New Member Looking for expert advice

[hmayesh]

Hi everyone, I'm a new member. I'm looking to buy a new outdoor antenna for my Panasonic HD tv and computer. I currently have a Channelmaster 4221 in my current home. It works great, I get about 25 channels and the reception is good except for windy days, where the reception will become spotty. I currently live at 48186, but I will be moving to 48187 (about fifteen minutes away) in 3 weeks. Both locations are in the metro Detroit area. Since I'm moving I would like to take this opportunity to upgrade. I want to get a stronger antenna, I would love to get CBC in HD, but I don't want to spend too much. I have an Amazon.com gift card for $75, so I was hoping to stay in that range, and it limits me to whatever Amazon.com has on their site. Well, here are the ones I've seen so far, but I'm not sure which ones are worth the money:

Terk HDTVo Amplified HDTV Antenna: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009W ... d_i=507846

Antennas Direct DB8 Multidirectional HDTV Antenna: http://www.amazon.com/Antennas-Direct-D ... 063&sr=8-4

Channel Master 4228HD Long-Range Outdoor Rooftop HDTV Antenna: http://www.amazon.com/Channel-Master-42 ... 063&sr=8-9

Antennas Direct 91XG Uni-directional HDTV Antenna: http://www.amazon.com/Antennas-Direct-9 ... 76&sr=8-13

Uni-directional Antenna: http://www.amazon.com/Antennas-Direct-4 ... 76&sr=8-16

Channel Master 2020 DIGITAL ADVANTAGE (HDTV / VHF / UHF) Outdoor Antenna: http://www.amazon.com/Channel-Master-DI ... 52&sr=8-22

This one looks like a great deal:
Quantum Fx Ant-104 35db Outdoor Rotary High Gain Vhf/uhf/fm/hd Antenna with Remote Control: http://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Ant-104-O ... 01&sr=8-46

This is these two claim 100 mile range, too good to be true?
HDTV Amplified Antenna Outdoor Rotor VHF/UHF/FM with 30ft Cable: http://www.amazon.com/Amplified-Antenna ... 613&sr=8-4

Lava Hd-2805 Remote Controlled Hdtv Antenna: http://www.amazon.com/Lava-Hd-2805-Remo ... 49&sr=8-28


I know its a long list, so I appreciate any help you can give me. I would also like to see if I can wire the new antenna with my old one. I do not know if this will work.

Which one of these antenna will give me the longest range and best service, or if there is one that I do not have listed that is better, please let me know. Thank you

[tigerbangs]

If you need to order from Amazon, order the Winegard HD-7694P, which is a VHF-high-band plus UHF antenna whose UHF performance will equal or better the 4221 and will also allow easy reception of WJBK-FOX and CBC Windsor, which is on channel 9. If you add a rotator to the antenna, you will also see the Toledo stations. CBC doesn not currently have HD in Windsor, and it is not yet clear when they will add HD.
http://www.amazon.com/Winegard-HD7694P- ... ewpoints=1
http://manuals.solidsignal.com/AntInstallGuide.pdf

[hmayesh]

Thank you for the advice, the antenna you suggested gets good reviews. Now I have a few more questions. Which rotator do you recommend, and would my money be better spent on pre-amping my current antenna instead? It's less than two years old. Even though the 4221 is UHF only, I was still able to get channel 2 when it was still analog and 9 CBC Windsor. It's not great, but still viewable. Let me know what you think. Thank you

[tigerbangs]

I usually use a Channel Master 9521a rotator, which is automatic and easy to get. Unless you have multiple TV sets that you plan to run from the antenna, you shouldn't need a preamp, and preamps can overload on strong signals. If you get the rotator, channels 11 and 13 from Toledo will be easily available to you, but NOT with the 4221.

[hmayesh]

I see the rotator you recommend. It's more money than what I want to spend. But maybe I'll add it on later. other questions I have, are what size mast should I get for Winegard HD-7694P, and is it possible to use a pre-amp for far channels and turn it off for the close channels? Thanks for your help.

[tigerbangs]

Directional antennas will pick up from one basic direction only: amplifying the signal will do little to pick up off-axis stations, which is why we use rotarors. All of the Detroit stations come from one basic direction, so a rotator is not essential to see all of your basic TV networks, but since you have several VHF stations in your area, both analog an digital, it would behoove you to have an antenna like the Winegard HD-7694P that does both VHF and UHF well.

[hmayesh]

Sounds good, So I think I will go with the Winegard. So even though Channel 9 CBC will not be digital, it will still come out clear. So will the 75CM J mount be a good mount for this antenna. I understand that it is larger than my 4221, and I don't want it flapping in the wind. Also, what do you think about the Philips Sdw1850/17 Antenna Remote-Controlled Rotor? It's cheaper than the Channel master, so I wanted to know your take on it. Thank you

[tigerbangs]

The Phillips rotator will work if you can get it reasonably. I am not familiar with the mount that you propose to use, but check the instalation guide that I have linked to you to see about different mounting possibilities.
http://manuals.solidsignal.com/AntInstallGuide.pdf