I had a CM 4228 installed with a CM 7777 Pre-amp. During the antenna's move to the roof (previously it was leaning against the house), the antenna lost two NBC channels, WPTZ and WNNE. The antenna is pointed at WPTZ (65 miles away) because this is where ABC/CBS/Fox/PBS are. But there is another NBC 19 miles away, WNNE.
Right now, WNNE has a signal strength of about 60% on my D*H20-600, as well as my Sammy TV. It locks but drops out every 20 or 30 seconds (The analog is very ghosty because the antenna is not pointed at it). WPTZ is around 40% and a pixelated mess. Each of these are broadcasting on UHF channels (WNNE-25, WPTZ-14).
I am not the biggest fan of heights so I do not really feel like climbing up on a ladder and playing with the antenna. However, from the antenna, RG-6 goes into the basement where it goes through a grounding block and then goes through the house's internal wiring, comes out at a wall plate, goes through 3 feet of cable to the pre-amp power supply, and then one foot of cable to the TV. Would moving the pre-amp to the basement help reception, or would an in-line amp be the solution? Any help on the issue would be greatly appreciated :)

I think something's missing. I hear where the pre-amp's power supply is, but where's the amp itself?

Most pre-amps have 2 parts. One is the power inserter (power supply) which usually looks like a splitter and is hooked up to electricity. Yours sounds like it's in the right spot. The other part is the amp itself, which should go up near the antenna itself.

Grab a pair of pliers and tighten your coax connections. My preamp didn't work at all until I did so, and tightening the rest of the connections gave me a little boost too

I think something's missing. I hear where the pre-amp's power supply is, but where's the amp itself?

Most pre-amps have 2 parts. One is the power inserter (power supply) which usually looks like a splitter and is hooked up to electricity. Yours sounds like it's in the right spot. The other part is the amp itself, which should go up near the antenna itself.

Grab a pair of pliers and tighten your coax connections. My preamp didn't work at all until I did so, and tightening the rest of the connections gave me a little boost too

The amp is on the antenna after about 5 feet of coax, I will tighten everything up though, thanks.

Didn't work, has anyone had success with an in-line amp in addition to a pre-amp?

wait, you've got a grounding block in there too....

Which diagram is correct?

1:
<ANT> ----- <PreAmp> ---- <Ground> ---------- <Amp's Power> --- <TV>

2:
<ANT> ---- <Ground> ----- <PreAmp> -----------<Amp's Power> --- <TV>

If the Ground is between the Preamp and the Power, you might be feeding all the amp's power down into the ground. Try swapping?

wait, you've got a grounding block in there too....

Which diagram is correct?

1:
<ANT> ----- <PreAmp> ---- <Ground> ---------- <Amp's Power> --- <TV>

2:
<ANT> ---- <Ground> ----- <PreAmp> -----------<Amp's Power> --- <TV>

If the Ground is between the Preamp and the Power, you might be feeding all the amp's power down into the ground. Try swapping?

1 is correct, the pre-amp is up on the roof however. I'll try bypassing the ground and see how that affects my signal strength.

I had a CM 4228 installed with a CM 7777 Pre-amp. During the antenna's move to the roof (previously it was leaning against the house), the antenna lost two NBC channels, WPTZ and WNNE. The antenna is pointed at WPTZ (65 miles away) because this is where ABC/CBS/Fox/PBS are. But there is another NBC 19 miles away, WNNE.
Right now, WNNE has a signal strength of about 60% on my D*H20-600, as well as my Sammy TV. It locks but drops out every 20 or 30 seconds (The analog is very ghosty because the antenna is not pointed at it). WPTZ is around 40% and a pixelated mess. Each of these are broadcasting on UHF channels (WNNE-25, WPTZ-14).
I am not the biggest fan of heights so I do not really feel like climbing up on a ladder and playing with the antenna. However, from the antenna, RG-6 goes into the basement where it goes through a grounding block and then goes through the house's internal wiring, comes out at a wall plate, goes through 3 feet of cable to the pre-amp power supply, and then one foot of cable to the TV. Would moving the pre-amp to the basement help reception, or would an in-line amp be the solution? Any help on the issue would be greatly appreciated :)


Look like you need to find a better sweet spot on the roof, move the antenna around. With WNNE you may have overload siginal with the 4228 and 7777 with that being 19 miles away.

Your best shot is to post your zip code and few more info about your set up.

1. How long is cable from your antenna to the preamp power supply?
2. How is your antenna mounted ? Is there a rotor mounted?
3. Is your house single or two story high?
4. Is there tall building or trees near by ?

There few good member would give you a better help when you post the above questions.


-Willie

I had a CM 4228 installed with a CM 7777 Pre-amp. During the antenna's move to the roof (previously it was leaning against the house), the antenna lost two NBC channels, WPTZ and WNNE.


Three thoughts.

The 4228 is very poor on channel 14, WPTZ's assignment. See graph A on the first plot here:
http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/comparing.html
Note that the PR-8800 is a better choice for channel 14.

In some cases in hilly areas the antenna can interact with the ground such the main beam is streed up toward a nearby hill. That can significantly improve the performance of the antenna. Depending on the terrain, you may have been better off with the lower antenna.

The higher antenna may have received WNNE, WNNE-DT, & VT ETV from Mt. Ascutney strong enough to overload the 7777 preamp.

The cm7777 is most likely overloading your setup. high 60's signal strength on the close stations is the tell tale sign of overload.

I would like to plug in some figures into a simulation calculator and tell for sure.

need the following info.
-uhf channel in question, city, state call sign
-distance from your home to the tower. enter your exact address at antennaweb and share the mileage.
-System Loss - Cable length between Antenna and Preamp
-Downlead Loss - length of coax from preamp to HDTV, including description of splitter setup
-Additional loss in excess of Line-of-Sight, due to terrain/hills, trees, etc.

the "ground" has nothing to do with it.