Antenna question

[Foundry]

I need help with my antenna I have a clip on dish terk44 antenna.
I used to get all channels but lately I can no longer get 1 channel.
I seemed to get channels for 40 miles away.
I only use this for hd channels.
I think I need to upgrade maybe 60-70 miles away. Is there a good antenna I can put in my attic to get channels that far away.

 

[boba]

AntennaWeb &TV Fool - Home will help you select antennas. How much room is in your attic?

 

[Foundry]

It says I need a Medium Directional Antenna with pre-amp

my attic is a 2 car garage

 

[Foundry]

Here is the station I am trying to get and I once was able but in last couple weeks I can't.
blue\uhf miles 32 freq 9
violet\uhf miles 32 freq

The only difference I see between this and the other stations is the Frequency
Assignment is higher

Not sure what the difference is between blue and violet

I get station from same location except this one any ideas

 

[boba]

How about your zipcode?
blue/uhf miles 32 freq 9 is a problem CH9 is not a uhf frequency it is a VHF signal so give us the information to go to the site and read it for ourselves.

 

[Foundry]

The channel is 11-1
it says uhf

zip code 34289

 

[Voyager6]

The channel is 11-1
it says uhf

zip code 34289

According to tvfool, that station is on VHF 9 at 20KW. After 2/17/09 it will still be on VHF 9 but at 69.1 KW. The problem you are having right now is that the station is broadcasting at low power. If you can wait until 2/17/09, the problem should be solved. If you are willing to try a simple DIY project, I would suggest building a DB4 clone. You can find instructions here.

 

[boba]

Your looking at basically 30 miles from most broadcasters and pretty much 1 direction. I would suggest a Winegard HD1080 designed for VHF hi and UHF channels (7-69). Dim. 34.5" x 18.25" range 0-40 miles Zone 2 gree/red
As long as you don't have aluminum undercoating on attic roof it should work well in FL. Suggested retail $69.99 so it should be available for less.

 

[Foundry]

Low signal that is promlem how do I fix that
I have a terk 44 you suggest making one out of coat hangers

 

[Don_M]

HD-1080 might be OK for UHF stations, but it won't offer any meaningful improvement over the Terk clip-on in the VHF-high band (RF channel 9/DTV 11.1) at your distance. Even the DIY DB-4 would be better. Not interested in that one? Check out a compact all-channel model like Winegard's HD-7694.

 

[Foundry]

you think that will be ok in my attic.

 

[Cokeswigga]

You may have some difficulty with a smaller antenna in an attic.. as a rule of thumb, you can expect to loose half of the signal by having it in the attic.

That being said, I have a friend with an antenna in the attic, he is also about 30 miles out from the tx site, and he does receive suffiicient signal for HD. However the signal stength is a little low and does have occasional pixelation issues... but not that often.

 

[Voyager6]

Low signal that is promlem how do I fix that
I have a terk 44 you suggest making one out of coat hangers

You cannot fix the low transmission power of your channel 11-1. However, building your own antenna for a few dollars should help you receive that low power channel until 2/17/09 when it triples its transmission power. Don't underestimate the receiving power of the DIY antenna. These are just as good as the manufactured ones. Maybe not as pretty but darn good looking for an attic.

 

[Foundry]

You think the DIY is better then the clip on terk 44

 

[Voyager6]

You think the DIY is better then the clip on terk 44

There are reviews here from hdtvantennalabs. The Terk 44 has a 3 rating out of 5 by reviewers. If your locals are close and are in the same direction that the dish is pointing, then the Terk 44 should work pretty well. I think that you will have very good to excellent results with a DB4 clone. Here is a picture of one that Digiblur built for his attic.

 

[Don_M]

you think that will be ok in my attic.

HD-7694 has a 65-inch-long boom and is 35 inches wide at its widest elements. Maneuvering this antenna between truss supports, etc., during installation and aiming should not offer too many challenges. Your signal strengths per TVFool are pretty much the same as mine, and this antenna has slightly better VHF-high gain, and about the same UHF gain, as my attic system (5-element VHF-high Yagi coupled with, yes, a hand-built DB-4 clone for UHF that started out as the YouTube coat-hanger antenna [Nice job, Voyager 6!]).

Whatever you decide, just make sure the antenna elements aren't pointing directly toward anything metal either inside the garage attic or outside of it -- aluminum siding, stucco (it's applied to steel mesh), steel/aluminum rain gutters, foil-lined rigid insulation panels, horizontal steel electrical conduit (vertical is OK as long as it's plumb), ducts, metal gable vents, etc.

 

[Foundry]

nice job I will give it a try
What is that on the back a piece of sheet metal...

 

[Foundry]

No good my clip on works much better.

Thanks not sure what to do about that station I can't get

 

[Voyager6]

nice job I will give it a try
What is that on the back a piece of sheet metal...

He used aluminum siding. http://www.satelliteguys.us/1410247-post51.html
You really need some type of reflector behind the antenna. For attic use, the reflector can be solid. Cardboard covered with aluminum foil works well. You can also use cooling racks from the Dollar store or fencing wire. Anything that will reflect a radio signal.

 

[Foundry]

I had on my back deck with a long coax cable to test before I put in my attic.

And I got less channels.