Help Needed for 47802

[jordo]

Ok I've been really trying to educate myself on all of this antenna stuff but I'm having issues trying to get much of a signal.

My zip is 47802, I currently have a Phillips MANT940 and have only tried it indoors. I can get my WTWO-DT at ~60% and thats about it.
My TV is a Panasonic 50" 1080p plasma.

Mainly I'm wanting to get just my local FOX and NBC station and maybe the CBS station but the FOX one is the one I really want to get.

I figured that just using the antenna indoors would be sufficient but its not looking that way. Unfortunately mother nature isn't letting me get onto my roof anytime soon (10 inches of snow ) so I could try attic mounting it or should I just looking at an outdoor mount when the weather improves?


Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

[tigerbangs]

Since you re going to have a VHF digital station in your area, I would suggest using a Winegard HD-7696P VHF-high-band +UHF antenna mounted on your roof and aimed south. If you want ABC and PBS, you can use the same antenna, but add a Winegard HDP-269 preamplifier and a Channel Master 9521a rotator so you can aim the antenna at those stations.

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

[jordo]

I'm not very concerned about getting the CBS station that is VHF. I'm only wanting to get the FOX and NBC stations that transmit off the same tower.

[tigerbangs]

Why would yo NOT want CBS if you can have it easily?

[jordo]

There isn't anything on CBS that interests me enough to go out and buy a new antenna. I bought the Phillips one I have now mainly just for FOX. I'm a NASCAR fan and the first half of the season is on FOX so that is why I'm trying to get it. NBC oddly enough just comes in really easy. I have the antenna on a bookshelf in my living room right now and it picks up the NBC station but that's it. Weather wise I think I'll have a chance this coming weekend to mount it outdoors. I plan on mounting it on the mast of my DirecTV dish.

How much better would it work outdoors than in the attic? I live in single story ranch style that has an attic over the garage that is on the Southern most tip of the house.

[tigerbangs]

You cut your available signal by 50% or more by mounting an antenna in the atic, by 75% when mounted indoors by the TV set

[jordo]

Ok good to know. Thanks.

My weekend project will be mounting my antenna outside. That should hopefully do it since I can already pull a consistent 60% signal on the NBC channel with the antenna just sitting on a bookshelf.

[tigerbangs]

The antenna needs to see above the highest point of the roof to be effective...