Deep in the MS woods

[WoodsyAl]

I recently bought a small TV for my cabin in the Mississippi woods and want to do whatever makes the most sense in terms of an antenna and installation. The cabin is at 31.5945,-90.8073. The TV is a digital Toshiba Model 19AV500. The cabin is a small "retreat" place measuring 24'x24'. I am modestly concerned that a large antenna will look like the cabin is attached to it rather than the other way around. This is an area that is sometimes subject to hurricanes from the Gulf of Mexico, though it is far enough inland that the winds rarely exceed 70 mph. There are occasional ice storms, so ice build-up on the antenna is a distinct possibility. The cabin is in a heavily forested area. The cabin roof is metal with a rise of 10 in 12, so not a safe place to work.

The stations of interest include:

Location Network Call sign Channel Azimuth Miles

Bude PBS WMAU 18 168 15.7
Jackson PBS WMPN 20 30 47.6
Jackson CBS WJTV 12 28 50.6
Jackson NBC WLBT 7 30 49.6
Jackson FOX WDBD 40 30 49.6
Jackson ABC WAPT 21 33 56.1

When I started research, Antenna Web indicated that I would have serious problems. The only station that came up was the PBS channel at Bude, and the indication was that I was in a violet zone. But last weekend my young grandson visited and insisted on bringing his broken rabbit ears. I thought it was a total waste of time. But he hooked them up and I was astonished to see that he got the Bude channel with only very occasional pixellation. And all that was left of the rabbit ears was the first segment on each side. Also, I realize that rabbit ears are for VHF rather than UHF, but we did watch several shows. So I wonder how conservative are the recommendations on Antenna Web? Anyway, I am now optimistic about being able to get good reception from the Bude channel.

So I am looking at alternatives and here is the way it looks to me:

Antenna option 1 -- Be content with just PBS from Bude. Get the smallest external UHF antenna that would work (Recommendations on this?) and mount it on the side of the cabin with a J-mount.

Antenna option 2 -- Try for the Jackson stations. If I can get any of them, I can almost certainly get the Jackson PBS channel, so I wouldn't need the Bude PBS channel (programming is identical). Since the Jackson stations are on nearly the same azimuth, I would not need a rotator.

Option 2a -- Use a Winegard 7697P pointed at Jackson. (But that antenna is almost 11' long!)

Option 2b -- Use an Antennas Direct XG 91 and a Winegard YA 1713 stacked and coupled with a Channel Master 7777 preamp.

Considering effectiveness, appearance, and resistance to wind and ice, which of these (2a or 2b) would you prefer? Is it likely that I will successfully pull in the Jackson stations, or should I be content with Option 1? Or do you have other suggestions?

I would also deeply appreciate advice about mounting. There are again two options.

Mounting option 1 -- An eave mount at the peak of the gable with a coax run of about 60'. The peak is 22' above ground, and there is no easy ladder access because there is a porch below it. I am unwilling to do this myself, so would need to hire someone to come from considerable distance with special equipment to do the installation and any subsequent adjustments or maintenance.

Mounting option 2 -- A ground-up mount with the highest bracket fastened securely to the fascia about 12' above ground, and a coax run of about 25'. For strength, I think the antenna(s) should not be far above the last bracket, so the antenna could not be higher than the ridge. However, the antenna would not need to "see through" the roof because the ridge direction points almost exactly to Jackson. I would be very comfortable tackling this installation myself, and any future adjustments or maintenance would be simple.

I know higher is better. The eave mount could easily place the antenna(s) 10' higher than the ground-up mount. Considering the trade-offs, what would you do?

In advance, I deeply appreciate any and all advice. I am afraid I have learned enough to be dangerous. Please correct my thinking as necessary to keep me from making a mistake! And please offer better ideas!

Many thanks,

WoodsyAl

[tigerbangs]

antenna option 2b with mounting option 1 LOL

[WoodsyAl]

tigerbangs,

Many thanks for your response! You are very generous to help so many people on this forum.

I'll gather the materials and give this a try the next time I visit my cabin. It looks like pulling in that ABC channel 21 is going to be a real push. If I am using TV Fool correctly, the noise margin with the antenna 5' above the eave is still a minus 15.2. Unless there are favorable circumstances at my location, that may be too much to overcome.

My eave is 22'. How high above the eave mount do you think it is safe to mount the UHF antenna? I understand I should mount the VHF antenna 4' below the top antenna.

Thanks again,

WoodsyAl

[tigerbangs]

You can go 5' above the highest point of the eave using only eave or wall mounts: anything higher than that will require additional guy wires. I would expect that you may NOT see ABC at your cabin, but I believe that you have a good shot at CBS and FOX. There also exists the possibility that your ABC affiliate will broaden it's fringe-area coverage somewhat after the June 12 analog signoff. Gool luck!