Am I hopeless? Need some OTA magic

[tastyhd]

Hi. We've done without a TV for about 3 years. Today, we brought home a 50" Panny, and love it! Now, if we could get some free OTA entertainment! I hope you guys can offer some advice. We would really like to be able to watch the Super Bowl at home for a change.

The closest fox station is 80 miles away. Do they make any kind of antenna/booster combo that could pick that up?

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3dc723a84fd32d2e
Stilling trying to decipher the results...

To my surprise, I'm able to receive 15.1 CW with an indoor powered RCA antenna I picked up from walmart.

Please go easy on me.

[tigerbangs]

the CW station is close to you, the other stations are not, and will require heroic measures to pick up the other network stations from your location. Are you willing to invest several hundred dollars and mount a large antenna system on the roof?

[tastyhd]

A little update...

I got a hold of a like-new antenna, I think is a VHF. Its about 5-6 feet long, and about 4-5 feet wide. I'm also using some no-no RG6, about 25-40ft. I have a cheap indoor booster, which doesn't seem to make any difference at all.

After twirling it around for about an hour, we managed to pick up:
WBBJ ABC (60-70%)
WHDF CW (70-80%)
WSMV NBC (55-65%)
WKRN ABC (55-65%)
Signal Percentages are approx - i'm not in front of the TV, but pretty close from what I remember

And about 7 other channels.

We couldn't pick up either FOX or CBS, which are between 80-86 miles away, and I think are UHF. So would I be correct in thinking I need to order a UHF antenna? If so, whats the very best UHF antenna, possibly directional that can pull in FOX and CBS? Do boosters only help solidify an existing signal, for bad weather and such, or should I get one to help raise my signal enough to pull in those distant stations?

I'm very surprized I can pull WKRN which is about 70 miles away, with this antenna, and crummy cable. Seems like with a good UHF and booster I could pull in FOX or CBS.

I'm located on a hill, with hardly any trees. They just put in a AT&T tower about 100 yards away, so I assume this is a decent location.

It is cloudy right now, so I don't know how that will effect signal once it clears up.



The wife has clear me to spend about $150-200 on additional equipment, if I could get her the super bowl.

Thanks very much for the help!

[tigerbangs]

Good deal! You should get yourself an AntennasDirect XG-91 to mount 4' above the VHF antenna, and combine the signals from the two antennas using a Channel Master Titan 7777 preamplifier: that would be about the best combination that I could suggest to you. If there's any signal in the air: that should pull it out for you. If you want to expand your your Tv viewing beyond Nashville, try adding an AntennaCraft TDP-2 antenna rotator, which will allow you to turn the antenna in different directions to see signals from other cities. Let us know how you make out!

http://www.antennasdirect.com (solidsignal.com has them cheap)
http://www.channelmaster.com
http://www.antennacraft.net
instructional-video-the-channel-master-titan-7777-preamp-t853.html

[tastyhd]

I really appreciate you help and encouragement. Here is what I've got. Please let me know if there is anything else I need to complete the installation, or anything I should change such as cable selection.

Perfect Vision Standard Nickel RG6 F-Connectors (PVFC1) Pack of 100 $9.99
F-Connector Hex Crimp Tool (TLHEX6) F-Connector Hex Crimp Tool (TLHEX6) $12.99
Solid Signal RG6 Quad Shielded with High Quality Solid Signal Connectors (75 Feet) $22.99
Channel Master CM 7777 Titan2 VHF/UHF TV Antenna Preamplifier with Power Supply (CM-7777) $50.99
Antennas Direct 91XG UHF TV Antenna (91XG) Antennas Direct 91XG UHF TV Antenna (91XG) $52.99
Dual Grounding Block with Dual Grounding Lugs $3.99
Subtotal: $153.94

The VHF antenna I have now is connected with something like this:
http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.asp?p=CM3075&mc=03

Is that OK with the CM 7777?
One last thought - if the cable run is under 50 foot, and going to 1 TV, would I still benefit from the 7777?

[tigerbangs]

You really don't need quad-shield RG-6 coax cable: it actually has more loss than conventional RG-6u. Use satellite-grade dual-shield RG-6u instead. 50' of cable and 1 TV set might make me forgo the preamplifier at first. You can substitute a Pico-Macom UVSJ antenna joiner for the preamplifier, and see how it woks for you.

[tastyhd]

tigerbangs,

Thanks for the info on the cable!

A couple questions, if I may.

I pulled out my GPS for lat/long, and the data looks much better:
http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapp ... 4ec47a8f4e

Also, the way its aimed, I'm currently receiving these stations:
WSMV-DT 10 VHF
WBBJ-DT 43 UHF
WNPT-DT 8 VHF
WHDF-DT 14 UHF
WFIQHD 22 UHF

I guess that means this is a vhf/uhf combo? But it seems odd that I cannot receive WTVF 5 with a nm of 2.6, but receive the other VHF channels as high as -6.5. I've twirled that bird around and back again, and I just don't see it. Makes no sense to me. Is it my antenna?

Based on the updated tvfool data, and the apparent fact that I have a VHF/UHF antenna, would you change any of your suggested equipment? The short-term goal is still to try for WZDX 41 for the super bowl.

[tigerbangs]

The antenna that you pictured is definitely NOT a UHF antenna: it's VHF only. You MIGHT see some UHF from it if the stations are strong enough, but it will never do as well as a dedicated UHF antenna. Go with the equipment I mentioned earlier, add a rotator, and go to town: you'll see a lot more than what you are seeing now. As for WTVF, chances are good that you may need a preamp to see it, as I suspect that the antenna that you have may not be especially strong on channel 5, and WTVF is a real distance from your house. Also, WMC from Memphis and WTVF are both on channel 5, and may be causing fome interference with one another. With digital, it's hard to see that kind of interference unless you are looking at the signals using a o-scope.

[tastyhd]

Thanks again for your time!
I placed the order, and should receive everything Wednesday! I'll let you know how it goes! Pictures too!

[tigerbangs]

Tha would be great! I am looking forward to hearing about it.