xg is supposed to be the best out there, is it on a rotor where you can fine tune each channel to each direction???
Do you have an amp on the outside???
I would put the vu190 outside, but they tend to fall apart after only 4-5 years due to poor constructiuon, thin aluminum and flimsy insulators that degrade from the uv...

 

[Rick0725]

your results are puzzling.

the 91xg has more gain on uhf than the vu 190.

the 91 xg out performs the uhf on my hd8200p and even did better on some channels than the cm4228 when I compared antennas last year.

-check inside the connectors to make sure the braid is not wrapped around the center conductor causing a short.

-the arrows on the elements need to be facing to front of the antenna in the direction of the towers

-aim is like this ---------> (back) and shoud be facing the towers.

BTW, I am using a separate (RS model 15-2507) amp for each antenna

there could be an issue caused by your amp or the hookup. the rs15-2507 is a 30 db amp and way too much gain for a straight 50' run with a high gain antenna. signal strength goes down when you overload. 90's to high 60's is typical for example. try without or try a better amp.

do not mess with the bowtie.

 

[Nutfield]

Thanks, I will try bypassing the amp IF the rain stops.

 

[oljim]

I would take the R/S amp out of your system (both amp and power suply) they have been known to have hi noise figure

 

[Nutfield]

I would take the R/S amp out of your system (both amp and power suply) they have been known to have hi noise figure

Well, the rain stopped for a few hours this afternoon and I bypassed both parts of the amp. Some channels went UP from 75 to 85 and some went DOWN from 50 to 15.
Are some amps designed so that they amplify weak signals but don't over-drive strong signals?
Can you recommend a better amp for this situation?

 

[Jim5506]

If you have strong signals nearby, they will overload with a standard pre-amp, especially a Radio Shack.

For amplification with nearby locals use a Winegard HDP-269 pre- amp. It was originally designed for the Square Shooter to be used in urban areas. Has 12 dB amplification but is very tolerant to overload. I am 2.5 miles from a full power digital on channel 40 and it does not overload.

 

[Nutfield]

If you have strong signals nearby, they will overload with a standard pre-amp, especially a Radio Shack.

For amplification with nearby locals use a Winegard HDP-269 pre- amp. It was originally designed for the Square Shooter to be used in urban areas. Has 12 dB amplification but is very tolerant to overload. I am 2.5 miles from a full power digital on channel 40 and it does not overload.

The strange thing is that ALL of the stations in question are out of Boston (42 miles away) and they are all at 188-189 degrees. I'm looking for suggestions and advice here because trial-and-error with shipping costs and all is too expensive for me and I can't pay $50+ a month for digital cable or satellite.
Thanks for helping to edgamacate me.

 

[Rick0725]

the 91xg should perform better on uhf than the radio shack by a few db.

keep in mind, with overload (from too high amp gain) your aim may be off because the signal level can go up when you aim away from the towers and go down when you aim towards the tower. therefore your bearing can get all screwed up. make sure the damn thing is aimed right and the connectors and cabling are sound.

maybe you need to fine a better spot on the roof and/or experiment with height,

do not have a clue what is wrong there . puzzling.

 

[oljim]

You may want to go with a rotor, I find 5 deg can make a big differance on distant stations