Can I get away with just a preamp

[Recruiter]

I live in RI. I have a relatively old Channel Master antenna (about 15+ yrs old), mounted on the roof with a rotor. I am within about 5-7 miles of the local stations, so they aren't a problem at all. I have the antenna pointed at about 30 degrees, to pick up the Boston, MA stations. I do fairly well with them, except some minor, occasional, pixelizing on just a few channels. After the transition, all the channels will be in the UHF range, except for ch 7.1 (ch7), ch 12.1 (ch 13) and Ch 64 (ch 12). The pixelizing I do get, is only occasional, and it occurs on Ch's 5.1, 7.1, 38.1 and 56.1. I do get them, but sometimes they will break up. I checked with a local installer. He suggested replacing my antenna for one with a larger range. He says the ones he installs have a 60 mile range, but he won't tell me which one it is. He says mine has about a 35-40 mile range.
I am wondering if, since I get the signal with occasional drop offs, can I simply get a preamp to boost the imput? If so, which one should I get? Thanks

[tigerbangs]

NO, if you are that close to your TV stations, a preamp is likely to overload. Give us your zip code, and we can probably help. You should really have a rotator to turn between the Boston and Providence stations if you want a reliable bicture.

[Recruiter]

My zip code is 02863. The Providence stations are between 117-125 degrees at around 5-7 miles. The majority of the Boston stations are at 28-30 degrees, at a range of about 30-35 miles. I have a rotor, but without turning the antenna away from 30 degrees, I'm having no problems with the local stations coming from the side of the antenna. I have 1 TV, with a digital tuner, and a DVR with a digital tuner, running through a splitter. Total cable length is about 40-50 feet.

[tigerbangs]

While it may be time to replace your antenna, remember that, as you go larger with an antenna that you also increase its directivity, so you may find that a new antenna may give you a better signal when pointed at Boston, but may cause some of your local Providence stations to slip. Don't agree to a new antenna until the installer tells you exactly what he is putting up for you: mileage ratings are entirely bogus when discussing antennas. I have my own ideas about to use for you, but they also require using the rotator more than you are using it now. Even if you intend to run 2 TV sets from the same antenna, it shouldn't be necessary to use a preamplifier where you are if you choose the right antenna.

[Recruiter]

Don't get me wrong. I don't have any problems with moving the antenna around as needed. After all, thats what the rotor is for. I have simply pointed to Boston (30 degrees), because it seems to give me the MA stations, and the Providence stations aren't getting rejected by it, in my current setup. I suppose the only time I would have to try to come up with a happy medium, is with a very directional antenna, and when we are watching a RI channel, and recording a Boston channel, or vice versa. Fortunately for me, that doesn't happen very often.

[tigerbangs]

Here's what I would do: use a Winegard HD-7696P antenna on top of a rotator: it is a fringe-area VHF-high-band + UHF antenna tht is probably considerably more powerful than what you have now. It will probably be smaller, because it doesn't support low-band VHF, which requires the largest elements. Be sure to use all new RG-6u coaxial cable, and you shouldn't dee any dropouts on the Boston channels. The trand-off is that you might have to turn the antenna towards Rehoboth to get the Providence channels reliably, due to the greater directionality of the new antenna. Good luck.

http://www.winegard.com

[QED4803]

If you're anywhere near saltwater, 15 years is probably past the normal lifespan of an antenna. I'd begin with a new antenna and go from there. Preamps are generally not a solution for poor signal (garbage in-garbage out), but will help to compensate for other losses in a system such as long lead runs or signal spliiters. In selecting a new antenna, be certain to get advice from someone familiar with local reception and keep in mind that digital signals are largely different and new to most installers, though the frequencies are the same I strongly suspect that directionality will become far less of an issue.

[Recruiter]

I'm not really that close to the salt water. I'd say we're about 10-15 miles away from any real salt water areas.
One of the local TV stations had a group of people at their station, to help people with the TV conversion and any local antenna hookup questions that people might have. I managed to get through to them, and the general concensus amongst them was that, if I am going to get a new antenna, for around here, the favored antenna, first of all was a bowtie style. Specifically, they recommended the Channel Master 4228HD, since it is designed for the Ch 7-69 range, with the UHF range of nearly 60 miles, which we need. Also, it was recommended that I replace the cable with new RG-6, since it has probably gotten brittle after all this time. Lastly, if I'm going this far, consider replacing the old 4 wire rotor, with an Eagle Aspen ROTR 100.
Any thoughts on these choices? Anyone know much about this new rotor? Thanks.

[tigerbangs]

New cabling is definitely a good idea. I personally do not have any experience with the new Channel Master 4228HD. I used the old 4228 for almost 30 years, and had great success with it on UHF, but it isn't great for VHF, although it may work for you. I prefer beam-type antenna when there are VHF stations in play, which is why I like the Winegard HD-769X series, since they are more directional, and have excellent gain on VHF. YMMV.