New antenna

[Highbeam]

Area code 98321, 2 older CRT televisions (27" and 36")currently, to use set top converters. I installed a structured media center into my 1963 built home that includes cat5e and rg6u coax runs to each television, phone, and computer location in the home within the walls. I currently use a bundled cable service for internet, phone, and television. Looking to switch to OTA for free programming and HD when I upgrade TVs after the economy picks back up.

To the north of my home (signal origin) there is a downhill (away) sloping pasture and at least 600 feet to the nearest tree.

I've never used an antenna. I don't want a monster antenna on the roof but if it is necessary then we'll do it. Also, I have an outbuilding that would require about a 100 foot length of run to the antenna but I could put an ugly duckling out there. Seems that the length of coax from the antenna to the SMC would hurt me.

Thanks for any advice,

Joe

[Highbeam]

One more thought. I am a channel flipper so unless these rotators are lightning fast and not prone to wear I would likely want to avoid them and maybe even rather use a second directional antenna, or ? Channel 13 is quite important to us and the tower for 13 is all alone 35 degrees away from the majority of channels.

[Highbeam]

Does anyone have any ideas? I could use some help please.

[tigerbangs]

Reception based on your zip code doesn't look at all promising: can you give us your coordinates or street address: it may prove to have better results than your post office.

[Highbeam]

Google earth gives my house a longitude of 47°10'14.49"N and a latitude of 122° 8'8.82"W and an elevation of 600' above sea level. I can PM you a street address if it would be better.

TVfool shows all of my channels of interest within the red range or below. I want this system to be set up for post transition.

Thanks for replying and helping me get the right antenna system.

[tigerbangs]

When I got your coordinates, things looked a LOT better. I would use a two-antenna system to avaoid using a rotator. You will need a VHF-high-band + UHF antenna for he bulk of the stations whose towers are IN Seattle. I would use a Winegard HD-7696P aimed at 328 degrees by your compass. KCPQ, the FOX station, has it's transmitter in a different location , and will return to channel 13 after June 12. You should use a Winegard YA-1713 VHF-high-band yagi aimed at 293 degrees to pick up KCPQ. Join the two antenna using a Channel Master 0593-13 Jointenna, a device that you will have to order specifically. Run the output of the jointenna to a tp a Winegard HDP-269 preamplifier , and mount the preamplifier power supply near an AC outlet. This system will power up to 4 tuner/TV sets when used with a high-quality 1 gHz or better splitter.

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

[Highbeam]

I don't see many follow ups but I'll post about what happened.

So I took the first step and found a large directional uhf/vhf antenna that was the most equivalent to TM's recommendation but one size larger. I got the big dog RCA 3036x which has a 110" boom and seems to be at least that wide for 89$. It was snowing/raining and I decided to run a test. I put the dang huge antenna up in my attic suspended from the ridge with a mast and aimed it at 325 degrees "or so". Then I unhooked one TV from cable service and patched in the antenna using a decent splitter for the male-male connection.

Without a converter box my 36" CRT TV was producing pretty good images on more analog stations than I had expected. I was happy and so was the wife. As TM discussed there is a network (fox) that was about 35 degrees apart from the main ones and I may need a second antenna, that network was fuzzy. The experiment continues.

I then picked up a converter box at radio shack with my 40$ off coupon and hooked it up inline. Holy smokes, I now have over 30 channels that come in crystal clear. The strength gauge shows about 40% on fox but it has been very dependable. The rest of the channels are showing 80-90%. I even picked up excellent signals from towers at the 2 degree angle. So my attic antenna is picking up towers that are between 293 and 2 for an almost 70 degree angle! from the attic! Flipping channels is at least as fast as cable.

So will reception from an attic get better or worse when the snow melts and shingles dry? I wonder if I could get channels from Mars if I put this thing outside.

The RCA antenna looks eerily similar to the large directional channelmaster/wineguards. Are they actually the same?

[hdtvlabs]

wow, you must have a lot of space in the attic, to put the 3036x there
The RCA 3036x is not the same as ChannelMaster and/or Winegard, but all Yagi antennas look similar

May I ask you to submit a brief RCA 3036x review for the Undecided?

[Highbeam]

Done. It was the least I could do.

I pulled the RCA antenna out of the attic yesterday. The fox tower's reception at the extreme edge of the 70 degree sweep got too weak to be received dependably depsite weather changes, aim changes, and temperature changes. Not sure why but the reception on Fox was never very good anyway being only a 35 when new and a great picture and then I was losing picture and sound at 29.

Getting the antenna back into the cardboard box was not easy but with huge patience was done without damage to the box or to the antenna. I recommend never buying a returned antenna, it is way too easy to abuse them during repackaging.

I'll be driving a ground rod and ordering the recommended wineguard here soon. Should be a ground mounted mast bolted to the side of the building and extending above the roofline.