Recent content by Don_M

Replace the entire outdoor cable with good quality, black RG-6 coaxial cable. Rainwater is causing an electrical short circuit somewhere along the cable because it is very old. This moisture degrades the broadcast signals until the cable dries out. This occurs very often with aging coaxial...

A DB8 is a decent choice for the fringes, but it won't be any good at all for VHF stations such as the NBC and CBS affiliates out of Scranton and the ABC and PBS broadcasts out of Philly: Its balun (located where the cable connects to the antenna) filters out anything that's not a UHF (channel...

Those VHF signals are just strong enough that it should be worth trying the HBU33 in the attic by itself with no amp at first. Another worthy performer is Winegard's HD-7694, which is at the same price point. Either one should provide enough gain to get those three VHF stations through a...

Wow... looks like you're in a really deep valley, as only NBC is "line of sight" (that's what those "LOS" notations mean.) All your other networks affiliates are shadowed by at least two ridges (the "2-edge" notations). You need a deep-fringe solution, which involves a pre-amplifier and separate...

Well, then, don't be coy! Please tell us: What is it made of, how high up is it mounted and, most importantly, how well does it work in capturing WNGS?

I'm voting with OSU1991 here: This sounds a lot like signal overload. But even if it turns out to be something else, an attenuator would be an inexpensive way to rule out overload.

That was a fairly good guess. I have an AntennaCraft Y5-7-13, designed for channels 7 through 13. Its longest elements, the reflector at the back of the boom, are just under 36 inches wide. The folded dipole that is its driven element is about two inches narrower than that, and the three...

If the Baltimore affiliates are all that's necessary, a Winegard HD-7694 or an AntennaCraft HBU33 above the roof should be more than adequate for one or two TVs without an amplifier. Either antenna will also be much more durable than the Sensar; the 7694 has an edge for better gain and smaller...

EDIT: AntennaCraft's HD1200 is available on a ship-to-store basis at many Radio Shack locations.

Here are a few worthy candidates in order of likely performance and durability: • Winegard HD-7082 • AntennaCraft HD1200 • AntennaCraft CSS1843 Channel Master was once the Corvette of consumer over-the-air antennas... but that was before its parent corporation began farming their construction...

Asleep? Flat? "This East Coast area" can be more than 3,000 feet higher than Celina's elevation. For more information, please see "Poor Mountain." You're welcome.

... aaaand what's inside that converter box? That's right – a tuner, aka a computer that's designed to receive digital television broadcasts!

Don't knock it – those "basic" antennas outperform their fancier, pricier counterparts more often than not. Your ABC affiliate is on real channel 5 as well as on real channel 13. WSET started simulcasting from W05AA (the seventh station on the TVFool list) decades ago to resolve signal issues...

Let's take these questions one at a time: At 42-45 miles out? An ANT751 mounted above the peak of the roof might get the job done, or it might not. At any location lower than the ridgeline, it probably won't. Amplifiers do not make up for inadequate antennas or antenna placements. Probably...

+1. The mast (but not the antenna itself) must be grounded with 10 AWG copper or 8 AWG aluminum uninsulated wire. The wire must run continuously (i.e., no splices) from a mast bolt to the ground for the building's electrical system. If it's impractical to run a direct line to the house's ground...