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Palm Bay Florida Attic Antenna

post #1 of 27
1/4/13 at 9:59am
Thread Starter 
Looking to see what type of antenna I would need. I am in Palm Bay Florida.

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3dc84f5c233bd352

Thanks.
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post #2 of 27
1/5/13 at 5:51am
Nice thing about Florida is that it's relatively flat with few obstructions. You're a bit of a hike from Orlando, but there's not a lot in your way. So, assuming you're going with a roof antenna and you're at least as high as everyone else in your subdivision, then you'll need at LEAST a medium-range UHF H-Vhf combo. You have one VHF network affiliate in Orlando to contend with. Combine this with a pre-amp and it should do the trick. Keep receipts in case it's not enough.

Now, if you want to pull in stations from the opposite direction, as well, you'll need to hang more aluminum and throw a rotor into the mix.

I'd guess there are other homes near yours with rooftop antennas you could look at for a reference.
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post #3 of 27
1/5/13 at 5:57am
Thread Starter 
Well I would rather go overkill than to get the "at least" option, also wouldn't mind something a bit more pleasing to the eye smile.gif I was hoping for a attic mount however I realized I was a bit far away from Orlando like you said, so a roof mount is fine.
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post #4 of 27
1/5/13 at 7:48am
Attics can be nightmares. Roof construction, shingle construction ..not to mention your antenna is now at the level of all the other attics. Can cut down on received signal and introduce a lot of multipath. Then there are Florida's notorious storms to deal with. I'd go up if you can. At your distance, I'm afraid the only way to keep it "pretty" is to stick with cable.
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post #5 of 27
1/5/13 at 8:35am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by DrDon View Post

Attics can be nightmares. Roof construction, shingle construction ..not to mention your antenna is now at the level of all the other attics. Can cut down on received signal and introduce a lot of multipath. Then there are Florida's notorious storms to deal with. I'd go up if you can. At your distance, I'm afraid the only way to keep it "pretty" is to stick with cable.

Going back to cable is not an option!!!! tongue.gif but more seriously It doesn't need to be ultra posh in design, just maybe a little more streamlined? Even the Channel Master 4228HD looks good to me. I don't mind spending a bit more money to have a better antenna although under $300 would be nice. Like I said I don't want to get something that just might cut it, I would rather invest in more/better equipment on the front end. As for the attic mount I got that out of my mind quickly, to the roof it is!
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post #6 of 27
1/5/13 at 8:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kaeon View Post

..... Like I said I don't want to get something that just might cut it, I would rather invest in more/better equipment on the front end. As for the attic mount I got that out of my mind quickly, to the roof it is!

Just remember to keep in mind that antennas and RF are always a "smoke & mirrors" thing. Spending more often doesn't guarantee better results. It's just finding what will work best in your particular situation. As was suggested, look at what others in your neighborhood are using... and then try to confirm with them that what they have actually works for them.
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post #7 of 27
1/5/13 at 9:49am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kaeon View Post

Even the Channel Master 4228HD looks good to me.
Which is fine if you can live without NBC. WESH-DT is VHF.
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post #8 of 27
1/5/13 at 11:40am
Thread Starter 
For sure want NBC I was mainly speaking of its form factor
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post #9 of 27
1/5/13 at 12:07pm
I live in Melbourne and NBC is the bane of all antenna users here. You will have to experiment with the antenna, moving it to different sides of the house and scanning often. If you can, pick a crappy day like it was yesterday as nice sunny days can be very misleading as far as what you can pick up. Depending where you are you might be able to pick up NBC from Vero/Indian River county.
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post #10 of 27
1/5/13 at 12:53pm
What VHF channel is the NBC station on? My CM4228 works perfectly with my PBS station on VHF-11. For a time after the analog cutoff my Fox station was broadcasting on VHF-8 (their original analog frequency). The CM4228 worked quite well with that also, except I did get interference from lightning during thunderstorms. My 4228 is attic mounted, and the transmitters are about 40 miles away. Much of the distance is over Lake Pontchartrain.
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post #11 of 27
1/5/13 at 1:17pm
WESH-TV is on 11, as well. But it's ten miles farther away, none over significant water and the station transmits with only 2/3rds the power or WYES. A lot of VHF signals will find their way down a UHF antenna if they're strong enough. Kinda doubt his is, but he can always try.
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post #12 of 27
1/5/13 at 2:28pm
Thread Starter 
So which way am I going, is the 7695P my personal best bet? or is there something better?
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post #13 of 27
1/6/13 at 5:39am
Well, you'd have to define "better." I think we're giving you the minimum necessary to receive Orlando stations. Were it me, I'd go larger with a rotor in hopes of getting signals from both directions. But then, I'm kind of a geek. I have a 35-element UHF yagi mounted on a pole with an 10-element VHF-hi situated underneath. Toledo affiliates often carry different teams than the Detroit stations. Detroit stations often pre-empt network programming to run local fare. I rather like having the option of 2 or 3 affiliates for each network, a habit I first started back when affiliates would often fail to "switch on" the HD feed. I'll admit, I haven't fired up the rotor in months, but it's there if I need it.
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post #14 of 27
1/6/13 at 5:53am
Thread Starter 
Right, I don't want "minimum" if I have to go larger for better signal strength, reception, reliability, quality, etc etc. The that's what I want to do.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DrDon View Post

Well, you'd have to define "better." I think we're giving you the minimum necessary to receive Orlando stations. Were it me, I'd go larger with a rotor in hopes of getting signals from both directions. But then, I'm kind of a geek. I have a 35-element UHF yagi mounted on a pole with an 10-element VHF-hi situated underneath. Toledo affiliates often carry different teams than the Detroit stations. Detroit stations often pre-empt network programming to run local fare. I rather like having the option of 2 or 3 affiliates for each network, a habit I first started back when affiliates would often fail to "switch on" the HD feed. I'll admit, I haven't fired up the rotor in months, but it's there if I need it.
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post #15 of 27
1/6/13 at 9:51am
I would go larger. Sadly Orlando is the only city you'll be able to pick up the big four from unless you live very south in Palm Bay and even then it's iffy. Before digital you could pick up Tampa but that's not the case anymore.
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post #16 of 27
1/7/13 at 2:15pm
Thread Starter 
something like this large enough? http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.asp?mc=03&p=HD7698P&d=Winegard-HD-7698P-High-Definition-VHFUHF-HD769-Series-TV-Antenna-%28HD7698P%29&c=TV%20Antennas&sku=
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post #17 of 27
1/7/13 at 2:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kaeon View Post

something like this large enough? http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.asp?mc=03&p=HD7698P&d=Winegard-HD-7698P-High-Definition-VHFUHF-HD769-Series-TV-Antenna-%28HD7698P%29&c=TV%20Antennas&sku=

You aren't going to get anything bigger. You do realize that rascal is 14 feet long and about 3 feet wide at the back, don't you?

Heck, even something as small as a roof-mounted C2V facing Bithlo should work given that TVFool plot if you have a good LOS back in that direction.
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post #18 of 27
1/7/13 at 3:00pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by ProjectSHO89 View Post

You aren't going to get anything bigger. You do realize that rascal is 14 feet long and about 3 feet wide at the back, don't you?
Heck, even something as small as a roof-mounted C2V facing Bithlo should work given that TVFool plot if you have a good LOS back in that direction.

I did not realize that at all, should of looked at the size, I'm a idiot.
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post #19 of 27
1/7/13 at 3:09pm
Thread Starter 
BTW that C2V sure is pretty smile.gif If that would work I am sold.
Edited by Kaeon - 1/7/13 at 3:17pm
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post #20 of 27
1/8/13 at 2:00pm
Thread Starter 
DrDon, any thoughts on the C2V?
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post #21 of 27
1/8/13 at 4:35pm
The C2V probably won't work for you. It's a UHF only antenna, and one of your channels is on VHF 11. Based on Nayan's comments above, I wouldn't expect a small "gimmicky" antenna would work very well in your situation. I have no experience with the C2V, but other odd looking antennas that I have had experience with just never seem to cut the mustard . . .
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post #22 of 27
1/9/13 at 3:12am
Quote:
Originally Posted by WS65711 View Post

The C2V probably won't work for you. It's a UHF only antenna, and one of your channels is on VHF 11. Based on Nayan's comments above, I wouldn't expect a small "gimmicky" antenna would work very well in your situation. I have no experience with the C2V, but other odd looking antennas that I have had experience with just never seem to cut the mustard . . .

Your information is incorrect and is based on the C2, not the C2V. I've used the C2V out in central Missouri with much weaker signals and found that it's very effective for it's compact size. On UHF, it's the same as the original C2. It does add the bidirectional high-VHF dipole with should offer about unity gain on high VHF. With a calculated noise margin of 30 dB, it should work fine for WESH.

To lump it in with the "gimmick" antennas isn't justified.
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post #23 of 27
1/9/13 at 10:36am
The formal datasheet for the C2V is posted on our website at http://www.antennasdirect.com/cmss_files/attachmentlibrary/Technical%20Data%20PDF%27s/C2%2BVHF-TDS.pdf It includes computed gain curves, reception patterns (polar plots) and both computed and measured VSWR performance data.

As I personally did the field evaluation of the VHF-capable variation of the C2 almost two years ago, i can assure you it isn't a gimmick. It's a well-engineered high-VHF dipole on the back of the C2, making it a C2V model in our lineup. The newest version of the C2V (black dipoles) has integrated the diplexer circuitry into the loop housing giving it a much cleaner look than the original C2V from summer of 2011 had.

Sure, it's not for everyone, but it has become the single antenna model that our customer service/technical support department recommends to customers. Return rates, the best measure of an antenna's success (or lack thereof), are quite low.
Edited by ADTech - 1/9/13 at 10:45am
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post #24 of 27
1/9/13 at 4:46pm
Thread Starter 
You should send me out one so I can do a writeup and review smile.gif
Quote:
Originally Posted by ADTech View Post

The formal datasheet for the C2V is posted on our website at http://www.antennasdirect.com/cmss_files/attachmentlibrary/Technical%20Data%20PDF%27s/C2%2BVHF-TDS.pdf It includes computed gain curves, reception patterns (polar plots) and both computed and measured VSWR performance data.

As I personally did the field evaluation of the VHF-capable variation of the C2 almost two years ago, i can assure you it isn't a gimmick. It's a well-engineered high-VHF dipole on the back of the C2, making it a C2V model in our lineup. The newest version of the C2V (black dipoles) has integrated the diplexer circuitry into the loop housing giving it a much cleaner look than the original C2V from summer of 2011 had.

Sure, it's not for everyone, but it has become the single antenna model that our customer service/technical support department recommends to customers. Return rates, the best measure of an antenna's success (or lack thereof), are quite low.
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post #25 of 27
1/16/13 at 5:46pm
Thread Starter 
I am going to give the C2V a try, I hope it works. I will post my findings here.
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post #26 of 27
3/2/13 at 1:59pm
Thread Starter 
Alright so I scored a CV2 at BJ's wholesale for $59.99 I have it mounted to my roof about a foot higher than my gutters, I am getting FOX & CW perfectly clear which are farther away, however my CBS is spotty and will go out. Any ideas?
Edited by Kaeon - 3/2/13 at 2:06pm
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post #27 of 27
3/2/13 at 7:56pm
Move the antenna couple of feet and try again, it's probably in a 'dead' spot for that particular channel.
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