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  1. Don_M

    Lost signal during rain and during two days after rain?

    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...
  2. Don_M

    Receiving Philadelphia\Scranton OTA channels from the Lehigh Valley area

    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...
  3. Don_M

    First time antenna purchase

    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...
  4. Don_M

    need help picking figuring out what kind antenna i need

    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...
  5. Don_M

    Small Antenna With High Gain

    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?
  6. Don_M

    over the air local channels

    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.
  7. Don_M

    antenna element lengths?

    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...
  8. Don_M

    Anntenna Selection Help

    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...
  9. Don_M

    Help with what antenna we should get

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

    Help with what antenna we should get

    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...
  11. Don_M

    New to OTA and need help with inconsistent reception

    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.
  12. Don_M

    Help with what antenna we should get

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

    Help with what antenna we should get

    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...
  14. Don_M

    New to OTA and need help with inconsistent reception

    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...
  15. Don_M

    Mounting MY OTA Antenna...do I have all I need?

    +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...
  16. Don_M

    OTA help with channel 15

    The key to your dilemma is "can't move the antenna outside," combined with the weak signal-strength figures for WPSU in the dB (NM) – aka decibels above noise margin – column of the TVFool report. Most viewers with antennas mounted within their attics (and I am one of them) report that reception...
  17. Don_M

    New channel coming to Albany NY market with 9 subchannels

    Sure it can, Ice. But at some point, what viewers receive crosses the line separating "video" and what's more properly called a "slide show"... :sick:
  18. Don_M

    directional to multi-directional

    You need to fit a guy ring onto the pole and run three, maybe four, guy wires from the ring to screws sunk deep into structural members of your home (roof trusses, studs, etc.). Merely driving the screws into the roof deck or siding isn't sufficient – one good, stiff gust will tear one or more...
  19. Don_M

    What antenna for digital translator stations?

    Sounds like AntennaCraft's MXU59, which is in the RS catalog now. Its boom is 100 inches long. I've read lots of rave reviews and absolutely no complaints about it.
  20. Don_M

    A little help please!

    Nope – just put one splitter behind the 622. Both distribution amps mentioned above have one input and two outputs. That'll make swapping out the splitter a breeze in case the boost is needed. Besides, the amp needs to be indoors, and needs a power outlet close by. The end of the current...
  21. Don_M

    A little help please!

    "Simple and cheap" is the best way to start out: Disconnect the antenna downlead from the VIP622, hook it up to the input of a two-way splitter, run coax cables from the splitter outputs to the 622 and to the VIP722K, and see how it goes. If reception becomes sketchy on the two "just OK"...
  22. Don_M

    Small Antenna With High Gain

    One antenna fits within your dimensional requirements: AntennaCraft's Y5-7-13. (Winegard's competing model, YA-6713, has been discontinued.) The Y5 will only get you to maybe 9 dBi of gain, which is about half of what you seek. Therefore, you'll need to deploy other strategies for getting...
  23. Don_M

    Use of (analog) Channel 6 for Audio Only (as FM 87.7)

    We've seen much the same thing out here, Ice. Several CAs and LPs went digital in the weeks and months following the full-power DTV transition. Most of these UHF operations stood to save a great deal of money on their monthly electricity bills by switching from CA/LP to LD early. In addition...
  24. Don_M

    Use of (analog) Channel 6 for Audio Only (as FM 87.7)

    Yup. One way or another, the days of channel 6 analog audio at the bottom of the FM band are numbered: • Fox Charley Charley has announced its intent to transition low-power analog television stations to digital broadcasting, but has yet to set a firm deadline. The agency made a bit of noise...
  25. Don_M

    "The Cool TV" in Cincinnati. - The TUBE lives!?

    Thanks, fellas... ... for the heads-up that Cool TV is something to look forward to! Our ABC affiliate, KMGH, is adding Cool TV OTA on Feb. 28. It's part of a deal between the channel and stations owned by McGraw-Hill. In addition to Denver, TheCool TV is also coming to OTA sub-channels of...
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