antenna for fringe UHF

[rgrollins]

I'd like to get someone's judgement on how likely I am to be able to receive a particular channel.
I'm in Davis, CA 95618. My TVFool data is at http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapp ... f0d4e59e7d .
I am trying to receive KQED Ch 30 about 68 mi away with an NM of 5.4 db and power of -89.5 dBm. According to the map, I appear to be in a streak of bluish pink. Reception is noted as a single fringe.

I'm looking at an Antennas Direct 91XG UHF antenna with a 16.7 dB Gain. It would be mounted on my roof at about 25' above ground and connected with about 35' of RJ6 to a Panasonic Viera TH-42PZ700U tv. There are no taller buildings or towers close to the 202 degree azimuth. There are tall, but somewhat open, trees from 40-100' from the antenna. The antenna can be located to minimize, but not eliminate, the path through foliage.

I see that one poster received this channel (KQED) from Roseville, which is about 26 miles further away on the same azimuth and about 100 ft higher elevation. That area is well beyond the pink zone on the map. I can't find people in my area who have tried to receive this channel, and this is the only one that is keeping me from "cutting the cord." I'm reluctant to get on a trail of increasing investments in larger antennas, taller masts, preamps, etc. without some best guess that it will finally work.

Thanks for your best judgement.
Bob Rollins

[gcd0865]

Bob:

Many times, the better antennas, like the 91XG, can reliably receive stations down to about 0.0 dB NM on your TVFool report, and sometimes even lower than that (down to about -5.0 or -10.0, depending on the station and local conditions, and whether an amplifier is used). But of course, everyone's individual mileage may vary, as they say. My estimation is that, at +5.4 dB NM, KQED-30 would probably come in for you reliably if the 91XG were located outside and aimed properly, but you simply won't know unless you try. Among the available antennas, the 91XG is about the best for UHF that you can get. If it turned out that you had dropouts on KQED in the daytime using a 91XG, but better reception at night and in the early mornings (when reception conditions tend to be more favorable), adding an amplifier might help stabilize things in the daytimes.

In case you didn't already know, the 91XG will not likely receive the distant VHF channels from the Bay Area like KGO-7 or KNTV-12, which would require adding an Antennacraft Y10-7-13 (a VHF-high antenna), joined at the mast to a common downlead using a UVSJ.
http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.asp?p=Y10-7-13
http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.asp?p=UVSJ

If you're interested in receiving the many stations available to you from all surrounding areas, a 91XG atop a Y10-7-13 on a rotor is considered by many to be the best long-range antenna combination available (even more potent if amplified).

[rgrollins]

Thanks very much for the detailed, helpful assessment. The 91XG antenna arrives Friday. I'll try to post something about my results as soon as possible.

[rgrollins]

OK, now I need help picking a pre-amp.

My target station is 68 miles away with a NM of +5.5. I installed an Antennas Direct 91XG UHF antenna about 25' above ground directed through several layers of trees. It is connected with about 45' of RG6 to a Panasonic Viera TH-42PZ700U tv. The good news is that I can receive KQED if the antenna is pointed within about 5-10 degrees of the correct direction. There are occasional to frequent pixelations and drop outs during the daytime. I would like to ultimately wire this with about 35' of RG6 with one two-way splitter and 2 direct splices.

I would just get a 12-15 dB preamp, but I have several close (22-24 mi) VHF/UHF stations, and I am concerned about overamping the tuner. These stations are about 68 degrees away from the antenna direction. With the 91XG, I get 72-100% signal strength on these nearby stations, compared to 34-53% for the target station. I would like to keep receiving these nearby stations.

Do you think that 12-15 dB would over amp the tuner? Would it help to get a preamp with VHF bypass, so some of those stations would not be amplified?

[No Static At All]

The Winegard 8700 will provide adequate gain & would be a safe choice with no risk of overloading.

If you plan to add a VHF-HI antenna, I recommend the dual input Winegard 2870.