Thread: Amplifer suggestion

Here is the technical data for Belden 1829 AC wire, which is sweep tested to 3 Ghz.


http://manuals.solidsignal.com/1829AC.pdf

Description Frequency (MHz) ) Nom. Attenuation (Db / 100 ft.)

5 --- - - .5
55 ---- -1.4
211 --- - 2.6
500 --- - 4.1
750 --- - 5.1
862 ---- -5.5
1000 --- -6.0
1450 --- -7.9
1800 --- - 8.4
2250 --- - 10.1
3000 --- -11.0
Max. Attenuation : Description Frequency (MHz) ) Max. Attenuation (dB/100 ft.)
5 --- -0.67
55 --- - 1.60
211 --- -2.87
500 --- -4.48
750 --- - 5.59
862 --- -5.98
1000 --- - 6.54
1450 --- - 8.30
1800 --- -9.30
2250 --- - 10.60
3000 --- -11.90

Simple rules of reception '


Antenna Basics

20 dB = gain factor of 100 10 dB = gain factor of 10
3 dB = gain factor of 2 (actually 1.995)
0 dB = no gain or loss
-1 dB = a 20% loss of signal
-3 dB = a 50% loss of signal
-10 dB = a 90% loss of signal


As my great grandmother would say - "empty barrels makes the loudest noise!"

Originally Posted by steve617

Yesterday I got the antenna raised 5 ft that was enought to gett up above my roof line. Made a big difference in cloudy weather yesterday I was able to get a 88 on the station that was not staying in. Looks like my next best option would be to got with the bowtie towards 38 and my main antenna towards the other stations. When pointing to my other locals they were in the low to mid 90's.

The catch with simply joining antennas with ATSC digital TV is that it adds multipath/ghosts which cause tiling and dropouts.

If your case was one of VHF 5 and 11 to the east and 19 and 38 to the North/South, I would have suggested a UHF-VHF Signal-Joiner (UVSJ). We then wouldn't have the VHF echoes from the UHF bow-tie interfering with the VHF reception and vice-versa.
But that's not the case.

Now if 38 still drops out, I'm not saying not to try. Do try it anyway if the problem persists. But when you do have more problems on 5,11, and 19 after adding a bowtie for 38, you should know what your problems are.

I have heard of someone making joiners for specific channels. The extra catch is that the channels adjacent to the joined one are effectively killed by this combiner.
since 39.1 is on RF Ch. 38 the signal-joiner would block any channels on RF 37 and 39 coming through either antenna. Shouldn't be a problem for you.
TowerGuy mentioned them in this post
https://www.satelliteguys.us/2099829-post10.html

Personally, the signal metric for me is how many audio dropouts there are for every 5-10 minutes. Once I get the dropouts to be less than 1 per hour I am usually happy.

I'm curious as to what device you are using for a meter
My DigitalStream tuners give numbers like yours, and as long as I have 75 or better I have no problems. 88 and higher means any problems are rare.
Some people take those number too seriously.
You need to base your metric on how often the Audio and Video are "wrong" or not there.

OT: Don't even see JBAnt posts anymore, since he is on my ignore-list. But Splicer is right, there are times when he posts some very false info (for the case given).

I use to methods on my sigal on is my TV and the other is my Dishnetwork reciever. I know these are not adequate measuring tools but that is what I have. Raising my antenna just above my roof line really helped with 38. It was very cloudy and normally in those conditions its usually in the mid to upper 60's. On a clear day usually in the low 80's. Since I got 88 and cloudy I was happy. Cant wait to test on a clear day. More rain and snow tonight. Thanks

Originally Posted by steve617

I use to methods on my sigal on is my TV and the other is my Dishnetwork reciever. I know these are not adequate measuring tools but that is what I have. Raising my antenna just above my roof line really helped with 38. It was very cloudy and normally in those conditions its usually in the mid to upper 60's. On a clear day usually in the low 80's. Since I got 88 and cloudy I was happy. Cant wait to test on a clear day. More rain and snow tonight. Thanks

I can't wait to hear from you that 5ft up is all you need.
Good luck!

a premamp is always your best bet installed right at the antenna balun.

then split if you need to. if signal drops again you can add an addition high quality amp like a blonder-tongue distribution amp that has the lowest noise level you can afford.

a high gain antenna is a must in fringe areas. also note that a high gain antenna can be a hinderance if your stations are located more than a few degrees off each other where you will run into the situation of having to have an antenna rotor or multiple antennas to receiver all your stations because the antenna becomes so directional.

i have seen instances where you can get into bandpass filters for each antenna that allow the desireable station frequencies pass through while blocking all the other noise and multipath before you combine into a splitter ran backward and then amplified before distribution into all your tv or converter boxes.