22015 Fairfax advice needed

[swazi]

Just moved from Chicago-burbs to DC-burbs.
In Chi-town I was 30 miles out and used DB4 with CM7777 in an attic pointed to a brick wall and had no problems with reception.

Now I'm in Northern Virginia, 15 miles out and all the channels I care about are in about a 5 degree range. I have the DB4 in the attic at about 15-18 feet above ground level and about 25 feet of coax. I can increase the height one story by increasing cable length by ~15feet. Plenty of high trees in the area, but antenna is pointed down the street (house is on a curve in the road) with clear line if sight for few hundred feet. All the network channels get about 80% signal, but I get constant drop-outs every few minutes for a minute or so and then signal comes back.

So I'm not sure if I need to replace the DB4 with something else or if I'm over-amplifying with the 7777 and need to replace the pre-amp with a 7778 (or something else). I dont mind spending on the best equipment I can get my hands on, but I dont want to buy stuff just to trial and error.

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapp ... bc3efd6eb2

[No Static At All]

The 7777 pre-amp is way too much for Burke Va & is likely overloaded with the strong local signals. Have you tried reception with it completely removed? (both parts)

The DB-4 is also not a good fit since 7 & 9 are on VHF & it is a UHF antenna. A true 7-69 antenna would be a better choice & mounting outside would help as well if that is an option.

Are all channels intermittent,or just certain ones?

[swazi]

I tested last night with and without the 7777;
With the pre-amp the signal is much better. Without the pre-amp I get almost no signal

Dropout happens on all network channels.

I realize the DB4 is best for UHF and if my problem was with channels 7-13 only then I would focus there first. Right now my first and most urgent need is channel 4.3 - Universal Sports - with the Rugby world cup starting this weekend!! Last night with the pre-amp back in place I did not get any drop outs on 4.3 but the image quality was fairly poor.

So I'm thinking that I would probably have to replace the DB4 and the 7777. Question is - with what?
2 antennas or one, short range or medium range
7778 or something less. In theory I should not even need an amp but testing showed otherwise.


Oh- and I did some testing over the weekend with attic vs outside and did not see any difference, but that was with the pre-amp. And with all the rain we are getting it will be a while before I get back on the roof.

[No Static At All]

The Ant-751 would be the most compact & inconspicuous solution, but will need to be outside for reliable reception. I would personally get the Winegard 7694, but it is a bit larger & more conspicuous.

The CM7777 preamp will likely not work with any of these scenarios as it doesn't like strong signals. It would work in Manassas or locations further out, but you are just too close to DC. If an amp is truly needed for multiple splits, I recommend the Channel Master 3414 distribution amp which is nearly impossible to overload.

http://www.google.com/search?q=ant+751& ... 24&bih=605

http://www.google.com/search?q=winegard ... 24&bih=605

http://www.google.com/products/catalog? ... CCgQ8wIwAA