I setup my terk hdtvo antenna yesterday along with the samsung dbt-h260f receiver. The only channels im getting are wfmz(69.1,.2, and .3) and cbs(22.1). I want Fox and NBC mainly and 22.1 is the same angle and distance so why would i get it and not the other two? The signal quality on 22.1 is only like 2-3 bars. There are also trees in the direction im pointed, any help would be great. 18052 is the zipcode for antennaweb.

Problem one is you are using a Terk antenna, they are for the most part overpriced garbage.

You are trying to pick up a number of long range UHF and VHF stations, get yourself a traditional UHF/VHF antenna mounted on the roof to start with. Check the local reception forum for a thread for your viewing area to see what others are using around you.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=45

Hmm alright thanks for the input, guess ill return this thing then. I saw people picking up wilksbarre/scranton stations such as fox and nbc but on antenna web it doesnt show them.

any antenna you would recommend i can pick up locally? thanks.

I setup my terk hdtvo antenna yesterday along with the samsung dbt-h260f receiver. The only channels im getting are wfmz(69.1,.2, and .3) and cbs(22.1). I want Fox and NBC mainly and 22.1 is the same angle and distance so why would i get it and not the other two? The signal quality on 22.1 is only like 2-3 bars. There are also trees in the direction im pointed, any help would be great. 18052 is the zipcode for antennaweb.
Your situation is complicated which may be why you are not getting many responses. You have stations in different directions which either requires a antenna setup which is not directional or a directional antenna with a rotator. The Terk HDTVo is not suitable for your location.

First, even plugging in 500' for antenna height under options for your zip code at antennaweb does not show a Fox digital station. I have to go to 600'. You are in hilly country and a zip code alone is not precise enough to get a good read on what stations you can get. Other than the WTXF-DT Fox station in Philly, the only other one I see on the analog list is WOLF-TV 56 which is broadcasting digitally on UHF 45. It may be that antennaweb's database lists the station still at low STA powerm while it is really at 420 kW (http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?call=WOLF-TV). Which Fox station are you trying to get?

Plugging in 600' for your zip code into antennaweb gets the following digital stations which I resorted and broke into two parts. Don't panic because antennaweb is conservative on digital reception, so plugging in 75' or 150' is often used to get a list of the stations that people actually get with a rooftop or attic mounted antenna. But unless you live at a high elevation in your zip code, you may be unable to get some of the stations below.

* yellow - uhf WTVE-DT 51.1 IND READING PA 218° 24.9 25
* yellow - uhf WFMZ-DT 69.1 IND ALLENTOWN PA 167° 6.4 46
* yellow - uhf WLVT-DT 39.3 PBS ALLENTOWN PA 166° 6.4 62
* yellow - vhf WBPH-DT 59.1 FMN BETHLEHEM PA 166° 6.4 9
* violet - uhf WOLF-DT 56.1 FOX HAZLETON PA 344° 41.9 45
* blue - vhf WYOU-DT 22.1 CBS SCRANTON PA 344° 41.9 13
* blue - vhf WBRE-DT 28.1 NBC WILKES-BARRE PA 344° 41.9 11

There is a WNEP-DT ABC 16 station in Scranton broadcasting on UHF 49 at 100 kW that antennaweb is not showing. The following at the Philly stations 44 miles to the south. Do you get any of the Phily stations in analog at all?

* red - uhf WPSG-DT 57.1 CW PHILADELPHIA PA 174° 44.0 32
* blue - uhf KYW-DT 3.1 CBS PHILADELPHIA PA 174° 43.9 26
* blue - uhf WYBE-DT 34.1 PBS PHILADELPHIA PA 174° 44.0 34
* violet - uhf WPHL-DT 17.1 MNT PHILADELPHIA PA 174° 44.0 54
* violet - uhf WPVI-DT 6.1 ABC PHILADELPHIA PA 174° 43.9 64
* violet - uhf WPPX-DT 61.1 ION WILMINGTON DE 174° 44.0 31
* violet - uhf WTXF-DT 29.1 FOX PHILADELPHIA PA 174° 42.8 42

The bottom line is all of the digital stations in your area are currently on upper VHF or UHF. The major network stations are 40 miles away. You need to go to a rooftop antenna and get a good one, not an overpriced Terk. I see two routes. One is the Channel master 4228 8 Bay bowtie which will require a sturdy mount as it is heavy and has a wind load issue. It is an excellent UHF antenna which can also get upper VHF 7 to 13. The other route is a conventional medium to long range VHF/UHF antenna such as one of the Winegard HD78xxP series (http://www.winegard.com/offair/vhfuhf.htm) or an equivalent type from Channel Master. You will need a rotator with any of these, even if just to tweak the aim as the season and tree foliage change.

A followup question: where do you have the Terk HDTVo mounted? Outside?

Also, there is a Philadelphia OTA thread which might be useful to you: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=11445907. There is also a Wilkes-Barre, Scanton thread, but it is not very active: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=11388294.

Hey, thanks for that respond, very informative. I just picked up an antenna at radio shack to try out. Im now running at 174* and i'm now picking up 17.1 but im still not picking up fox any reason you think? Thanks again. Also i have them mounted on my roof.

Hey, thanks for that respond, very informative. I just picked up an antenna at radio shack to try out. Im now running at 174* and i'm now picking up 17.1 but im still not picking up fox any reason you think? Thanks again. Also i have them mounted on my roof.
Which Radio Shack antenna did you get? Also, are you using RG-6 cable for the co-axial cable run? I suggest you aim the antenna north at 344 degrees magnetic.

A pre-amp should help, but you have stations only 6 miles away, so they may overload the ATSC tuner if you get too strong a pre-amp. Don't waste money on the amps at Radio Shack, BTW. Maybe a Winegard HDP-269 which is a 12 dB pre-amp.

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2348191&cp=2032057.2032187.2032189.2032205&fbn=Type%2FHDTV&f=PAD%2FProduct+Type%2FHDTV&fbc=1&parentPage=family (http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2348191&cp=2032057.2032187.2032189.2032205&fbn=Type%2FHDTV&f=PAD%2FProduct+Type%2FHDTV&fbc=1&parentPage=family)


thats the antenna i bought to try out. so you suggest i try 344* instead of 174*? the cable im using is the same stuff that runs to telephone polls.

thats the antenna i bought to try out. so you suggest i try 344* instead of 174*? the cable im using is the same stuff that runs to telephone polls.
You need to get a real antenna, not a Terk or a overpriced Radio Shack antenna designed for use in the suburbs or cities. You need a medium to long range antenna setup. Check http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ISSUES/erecting_antenna.html for antenna info and basics.

There are different types of co-axial cables, RG-59 and RG-6 being the most common. RG-59 is thinner and has higher loss, especially for UHF channels, than RG-6. (See the cable chart under the antenna basics link at HDTVPrimer). RG-6 is the recommended type to use for OTA antennas. Check the cable, the type should be written on the cable.

Since you have the Radio Shack, aim it at 344 degrees to see if you can get any stations. If you want to buy locally, you could get a Radio Shack VHF/UHF antenna such as the VU-90XR. BTW, Lowes usually stocks Philips antennas. But the Radio Shacks are not considered as well made as the Winegards, Channel Masters, or AntennasDirect. One possibility for a roof mount would be the AntennasDirect 91-XG combined with a VHF or upper VHF antenna. However, if you get the Philadelphia stations, WPVI-DT ABC 6 will be switching it's digital signal to low VHF 6 in February, 2009 so a proper full VHF antenna will be necessary to get that station then at 40+ miles over hilly terrain.

Check the on-line prices at solidsignal.com or warrenelectronics.com.

well i boxed up both antennas for return, thats the last time i try the "pretty" ones lol. So you think the VU-90XR can pick up the HD channels i need relatively easy?

I really need this to work lol. Im thinking of getting the CM 4228, do i also need a preamp?
http://www.tvfool.com/modeling/tmp/cb7b53d378/getdigital.php
If you open this, it will show you the data i collected from tvfool. What do you think of an antenna setup?