Antenna recommendation for a problem channel?

  • WELCOME TO THE NEW SERVER!

    If you are seeing this you are on our new server WELCOME HOME!

    While the new server is online Scott is still working on the backend including the cachine. But the site is usable while the work is being completes!

    Thank you for your patience and again WELCOME HOME!

    CLICK THE X IN THE TOP RIGHT CORNER OF THE BOX TO DISMISS THIS MESSAGE

kittyhas1000legs

That's a lot of claws!
Original poster
Pub Member / Supporter
Aug 8, 2012
1,699
1,418
Western Slope, CO
Hey all,

My mother & her husband are considering dropping Comcast with the newest wave of price increases. The one sticking point is the local ABC channel, VHF 10. It's the ONE VHF channel that matters to them, and there's a hill to their south/southwest. He says he tried using an antenna in the past (analog days) without getting it when it was analog 8 (probably rabbit ears). I'm thinking of recommending an HBU33, but I was hoping for input from you guys.

Here's their TVfool. With an $8 pair of rabbit ears, they get everything at the top of the report down through RF48. http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id=d2436966095ab4
 
The ABC station they want to receive has a decent signal, but it is 2edge so a High VHF antenna with some gain will be needed... and up on the roof. Trying to receive a 2 edge VHF station with an indoor antenna is futile. The HBU33 should work fine.

Larry
 
Seeing both ABC stations are 2 edge I would aim the HBU33 toward channel 10 (8.1) and try to pick up the rest of the stations off the side of the antenna. If that won't work aim to the north for ch40 and see if that will at least get ABC even if it isn't the preferred station.

Stations are to the north so why are you mentioning the hill to the south?
 
WTNH came in here good for me on a DB4 antenna and Winegard AP-8275 pre-amp a year or so ago, even though the DB4 is UHF only. The DB4 has since been replaced with a 8200 U.

WTNH is 61.5 miles away and 2 edge here, even though it's 2 edge at your location I'd think you wouldn't need much, being that it's only 18 miles away.
 
I'd rather go for overkill, since they want the antenna in the attic if possible. Luckily, with the way their house faces it should be easy to aim it right at New Haven.
 
Oh boy. I texted my mother about the local Radioshack going out of business (cheap coax, amp, HBU33), and she said that her husband found another antenna they had in stock that he liked. I guess I'll see Friday how well it works, since they absolutely don't want it on the roof, but in the attic. No idea what he picked, but I reminded her that it needs to be high-VHF capable.
 
I hope it isn't this
Probably not. When I mentioned possibly using an amp (I have a spare), he was worried the Hartford channels would overpower the tuners. He wants one with good gain that can go in the attic, but will still let him move around up there if need be.

EDIT: She says it's shaped like a rear view mirror, so I think it's (ugh) this one. Luckily they're only a mile away from the shack when they need to return it.
 
Last edited:
Well, color me shocked. The one he picked works surprisingly well. WTNH is coming in very well, and they even get WGBY out of Springfield reliably. One channel was lost, but it wasn't enough to justify keeping cable.
 
Was it the one you thought it might be in a few posts above?
The same. It's only about 2 feet wide, and has a 9v power inserter. From there it's split to the two TVs. After actually seeing how small the attic was, I understood why he didn't want the HBU33. For those with space concerns the one he chose seems to be a good one.
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Total: 0, Members: 0, Guests: 0)

Who Read This Thread (Total Members: 1)

Latest posts