I am relatively new to the world of OTA HD and would like to install a new antenna on the roof. I live at 22180 with two terrain considerations: 1.) I live on the back side of a small hill that crests a few blocks away that is between my house and the towers, and 2.) live in a neighborhood of very large trees, including trees well above the second story roof line on either side of my house (but not in the direction of the towers). There was an old antenna attached to the chimeny when I moved in 15 years ago, and I recently hooked it up to my STB to see what it would do. I only pick up one of the local OTA stations consistently, and have noticed that wind really effects reception. A recommendation on antenna and accessories would be appreciated. Thanks.
OTA Antenna Recommendation
- Thread starter SteveR
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Welcome! I assume Rick0725 will weigh-in on this one (he's an excellent source for this type of information!) but until then...
Go to www.antennaweb.org, plug-in your zip code (or actual location) and see what it returns. This will tell you what channels are available to you (type, range, bearing) and what type of antenna you will need for each. Paste that information into your next post and we'll see what we can recommend. The hill may or may not present a problem (more a problem for UHF vs. VHF) and the trees might present some problems with reflections (multipath interferrence) but the right antenna should help with that issue.
Good luck and have a great weekend...!
EDIT: I checked 22180 for you - you have a LOT to look at !! You should be able to receive many stations with just an indoor antenna! Alternately, low-range outdoor V/UHF on a rotator would do a lot as well. Not sure why your old antenna didn't do more for you (was it VHF only? bad cable?), but with the information antennaweb returned you can try pointing in some different directions to see what else it might receive...
Go to www.antennaweb.org, plug-in your zip code (or actual location) and see what it returns. This will tell you what channels are available to you (type, range, bearing) and what type of antenna you will need for each. Paste that information into your next post and we'll see what we can recommend. The hill may or may not present a problem (more a problem for UHF vs. VHF) and the trees might present some problems with reflections (multipath interferrence) but the right antenna should help with that issue.
Good luck and have a great weekend...!
EDIT: I checked 22180 for you - you have a LOT to look at !! You should be able to receive many stations with just an indoor antenna! Alternately, low-range outdoor V/UHF on a rotator would do a lot as well. Not sure why your old antenna didn't do more for you (was it VHF only? bad cable?), but with the information antennaweb returned you can try pointing in some different directions to see what else it might receive...
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bhelms...thanks for the kind words.
when you find an old antique car in a barn and its been there awhile what is the first thing you do if it dont start?
check for corrosion on the battery?
see if there is gas in the tank?
Well its kinda the same thing with an old antenna.
-are the cables in good shape...corrosion, rusted , 300 ohm vs 75 ohm
-are the elements on the antenna corroded at the rivets
-are any of the elements out of allignment.
-is the 75 ohm balum shot...one side broken off
-what type of antenna do I have,,,vhf, vhf/uhf, fm...how big is it...do you have any idea what is is?
-and most important, is it facing the right direction. a good start would be 75-81 on the compass.
my suggestion is to get that baby working...cause if you have any issues with hills etc being as close you are from the towers atleast you will have an idea how big you need to go.
if you decide to upgrade, the worse station is blue...most of others left are purple
choices
-fix what you have add a rotor if its in good shape and you are satisfied after the tuneup.
-uhf only cm4228 with rotor (cm 4221 is suggested at your distance but I dont like taking chances...especially since you mention hills.
-winegard hd7082p vhf/uhf if you also want to receive the vhf stations on the analogs devices till the transition.
-winegard hdp-269 preamp if you distribute the signal to several sets.
what I am concerned about is what you say about hills, etc. are the results worse if you type your exact address...this is very important to check and will have a huge impact in your decisions and our guidance.
when you find an old antique car in a barn and its been there awhile what is the first thing you do if it dont start?
check for corrosion on the battery?
see if there is gas in the tank?
Well its kinda the same thing with an old antenna.
-are the cables in good shape...corrosion, rusted , 300 ohm vs 75 ohm
-are the elements on the antenna corroded at the rivets
-are any of the elements out of allignment.
-is the 75 ohm balum shot...one side broken off
-what type of antenna do I have,,,vhf, vhf/uhf, fm...how big is it...do you have any idea what is is?
-and most important, is it facing the right direction.
a good start would be 75-81 on the compass.my suggestion is to get that baby working...cause if you have any issues with hills etc being as close you are from the towers atleast you will have an idea how big you need to go.
if you decide to upgrade, the worse station is blue...most of others left are purple
choices
-fix what you have add a rotor if its in good shape and you are satisfied after the tuneup.
-uhf only cm4228 with rotor (cm 4221 is suggested at your distance but I dont like taking chances...especially since you mention hills.
-winegard hd7082p vhf/uhf if you also want to receive the vhf stations on the analogs devices till the transition.
-winegard hdp-269 preamp if you distribute the signal to several sets.
what I am concerned about is what you say about hills, etc. are the results worse if you type your exact address...this is very important to check and will have a huge impact in your decisions and our guidance.
Oh, com'on, Rick - First things first! Kick it, utter the explictive *&%@&%#&@, and grab one of those beers you're always talking about...! LOLRick0725 said:
Seriously, glad you jumped in and I don't have much more to offer, other than to say that old antennas can indeed still function well, even for HD, and may not even need the tune-up. But your advice is solid.
BTW - I'm waiting for yours and ralfyguy's results on the 91XG before I make any moves on my part. Since you mentioned the 4228 to SteveR, I thought I'd just toss that in as well.
All - Have a great weekend! As for me - time to play with BOTH of my HDs - one of which has 2 wheels (at least it did last time I checked!) - and consume a couple of those fix-all golden elixirs, in that order...
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cant wait for 5pm here...
going to the casino near me.
my old fart friends are going to see peter cetera (from chicago) and my son and I are going to see the black eyed peas and the pussycat girls.
have a great weekend
and yes...a beer helped solve my reception problems
going to the casino near me.
my old fart friends are going to see peter cetera (from chicago) and my son and I are going to see the black eyed peas and the pussycat girls.
have a great weekend
and yes...a beer helped solve my reception problems
Here is the cut and paste from antennaweb.org for my street address. Thanks for all the help so far.
Steve
red - uhf WPXW 66 i MANASSAS VA 218° 9.5 66
* red - uhf WPXW-DT 66.1 i MANASSAS VA 218° 9.5 43
red - uhf WFDC 14 TFA ARLINGTON VA 86° 9.1 14
* red - uhf WFDC-DT 14.1 TFA ARLINGTON VA 86° 9.1 15
red - vhf WTTG 5 FOX WASHINGTON DC 80° 9.3 5
* red - uhf WTTG-DT 5.1 FOX WASHINGTON DC 79° 9.3 36
red - vhf WRC 4 NBC WASHINGTON DC 86° 9.1 4
* red - uhf WRC-DT 4.1 NBC WASHINGTON DC 86° 9.1 48
red - vhf WUSA 9 CBS WASHINGTON DC 82° 9.3 9
* red - uhf WUSA-DT 9.1 CBS WASHINGTON DC 82° 9.3 34
red - uhf WNVC 56 IND FAIRFAX VA 164° 2.7 56
* red - uhf WNVC-DT 57.1 IND FAIRFAX VA 164° 2.7 57
* red - uhf WNVT-DT 30.1 IND GOLDVEIN VA 218° 22.0 30
red - uhf WHUT 32 PBS WASHINGTON DC 73° 8.5 32
* red - uhf WHUT-DT 33 PBS WASHINGTON DC TBD 82° 9.3 33
red - uhf WETA 26 PBS WASHINGTON DC 73° 8.5 26
* red - uhf WETA-DT 26.1 PBS WASHINGTON DC 111° 6.2 27
red - vhf WJLA 7 ABC WASHINGTON DC 82° 9.3 7
* red - uhf WJLA-DT 7.1 ABC WASHINGTON DC 82° 9.3 39
red - uhf WDCA 20 UPN WASHINGTON DC 73° 8.5 20
blue - uhf WBDC 50 WB WASHINGTON DC 83° 12.3 50
blue - uhf WFPT 62 PBS FREDERICK MD 359° 27.4 62
* blue - uhf WFPT-DT 62.1 PBS FREDERICK MD 2° 24.5 28
violet - uhf WHAG 25 NBC HAGERSTOWN MD 334° 64.7 25
violet - uhf WJAL 68 IND HAGERSTOWN MD 341° 78.0 68
violet - vhf WMAR 2 ABC BALTIMORE MD 57° 43.4 2
violet - uhf WMDO-CA 30 UNI WASHINGTON DC 87° 8.5 30
violet - uhf WMPB 67 PBS BALTIMORE MD 44° 44.7 67
violet - uhf WMPT 22 PBS ANNAPOLIS MD 88° 34.9 22
* violet - uhf WBDC-DT 50.1 WB WASHINGTON DC 83° 12.3 51
violet - uhf W50DE 50 PBS MARTINSBURG WV 321° 58.0 50
violet - uhf W58DK 58 PBS RUCKERSVILLE, ETC. VA 255° 69.8 58
* violet - uhf WDCA-DT 20.1 UPN WASHINGTON DC 82° 9.3 35
violet - uhf WBFF 45 FOX BALTIMORE MD 57° 43.5 45
violet - vhf WHSV 3 ABC HARRISONBURG VA 265° 77.7 3
violet - uhf WUTB 24 UPN BALTIMORE MD 55° 36.8 24
violet - uhf WWPB 31 PBS HAGERSTOWN MD 333° 64.2 31
violet - uhf WWPX 60 i MARTINSBURG WV 321° 58.0 60
violet - uhf WNUV 54 WB BALTIMORE MD 55° 36.8 54
violet - uhf WZDC-LP 64 TEL ARLINGTON VA 83° 12.3 64
Steve
red - uhf WPXW 66 i MANASSAS VA 218° 9.5 66
* red - uhf WPXW-DT 66.1 i MANASSAS VA 218° 9.5 43
red - uhf WFDC 14 TFA ARLINGTON VA 86° 9.1 14
* red - uhf WFDC-DT 14.1 TFA ARLINGTON VA 86° 9.1 15
red - vhf WTTG 5 FOX WASHINGTON DC 80° 9.3 5
* red - uhf WTTG-DT 5.1 FOX WASHINGTON DC 79° 9.3 36
red - vhf WRC 4 NBC WASHINGTON DC 86° 9.1 4
* red - uhf WRC-DT 4.1 NBC WASHINGTON DC 86° 9.1 48
red - vhf WUSA 9 CBS WASHINGTON DC 82° 9.3 9
* red - uhf WUSA-DT 9.1 CBS WASHINGTON DC 82° 9.3 34
red - uhf WNVC 56 IND FAIRFAX VA 164° 2.7 56
* red - uhf WNVC-DT 57.1 IND FAIRFAX VA 164° 2.7 57
* red - uhf WNVT-DT 30.1 IND GOLDVEIN VA 218° 22.0 30
red - uhf WHUT 32 PBS WASHINGTON DC 73° 8.5 32
* red - uhf WHUT-DT 33 PBS WASHINGTON DC TBD 82° 9.3 33
red - uhf WETA 26 PBS WASHINGTON DC 73° 8.5 26
* red - uhf WETA-DT 26.1 PBS WASHINGTON DC 111° 6.2 27
red - vhf WJLA 7 ABC WASHINGTON DC 82° 9.3 7
* red - uhf WJLA-DT 7.1 ABC WASHINGTON DC 82° 9.3 39
red - uhf WDCA 20 UPN WASHINGTON DC 73° 8.5 20
blue - uhf WBDC 50 WB WASHINGTON DC 83° 12.3 50
blue - uhf WFPT 62 PBS FREDERICK MD 359° 27.4 62
* blue - uhf WFPT-DT 62.1 PBS FREDERICK MD 2° 24.5 28
violet - uhf WHAG 25 NBC HAGERSTOWN MD 334° 64.7 25
violet - uhf WJAL 68 IND HAGERSTOWN MD 341° 78.0 68
violet - vhf WMAR 2 ABC BALTIMORE MD 57° 43.4 2
violet - uhf WMDO-CA 30 UNI WASHINGTON DC 87° 8.5 30
violet - uhf WMPB 67 PBS BALTIMORE MD 44° 44.7 67
violet - uhf WMPT 22 PBS ANNAPOLIS MD 88° 34.9 22
* violet - uhf WBDC-DT 50.1 WB WASHINGTON DC 83° 12.3 51
violet - uhf W50DE 50 PBS MARTINSBURG WV 321° 58.0 50
violet - uhf W58DK 58 PBS RUCKERSVILLE, ETC. VA 255° 69.8 58
* violet - uhf WDCA-DT 20.1 UPN WASHINGTON DC 82° 9.3 35
violet - uhf WBFF 45 FOX BALTIMORE MD 57° 43.5 45
violet - vhf WHSV 3 ABC HARRISONBURG VA 265° 77.7 3
violet - uhf WUTB 24 UPN BALTIMORE MD 55° 36.8 24
violet - uhf WWPB 31 PBS HAGERSTOWN MD 333° 64.2 31
violet - uhf WWPX 60 i MARTINSBURG WV 321° 58.0 60
violet - uhf WNUV 54 WB BALTIMORE MD 55° 36.8 54
violet - uhf WZDC-LP 64 TEL ARLINGTON VA 83° 12.3 64
cm4228 for uhf only with a rotor...cm4221 is suggested 0-30 miles...donot think it will be enough...you will need the cushion of the 4228.
if you also want vhf on the non digital sets till the transition 3 years from now winegard hd7084p (133") with rotor...not sure on hd7082 (110") risky.
you are red blue violet...if you feel you need to amplify (if you split signal)...winegard hdp269 preamp
if you also want vhf on the non digital sets till the transition 3 years from now winegard hd7084p (133") with rotor...not sure on hd7082 (110") risky.
you are red blue violet...if you feel you need to amplify (if you split signal)...winegard hdp269 preamp
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He'll need VHF after the transition- 7, 9 & 11 will be the digital frequency assignments for those stations. They are giving up their UHF and moving to their VHF at the transition.
So- will he be able to pick up those "hi-VHF" stations with a 4221 or 4228? Especially 7?
2/17/09 is a Tuesday. Hard to make a party around that date, but I might- put up at least 2 TVs to watch NTSC switch over to ATSC. 6 would be better. First trash day after 2/17/09 is going to be a busy one. Never mind the converter boxes.
So- will he be able to pick up those "hi-VHF" stations with a 4221 or 4228? Especially 7?
2/17/09 is a Tuesday. Hard to make a party around that date, but I might- put up at least 2 TVs to watch NTSC switch over to ATSC. 6 would be better. First trash day after 2/17/09 is going to be a busy one. Never mind the converter boxes.
if there is vhf in the mix...the cm 4228 is so risky.
just did an install with ch 7,8 digital and ch 12 analog with multipath from adjacent hills and trees...7.8 miles from towers and picture was yuck with the cm4228.
tried the hd7080p was ok...then hd7082p picture was much better. then the husband and wife argued over ugly. I just sat there on the roof.
I knew all along the 7082p was going to be best...but had to play the game.
in this case they were yellow, green, lt green...I had the luxury of several antennas to try...looking at the colors and miles...not being there the forum guys would have said 'OVERKILL!"
you are red, green ,purple...suggest winegard hd7084p (133") with rotor...not sure on hd7082 (110") risky.if you feel you need to amplify (if you split signal)...winegard hdp269 preamp. I had the luxury of several antennas to try..you dont.
If it was me... id go with the biggest vhf/uhf...no risks and you are covered for the transition on the vhf.
if you want UHF ONLY cm4228.
You know ...I always wondered if it was the guys who really made the decisions and used the WAF as an excuse....when it came down to ugly...at the install above the husband told the wife to...@#!*
just did an install with ch 7,8 digital and ch 12 analog with multipath from adjacent hills and trees...7.8 miles from towers and picture was yuck with the cm4228.
tried the hd7080p was ok...then hd7082p picture was much better. then the husband and wife argued over ugly. I just sat there on the roof.
I knew all along the 7082p was going to be best...but had to play the game.
in this case they were yellow, green, lt green...I had the luxury of several antennas to try...looking at the colors and miles...not being there the forum guys would have said 'OVERKILL!"
you are red, green ,purple...suggest winegard hd7084p (133") with rotor...not sure on hd7082 (110") risky.if you feel you need to amplify (if you split signal)...winegard hdp269 preamp. I had the luxury of several antennas to try..you dont.
If it was me... id go with the biggest vhf/uhf...no risks and you are covered for the transition on the vhf.
if you want UHF ONLY cm4228.
You know ...I always wondered if it was the guys who really made the decisions and used the WAF as an excuse....when it came down to ugly...at the install above the husband told the wife to...@#!*
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I always assumed it was only the wife who cared about the appearance of something as mundane as a TV antenna. (But I know of at least one exception, and boy do those two need a day in court!) Maybe the antennas could be "prettied-up" with flowers or butterflys or something. Might even improve the reception if they're designed and placed right...Rick0725 said:
There is a cell tower between Denver and Colorado Springs that is made to look like a very large tree. Maybe some entrepreneur will take a REAL antenna and make it look like a kite or something else that belongs in the air - maybe a large prehistoric butterfly.
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