[DmgInc]

I got my HDTV and my DST3000 all setup and now am ready to take the plunge into some OTA HDTV. I am in Stockton (about 50 land miles south of Sacramento), and was wondering if anyone has any antenna reccomendations? I don't care too much about getting the SF Bay area stations, just the Sacramento ones for now. Yes, I've gone to antennaweb and seen what they reccomend, but I'd like to see what someone that lives in the general vicinity of me is using for an antenna and go from there.

 

[Garrett Adams]

I have 21 year old 8 foot VHF/UHF antenna on my roof. It's about 55 feet high. While I have a rotor it's not necessary for Sacramento only stations. My quest is to reliably pick up the SF stations. So far I tried the monster Radio Shack VU-210 which while stronger was not strong enough. In mid-Stockton so I'm about 27 aerial miles from Sacramento's Walnut Grove towers but it's 65 miles to the Sutro towers in SF. My quest is on hold for the moment.

 

[Saam47]

I am in Pittsburg, but am also 27-28 miles away from the Walnut Grove antenna farm. I'm using the small Radio Shack Yagi(~$20), fixed-no rotor on a 5 ft mast on the roof. With my DST-3000, I pick up all the Digital stations @ 100% signal.


The non-digital stations look pretty awful running through the component input as 480i is being converted to 1080i. I'm planning on hooking an s-video cable to view those, but haven't done it yet. Others have reported they should look on a par with cable.

 

[SVonhof]

I am ready to utilize my Channel Master 4228 that I bought and am not sure how to mount it. I am in Manteca and went through the antenna web.org site to check on which one to buy and where to point it. With the antenna in my upstairs theater room, I can get only 13-1 KOVR in HD. I put it outside on the garage roof and now can get Fox's up-converted signal or whatever that is on 40-1 or something. If I stick it on the roof on a mast, how much better will it get? I would like to get CBS and NBC since I have heard so many great things about the CBS primetime lineup. Any info on what the channels are for those?


I am running the Panasonic HD box with my Sony 10HT.

 

[Saam47]

Well, when I first got my small UHF Yagi, I just stood it up in the backyard just to see what I could get. I could only get 1 of the digital stations and just barely so at that. I raised it up ~20' onto the roof and now I get all 5 digital stations @ 100% on my DST-3000. I even pick up some VHF signals(pretty crappy though).


It's amazing what a lttle elevation will do! Higher is better.

 

[SVonhof]

Saam47, thanks, I will keep that in mind. I am now looking at getting a rotor and putting the whole thing on the chimney. My wife was not real happy, but I told her that she wouldn't even see it, well, like the dish. It has to be there.