Need antenna selection help

Playground Antenna Help
#4

It is usually impossible to tell without trying it. In most cases the answer is to use a pre-amp.

No web site (or person on this forum) can tell you what you need in your location to get the results you are looking for. It is just an educated guess. There are numerous variables.

  1. Type/quality of coax.
  2. Pre-amp or not.
  3. Trees
  4. Antenna. You definately need a VHF rated antenna, but you are lucky that FOX is High VHF rather than Low VHF.
  5. Height above ground.
  6. How well your antenna is aimed.

There are two ends of the scale in selecting equipment. You can start at the bottom and keep upgrading until you get reasonable results, or you can go high end from the start (which in some cases isn't good enough). I took the low to high road and wasted money along the way, but learned a lot in the process.

The one thing you should not skimp on is the cable and connectors. It is a relatively low cost item that is normally not easy to change once installed. Have as few splices as possible, and don't have a lot of excess.

#5

Looked like 8 in his link, that's going to be the challenge here in general.

#6

As a matter of fact, the Televes Dinova was at the top of my list. The single VHF dipole is my greatest hesitation though. How is your RF10 reception at your location? I’ve got LOS but I’m still 30 miles from the tower.

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#7

Once my power comes back, you can look at my reception via:

https://rabbitears.info/tvdx/signal_graph/105138D5/tuner1/WTNH

I now own 3 (!) of these, based on the need for 2 markets in opposite directions, and for tailgating (the casing is a big plus there). Can't recommend them highly enough,

....and my own site map

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#8

I went overkill in setting up my antenna but that was partly because I am able to sometimes pull in other market channels. Your Rabbit Ears looks like a good combo antenna would work well if you are doing an attic mount. If you are mounting outside, just make sure you properly secure and waterproof everything. The pre-amp is likely needed if you are doing a long run and or have to split the signal 1 or more times before you hit the tuner. And as everyone said, VHF will be your biggest hurdle.

I agree, watch some of Antenna Man's videos, he's a little quircky but knows his stuff and does a good job of putting things in Layman terms.

I went with this antenna myself:
Antenna

#9

I’ll give the Dinova a try but it won’t be for a month or so. We’ve got power here in NE Ohio but it’s just a tad chilly. I like that the Dinova adjusts the gain as needed since I’ve got great signal on almost all the UHF stations.

#10

As others have said, each situation is different. However, at a distance of about 33 miles I've had fantastic results with the Winegard YA7000C. In my attic, and with a preamp, I'm getting close to 100% signal strength on most of my VHF and UHF - including stations on VHF 2, 4, & 6. I think I'd be able to ditch the preamp if the antenna were mounted outside.

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#11

I don’t need the “C” part of your antenna since I don’t have any low-VHF stations, but I am considering its cheaper counterpart, the Winegard YA7000 for hi-VHF and UHF. But by the time I add an LTE filter (if needed) and a pre-amp (if needed), I’m past the cost of the Televes Dinova. I think I’ll start with the Televes antenna, and if I need more gain on my RF8 station, I’ll do the Winegard antenna and antenna accessories. (Nod to Hank Hill.)

#12

Televes makes others too. The newer ones they have now use updated LTE filters built in since the repack. They also allow for amp passthrough incase you don't need a pre-amp. Where others if you don't provide power they stop working all together.

#13

I run a DAT BOSS MIX. They have low-vhf version and a high-VHF version both do UHF.
AKA one on the far right hand side.

I believe antennaman reviews just about all of them. Would be a good resource to look at on Youtube.

#14

A very compact option:

#15

Do not bother trying without. As a matter of fact, LTE filter is not enough now because of all of the 5G frequencies. I used to be fine but once more of those towers came online things went south in a hurry. Once I got this little baby, all my problems were solved:

You have a station in the low VHF range (Physical Channel [NOT actual channel number that you see on the TV, always look at the Physical Channel number] less than 7) and a couple in the regular VHF range (7-13), so depending what you care about you'll need to get an antenna that can get at least VHF, if not low VHF. Basically, a very long solid bar is necessary for those.

Otherwise, all the advise you see is right. Get higher, get away from obstructions, point in the right direction (even moving a centimeter can completely change the story), and pray for the day with ATSC 3.0 is ubiquitous so we no longer have multi-path interference.

When you are up there, bring a laptop or tablet loaded up the HDHomeRun tech software. This will give you a chance to see each station results in real-time so you can move things around.

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Best / Easiest way to pull NBC and Fox5 local into Channels
#16

2 things you might consider:

  1. Hire Antennaman, for $40 you get a consultation and lifetime support. Probably the best mix of DIY and professional installation. That $40 can save you a LOT of hassle and time.
    Antenna Recommendations

  2. Hire a professional to do the job. I did this when I lived in GA and everyone said that 40 miles and a bunch of hills were too much for any antenna reception. The guy I hired chose the antenna and location. I was over 90% signal on every channel. Cost me like $250 but considering I wasnt paying for cable any more it only took me about 3 months to break even.

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#17

I’m highly familiar with the Antenna Man. It was poking around his videos and beyond that ultimately led me to Channels.

#18

I do not have a low-VHF station. And I’ve got the Signal GH app for “seeing” the impact on signals at an HDHR. I had that from an unsuccessful attic install in my old place 15 miles farther away.

#19

Good suggestion but I’m leery of any UHF antenna making VHF claims. I think if my VHF station were a lot closer, this would be a good option.

#20

A little pricey but I had great success with this and it covers VHF high as well as UHF. Very compact as well.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074DYDSNK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

#21

I purchased that back in 2019 and it was okay. For me the Televes stomped it.

#22

Take a look at this one:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08BLF3PFL/ref=aod_recs_desktop_prsubs_0

Available from other sellers for about $10 less.

#23

I have two of these. I’ve tried several others but these outshine everything.