[rjr11211]

Hi,

I tried researching but I see that Antennas are based on particular circumstances.

I plan on mountain the Antenna on the roof which is 38' above ground level and the towers are +/- 4miles away

Here is a link to the TV Fool Report http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id=f1f07e5dfabbd3

The installer I spoke with said he normally would use a Radio Shack Mid range antenna for something so close.

based on the report it says an indoor set top antenna should be sufficient but I have tried one or two and get nothing. I have a few tall buildings near me which may account for the indoor antenna not working

So if anyone could recommend a decent outdoor antenna that picks up both UHF and VHF for my situation I would appreciate it.

The cable run is going to be at least 60' to the basement then up to 4 TV's over three floors from there so I may need n amplifier or an amplified antenna

Thanks in advance - looking forward to enjoying guilt free HDTV for years to come.

 

[Calaveras]

I'd call your stations as very strong to possible overload territory. If you receive not one station on an indoor antenna then you may have something wrong; TV set to cable instead of antenna, open lead to the antenna, an old TV with no digital tuner. If the indoor antenna has an amplifier it is most certainly getting overloaded and preventing reception. No amplifiers!

If none of those are the problem then you may severe multipath indoors and an outdoor antenna will fix the problem assuming you're not looking into the side of a building. You don't need much of an antenna. An ANT751 or HBU11 should be enough and you should still receive WPVI on low VHF 6.

 

[Mister B]

If the OP is interested in KJWP on channel 2 he may need an antenna with real low VHF capabilities. This station has a fascinating history as can be read here. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KJWP

 

[Digital Rules]

I'd love to know how many people can actually view channel 2 reliably OTA? Can't imagine they have many OTA viewers as RF 2 is absolutely horrible for digital TV.

 

[Ratman]

I'd love to know how many people can actually view channel 2 reliably OTA? Can't imagine they have many OTA viewers as RF 2 is absolutely horrible for digital TV.

Believe it or not... I get reception of channel 2.x reliably using a simple dipole in my attic. I'm about 13 miles from the Philly antenna farm.

 

[Calaveras]

I'd love to know how many people can actually view channel 2 reliably OTA? Can't imagine they have many OTA viewers as RF 2 is absolutely horrible for digital TV.

It all depends on how much noise you have. I'm in a fairly quiet rural area and I can receive KFTY-LD with 3KW on RF 2 which is 119 miles away perhaps 99% of the time. That's as good as my UHF locals that are more affected by temperature inversions. I'm using the low VHF antenna seen in my avatar. Reception is affected more in the summer when there can be more noise, thunderstorms over the Sierras (50 miles away) and sporadic-E interference from other channel 2's.

I also receive KCSO on RF 3 which is just 14 miles LOS but has only 17 watts ERP in my direction. I've measured the Noise Margin at 40 dB.

I'm soon to find out how well I can receive an RF 4 that's about to show up with 3 KW ERP 115 miles away on a favorable mountaintop.

I think low VHF can work in many cases but a good outdoor directional low VHF antenna is required. For most people anything less isn't going to work. In a less than ideal environment you need a strong signal to overcome the noise.

I've found that high VHF can also be affected by power line noise and lightning even though we pretend it is not.

 

[rjr11211]

Thanks.

I am going to try and pickup a pair of old fashioned rabbit ears to see if i am able to get any signal from the top floor. The previous indoor antenna I had was amplified. If I am able to pick up a lot of channels in HD quality is it possible to use one indoor antenna to run multiple Televisions?

The cables are all tied together in the basement so i could attach an antenna to one cable and split the signal out in the basement to all the televisions.

as far as KJWP goes it would be a nice addition but not needed. Mostly interested in the basics NBC, ABC, CBS and whatever else comes through is bonus.

 

[Digital Rules]

I've found that high VHF can also be affected by power line noise and lightning even though we pretend it is not.

Yes it can have a negative affect on VHF-HI, but harder to diagnose with digital. Have even seen powerline interference on low UHF at my first residence when humidity was very low.

Distant analog channel 2 from Baltimore was often clear, but sparkles from overhead powerline interference were very annoying. The sparkles would only dissipate during humid or rainy conditions. The rain would magically quiet the connections on the powerlines.

 

[rjr11211]

I was able to get two tvs working on a pair of rabbit ears. Channel 2 KJWP is clear as can be but for some reason I'm not picking up 3.1 CBS

any ideas why I would get all the other channels crystal clear but not CBS?

 

[Calaveras]

I was able to get two tvs working on a pair of rabbit ears. Channel 2 KJWP is clear as can be but for some reason I'm not picking up 3.1 CBS

any ideas why I would get all the other channels crystal clear but not CBS?

KYW is incredibly strong so it's not signal strength. No other choice but multipath. Try moving the antenna to a different position.

 

[deltaguy]

I was able to get two tvs working on a pair of rabbit ears. Channel 2 KJWP is clear as can be but for some reason I'm not picking up 3.1 CBS

any ideas why I would get all the other channels crystal clear but not CBS?

With multipath indoors here, aiming the antenna in a different direction has been required for reception of individual stations coming from the same antenna farm. Logically, if one gets multiple stations from the same direction with one aim, the aim is correct for all stations from that direction. Multipath can make that logic incorrect. Good Luck.

 

[uhfyagi]

kyw is on uhf, if you have rabbit ears extended for low vhf it would not pickup uhf. you need rods no longer than a foot on each side.

 

[rjr11211]

For some reason the tv upstairs gets cbs perfectly but the downstairs tv does not see it during auto program. Would a different indoor antenna work better split over multiple tvs?

 

[Calaveras]

For some reason the tv upstairs gets cbs perfectly but the downstairs tv does not see it during auto program. Would a different indoor antenna work better split over multiple tvs?

So you're saying you have a different antenna on each TV? If so, then the answer is yes. Split the signal from the antenna that is receiving all the stations and run it to your TVs.

 

[rjr11211]

No. It's the same antenna. I have it split at the antenna. Is it possibly losing the signal on the run downstairs?

Would a different antenna be able to maintain signal strength over multiple splits?

 

[Ratman]

IMHO, it's probably better to add an additional indoor antenna for the problematic TV(s).
By the time you go through all of the questions, expense and effort for splitters, amps, taps or whatever...

What antenna are you currently using?
How long are the cable runs?
Using RG6?
Did you install the F connectors?
Are they crimped or compression?
What type of splitter(s)?
How many drops?
Is the problematic TV the longest run?

See the dilemma?

 

[rjr11211]

I think it's the antenna not grabbing the uhf signal strongly enough

Only the closest tv to the antenna gets CBS

I ran the antenna direct to the downstairs tv and no CBS

The antenna I'm using is this one http://www.radioshack.com/radioshack-hdtv-antenna/1501874.html#q=HDTV+antenna&start=3

It's a shame about CBS becaise all the other channels are coming in and are able to be split to 4 tvs!

Any re come cation for an indoor antenna that will be able to pull all the channels uhf and vhf?

Thanks

Russ

 

[deltaguy]

I think it's the antenna not grabbing the uhf signal strongly enough

Only the closest tv to the antenna gets CBS

I ran the antenna direct to the downstairs tv and no CBS

The antenna I'm using is this one http://www.radioshack.com/radioshack-hdtv-antenna/1501874.html#q=HDTV+antenna&start=3

It's a shame about CBS becaise all the other channels are coming in and are able to be split to 4 tvs!

Any re come cation for an indoor antenna that will be able to pull all the channels uhf and vhf?

Thanks

Russ

The RS budget antenna has rg6 cable attached to it which makes it difficult to aim. I've had better luck with flat antennas like the Flatwave or Leaf. The Freevision has also produced better results here. I receive both VHF and UHF with them. Your signal levels are much higher than here. Buy from a vendor who allows returns as it is impossible to predict indoor reception.

 

[Calaveras]

It's a shame about CBS becaise all the other channels are coming in and are able to be split to 4 tvs!

Any re come cation for an indoor antenna that will be able to pull all the channels uhf and vhf?

Every station from WPSJ and up on your TV Fool report is so strong that the only reason you wouldn't be receiving any station would be mulitpath. That has to be the problem with KYW CBS since it is the strongest of the strong.

There's no magic indoor antenna. If there was we'd all know about it and be recommending it. Most of the small indoor antennas are not significantly different from each other. Differing results are mostly about placement. Some people have found that the best indoor antenna is an outdoor antenna if you have enough room and are willing to look at it. The real solution is put an antenna outdoors.

 

[rjr11211]

Thanks for the help. Based on the testing done by this person http://www.hdtvexpert.com/antennas-antennas-on-the-wallwho-has-the-best-reception-of-them-all/ I am going to try once more on an indoor antenna - The Mohu metro

If that works then great, if not I will return and get an outdoor antenna for the roof!