Atlanta, GA - OTA - Page 5

All,

I am in Sandy Springs approx. 15 miles from the cluster of Atlanta HDTV towers, however I cannot receive FOX and NBC via the Winegard Square Shooter (w/pre-amp) antenna mounted to the side of my home. All other stations can be rec'd no problem. Even though I am fairly close to the towers, I live down below the crest (although by no means at the bottom) of a hill and I think that is causing the problem.

Bottom line: I need someone skilled in Antenna installation on the roof to come out and install my square shooter on the side of my chimney. This height will get me over the hill crest. I have a conduit inside the chimney chase that runs to my basement theater, so I have a clear shot for the RG-6. I just need an installer who'll get up on the roof and mount it. Will anyone who offers this service in the Atlanta area please contact me.

-Cole Clark

Ferret,

OT and just plain curious. If you live in L'ville why does you sig say The Swamps of Georgia? I'm from Savannah and know what a swamp is and we don't have them in Atlanta.

Its a joke. I went to UF, hence The Swamp, but my current habitat is in Georgia. So, The Swamps of Georgia. And I am actually up off of Exit 120 (exit to the left) of I-85. USPS says I live in Buford, but not really.

help with HD signals / antenna
Hello all -

Ok - Getting a bit frustrated with OTA signal strength, etc here where I live in Atlanta. I live in a third floor apartment (top floor) in brookhaven (Post Glen) and am trying to find that best solution to receive the major network HD broadcasts but without having to constantly move around the antenna whenever i change the channels. I currently have a jensen 920 indoor and I can pick up FOX fine, but the rest are very sketchy. I am using Samsung HD Directv as my receiver.

So - Anyone recommend best course of action? I would prefer to use indoor antenna, but if there is a small antenna that I could put on my balcony (Again though, balcony faces opposite of downton Atlanta though), that would be OK - Is there any indoor solution that would allow me to receive all major networks without having to move the antenna around constantly (maybe is someone lives in this area and has experience here?)

Thanks for your help in advance!

That 4228 is $52.95 at Dow, and a steal at that price.

I think you'll have good luck with it for sure.

So that's whats going on there!

Don't know if you'll ever be satisfied with an indoor unit, just too little to work with, especially as your in the UHF range for all but WXIA.

Your other major problem is you are so close in, that on one hand you need a highly directional antenna to cut down on the multipath distortion, yet on the other you need a rotator because you are so close to the towers. Not knowing the address I'd still guess that the towers are well apart as far as directional angle is concerned.

Using the zip 30326 I see the local stations from 163° all the way to 185°, thats a 21° difference. No directional antenna is going to pull that wide a range, especially that close in.

Might want to look at the Channel Master site and take a look at the 3010 Stealthtenna or the 3000 Smartenna. The Smartenna I'd suggest first, and is omni directional, small, and works decent 'in town'. I would set the STB to only pull digital stations in then go back and delete the ones you don't want.

Cole,

Call Cliff at Atlanta Antenna , he's been around this stuff for years and can probably get you just what you need. (Beats hanging off the chimney...)

Thanks alot - thats a big help. You are correct, as it looks like the towers are all around me from my address point (which is right off peachtree near brookhaven marta station) from antenna.org site.

I am very close to all the towers, (less than 10 miles), but they are all over the place. Is there anything similar to the channel master 3000 smartenna that would work indoors? Or could i simply place this antenna near a window indoors and would it work?

thanks again

Anyone know where to pick up a channel master 3000 smartenna in Atlanta at a decent price?

I apologize if this is in the wrong forum area?

thanks

Originally posted by TDaddy:

I just picked it up on my way to work this afternoon...

Guess what I'll be doing this weekend?

That is a decent price (I paid about $48 IIRC). Maybe i should get a Latino to come claim no top of my roof and see about installing the 4228 up there. My concern is the wind at times and having to re-adjust it etc.

I'm not too far from you, in a house off of Dresden. I have a Zenith Silver Sensor that works great for all the HDTV channels. In fact, it works much better than the StealthTenna that I have mounted in the attic. The SS is now in the attic as well, but it worked just fine sitting on top of the TV.

I'm out here in Winder, GA and the guy's from RS said I wouldn't have any luck getting OTA HD channels. But I am getting everything but 2.1. I am using a RCA antenna in the attic, with a Samsung 360 receiver.

yeah, everybody says that to cover their butts I suppose. Heck, I'm 65 miles away from most of the atlanta broadcasts but pulling in everything fine now. I knew we'd be ok (just moved here) cause we used to live 70 miles or so from the south carolina broadcasts and pulled those in a couple of years ago, so people in stores that say hdtv poops out at around 40 miles from the towers don't have very much experience.

Well, CBS has been crapping out on me all day today, so I have two options. I've already gotten a pretty good CM amplifier, to go between the Terk TV38 in our attic and our splitter. Signal strength on 19.1 is between 40's when it is nasty and 56-59 when it is good. We want to keep the antenna in the attic if we can. We can still return the TV38 to Circuit City and pick up a high end winegard or cm antenna from dow or somewhere and probably still come out ahead pricewise (the TV38 was 200 bucks - I'm assuming dow better prices). Anyone have any experience with the TV38 and how they compare to other big antennas?

Joel

Joel -

I just hooked up my CM4228 ($52.95 from Dow) quickly last night after work - put it on the kids' Crayola easel & pointed it out the first floor window.

I'm 25 miles from the farthest tower & I'm getting everything but 2.1 (WSB); 19.1 (WGCL) is spotty (about 60% strength), but I don't have a preamp & haven't moved the antenna to the second floor attic yet.

Don't think you'll have a problem with a less expensive antenna... good luck!

Tim, 19.1 is spotty for you? I'm watching the Alabama-Tennessee game ands it solid. Are there trees in your line of sight toward downtown?

Yeah, Ferret - it is. I was getting some dropouts in the signal; it never went higher than 66%. I don't have any trees in my immediate vicinity - maybe hundreds if not thousands of yards away...

Tonight I got the antenna in the attic and got WSB (watched "LOST" in HD & DD 5.1 - incredible!), WAGA (boo, Bosox!), WXIA, and WTBS, but lost WGCL, WUPN and WATL altogether. The last two don't really matter much to me unless the Thrashers ever play again...

Guess I'll have to adjust the antenna before the Jets-Patriots tomorrow@4pm!

I have around 5 of those some amplified. They are only suited for the perimeter and inside 285 in my experience.


Look up Dow Electronics in Duluth. They will sell to you for cash. 770-232-5300.

Try the Aska AM-125 25 db amp (under 10 bucks) first. Put the amp near the antenna.. (only if you need it)

Another antenna to try is Wineguards PR 4400 or 4800 for the double array. (Just go get one of these ) (under 30 bucks if you already have a mount)

You might ask about the channel 11 (NBC) antenna and the necessary combiner. They have been out of stock but should have them now. (If you need it, most of the time I don't)

Don't bother running a dedicated line to the receiver unless you have to after installing a Winegard which most likely wont be nescessary.

Take the Terk back & get one of the Winegards I listed and pocket well over 100 bucks.

I have yet to hear a positive review of anything Terk makes.

All right - frustration setting in...

Finally have the antenna in my attic. Getting WSB, WAGA, WXIA, WTBS, WUPA all at least 70 - 75% strength.

Cannot for the life of me get WGCL to come in today. I got it Saturday at about 66%, and that was on the first floor of my two-story house. Can't get a signal at all in the attic - once in a while it pops in at 49% - 55% if I point it just right. I'm getting tired going up & down the attic & stairs

Stated before, nearest tall trees are hundreds if not thousands of yards away. I'm somewhere in the middle of my subdivision's top elevation. I'm only using the "point and pray" method - no aiming aids.

Any help before the 4pm Jets-Pats game would be greatly appreciated...

timmernator, try moving the antenna to a different part of the attic. Sometimes only a few inches makes a huge difference.

As a Saints fan I am bighting my tongue right now though!

I must be doing something wrong, i live in McDonough and get all theOTA channels using an 11 dollar RCA amplified ant. I could get them all with one of those freebie "string"antennas that came with my reciever but got tired of moving the string.

Was there a question in that post somewhere?

I have lined up antennas by mysef in an attic with only a compass and a couple other times had to have a friend come out with his strength meter and spend 2 hours testing every possible spot in an attic.

It's black magic sometimes

Howdy ya'll.
I'm getting everything alright here in Douglasville. Antennaweb says I'm about 25 miles from the towers. I'm using a RS VU 110XR that I've had in the attic for as long as I've had D*(took the TERK back and pocked about a hundred dollars). Hooked it up to the new HD receiver and it's fine. ABC was a little sketchy at times but I've pointed the antenna with antennaweb's map (always used the wife/aggrivation method before so we'll see how it goes.
The Samsung S360 had a SH** OTA signal meter so I can't tell you what I'm getting other than it's on and solid.

Ok, now when's the PBS station going online with HD?

Cory

Cory, did something go wrong with the OTA signal strength meter ni the 360? I have the 160 and it seems to work fine.

It's a bug that causes the thing to be very unstable. 45% 60% 75% 0% all in 30 seconds...
That and you have to go about six levels down in he menu to find the damn thing...
I had the HD-HTL for a week or two (had reception issues on the C sat) and IT has a button on the remote that brings up a meter in a lower third...
Samsung supposedly knows about it but hasn't fixed it in the two "upgrades" I've gotten so far.

Would you think the "group" would fancy a meet at the Dome? I could arrange a tour of the production facilities...

Cory

Still no WSB-DT for me. I've tried everything I can think of. Dedicated cable, moving the antenna... still nada on WSB 2.1

I get everything else with a signal of 80% or better (even WGCL and that's scary!)

I still get WSB 2 SD (with just a bit of snow). I'm now wondering if it's the receiver. Though I don't know how it could be but something just does not add up here.

According to antenna web, I am 33 miles from the WSB-DT tower. It's the furthest tower from me, WXIA-DT being 32.2 miles or the second furthest (which I receive at 100% signal).

Any ideas on what gives on this? I'd think since I am getting WSB SD I should be getting WSB-DT.

Thanks for any advice or suggestions.

Anybody else seeing this thing on the Digital WSB broadcast?

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...postid=4559035

Cory