I'm looking at getting an HDTV and getting OTA reception on the South Side of Indianapolis.

I have 2 large Oak Trees in the back yard. In the summer with leaves on them, they will block the antenna on the chimney (where I plan to put the antenna) while looking directly north to where most of the stations broadcast from.

Do any of you have experience with this type of situation? Can you let me know what to expect, things I can do to help if there are issues?

Many thanks

I have a similar situation. I get a good signal unless it's windy. It's very frustrating at times. Now that the trees are bare it's pretty consistent.

One odd thing that I have here is when I am watching CBS OTA the picture freezes and pixilates whenever a car goes by. Thankfully I'm on a residential street with low traffic.

Thanks. Funny you mention that, I have a reasonably busy street 30 yards behind the trees......

I'm looking at getting an HDTV and getting OTA reception on the South Side of Indianapolis.

I have 2 large Oak Trees in the back yard. In the summer with leaves on them, they will block the antenna on the chimney (where I plan to put the antenna) while looking directly north to where most of the stations broadcast from.

Do any of you have experience with this type of situation? Can you let me know what to expect, things I can do to help if there are issues?
Depends on a lot of factors. How strong the signal is from stations, how the trees interact with the specific signal path for each station, whether any of the stations are on upper UHF as the shorter wavelengths are more prone to interference from leaves. Also having a 5th generation or later ATSC tuner helps as they have gotten better at handling multi-path. May work fine with the right antenna and tuner. Your zip code would be useful in providing some insight into how far you are from the broadcast towers and what channels they are on.

If it were my trees, I'd cut them down, but it's my neighbor's.
OK when the wind is calm, a LOT of multipath when it is windy and trees moving, especially if they are wet.

My zip is 46142, most of the stations are about 18 miles away to the North I think.

I'd cut them down....they're nothing but hassle for me. The Mrs has vetoed it though!

My zip is 46142, most of the stations are about 18 miles away to the North I think.

I'd cut them down....they're nothing but hassle for me. The Mrs has vetoed it though!

A bigger antenna (like a CM 4228) should handle this. Without a pre-amp, my 4228 is effective for receiving the stronger channels at 40 mi.

Also, the cable running from the Antenna to the TV will be approximately 60-70 feet. Is this distance OK? It'll be running outside for 10 feet, then in through 2 different attics then into the living room. Any suggestions on cable type for that?

thanks

Also, the cable running from the Antenna to the TV will be approximately 60-70 feet. Is this distance OK? It'll be running outside for 10 feet, then in through 2 different attics then into the living room. Any suggestions on cable type for that?


Quad shielded RG-6 should be sufficient for this purpose.

The TV Fool plot for your ZIP code shows that the stations are strong, in the -45dBm to -65dBm range towards the North. At ~18-20 miles and at these power levels a CM4221 may be enough to get the job done, even with WISH on VHF 9.

If multi-path ends up being a problem, a more directional antenna, such as an Antennas Direct 91XG may be needed, but that isn't likely to work for WISH-DT and any other stations that go back to VHF in '09.

The CM4228 is an excellent antenna and may be the best compromise, although it tends to be less directional than the 91XG, which could still cause problems with leaves.

You are too close for most pre-amps to work, so those should probably be avoided for now, but a distribution amp could be considered if you have a long cable run once it gets into the house.

Also, the cable running from the Antenna to the TV will be approximately 60-70 feet. Is this distance OK? It'll be running outside for 10 feet, then in through 2 different attics then into the living room. Any suggestions on cable type for that?

thanks

At 18-20 mi from the stations and one of the antennas mentioned (CM4221 or 4228), I don't think you're going to have a problem with that length of cable run.

Ross

Thanks Guys, much appreciated!

Update.

I bypassed doing the work for now and got a Terk HDTVa antenna. Works very well...but there are no leaves on the trees out there at the mo, so we'll see what happens come spring time!

How much rain do you get in your area? Trees by themselves aren't as much of an issue (though windy days can cause issues) - it's when the leaves are wet that you get the most problems.

Any chance of raising the antenna up a bit higher over the roofline to avoid the trees a bit more?

Well I live in Indy....not that wet really, but there are plenty of storms of course.

Govnor,
Three suggestions:

1) try an in-line amplifier first. If that doesn't work, then
2) try raising the antenna height. If that doesn't work, then
3) Try a different hi-gain directional antenna.

Generally, the better the line-of-site between your antenna and the xmtrs, the better. The higher the better, and outside is better.