Antenna Suggestions

[chaddux]

I am trying this OTA thing as a cord cutter but I'm having trouble selecting the right antenna. The towers for all of my affiliates are between 15 and 29 miles away. My main problem seems to be the direction of the towers. One is north at 14 degrees, one is east at 91 degrees, one is southeast at 150 degrees, and one is south at 178 degrees. I've tried two antennas, a 70-mile multi-directional antenna and a 125-mile omni-directional antenna mounted outside as high as I can mount them without adding a pole to my yard but I'm having the same problem with both. I can get the south, southeast, and east towers decent on clear days (weak in the rain) but the north tower barely comes in even though its only 19 miles away. Even pointing one of the antennas directly at the north tower, the signal is weak on a clear day and totally out in a light rain.

Any suggestions on an antenna? My zip code is 75703 if that matters.

 

[Jim5506]

Please attach you TVFool.com report done to your exact address so we can make intelligent recommendations vs WAGs.

 

[navychop]

I suspect any antenna catching a station 125 miles away is suspended from a blimp.

 

[Jim5506]

I suspect any antenna catching a station 125 miles away is suspended from a blimp.

and if it claims to be omni-directional, too, WOW what a super antenna - NOT!! shows them to be liars off the bat.

 

[comfortably_numb]

I suspect any antenna catching a station 125 miles away is suspended from a blimp.

Believe it or not, I did it this morning with a Stellar Labs 30-2476. I'm picking up a VHF station from 200 miles away as we speak. Highly unusual, I know, and it probably has to do with the fact that I'm in Kansas, this part of which is flat, but apparently it's possible!

 

[chaddux]

Please attach you TVFool.com report done to your exact address so we can make intelligent recommendations vs WAGs.

Not sure how much help that will be since it doesn't even have my Fox or CBS affiliates listed but there ya go.

 

[chaddux]

I suspect any antenna catching a station 125 miles away is suspended from a blimp.

The blimp attachment costs extra so I didn't order it.

 

[harshness]

Not sure how much help that will be since it doesn't even have my Fox or CBS affiliates listed but there ya go.

There's a problem with the FCC data where it is missing the latitude and longitude so those stations will be listed in the ocean south of Guyana.

That's a pretty hellish graph suggesting that chasing after OTA isn't going to be trivial nor inexpensive. I'm not at all optimistic about getting CBS without a directional antenna pointed directly at Nacogdoches (>60 miles).

The other issue working against you is that you have (and will continue to have) a couple stations with the same RF channel coming at you from different directions. This may dictate a good directional antenna combined with a rotator. Rotators add a whole new level of inconvenience to using OTA in the modern world of DVRs.

 

[comfortably_numb]

I would think you should at least be able to receive all those LOS stations with a good set of indoor rabbit ears. Are any of those low power translators (repeaters) for your major networks?

 

[chaddux]

There's a problem with the FCC data where it is missing the latitude and longitude so those stations will be listed in the ocean south of Guyana.

That's a pretty hellish graph suggesting that chasing after OTA isn't going to be trivial nor inexpensive. I'm not at all optimistic about getting CBS without a directional antenna pointed directly at Nacogdoches (>60 miles).

The other issue working against you is that you have (and will continue to have) a couple stations with the same RF channel coming at you from different directions. This may dictate a good directional antenna combined with a rotator. Rotators add a whole new level of inconvenience to using OTA in the modern world of DVRs.

I can already pick up CBS (KYTX) without much of a problem. It's the farthest out at 29 miles. NBC (KETK) and Fox (KFXK) are also good. The problem station is ABC (KLTV) which is 19 miles out. Seems like I would have more problems getting CBS than ABC. But you kind of confirmed what I thought. Won't be worth the hassle or investment. I appreciate the help.

I would think you should at least be able to receive all those LOS stations with a good set of indoor rabbit ears. Are any of those low power translators (repeaters) for your major networks?

This option didn't work, even in my attic. I could barely get two stations, except when it rained and then I couldn't get any. I think the main issue is my neighbor's two-story, all steel house blocking the signal inside.

 

[harshness]

Are any of those low power translators (repeaters) for your major networks?

The callsigns with digits in them or a suffix of -LD are usually pretty wimpy. KYTX (the CBS affiliate) has no translators.

 

[harshness]

The problem station is ABC (KLTV) which is 19 miles out. Seems like I would have more problems getting CBS than ABC.

That depends on the performance of your antennas. KLTV uses RF7 and as such is going to be weak with a straight-up UHF antenna.

 

[chaddux]

That depends on the performance of your antennas. KLTV uses RF7 and as such is going to be weak with a straight-up UHF antenna.

Ah. I didn't know that. The main one I was trying was a UHF antenna.

 

[Trip]

If you're receiving CBS, NBC, and FOX, then your issue, as indicated previously, is the lack of a VHF antenna for KLTV. Those are basically all the important stations in the area; there is no local PBS and KCEB will be going off the air soon so there's no reason to put any effort into it. KDKJ-LD and KPKN-LD may have some secondary networks of interest, but the rest of the stations on your chart are either not on the air, duplicates, or, in the case of K25LG-D, religious.

- Trip

 

[zack]

View attachment 130282

Not sure how much help that will be since it doesn't even have my Fox or CBS affiliates listed but there ya go.

Chaddux, this tvfool report that I just pulled up is not the same as what I got a year ago, it is wrong in places, and I am in Tyler at 75704. not far from you!

TV Fool

 

[zack]

Chaddux, this tvfool report that I just pulled up is not the same as what I got a year ago, it is wrong in places, and I am in Tyler at 75704. not far from you!

TV Fool

If you can, PM me back, and tell me how to reply to PM. I could not figure out how to PM you!

 

[waylew]

If you can, PM me back, and tell me how to reply to PM. I could not figure out how to PM you!

Click on his name and "start a conversation",that's what PM's are called here now.

 

[Jim5506]

Believe it or not, I did it this morning with a Stellar Labs 30-2476. I'm picking up a VHF station from 200 miles away as we speak. Highly unusual, I know, and it probably has to do with the fact that I'm in Kansas, this part of which is flat, but apparently it's possible!

I've read several posts about people getting stations 150 miles + today, tropo must be working well right now.

 

[navychop]

I get the Martian stations just fine.....


Yep, more tropo than expected, but still not like Never Twice the Same Color. I haven’t tried since analog went away.

 

[chaddux]

I tried a different antenna last night with UHF and VHF. Pointed the antenna towards the ABC affiliate. ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox all came in with the strongest signals I've gotten so far. ABC was still weaker than the rest but it was watchable.