[MTMiller5782]

I attached my tvfool analysis. I bought a new Winegard 7697 antenna to put in the attic. I also purchased a new Winegard AP-8700 pre-amp. I plan to hang it from the rafters in the attic and point it at +/- 125 degrees. My roof is plywood (7/16") and asphalt shingles.


Will this setup work? Now I'm thinking I may have bought too big of an antenna but I'm getting different results from TV Fool vs. antennaweb.net.


How about the attic setup. I will only have one 50" Plasma HDTV hooked up to it. The HDTV has a built in tuner.


If the antenna is too big, do you think I could get by with the Winegard 7694 or 96? It is much smaller. Thanks!!

 

[MTMiller5782]

well for some reason its not letting me include the attachment from tvfool

 

[MTMiller5782]

post 3

 

[MTMiller5782]

here is the link to my tv fool analysis

http://s388.photobucket.com/albums/o...Radar-All2.png

 

[gjvrieze]



Quote:
Originally Posted by MTMiller5782 /forum/post/15475387


I attached my tvfool analysis. I bought a new Winegard 7697 antenna to put in the attic. I also purchased a new Winegard AP-8700 pre-amp. I plan to hang it from the rafters in the attic and point it at +/- 125 degrees. My roof is plywood (7/16") and asphalt shingles.


Will this setup work? Now I'm thinking I may have bought too big of an antenna but I'm getting different results from TV Fool vs. antennaweb.net.


How about the attic setup. I will only have one 50" Plasma HDTV hooked up to it. The HDTV has a built in tuner.


If the antenna is too big, do you think I could get by with the Winegard 7694 or 96? It is much smaller. Thanks!!

Did you try the antenna without the amp? Your power levels are not "THAT" high, but it may overload a tuner....


Your aim of 125, should be pretty close, fine tune it from there as maybe needed....


What channels are you currently getting?

 

[MTMiller5782]

thanks for helping gjvrieze. I should clarify that I haven't installed anything yet. I ordered the equipment and its on the way. I want to install it this weekend. I just hope I ordered something that will work good. I should have found this site sooner.


Should I install the pre-amp to begin with or just what happens with the antenna? I hope the Winegard 7697 will pull in the signal in the attic.

 

[MTMiller5782]

thanks for helping gjvrieze. I should clarify that I haven't installed anything yet. I ordered the equipment and its on the way. I want to install it this weekend. I just hope I ordered something that will work good. I should have found this site sooner.


Should I install the pre-amp to begin with or just see what happens with the antenna first? I hope the Winegard 7697 will pull in the signal in the attic.

 

[IDRick]

MTMiller, you selected an outstanding combo antenna in the 7697. I am concerned that you will have difficulty getting an antenna this size up into your attic and properly aiming the antenna. My signal strengths are very similar to yours and our locals are the same (30 miles) or further away (45 miles). I'm able to receive all my locals with a 4-bay DIY antenna in the attic. The antenna feeds two HDTV's with a single 2-way splitter and about 120 ft of cable run. I do not currently use an amplifier. IMO, the AP 8700 is way too much amplifier for your particular situation. I definitely would try it first without the pre-amp. IMO, the Winegard HDP269 is a better pre-amp for your situation (if one is used at all).


HTH.


Rick

 

[gjvrieze]



Quote:
Originally Posted by MTMiller5782 /forum/post/15476589


thanks for helping gjvrieze. I should clarify that I haven't installed anything yet. I ordered the equipment and its on the way. I want to install it this weekend. I just hope I ordered something that will work good. I should have found this site sooner.


Should I install the pre-amp to begin with or just see what happens with the antenna first? I hope the Winegard 7697 will pull in the signal in the attic.

Ah, I was not sure reading your post, if you had an existing install or not...


I would not install the preamp first and see what you get, I doubt that it is needed, maybe like IDRick says, the HD269 would work better..... Test it out and see what works the best, the roof does cut the signals down, so the amp, might keep them strong enough for the cable runs....

 

[MTMiller5782]

Thanks Rick. I will try my setup without the pre-amp first and see what happens. I will just have to try the antenna and see if it will fit up in the attic. It may be tight.


Will it mess up the antenna if any of the elements touch wood? I will have to point it right at a corner of the attic where the roof joists meet. The tip should be at least 5' away though.

 

[IDRick]

Touching wood has not affected signal strength or quality with my 4-bay but it is probably best to avoid. The 7697 is a great antenna but I would probably recommend a smaller antenna if you didn't already have one on the way. Gain increases with size in the 769x series and beam width decreases. You would have a bit more flexibility in aiming your antenna in the attic with a shorter antenna plus wider beam width.

 

[MTMiller5782]

Thanks Rick....that makes sense to me know. Luckily it is completely returnable if it doesn't work out. I will let you know.

 

[IDRick]

Please do post back to the forum! It is very helpful to read success stories and/or challenges with antenna installation and tv reception. Gain specs tell you part of the story. Real world experiences tell you much more than simple gain spec tables.


All the best and may your installation be smooth and problem free!


Rick

 

[MTMiller5782]

Thanks I'll make sure to post my results as long as I can get the 131" monster up there to the attic. I can't wait to install it this weekend.

 

[MTMiller5782]

Well I installed my antenna today but I'm not happy with the results.


I'm getting only 50% strength on all major networks.


The Winegard HD7697 is a tight fit in the attic. Unfortunately at 125 degrees the antenna is pointing right toward the corner of the roof where their is a lot of wood. I'm not sure what to try next. It does have some wood approximately 2' in front of the antenna. I'm wondering it that could be the problem.


Should I try to return the antenna and purchase something else for the attic?


I haven't tried the pre-amp yet. Could that boost the strength up from 50%. Right now it is just 100' of RG6 QS. No splitters.

 

[IDRick]

Hey MT,


Whew, big job getting that antenna up in the attic... Sorry to hear that the results were not quite what you hoped... Can you post some pictures so we can see what your up against in the attic? Can you give us dimensions of the attic space? Tell us about your fascia and soffits, is it all wood or is it covered with aluminum? If aluminum, is the antenna LOS above the aluminum? What is on the other side of the corner at 125 degrees? Is this corner above the roof line of your neighbors home?


You are losing about 5 to 6 dB with your 100 ft cable run. A pre-amp would give you a small boost in signal strength.


Best,


Rick

 

[MTMiller5782]

Thanks again Rick. I have been moving it around a little more and I've gotten a few of the signals up to 68%. Most of the signals are real good one second and real bad the next. When they come in, it is an awesome picture in HD. I'm watching the bowl game now and its coming in around 70%.


My roof and soffits are all wood (no aluminum at all). One of the channels 2.1,2.2 dropped off though - can't get any signal on them now. The antenna is mounted about 3 feet off the attic floor. My neighbors roof is about 50' away and it is lower than mine. No other obstructions on the other side of the roof.


I'll post pics tomorrow because its gotten dark now. Maybe the pre-amp would help but I kind of hate to open the 8700 because it would make it hard to return. Maybe when you see the pics you can tell if you think I need to send the 7697 back and try something a little smaller. I sure wish I would have found this website before I ordered. I really appreciate all of the help.


- Michael

 

[IDRick]

Hey Michael,


I'm watching the game too... Go Gators! Nice reward for all your efforts to see the game in OTA HD!

Good info, thanks for answering questions. Pictures tomorrow will help us evaluate as well. Agree about holding off opening the pre-amp. View the pre-amp as covering distribution losses and giving some headroom. Finding the best positioning of the antenna is most critical aspect for right now.


BTW, what do locals say about WSB OTA? Pretty reliable? Is it broadcasting at it's final location and power or is it at a temporary location/lower power?


Best,


Rick

 

[MTMiller5782]

Rick,


Thats exactly what I was going to ask you about. See WSB is broadcasting digital right now on channel 2.1,2.1.


After the switch in February I wonder which station they will move to.


The Winegard 7697 is tuned for channels 7-69. I wonder if this is why I'm not getting a better signal on 2.1,2.2 right now and if it will get better next month.


I'm going to post some pics as soon as I can and play around with the location a little more tonight. If I can't get better than 80% from the majors with the pre-amp, I may see about exchanging it for a 7694 or 7695 and mounting that outside the house.

 

[IDRick]

Your tv displays 2.1 but WSB is broadcasting on UHF channel 39 presently and will remain on the same UHF channel post transition. Tvfool may not be current if there are temporary changes in broadcast location and/or power levels. I suggest sending an e-mail to the broadcast engineer at WSB and asking about their situation. Also, I suggest going to the local reception forum and finding the thread for the Atlanta and asking there or search for issues with WSB. The url is: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forum...ysprune=7&f=45