Power Transformer Interference?

[ableswh]

I am putting up a new Radio Shack antenna (the largest one they have) on a 30 foot tall pole. The antenna is about 75 feet from a power pole that has a transformer. Unfortunately, when I aim the antenna at the broadcast towers, it's pointed right at the transformer. I am having problems with weak digital signals; it keeps going in and out with a weak signal strength. Will the power transformer interfere with the TV reception? Do I need to move the antenna pole so that the transformer is not in between the antenna and the towers? We live in the country and the broadcast towers are 50 - 60 miles away.

Thanks,
WA

[tigerbangs]

Try reading" Tips for getting good antenna advice" at the beginning of this forum and ask your question again: we need more information...

[ableswh]

OK, here's the information requested:

Zip code is 76629 (Bremond, Tx.) Most channels come out of Waco / Temple / Belton. Approximately 40 miles.
1 TV now, a second set in the future. We have tried an old GE analog set with a converter box, and a brand new RCA Digital CRT set. I get the same results with either set. Weak / low strength signal on Analog or Digital stations.

We are only interested in getting the Digital reception to work at this point.

I was just curious about any impact on reception that might be caused by a power transformer on a pole in the direction the antenna was pointed. The transformer and the antenna are at about the same height, about 75 feet apart.

WA

[tigerbangs]

The transformer is not likely to create a lot of problems for you on the TV frequencies that you are trying to get. If you were looking for low-band analog stations, they might be a small impact, but i suspect that you low signal quality has more to do with your antenna and installation quality than it does with the transformer. The Radio Shack VU-190Sr is a notroriously poor UHF performer, and, when coupled with long lengths of coaxial cable, you will probably find poor signal strength on some stations that are 40+ miles away.

If you insist on staying with the Radio Shack antenna, you can add a good preamplifier to help you solve your weak signal issue. You don't appear to have any very srong local signals where you are, so I would suggest getting a Channel Master Titan 7777 preamplifier to add to your antenna system. Also remember that several of the stations that you may be looking for are not in the same direction as the Waco stations,so you may also want to consider using a rotator to find those other stations.

If you decide to get serious about looking for stations: forget the Radio Shack antenna, and get an AntennasDirect XG-91 UHF antenna and also a Winegard YA-1713 VHF high-band antenna, mount them on the same mast separated by about 4-5 feet, and combine the two antenna using the separate VHF and UHF inputs on the Channel Master Titan 7777 preamplifier, and add a Channel Master 9521a rotator. That combination will assure you of glitch-free reception for all of the stations in a 60 miles radious of your location.

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

[ableswh]

Thanks for the advice. I'm not stuck to on the Radio Shack antenna, it was just convenient.

How high does the antenna need to be mounted? Is 30 feet high enough? The current antenna is on a 30 foot extension pole. The actual antenna is about 5 feet above the peak roof line of a sheet metal roof.

I don't think I will need a rotator. I will be able to pick up all of the network stations at around 184 degrees +/- 2 degrees. The rest of your hardware recommendation sounds like a good plan.

Thanks,
WA

[tigerbangs]

30' of antenna height is just fine: more than that becomes a nightmare to keep upright when windstorms hit. You don't HAVE to use a rotator, but you will be giving up 4 or 5 stations that are otherwise available to you if you don't use one...

[tvreception]

You didn't say which channels were causing problems. Is it by any chance 6.1 and 10.1, or is it all of them. You do need a pre-amp.


Steve
http://tvreception.net