New to OTA and need help with inconsistent reception

[boba]

A simple trial is rotate the antenna 180* and aim it at Tampa. This should raise the Tampa signals and lower the Orlando signals. It won't maximize signals but it may give acceptable signals from both directions. Don't forget to rescan if you move the antenna.

 

[smitbret]

I've been using the ANT751 for my personal TV and set it up on a couple of other homes in the area where I live and gotten good results. There's no way it's going to pick up backside from 40+ miles, though. I don't have any stations at range from 7 miles out to the 45 miles, but I have tried aiming it backside to the 44 milers and none of them will come in.

TV Fool

The Hi-VHF, 8, struggles a little (70-75%) with this antenna, but 36 comes in like it's next door. Just about any deviation from direct LOS will knock them all out, though. The lobes pick up the two high powered UHF that are 72 degrees to the right. It'll also grab the lower power stations that are about 90 degrees to the left. The problem that I run into is the "dead spots" between direct LOS and the lobes. I can easily pick and choose which of the high power UHF stations to knock out of the lobe just by twisting it a few degrees.

Seems to me that this antenna is great up to about 50 miles for UHF LOS and 40 miles Hi-VHF LOS. It'll backside most channels pretty well, but I don't have any mid-range stuff to toy with. I know it won't come close to 40 miles, though. Really good antenna if you just have several within about a 8-10 degree spread, but the dead spots to the right and left just seem to be huge.