amp or pre amp ?

Blazer

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Original poster
Nov 30, 2008
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installed channel master 4228 hd antenna about three months ago to a single hdtv, have since purchased a 50" hdtv and moved the 32" into the bedroom, also planning another 32" hdtv purchase.

i need to get a spliter and a amp/pre-amp to avoid any signal loss issues, is there a combo device that is well made that can do both ?

any suggestions?
 
It is best to amplify as close to the signal source as possible (at the antenna), so a pre amp is preferrable.

Distribution amp is for strong signal to multiple TV's as in a cable system.

You can never get more usable signal out of any amplifier than has been put in the other end.
 
If the signal is usable at the set end for one TV (i.e., the desired channels are watchable without a preamp) but the 3+dB loss of 2-way splitting makes it unusable, then a simple low-power distribution amp might be the solution, with just enough gain at each tap to offset the splitting loss. More amplification also equals more noise, the bane of digital signals.

Any kind of amplification won't give you signals that aren't there, but if you already have usable signals with no splits you have a strong start and a baseline from which to assess any changes you make. If you're also trying to receive channels you don't get now on 1 set using preamplification (agreed, that's the best method), that's a whole different story.

Try the split first without any amplification and work from there. I happen to be using a 4228/7777 combination. I took some tinkering to get that to work at all. In retrospect I might have been better off with no or less preamplification, but I never tried those options. When I finally got the a/m combination working reasonably well on one set, the 2-way split to 2 sets seems to work equally as well...
 
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