Antenna Set Up Help

using zipcode 54501 and lat long 45.639515, -89.412086 of Rhinelander, WI, there does not seem to be line of sight clearance to WSAW-DT. The two attached images show a hill (at the red cross lines) inbetween which would need a 380 foot tall antenna. Your location may vary.

Zip code 54428 with lat long of 45.5 -89.1 shows about a 300 foot tall antenna for line of sight clearance to WSAW-DT. I'm using the Radio Mobile software with SRTM-2 data.
See attached images.

Here are a couple more pics with your precise location. WJFW-DT seems to need a 35 foot tall antenna for line of sight clearance. WSAW-DT, WHRM-DT, and WAOW-DT show about 75 feet.

ATSC use the same frequency as NSTC As you stated above WFW 12 analog but is digitaly transimit on 16 which remap to 12-1 on your tv.

I would change your 100ft RG-59 to RG-6 Quad it would make allot of difference by day and night atleast with the digital side.

Are you using antenna pre-amp ? If not I would add a Channel Master pre-amp 7777 with FM trap in. ANytime you have more than 50ft of coax it recommend that you add a antenna pre-amp.

I think if you makes those changes it would improve alot. But I would change the Coax first.

It would be nice if you could put your antenna on top of 1 of the 300 ft tree as long they don't sway in the wind .


Hopes this helps you

-Willie

Yes, replacing the RG-59 with quad shielded RG-6 is a good start.

However, have you looked up the broadcast power levels for the stations you are trying to get? I entered your zip and a antenna height of 500' to get a more complete list of digital stations (and to make up for where ever the center of your zip code is) and I got the following digital stations (ignore the color codes).

* yellow - uhf WHRM-DT 20.1 PBS WAUSAU WI 219° 44.0 24
* yellow - uhf WAOW-DT 9.1 ABC WAUSAU WI 219° 44.0 29
* yellow - uhf WYOW-DT 34.1 ABC EAGLE RIVER WI 351° 24.2 28
* yellow - uhf WFXS-DT 55 FOX WITTENBERG WI TBD 213° 30.1 55
* green - uhf WSAW-DT 7.1 CBS WAUSAU WI 219° 44.0 40
* lt green - uhf WTPX-DT 46.1 ION ANTIGO WI 213° 30.1 46
* violet - uhf WLEF-DT 36.1 PBS PARK FALLS WI 306° 64.7 47

(WFJW-DT does not show up, so this list is hardly complete).

A check for WSAW-DT CBS 7 (DT=40) at the FCC database (http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?call=WSAW) shows a digital broadcast power of only 50 kW for UHF 40. That is not a strong power level for UHF, so that is probably why you are having a difficult time receiving the station. Many rural stations are not yet at full power on the digital signal, so checking their current power level at the FCC database or by contacting the station is a good idea.

Looking up WFXS-DT Fox at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WFXS, it does not have a digital channel allotment, so it can't go digital until it shuts off the analog broadcast. hence the TBD in the antennaweb list. Unless there is another Fox station you can receive OTA, you won't get FOX in HD until WFXS does it's digital flash cut conversion, probably not until February, 2009.

PS. Looked up WFJW-DT NBC 12 (DT=16), it has a STA entry of 0.013 kW which is why antennaweb does not show it. However the FCC database also has a construction permit for going to 269 kW which is probably what the station is operating at.