Need Antenna advice (zip 11204)

[Raistlin]

Need help with selecting an antenna setup that's optimal for my location. Expecially between directional and omnidirectional.

Current old antenna gets about 9 out of 13 yellow channels (missing 8.1,31.1,41.1,47.1).
Interestingly, it also gets one red channel (34.1).
Other than that, it gets nothing else. Out of the 26 channels listed in AntennaWeb.Org, it only has reception on 10 channels.
The antenna is on the roof of a 2-story brownstone.

Would like to replace the current antenna with new setup that can capture most of the channels.
Will connect to 3 TVs.

Thanks!

[tigerbangs]

What specific channels are you looking for? NYC is FILLED wioth all kinds of channels, but many of them are special-interest channels meant for only a few people. What aren't you seeing that you WANT to see?

[Raistlin]

The channel that I know I really want but currenly missing is channel 63 (WMBC). Don't really know what else is available ( never had good reception of them). Other than that, would like to have a setup that is optimised to get most of the channels available.
Thanks!

[tigerbangs]

To get the most of what is available in NYC in television, you need an all-channel antenna mounted on the roof, an antenna rotator and a distribution amplifier to split the signal to your various TV sets in your house. Whiel the Empire State Building houses most of the major TV transmitters, many others are scattered throughout the Tri-State area, and you need a directional antenna and a rotator to see all of them, especially WMBC-DT.

I would suggest using a Winegard HD-7082p antenna mounted on the roof using a Channel Master 9521a rotator. Use all new RG-6u coaxial cable throughout. if you plan to run to multiple TV sets in your house, bring all of the cable runs from the different TV sets into pne central point in the house, and run your new antenna cable from the antenna to the same point. Mount an amplified splitter like a Channel Master CM 3414 at that location, and make your connections from the amplifier-splitter: in and out. Run the rotator cable to the place in the house wher the primary TV set will reside.and install the rotator control box.

When you are finished, you should have 40 -50 TV stations available to you.
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[Raistlin]

Thanks for the prompt response!
That will indeed be the ultimate set up and I am sure will get most of the channels.

However, I am a little leary about having a rotor.
As a compromise, do you think I will do better than my current Antena (10 channels) if I go for a powerful omnidirectional antenna? Which omnidirectional antenna would your recommend in this case?

Thanks, really appreciate your input : )

[tigerbangs]

Absolutely not! There is no such thing as a powerful omnidirectional antenna: they are NOT station finders. Rotators are a 60 year-old, and well proven technology. With the antenna that I described, you will see EVERYTHING you could imagine from the Tri-state area, and probably most of the Philadelphia stations if you turn the antenna towards Philly with the rotator. With an omnidirectional antenna, you will see the stations from the ESB and a few more odd stations, that's all.