What's the best method for receiving HD?

Here is a list of the digital channels from antennaweb.org. Looks like I need a large directional antenna. I've read channel master is a good one. What do you think?


Thanks,

Mark


DTV Antenna

Type Call Sign Channel Network City State Live

Date Compass

Orientation Miles

From Frequency

Assignment

* red - uhf WTOL-DT 11.1 CBS TOLEDO OH 58° 26.3 17

* red - uhf WBGU-DT 27.1 PBS BOWLING GREEN OH 203° 21.9 56

* red - uhf WUPW-DT 36.1 FOX TOLEDO OH 55° 23.0 46

* blue - uhf WGTE-DT 30.1 PBS TOLEDO OH 56° 23.5 29

* blue - uhf WNWO-DT 24.1 NBC Toledo OH 60° 27.2 49

* blue - vhf WLMB-DT 40.1 IND TOLEDO OH 336° 24.2 5

Note:

The above listing is a conservative prediction of stations received. Depending on the specifics of your installation, you may be able to receive stations that do not appear in this list.

Quote:
suggest a winegard hd7082P (minimum) or hd7084P combo vhf/uhf antenna with winegard hdp 269 preamp with a rotor.


For uhf only ... cm4228 or an antennas direct 91xg if you suspect severe multipath induced by the local geography.


purchase the winegard antenna here comes with 50' of coax.
http://www.summitsource.com/winegard...le-p-4563.html


these stations may be an issue without a rotor.

* red - uhf WBGU-DT 27.1 PBS BOWLING GREEN OH 203° 21.9 56

* blue - vhf WLMB-DT 40.1 IND TOLEDO OH 336° 24.2 5

Do you want to receive just toledo?


suggest a winegard hd7082P combo vhf uhf antenna with a winegard hdp 269 preamp mounted on a 3' tripod with a mast sticking out about a few feet over the tripod. see pic which is how an actual hd7082P antenna would look installed.


Or a cm4228 with winegard hdp269 preamp if you only desire to receive uhf (which wlmb is not).


purchase here comes with 50' of coax.
http://www.summitsource.com/winegar...ble-p-4563.html


these stations may be an issue without a rotor.

* red - uhf WBGU-DT 27.1 PBS BOWLING GREEN OH 203° 21.9 56

* blue - vhf WLMB-DT 40.1 IND TOLEDO OH 336° 24.2 ch5 vhf

You have wind loading (and in your area of the country ice loading) consideration on a tower. The antenna itself, the transmission line and even the guy wires (even de-icing elements) all come into play on this.


To further complicate things, the accepted standards have become more rigid after some tower failures over the past 20 years. For example, in Topeka a tower that came down in the mid 80s was rebuilt.


Now, as it had come down before, you would think they would bulletproof it, learning their lesson once? and it was .....it was engineering to accepted standards when rebuilt about 20 years.


Today, using current standards, the tower is 200% over capacity.


They need new guy wiring for the tower, but the new guy wires add too much weight as well. It's like that game where you have to pull parts out - a giant puzzle with any move causing a failure of another spec.


It's a disaster waiting to happen all over again.


So, with that said, some stations while operating 2 transmitters (1 for analog and 1 for DTV until 2009) have had to find other tower lease space available in the area.


Though that is not the norm, it does happen - and in some unique circumstances can explain why the numbers from the analog site and digital site are not the same.


I am not familar with the Toledo (or Youngstown) Broadcast station(s) as I am with the Cleveland, Akron, Columbus, Dayton and Cincy stations - so I cannot say if that is or isn't the case here - but in some cases - that will explain the difference in transmission sites that you might see in reference material.


In others, as can be seen in another thread, there are just plain errors.