OTA Newbie with some questions...

[OTA_otay!]

Yes I do have a pre amp hooked up already. The Winegard LNA200. There's about a 20 foot run connected with a barrel, and another 30 some foot run added to that; just to make it in through my bedroom where the power inserter and splitter are. From there it's about another 11 foot to my bedroom tv. The second run is to my boy's room at probably 40-50, foot. The third run to the living room runs probably close to 100 foot from the splitter. The fourth is capped off currently.

I saw that Lowe's showed an RCA distro amp in stock, so I went out and picked that up last night and put it in place of the splitter. It's listed as having 10db, but I could not really see improvement in signal with any of my runs Maybe I got a bad one; but aside from the tv tuner's signal meter, I don't think I have any other way to test the output. Maybe I should plan to order that cm3414 that I saw online? Anyone have any experience with that (or another)?

I listed that my GE j-mount is 1", but in reality it looks no wider than 3/4" maybe. I'll have to climb back out there with my tape measure to double check it before I go and get a long pipe to use as my mast. I'm thinking maybe a piece of 6 to 8 foot electrical conduit might be good enough?

 

[OTA_otay!]

Hmm not sure if it's atmospheric conditions or what (looks clear), but no signal on 13 or 11 this morning

 

[. Raine]

I use the CM3418 distro amp, which is the same as the 3414, except it has 8 ports instead of 4.

I have a 500' run to my parent's house next door, three 25' , a 50' and a few short 10' runs. I've had it installed for quite a few years now and it's been great.

My pre-amp is a Winegard AP8275, 28 db UHF and VHF. That works great and has been installed for years, but I think they're no longer available. My antenna's a Winegard 8200U.

The distro amp won't boost your signal, it just keeps you from losing it through the long cable runs and helps by getting rid of splitters and the loss they introduce into the system. It made a big difference on my system. I have my pre-amp mounted right on the antenna mast outside and then the distro amp 15' down, inside the house.

When I cap off a unused port, I use 75 ohm terminators, right now all my ports are used though.

 

[navychop]

I definitely would use something stronger than conduit, even for temporary testing. Maybe you have a spare piece of wood laying around? 2x2 or 2x4?

 

[OTA_otay!]

-Raine thanks for your input on the distro amp. Looks like I'll probably try that 3414 in the near future.

And NavyChop, I'll definitely steer away from conduit if you believe it not strong enough. I mentioned conduit because it's fairly inexpensive (vs plumbing pipe), and my little GE yagi is pretty lightweight. I'm using an old sponge mop handle out there shoved down into the j-mount for the moment; clamped in place with a u-bolt to prevent it from spinning. lol

Once I go back out and measure the j-mount, I can get an idea for what diameter mast I need for this current setup.

And it looks like 11 and 13 came back with a small signal now. Maybe I just needed to wait for frost on the array to melt?

 

[Voyager6]

You should be able to pick up an antenna mast at Lowes. Try aiming your antenna 5 to 10 degrees (210 to 235) in each direction to improve the SS. A cheap compass really helps the aiming.

 

[boba]

For the GE ant CONDUIT should be strong enough. What is the model number on the GE ant? Try a RCA ANT-751 instead of an amplifier. You have to capture a strong signal before amplifying to get the best results.

 

[OTA_otay!]

Thanks for your continued input Voyager6. I was in and out on the roof there for (what seemed) like two hours yesterday, doing what you described; just to even get any kind of signal from wjz 13.1

Since I'm working on a shoestring budget, I will have to continue doing my purchases in small increments. In order to go to a full sized (1-5/8") antenna mast, I think I would have to purchase a different antenna. I don't believe the little GE antenna's u-bolt setup goes much larger than 1inch. That is why I've been trying to find a smaller diameter material to use as a mast, as opposed to the standard. I guess I should also double check that measurement when I can get back out there again too.

 

[harshness]

The preamp should be much closer to the antenna. In the finished product, it should be just a short distance below the rotator (or even above if there's room) -- that's why preamps typically have a mast mount feature.

A DA shouldn't be necessary for just a three-way split. When the total cable length gets up above 200 or so, then it is worth considering. If the signal isn't pretty good on the downlead cable without the DA, it may be worse with it. DAs are meant to compensate for distribution loss (cable and splitters), not to add gain.

Since all of your stations are pretty weak, I doubt that "overdriven" is a condition you'll experience.

 

[Tampa8]

..

I saw that Lowe's showed an RCA distro amp in stock, so I went out and picked that up last night and put it in place of the splitter. It's listed as having 10db, but I could not really see improvement in signal with any of my runs Maybe I got a bad one; but aside from the tv tuner's signal meter, I don't think I have any other way to test the output. Maybe I should plan to order that cm3414 that I saw online? Anyone have any experience with that (or another)?

....

It isn't multiplied or added to the DB coming from the wineguard, so it isn't 10 more db. You would likely detect a difference if you were receiving less than the 10db at each location.

 

[OTA_otay!]

For the GE ant CONDUIT should be strong enough. What is the model number on the GE ant? Try a RCA ANT-751 instead of an amplifier. You have to capture a strong signal before amplifying to get the best results.

30741 is the number I found on the box. I originally went looking for that RCA you spoke of, but wound up settling for what my local Walmart had, as opposed to coming home empty handed. I had intended to purchase the Channel Master Stealth50 that has a similar look, but I've also got some mixed reviews and different recommendations on antenna choice, as per my area. So far this has just furtherer my indecision. I will say though, that I have been pretty encouraged with progressing a little at a time.

 

[OTA_otay!]

It isn't multiplied, so it isn't 10 more db. You would detect a difference if you were receiving less than the 10db at each location. You could try it at one location to see if there is any more signal to be eeked out.

Being as though I was receiving (albeit a very small) signal from WJZ 13.1, I had hoped the distro would amplify that (and the other signals) to the other runs. Maybe I'm mistaken, but I thought that's what it was designed for? Please don't take that as cross, I'm just still new to all this

 

[Tampa8]

Being as though I was receiving (albeit a very small) signal from WJZ 13.1, I had hoped the distro would amplify that (and the other signals) to the other runs. Maybe I'm mistaken, but I thought that's what it was designed for? Please don't take that as cross, I'm just still new to all this

Lets say a TV station sometimes has a signal and sometimes does not and you are using the wineguard as you are. A distribution amp won't change that. Now lets say one TV is getting that signal but another one is not. The distribution amp would get the winegurd signal - whatever that is - to the TV(s) not getting the signal. It wouldn't make the windegaurd signal better than it is without the distribution amp.

 

[OTA_otay!]

The preamp should be much closer to the antenna. In the finished product, it should be just a short distance below the rotator (or even above if there's room) -- that's why preamps typically have a mast mount feature.

A DA shouldn't be necessary for just a three-way split. When the total cable length gets up above 200 or so, then it is worth considering. If the signal isn't pretty good on the downlead cable without the DA, it may be worse with it. DAs are meant to compensate for distribution loss (cable and splitters), not to add gain.

Since all of your stations are pretty weak, I doubt that "overdriven" is a condition you'll experience.

Thanks Harshness. My pre amp is mounted on the mast, but the power inserter is inside, just before the splitter.

 

[harshness]

In order to go to a full sized (1-5/8") antenna mast, I think I would have to purchase a different antenna.

Before you give up on the antenna, consider drilling another hole through the mast to fit a larger radius u-bolt. Not a solution that will survive a fresh gale, but it should allow you to continue your proof-of-concept testing.

 

[OTA_otay!]

Man, you guys have been a wealth of information on here! I truely do appreciate all of your continued efforts, and patience with me. I'll have a pretty full schedule for the next few days, but hopefully will be able to continue my testing (this really is kind of fun) shortly.

 

[OTA_otay!]

Udated TV Fool report

 

[navychop]

And there are Compass apps for smartphones.

 

[OTA_otay!]

My old setup...hey it looked pretty high tech though, huh?

 

[OTA_otay!]

And there are Compass apps for smartphones.

Yeah, I'm using an app on my phone and an actual compass to double check. I initially had to do the hand-waving calibration method for my phone to read right