Antenna Advice for 37043

[rickclapp]

Greetings All, I am looking to install my first ever OTA HD Antenna and would like some advice on my specific location. My concern is Line Of Sight, as my home is located at a river bend, at the base of high terrain.

My Location: 37043 (N36 31.9 W87 14.8)

Terrain Description: New neighborhood, open terrain, no tall buildings within 3-4 blocks. There is, however, a 100-120' cliff along the river, .3 mi SW of my house (which happens to be the direction of Nashville, where it appears that most of my TV stations would be coming from.)

Antenna Location: Top of my house, 2 stories

Number of TVs: 1

The GeoSelector reccomends the AntennasDirect 43XG with a preamp and a rotator, but there are no "Expert's Choice" or "Reception Reports" for my area so I wanted to see how accurate the suggested setup is. It also appears the the DB8 is another option? Thanks for any help you can provide!

Rick

[rickclapp]

Quick correction, the high ground near my house is SE, not SW.

Using the TVFool maps, it appears that the majority of the signals coming from nashville, at the exact location of my house, are in the light blue almost purple range, though just up the hill from my house they seem to be much stronger.

[tigerbangs]

Here is what I was able to come up with for a TVFool.report based on the coordinates that you provided:
http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapp ... 079a1906ec

If that looks much different from what you have, please post your TVFool.com report so I can advise you better.

[rickclapp]

Tigerbangs,

Here is my report: http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapp ... 30c1139c9d

Really not as bad as I thought. What would you recommend? Thanks for the help!

I used 40' as my antenna height and got the exact decimal coordinates off google earth.

Rick

[tigerbangs]

You aren't in bad shape at all, but an XG-43 is definitely NOT going to do what you need it to do, as it's a UHF-only antenna. Since you have several VHF stations, including a VHF low-band station in WTVF, on channel 5, I suggest that you use a fringe-area all-channel antenna like a Winegard HD-7082P or a Channel Master Crossfire 3679, which should find all the Nashville stations for you as long as you mount it on the roof, and aim it at 140 degrees, as measured by your compass.

http://www.winegard.com
http://www.channelmaster.com

[rickclapp]

Fantastic! I will check them out and let you know how it goes! Very appreciative and impressed that you have the time to respond to so many inquiries. Thanks again.

Rick

[rickclapp]

Tigerbangs,

One more quick question. Both Antenna recommended for me are around 110". I checked my homeowner's association's covenants, and sure enough, no outdoor antenna are allowed. I am aware of the FCC regulations that prevent a homeowner's association from restricting one from installing an "antenna designed to receive over the air television signals," however, there is a small blurb in the FCC fact sheet saying something to the effect that the consumer is allowed to install their antenna, as long as "it meets size restrictions." In my case, the HOA has placed a size restriction of 24". This obviously would prevent me from getting any kind of acceptable signal, which is a right we Americans are entitled to under the FCC. Therein lies my dilemma. Hoping you can shed some light on this for me. I will also continue to dig through the FCC website or try and call them to find out. Thanks again for the help!

Rick

[tigerbangs]

The 24' restriction has to do with satellite dishes and is not applicable to over-the-air TV antennas. You are absolutely free to install whatever antenna that you need to get good local TV reception. Do NOT be intimidated by your HOA: The FCC allows you to continue to install and use your TV antenna even if your HOA protests: they must bring suit to show that you have not met with reasonable restrictions, but the FCC also allows for punitive damages against HOAs that illegally try to prevent you from installing an antenna for the reception of local TV stations. I'll tell you that they would be stupid to even try to prevent you from installing the antenna. To head off any trouble, print a copy of the FCC rules that I linked to you and send them to your HOA committee, explaining that you intend to install an antenna for local TV reception. I'd seriously doubt that they would try to challenge you, and I'd be very surprised if you were the first one to install a TV antenna.
http://www.fcc.gov/mb/facts/otard.html

[rickclapp]

Once again, can't thank you enough! I will keep the forum posted as to my progress.