Guys,

I live in Crown Point, Indiana. Currently, I don't have an antenna on my roof and let DirecTV provide me with my local chanels (Chicago). I am building a new house and plan on getting an HD antenna to put on the roof.

My main purpose in getting an antenna is that I am hoping to get some Indiana stations. I would like to get something from South Bend if possible. I'm sure others are in my situation, but I live in Indiana, work in Chicago, get Chicago news, but all of my tax money goes to Indiana, so I'd like to at least know who is running in our election. Get what I mean.

Let me know if you think this is possible, and if so, what I would need.

Thanks!

Start by looking up the location of your new house in antennaweb.org and reporting the Digital Only results back.

If you could post the zip code for the new house, we can provide some help.

Sorry,

The zip code is

46307

Below is a trimmed down list showing just Indiana stations from www.antennaweb.org for your zipcode center:

Station - Channel - Network - Location - Bearing - Miles - Frequency Assignment
WYIN-DT 56.1 PBS GARY IN 212° 5.8 17
WPWR-DT 50.1 MNT GARY IN 337° 34.9 51
WJYS-DT 62.1 REL HAMMOND IN 338° 34.9 36
WNDU-DT 16.1 NBC SOUTH BEND IN 80° 59.9 42
WNIT-DT 34.1 PBS SOUTH BEND IN 80° 61.2 35
WSJV-DT 28.1 FOX ELKHART IN 80° 61.0 58
WSBT-DT 22.1 CBS SOUTH BEND IN 80° 59.8 30

Good news!...you've got an Indiana PBS station out your backdoor!!! That should give you some political information. :rolleyes: ...looks like the network stations are going to be long-haul down South Bend and Elkhart.

Getting on down to South Bend is a pretty good distance...but it's do'able, if circumstances and equipment are optimum. I'm not an expert, but there's guys here that are and that will help you out. Here are some things you might share with us...

If on a hill...which side of the hill, or on the very top?
If in a valley, which direction(s) open to the distant horizon?
Other buildings around/surrounding you?
Located in a cornfield?(wide open area?)
Any major natural obstacles (mountains?) between you and South Bend?

Looking back at the full list of stations it looks like the only local lo-VHF station that you have is WBBM-DT 2.1 CBS in Chicago. Going with a UHF-only antenna would negatively impact receiving this station...but a UHF-only antenna would be your best shot at getting the South Bend stations. If you succeed in getting the stations in South Bend, there is also a CBS affiliate there.

All of this also depends on what kind of power the stations that you're seeking are putting out...if it's low-power then the 60 mile trip will probably be a "no go". I'm currently pulling in a CBS affiliate that is 67 miles from me...with a CM4228, CM7777 pre-amp, height at only 16', and my house is in the line-of-sight between my antenna and the station ...but the station is putting out at a full-power of 1000kW and something is "working out" for me. :)

Here is a link to a message on the forum of guy giving his opinion on reaching South Bend from Chicago (he suggests an XG91)...this was back in '05 and primarily analog I think... LINK (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=5002148&&#post5002148)

Like I said, I'm no expert, others will chime in here that are much more experienced at this. Something like the XG91 + CM7775 + good receiver + good height + short coax runs + high station transmission powers - any obstacles = success .

Best wishes,
Ed

Thank you very much for your reply. My location in in a new subdivision that used to be a farm. It is completely flat with no hills or valleys on either side of me for at least a mile. The only thing I think that could be an obstacle is that Interstate 65 runs about a mile from my house North and South. I am on the West side of the interstate and South Bend is on the East. I don't know if this matters.

I would be more than willing to continue paying D-TV for my "local" Chicago Stations, but I would be elated if I could get at least one of the South Bend Network Stations.

I will look at the post you referenced, thank you again!

Thank you very much for your reply. My location in in a new subdivision that used to be a farm. It is completely flat with no hills or valleys on either side of me for at least a mile. The only thing I think that could be an obstacle is that Interstate 65 runs about a mile from my house North and South. I am on the West side of the interstate and South Bend is on the East. I don't know if this matters.

I would be more than willing to continue paying D-TV for my "local" Chicago Stations, but I would be elated if I could get at least one of the South Bend Network Stations.

I will look at the post you referenced, thank you again!
Man, you live just down the road from me! ...I'm less than 20 miles from I-65 myself! ...of course I'm in Alabama, too. :p

Looking back at your original message I see that you are considering getting a "HD" antenna....any antenna will pick up HD signals. There's really no one design that is better than another at picking up HD signals. An antenna that is better at picking up analog signals will be better at picking up digital signals. Conversely, an antenna that doesn't receive analog signals well will not receive digital signals well, either. A couple of things to be aware of, though, is that most digital stations are in the UHF uhf frequency band, though a few are found in the VHF band. The other thing to think about is that a premium UHF-only antenna will receive UHF signals better than a combo UHF/VHF antenna.

One thing occurred to me is that you didn't specifically state that you wanted to receive HD signals from South Bend. Analog signals travel much further than digital signals and most of the stations are putting out much higher power on analog. In February 2009 all stations will switch to digital and most will up there power output (I think). With the XG91 and a CM7775 I would think that analog stations in South Bend should be definitely do'able. You could watch the news/polictical programs on analog, turn the antenna and watch the HD primetime shows on the networks out of Chicago. ...oh, you need an antenna rotor, too ...with remote control. :)

Brief look at a rough estimate...

XG91 93.00
CM7775 65.00
Remote Rotor 70.00
Coax Cable 25.00
Mast/mount 30.00
~Total $283.00


I'm sure that I-65 will affect the signals somehow, but probably not enough to notice...we're not going to be able to move it so we'll deal with it. A 1000' mountain between you and South Bend might be a different story, though! :)

Best wishes,
Ed