DTA-5000 Smart Antenna

[erikrocks]

Has anyone used one yet? I live in a mostly violet area (14850 zip) and I'm looking to get something that will pull in stations >30 miles away. Thanks.

[tigerbangs]

Sorry, but if you want the Binghamton stations, that's not gonna happen with an indoor antenna. If you want the right formula, let us know: you may also be able to get Sytacuse with the right equipment.

[erikrocks]

Isn't the DTA-5000 an outdoor smart antenna?

But yeah, if you have a better formula, please let me know.

[tigerbangs]

First of all, do you own an ATSC tuner with a 'Smart Antenna" connector on it? I don't know anyone who does, and secondly, that antenna is good for maybe 20-30 miles in flat terrain conditions: it's totally inadequate for your needs. You are going to need a real fringe antenna if you want Binghamton or Syracuse.

You need a real deep-fringe solution, since the hills in your area are going to make any reception difficult. You also have a very strong local Spanish station that may cause havoc with your reception if you don't plan this carefully. Here's what I would do:

Use the deep-fringe prescription: an Antennas Direct XG-91 UHF antenna plus a Winegard YA-1713 VHF-high-band yagi mounted above a Channel master 9521a rotator. The antennas should be at least 4 feet apart on the same mast, with the XG-91 mounted above the Winegard. The XG-91 should be tilted up at least 15-20 degrees at the front, to see the refracted signal from the hills between you and the transmitters. Join the two antennas together with a Pico-Macom UVSJ antenna joiner, and send the output of the joiner to a Winegard HDP-269 preamplifier mounted on the mast. Split your signal to other TV tuners AFTER the indoor power supply of the HDP-269. With this system, you can rotate between the cities and you should be able to see both Binghamton and Syracuse, but be sure to enter the stations manually when the antenna is aimed at the correct city, then commit the stations to memory in the tuner, or you may have to rescan each time you turn the antenna otherwise.

http://www.channelmaster.com
http://www.antennasdirect.com
http://www. winegard.com
http://www.pctinternational.com/channel ... lation.pdf

[erikrocks]

Wow, thanks for the info. I recently ordered an RCA DTA-800B1 which has a smart antenna in, but it sounds like that won't help. I probably won't be able to mount the dual antennas on my house now, but I appreciate the directions for the future. Until then, it looks like I'll have to foot the Dish network bill a little longer.