The Official AVS Antenna and Related Hardware Topic! - Page 444

Looks interesting, manual for it here :
http://winegard.com/kbase/upload/2451096.pdf

Of course when stacking two CM4221HDs or other 4 bay bowties, you cant go by Winegards suggested spacing of 1/2 wavelength.

If you have room for a 91XG, that would be my suggestion. I've tried the 8800, and the original 4228 in both metropolitan & fringe environments & the 91XG worked best each time on all the UHF channels.

In a strong signal environment this weak RF 21 is received quite often to my surprise. (No preamp)

In a fringe environment, this RF21 is received quite well along with channels 16, 19, & 22 through 27. (with a Winegard 4800 preamp)

Here is a pic of my Winegard HD 8800 if it helps... I think this antenna is definitely one of the best if not the best available. I also filled the gap in the rear screen to give me some VHF power. I get WCTI 12 at 99% 25 miles out, and WNCT 10 at 41 miles 96%. I do have to aim toward the towers with it to get these readings. With it pointed towards the opposite direction, signal drops way down. I get lots of channels 62 miles constantly and some over 150 miles at night regularly.

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...cef3f89d9a9d25

Some friends recently installed a 4228HD + 7777. Aimed about 38°, they get all the chs in the list below, except 20, 47 & 48. Without a rotor.

Hey guys. New guy here, though I've done a bunch of reading. I'm out in the sticks and trying to ditch pay TV. I'm part of the way there, and looking for some input on what to do next.

First off, here is my TV Fool -www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3dcef3f4b76ab65e (copy and paste - the spam filter won't let me post a link yet.)

I've got a Winegard HD8200 mounted in my attic and aimed at 235*, towards the Atlanta broadcasts. With that, I'm picking up a decent amount, but would like to do better. As it is, a couple of stations that I would like are marginal (5.1, 17.1, 36.1, 2.1) with signals that take a few seconds to lock on and still go in and out occasionally.

I think it would be worthwhile to add a preamp, but I'm not positive. I'm looking at the CM7777, as well as the WG8700 and 8275. I don't want to overboost the signal, though I suspect I'm far enough out that this isn't a concern. One thing that could play a role is that I do have a couple of channels that are stronger than the Atlanta ones, about 45* in either direction. I'm concerned with overboosting those. Being 45* off center, perhaps it's not a concern.

I don't know whether it matters, but just in case, I would like to split this feed 4 ways if I can.

While outside is a possibility, I'd really rather avoid it. Especially after assembling this monster antenna in my attic. Also, I do have some relatively thick woods probably 75 - 100' away from the antenna, in the direction it is pointing.

Well, inside in an attic you lose about 6 - 25+ db over it being high up outdoors. No other antenna will make up for those kind of losses, so if you want the best reception, outdoors is the way to go.


Yeah, I think youre fine with a CM7777 and a four way splitter after the preamp. Aim towards the weakest channel you want to get.

What 300ohm said. And overload is not a concern in your case with the 7777, because your strong stations are off-axis from the others.

Your antenna is fine. But for the stations used in your area, a not so wide high VHF+UHF antenna would have been a better choice and easier to deal with in the attic. Something like a Winegard 769 series.

7698 - Same length as your antenna, but much narrower:


.

8200

Outside nearly always works better than an attic install. In some cases, it can make a huge difference in reception if certain building materials were used in the home construction or if there is HVAC equipment/ductwork in the attic.

I went with the 8200 over the 7698 because it sported the same UHF specs, and longer VHF specs (100 miles vs. 70). That said, I recognize that these are mostly marketing generated numbers. The 8200 was a bear to deal with in the attic, but fortunately I had enough open space to get it aimed where I needed it, and mounting is via 3 pieces of string tied to nails in the rafters.

The house construction is pretty typical - 2x6 rafters with OSB sheathing, and asphalt shingles.

You mention HVAC - the antenna is hanging right over the air handler. There is probably a 2-3 foot gap between them, but they are in the same footprint.

The gain specs for the two antennas for channels being used in your area are identical. "Mileage" claims are not a good guide.


Reliable reception at 100 miles does occur, but rarely and usually only over very flat land with transmitter towers at an extremely high altitude. Or over water.

HVAC equipment that close to the antenna could cause problems, but impossible to predict.

Now thats just plain odd, and would lead me to suspect the numbers. Maybe someone in their marketing dept got lazy and re-used the same figures, heh.

Its highly unlikely that 2 different antennas would have EXACTLY the same gains over channels 7 to 69.

And exactly the same beamwidth.

It's not odd at all since the only difference between an 8200 and a 7698 is the additional low-VHF elements on the 8200.

The high-VHF and UHF sections are common to both models.

??? Take a look at the above pictures.

I am beyond mad.. I recently got a new antenna (91XG) to get KDKA.. It has worked fine for weeks.. Now it is all jacked up and I don't understand why.. It is a beautiful day here, 68*, sunny, barely any wind.. I went out and looked at my antenna and it's not moving at all.. What the hell can be causing this and what can I do to fix it? All I care about is KDKA as I need to watch the Steelers games!

How can I watch a full game with no issues one day, and then have it skip all over the place the entire game another time?

Signal strength: 62-70
Errors: Tons
SNR (db): around 20
AGC (%): around 60

I am beginning research to drop cable and go OTA. I live in the Dallas, Texas area (zip 75028). My house has a spray applied radient barrier on the underside of the roof deck. Am I understanding correctly that I cannot use an in-attic installation?

Second - if I am forced to use an outdoor mount am I being too silly in worrying about lightning?

An attic installation is preferrable to me because our home owner association rules will limit the height of an outdoor mast to something that can't be seen by any neighbors.

Any help and input would be greatly appreciated.

The atmosphere is experiencing a bit of enhancement this weekend in parts of the northeast which can actually harm normally reliable stations. You may want to experiment with the height/aim of your antenna to maximize KDKA which may help improve reliability during times of unfavorable conditions. This is usually best done during more normal reception conditions.

I already have it directly aimed at their tower and it's as high as I'm safe with putting it on my roof.. Any other ideas?

Thanks

Higher is not always better. I would experiment with lowering in 6 inch increments if you can't go any higher. I recently lowered mine 2 feet & reception is better than ever.

Do you have the front of the antenna tilted up? I find a slight tilt helps improve reliability on marginal stations.

Did you aim with a compass? If you have trees, houses or hills in the way, the best aim is not always directly at the towers. You may need to perform the tweaking using the signal stregnth/quality meter on the TV.

2 of my stations work best with the antenna aimed 20 degrees off axis due to local obstructions.

Check your fittings on the coax. If you did them yourself, maybe they have come loose or the silver hairs are making contact with the center conductor.

That would really knock the gain off from any antenna, so yes, mount the antenna outdoors as high up as you can.


As shown here under The NEC requirement :
http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/basics.html

If you use a grounding block for the coax, and ground the mast, youll be fine.

Thanks 300ohm

CM7777 installed and I've got all channels with a good signal except for 69, which takes a little while to lock on, but then seems mostly OK. I'm pretty excited that all of the Atlanta networks come in with good signal strength.

This was all tested with 3' coax in my attic with a TV that I drug up there. I still need to wire the house downstream of the CM7777. When I was a Fry's, there was RG6 and RG59. Which do I want. Also, I assume it would be better, and probably cheaper, to get a spool of wire and crimp the ends myself, so that I don't end up with unnecessary extra length. Is that a fair assumption? Any suggestions on wire, crimpers, etc.?

Possibly RF interference from a nearby source or a distant station riding in on the weather?

Definitely RG6. It has less signal loss.

Cutting the coax to correct lengths is better than getting coax with connectors already on it, but way too long, assuming you install the connectors correctly. A compression tool is better than a simple crimping tool or screw-on connectors, but there you should become familiar with using the compression tool first.

Agreeing with arxaw, RG6 is newer and has less loss. RG59 is old left over stock. I dont think even the Chinese are making RG-59 anymore (or at least not labeling it as such). If you look at RG-59 vs RG-6 youll see a thicker inner core of styrofoam.



Also seconding arxaw opinion, go with quality compression connectors. After a few test runs, its not really that hard to do a first rate job.

Not to scare you, but even with precautions, lightning can devastate electronic equipment if you have a hit close by. Ive had first hand experience with that more than once, heh.

But you pays your money and you takes your chances. Even a hit on a cable system is devastating, despite all of their knowledge to avoid.

I am looking to add a VHF-high Yagi to my UHF-only 9022. The Winegard 6713 will get me my locals, but I'd like the more powerful 1713 for DX season.
Since the 1713 is just a 6713 with double the boom length (adding directors), can the 1713 be used with the front boom portion removed? In other words, is it "convertable", and would it perform just like a 6713?
My thinking is that I could use the short version in winter (to reduce wind and snow issues) and the long one in summer (for DXing).

When I bought the 1713 it was only $35 at Amazon.

Check out the Winegard Y10-7-13, AntennaCraft Y10-7-13, or Fracarro BLV6F. I think this guy in the blog has used all three.

http://inglett.typepad.com/blog/