VU-90XR to Get DTV Local(Forney, TX)

[Larsin]

I have DTV HD boH20) in living room and want to get local HD channels. I purchased the VU-90XR from Radio Shack(at rep's insistence) and the rep told me to place in my attic. My zip code is 75126.

I did the cable drop with RG6(one end ready to plug into HD box and other end waiting for me in the attic)and have the antennae out of the box sitting on the floor staring at me...

What is the best way to mount the antennae in the attic? Do I HAVE to mount it? I don't have a tripod stand...Ugh...grounding cable..how? Do I need to worry about power/electrocution problems when placed in the attic too? May be a dumb question, but I'd rather be dumb and alive lol.

How do I know how far the tower is and how to point the antennae(posted below after I learned).

Yes, I am one of those naive peeps that thought I'd just open the box, throw the antennae in the attic, attach the RG6 to it and my HD box and be on my way...

Thanks much in advance.

 

[Larsin]

Geesh, I don't even know how this big-ass antennae is going to fit in my attic....would a smaller one NOT work just as good?

Frustrated...


Here is the info off of antennaeweb:

DTV Antenna
Type Call Sign Channel Network City State Live
Date Compass
Orientation Miles
From Frequency
Assignment
* yellow - uhf KDTN-DT 2.1 DAY DENTON TX 238° 33.7 43
* yellow - uhf KTVT-DT 11.1 CBS FORT WORTH TX 242° 32.4 19
* yellow - uhf KXTX-DT 40.1 TEL DALLAS TX 243° 33.0 40
* green - uhf KPXD-DT 68.1 i ARLINGTON TX 244° 33.1 42
* green - uhf KDAF-DT 33.1 WB DALLAS TX 238° 33.7 32
* green - uhf KDFW-DT 4.1 FOX DALLAS TX 244° 33.6 35
* green - uhf KXAS-DT 5.1 NBC FORT WORTH TX 243° 33.0 41
* green - uhf KERA-DT 13.1 PBS DALLAS TX 242° 32.4 14
red - uhf KJJM-LP 46 FMN DALLAS TX 266° 11.4 46
red - uhf KDTX 58 TBN DALLAS TX 244° 33.0 58
red - uhf KSEX-LP 57 IND DALLAS TX 244° 32.9 57
red - vhf KERA 13 PBS DALLAS TX 242° 32.4 13
red - uhf KDAF 33 WB DALLAS TX 238° 33.7 33
red - vhf KDTN 2 DAY DENTON TX 244° 33.0 2
red - vhf WFAA 8 ABC DALLAS TX 244° 33.6 8
* red - vhf WFAA-DT 8.1 ABC DALLAS TX 244° 33.6 9
red - vhf KXAS 5 NBC FORT WORTH TX 244° 32.9 5
red - uhf KFWD 52 IND FORT WORTH TX 244° 32.9 52
* red - uhf KFWD-DT 52.1 IND FORT WORTH TX 244° 32.9 51
red - uhf KUVN 23 UNI GARLAND TX 244° 33.0 23
* red - uhf KUVN-DT 23.1 UNI GARLAND TX 244° 33.0 24
red - uhf KXTX 39 TEL DALLAS TX 243° 33.0 39
red - uhf KDFI 27 IND DALLAS TX 244° 33.0 27
* red - uhf KDFI-DT 27.1 IND DALLAS TX 238° 33.7 36
red - vhf KDFW 4 FOX DALLAS TX 244° 33.6 4
red - uhf KMPX 29 DAY DECATUR TX 280° 29.1 29
red - uhf KTXA 21 UPN FORT WORTH TX 244° 33.0 21
* red - uhf KTXA-DT 21.1 UPN FORT WORTH TX 238° 33.7 18
red - uhf KSTR 49 UNI IRVING TX 238° 33.7 49
* red - uhf KSTR-DT 49.1 UNI IRVING TX 238° 33.7 48
red - uhf KPXD 68 i ARLINGTON TX 244° 32.9 68
red - vhf KTVT 11 CBS FORT WORTH TX 242° 32.4 11
blue - uhf KLDT 55 IND LAKE DALLAS TX 293° 35.9 55
* blue - uhf KMPX-DT 30.1 DAY DECATUR TX 280° 29.1 30
blue - uhf KLEG-LP 19 SPA DALLAS TX 282° 20.3 19
* blue - uhf KDTX-DT 58.1 TBN DALLAS TX 244° 33.0 45
blue - uhf KATA-LP 60 FMN MESQUITE TX 266° 11.4 60
violet - uhf KUVN-CA 31 UNI FORT WORTH TX 264° 52.0 31
violet - uhf KHPK-LP 28 UAT DE SOTO TX 244° 32.9 28
violet - vhf KLTV 7 ABC TYLER TX 96° 72.5 7
violet - uhf KNOK-LP 53 FMN GREENVILLE TX 30° 32.1 53
violet - vhf KXII 12 CBS SHERMAN TX 341° 90.5 12
Note:

 

[charper1]

How about a chimney , roof or eave mount where it will be easier to install and perform much better? HIGHER UP is much better! In the attic you can lose much reception ability. Redo your antennaweb.og post above and select "show only digital". Each has a heading, take that highest and lowest and practise aiming between those two numbers for the bset signal.

 

[techpuppy]

If I were you I would return the antenna to Radio Shack. I won't go into my pet peeves about some of their antennas since you're mounting it in the attic anyway. More significant is that just about every digital OTA channel in your area is UHF. The ones that aren't are high enough that a good UHF antenna should pick them up without problem anyway. So I would buy the best UHF only antenna I could find. If it is Radio Shack, fine. Mount it in the attic, point it at about 245 degrees and you should get all of the hd stations that are up to full power. That would be the ones coded with yellow, light green and red on the antennaweb listings.

If you don't have bare wires or terminals in your attic you shouldn't have any problems with electrical dangers. Grounding should not be an issue if you mount it in your attic. A UHF only antenna will also take up less room and be easier to maneuver in your attic.

 

[Larsin]

Thanks much for the information gentleman! I think I will take this big-ass thing back and get something else in hopes it'll work. I will look into some of the other antennae recommendations on this site as well before I pick the radio shack one.

Thanks again!

 

[Sean Mota]

Did you try the indoor antennas like the silversensor?

 

[Larsin]

I haven't tried any other antennae and only took the VU90XR out of the box. Rick0725, what do you mean by "only a channel master cm4228 uhf antenna is suggested there". You mean in the attic? or in my zip of 75126?

I haven't tried the Silver Sensor, but was hoping to toss one into the attic and hook it up and be done. I just want to watch the Cowboys locally in HD. I guess I just want to do something right the first time and do it only once. I didn't want to have to mount an outside antennae and I guess was looking for the easy way out.

I'd hate to return the one I have, get a silver sensor or some other to find out it is not meeting my satisfaction.....any additional thoughts?

Thanks for the different perspectives. The game is tomorrow night : )

 

[charper1]

I would also get the cm4228 and do my best to mount it out of the attic if at all possible.

 

[Larsin]

Any local retailers in Dallas/Mesquite area carry the CM4228?

 

[texasbrit]

Larsin - I'm in Parker just east of Allen at just over 40 miles from the transmitting towers at Cedar Hill. So I am several miles further away than you. I have a CM4228 on a tripod in my attic, I have a single story house, and get all the Cedar Hill DFW digital stations without any problem.
You can always add a CM7777 preamp if you need it, but I suspect you will be OK with a setup like mine.
Fry's in Plano did not have the CM4228 in stock when I wanted to buy mine so I bought on-line at Warren Electronics.

 

[Larsin]

Heya Texasbrit...Wow, ok good to know! I just called the Fry's nearest me and they too did not have it in stock. I guess I will order online and will grab the tripod too, as that is kinda the setup I initially wanted. I will take this other hulking antenna back to Ratshack.

Thanks all!

 

[texasbrit]

The CM4228 is in theory a UHF-only antenna but has pretty good performance on hi-VHF (channel 7 and above). The only DFW digital station in the VHF band is WFAA-DT which is currently on channel 9 ("virtual" channel 8.1) and will be moving back to channel 8 when the analog stations go away in 2009. WFAA-DT is the channel most people have problems with, along with 13.1 (actual channel 14). I get good signal "strength" (actually a quality measurement) on 8.1, and also on 13.1 (after some realigning of the antenna). Although I don't really need it, I also have a preamp which pushes the signal level up a few percent.

This is what I see on my DirecTV H20:
2.1 94-96
4.1 92-98
5.1 100
8.1 78-82
11.1 100
13.1 86-90
21.1 90-92
23.1 76-80
27.1 90-98
29.1 82-88
33.1 70-76
39.1 98-100
47.1 86-88
49.1 90-96
52.1 100
58.1 90-94

 

[Larsin]

Awesome informationn to have, thanks! I ordered the CM4228 from Warren Electronics as well and hope to have it next week. Thanks to all for the information!

 

[mdp1116]

i can tell you i bought that antenna on sat from radio shack and i still had the thing folded and laid it on my bed and was getting 70-93 sigs from all of the dfw hd channels from cedar hill (38-43 miles) so i was like WTH i went up in the attic unfolded it and laid it in the insulation (not even mounted just laying there) and i am getting 90+ signal on every hd channel that you can get in dfw. and this thing wasnt even aimed either I just laid it where i thought the antennas were. so this antenna gets :up :up :up from me.

Thanks much for the information gentleman! I think I will take this big-ass thing back and get something else in hopes it'll work. I will look into some of the other antennae recommendations on this site as well before I pick the radio shack one.

Thanks again!

 

[mdp1116]

dont you mean FREQ 9 and 14 as my wfaa and pbs are on 8.1-8.2 and 13.1 the freqs on those channels are 9-14.

The CM4228 is in theory a UHF-only antenna but has pretty good performance on hi-VHF (channel 7 and above). The only DFW digital station in the VHF band is WFAA-DT which is currently on channel 9 ("virtual" channel 8.1) and will be moving back to channel 8 when the analog stations go away in 2009. WFAA-DT is the channel most people have problems with, along with 13.1 (actual channel 14). I get good signal "strength" (actually a quality measurement) on 8.1, and also on 13.1 (after some realigning of the antenna). Although I don't really need it, I also have a preamp which pushes the signal level up a few percent.

This is what I see on my DirecTV H20:
2.1 94-96
4.1 92-98
5.1 100
8.1 78-82
11.1 100
13.1 86-90
21.1 90-92
23.1 76-80
27.1 90-98
29.1 82-88
33.1 70-76
39.1 98-100
47.1 86-88
49.1 90-96
52.1 100
58.1 90-94

 

[texasbrit]

MDP1116 - that's what I said. WFAA is on channel 9 (virtual channel 8.1) but will be moving back to Channel 8. PBS is on channel 14 (virtual channel 13.1)

 

[mdp1116]

i was stating it that way for someone who might be trying to get wfaa on the actual channel 9 not 8 thats all.

MDP1116 - that's what I said. WFAA is on channel 9 (virtual channel 8.1) but will be moving back to Channel 8. PBS is on channel 14 (virtual channel 13.1)