Two days ago, I got my HD receiver (a myHD equipped HTPC) hooked up for the first time.
For starters, I used the cheapest rabbit ears I could get my hands on. Results were mildly pleasant: I could get all local stations, including KNBC (Los Angeles, CA) nice and strong with no break-ups; except for KCBS, which didn't come in at all. FWIW, www.antennaweb.org , put my location in the yellow (small multi-directional antenna) range for DTV reception.
Next, I hooked up my setup to my rooftop antenna (an old, big Radio Shack rig: something like this one ), and things looked really good. KCBS came in strong, with infrequent break-ups (pixelation due to low signal strength). KNBC remained strong. However, the next night, from about 6-9PM, KNBC was a really weak, mostly unwatchable mess, with very erratic to low signal strength. Other stations, too, like KCET (PBS) which had been rock solid the previous night, broke up occassionally. Signal strengths from various stations seemed to waver between 30-60%, sometimes momentarily dropping to 0-10%.
So... I really would like to get rid of my rooftop antenna, especially since I can't directly replace the 300 ohm line that runs through the attic and inside walls and converted to 75 ohm at a wall socket by the TV, but I'm wondering what I should do here:
1) Run coax (RG-6?) from the antenna over the roof and into the back of my house (where my den/Home theater resides)?
2) Get an amplifier to boost up signal strength?
3) Buy a nice ($50+) amplified indoor antenna like this one ?
4) Get a new rooftop antenna (how about this one ?) and run RG-6 from it over a shorter distance (by posting it against the chimney that comes up from my den's fireplace)? BTW, good or bad idea to have an antenna next to a chimney, especially when marshmellows are rosting over an open fire?
For starters, I used the cheapest rabbit ears I could get my hands on. Results were mildly pleasant: I could get all local stations, including KNBC (Los Angeles, CA) nice and strong with no break-ups; except for KCBS, which didn't come in at all. FWIW, www.antennaweb.org , put my location in the yellow (small multi-directional antenna) range for DTV reception.
Next, I hooked up my setup to my rooftop antenna (an old, big Radio Shack rig: something like this one ), and things looked really good. KCBS came in strong, with infrequent break-ups (pixelation due to low signal strength). KNBC remained strong. However, the next night, from about 6-9PM, KNBC was a really weak, mostly unwatchable mess, with very erratic to low signal strength. Other stations, too, like KCET (PBS) which had been rock solid the previous night, broke up occassionally. Signal strengths from various stations seemed to waver between 30-60%, sometimes momentarily dropping to 0-10%.
So... I really would like to get rid of my rooftop antenna, especially since I can't directly replace the 300 ohm line that runs through the attic and inside walls and converted to 75 ohm at a wall socket by the TV, but I'm wondering what I should do here:
1) Run coax (RG-6?) from the antenna over the roof and into the back of my house (where my den/Home theater resides)?
2) Get an amplifier to boost up signal strength?
3) Buy a nice ($50+) amplified indoor antenna like this one ?
4) Get a new rooftop antenna (how about this one ?) and run RG-6 from it over a shorter distance (by posting it against the chimney that comes up from my den's fireplace)? BTW, good or bad idea to have an antenna next to a chimney, especially when marshmellows are rosting over an open fire?
