When is too far away too far away..
- Thread starter BenRaines
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it shouldn't be a problem if you have the proper equipment. check www.antennaweb.org to see what stations you can receive and what sort of antenna you will need.
I'm 40 miles away....and get the HD LOcals out of Chicago just fine ( except WBBM 
) with a http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?CAT=&PROD=ANC4228
and this Pre-amp - http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?CAT=&PROD=ANC7775
) with a http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?CAT=&PROD=ANC4228and this Pre-amp - http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?CAT=&PROD=ANC7775
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Here is the info from AntennaWeb..
These are the digital channels
* yellow - uhf WTTE-DT 28.1 FOX COLUMBUS OH 106° 30.6 36
* yellow - uhf WCMH-DT 4.1 NBC COLUMBUS OH 102° 30.0 14
* yellow - uhf WBNS-DT 10.1 CBS COLUMBUS OH 102° 30.0 21
* red - vhf WSYX-DT 6.1 ABC COLUMBUS OH 106° 30.6 13
* red - uhf WOSU-DT 34.1 PBS COLUMBUS OH 80° 36.5 38
These are the digital channels
* yellow - uhf WTTE-DT 28.1 FOX COLUMBUS OH 106° 30.6 36
* yellow - uhf WCMH-DT 4.1 NBC COLUMBUS OH 102° 30.0 14
* yellow - uhf WBNS-DT 10.1 CBS COLUMBUS OH 102° 30.0 21
* red - vhf WSYX-DT 6.1 ABC COLUMBUS OH 106° 30.6 13
* red - uhf WOSU-DT 34.1 PBS COLUMBUS OH 80° 36.5 38
BenRaines said:
Note that WSYX-DT is on channel 13, the others are UHF. You'll need an all channel antenna such as a Channel Master 3016. Try aiming it 102 degrees first and see if WOSU-DT comes in. If so, you're all set. If not, aim a bit more east until WOSU-DT is OK and then verify WTTE-DT.
Just to add: 30 is good; but 65 miles and up is where it can begin to be tough; depending on the terrain.
I am in Logansport which is smack dab in the middle of Indianapolis / Fort Wayne / South Bend in Indiana. It says that none of these are over 60 miles. Can you recommend a good antenna for this distance? AntennaWeb.org says that I cannot get any of the HD channels, but I know of people in Logansport that are receiving these.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Winegard HD8200P if you need VHF/UHF combo: http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?main_cat=03&CAT=&PROD=HD8200P
Winegard HD9095P for UHF only: http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_dis...rod_display.asp?main_cat=03&CAT=&PROD=SHD9095
Both should also have pre-amp added
Winegard HD9095P for UHF only: http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_dis...rod_display.asp?main_cat=03&CAT=&PROD=SHD9095
Both should also have pre-amp added
Be careful about recommending UHF-only equipment. After analog broadcast shutdown in 2009 many stations that currently use UHF assignments for DTV will go back to their VHF assignments for DTV. Los Angeles is one of those markets where all DTV is currently on UHF, but in 2009 at least channels 7, 9, 11, and 13 will do their DTV thing on VHF. I plan on keeping my current VHF/UHF combo antenna that I originally set up for analog. Works great for digital OTA too!
BenRaines said:
30 miles is no problem, generally. I know another guy here in Xenia who's picking up Columbus OTA.
HDTV Station Listing for Ottumwa-Kirksville (#200 DMA)
http://www.solidsignal.com/manu/antennasdirect/dmamarkets.asp
Station-----Affiliation-----Digital Freq-----UHF / VHF
KYOU-TV FOX 14 UHF
KTVO ABC 33 UHF
That digital assignment is in the UHF band and at 70+ miles look at these:
Antennas Direct 91XG $79
Winegard HD 9095P $84
Winegard PR 8800 $39
Channel Master CM 4228 $49
Channel Master CM 3023 $44
Channel Master CM 3671 $100
Terrestrial Digital DB8 $99
http://www.solidsignal.com/manu/antennasdirect/dmamarkets.asp
Station-----Affiliation-----Digital Freq-----UHF / VHF
KYOU-TV FOX 14 UHF
KTVO ABC 33 UHF
That digital assignment is in the UHF band and at 70+ miles look at these:
Antennas Direct 91XG $79
Winegard HD 9095P $84
Winegard PR 8800 $39
Channel Master CM 4228 $49
Channel Master CM 3023 $44
Channel Master CM 3671 $100
Terrestrial Digital DB8 $99
Almost 100 miles out and pulling CBS,FOX,ABC,NBC,UPN,FOX45,PBS,and i,what ever that is.Signals are great on everything except for CBS can not get that pulled in really well,still breaks up while watchimg.I want the MAJOR 4 pulled in really well before I put a dish back up,if I can't, I'll have to stick with Adelphia which while being expensive has very good PQ and 18 HD channels
charper1 said:
Thanks for the information. I did not know the station also broadcast in HD. (To be honest, I don't care if its HD (UHF) or SD (VHF), as long as I can get ABC.)
How high does the antenna need to be with a distance of 70 miles?
I was hoping for an attic install- am I kidding my self?
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At least as high as as the roof line, maybe a 6' mast mounted to the chimney; no way in your attic.
mhutsell3 said:
While antennaweb.org is a terriffic free resource of info for OTA reception, it's not the "last word", and sometimes you have to "tweak" the info they provide. Anything over 50 miles is considered "fringe reception", meaning usually not possible without considerable exptertise and careful selection of equipment. Luck is useful as well.
I live 55 miles SE of Tucson, AZ, with several mountain ranges in between. Antennaweb.org said I might receieve 1 or 2 Tucson stations analog broadcasts on VHF. I already had the Tucson locals' analog feed on Dish satellite and was unsatisfied with that as I have a 57" Sony HDTV. So, I keyed in a Tucson zip code in antennaweb.org & learned that all Tucson digital ("HD") broadcast are in UHF and all from the same broadcast tower site (except for WB and 1 PBS). So I decided to try a Winegard HD9095P - a large directional UHF only antenna. I mounted it on a pole extending 10' above my rooftop, pointed it at a 285 degree compass heading as indicated by antennaweb, and hooked it up to the coax input on my Dish receiver. I was only getting 20-25% signal strength. Then I started playing with the antenna compass orientation. While 285 degrees may have been dead-on, it was pointing to a mountaintop about 20 miles away. I finally found the best signal strength at 265 degrees - because it pointed to the lowest gap in the mountain ranges. But, I was still only getting 40-60% signal strength. So I went with a good pre-amplifier, a Channel Master 7777. It can boost UHF signal up to 26 dB with a noise factor of only 2 dB. Hooked it up and Voila! I get ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox & PBS at 70-90% reception 90% of the time. Wind, low clouds & rain adversely affect reception, and you should never expect perfect reception 100% of the time in fringe reception. Fortunately, we don't have to worry about rain much here in southern Arizona :devil:
So, I would suggest you start by keying in Indianapolis / Fort Wayne / South Bend zip codes in antennaweb to find out if the stations brodcast in UHF or VHF. UHF benefits from a directional antenna (a long boom pointing in one direction). As the 3 cities are in different compass headings, you might get by with a large multi-directional antenna, but 60 miles out is asking a lot. You might need to get a directional antenna with a motorized rotar which can be programmed to turn the antenna in the direction of the signal when you press the channel # on the remote. And a good pre-amplifier will always help in firnge reception. And of course you need to make sure you have no obstacles in line-of-sight - buildings, trees, etc. I assuming you don't have mountain range concerns there
Good luck, and be patient and persistent. Enjoying Fox's "24" in HD will make it all seem worthwhile
If the stations you are trying to acquire are more than 20deg from each other, a multi-directional will not work. For fringe reception you MUST use a directional antenna and then add a rotator.
As the beam width of an antenna widens, the reception distance shortens, so there is really no such thing as a fringe multi-directional antenna.
As the beam width of an antenna widens, the reception distance shortens, so there is really no such thing as a fringe multi-directional antenna.
