Outdoor Rooftop Antenna HELP!!

[SweetwaterRanch]

We have a 20+ year old large outdoor/roof antenna and since the stations have changed to digital have been using hd indoor antennas as well and still have trouble keeping a strong signal. We want to purchase an hdtv outdoor antenna but wanted to make sure that this will resolve the problem. Any thoughts or suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!!

[SweetwaterRanch]

I have not received a response to my post as of yet.... All we want to know is are the new large hdtv outdoor rooftop antennas better than an old (20+ years) large outdoor rooftop antenna??? Or are we just wasting our time and money on replacing our old antenna???
Thank you!!!

[goosemasterkl]

I'm like you; after signing in on this forum it seems like nobdy will respond to your questions!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[gcd0865]

Sorry to hear that nobody has responded to your questions. In some cases, if the condition of your 20-year-old outdoor antenna and its wiring are fine, they may work just fine to receive the new digital HD channels. There is no such thing as an "HD antenna", as the same frequencies are used for tv now as were used before the digital switch, and antennas do not need to differentiate in any way between the old analog and new digital signals; they are just "signals" to the antenna, received in the same way as before.

If you can please advise the group about your location, at least by zip code, or better yet, by posting a link to your TVFool report (from http://www.tvfool.com) generated for your specific address, everyone on this board will be able to assess the available stations in your area, and make recommendations (for long-range or short-range antenna, with or without a rotator), depending on how many of the available stations you wish to receive. If you can also attach a good photo of your current outdoor antenna, we can assess whether it appears to be in good condition, since perhaps you will not need to replace that antenna at all.

[tigerbangs]

please-post-your-tvfool-com-results-when-posting-questions-t649.html

[SweetwaterRanch]

Thank you for the reply. Here is the link with 7 pix of our antenna. Please let us know if you have trouble opening.

http://www.steveslostlandoftoys.com/antenna/


Here is the other info you are asking for.

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapp ... 824796f452

Thanks again!!

[tigerbangs]

What you have is an old Winegard WG7082 antenna with a Channel Master 9512 rotator and what appears to be a Channel Master 0064B preamplifier. It's pretty clear from the photos that age has caught up with this system: the weather boot has come off the preamplifier, and it looks as if the preamplifier itself was mounted in a manner (turned 90 degrees on it's axis on the mast) that subjected it to weather. Take heart: it was a very good antenna in it's day, and perfectly suited analog reception from Sacramento. Several issues have changed since that antenna was first installed.

Digital reception has changed how signals are now received: the several of the Sacramento stations that were previously on VHF are now on UHF, but you still have VHF channels 9 and 10 from Sacramento receivable at your location. Digital TV stations use less transmitter power than their analog counterpoints to deliver a signal. You no longer need the low-band VHF reception capability of the WG7082 to see KCRA or KVIE. Secondly, age and weather have taken enough of a toll on your antenna system that we would expect it to be working at only about 40% of original design capacity. Additionally, you are about 70 miles from the Sacramento transmitters, and atmospherics will play a big role in the quality of your reception, even though TVFool.com claims that you should have adequate signal strength in your area to receive those signals. I would strongly suggest that you consider replaciing your entire roof antenna system with all new components that reflect the new digital station's transmitting realities of your area.

My suggestion would be to use a 2- antenna based on an AntennasDirect 91XG UHF antenna plus a an AntennaCraft 10Y-7-13 VHF yagi mounted on the same mast, separated by 4' with the UHF antenna at the top pf the mast and the VHF antenna mounted just above the rotator. I would use a standard 5' mast above the rotator to carry the two antennas. Use either a Channel Master Titan 7777 dual-input preamplifier, which has separate VHF and UHF antenna inputs, or an AntennaCraft 10G222 preamp, which is similarly equipped with separate inputs. You should replace all of the existing coaxial cable with new RG-6u coax cables using the very best compression-type "F" fittings available, such as Thomas and Betts or similar quality, and be sure to use weather boots and anti-seize compound on all outdoor fittings. Good rotators include the Channel Master 9521a remote-control rotator, or the less-expensive AntennaCraft TDP-2 rotator. Replace all of the rotator cable you now have with double-shielded 3 conductor wire.

Once installed, you should find a notable improvement in your TV reception, especially in the UHF stations. The cost for such equipment won't necessarily exceed the cost of a large single all-purpose antenna, but will yield better results.

[SweetwaterRanch]

Thank you so very much for all the info and help. I was concerned that you would say that there was nothing wrong with it and there is nothing we could do; it is a relief knowing that there is a problem with it. YAY!!!!
Thanks again!

[tigerbangs]

I think that you'll be very pleasantly surprised by the results of this new antenna...

[SweetwaterRanch]

I can hardly wait!!
Thanks again and hope you have a Fab-U-Lous day.