Anybody have experience with this antenna?

[comfortably_numb]

Stellar Labs 30-2476 VHF HI antenna. Ordered it today to help me pull in a couple of stations from Topeka, towers located 76 and 85 miles away. They're weak at best right now.

http://www.newark.com/stellar-labs/30-2476/fringe-directional-antenna-vhf/dp/71Y5462

The thing is a monster at nearly 7 feet, so if it works, it's going in the attic

 

[pamajestic]

That is currently the best available for VHF. I was surprised how well built it is for the price and considering it is a Chinese import. The gain is equal to old Winegard and AntennaCraft VHF antennas. If it doesn't work in the attic get it outside in the air.

 

[navychop]

IN the attic? As stated, roof mount it. As high as you can. You can write off decent reception at that distance inside an attic.

But I do think there are better antennas.

 

[boba]

Why bury it in the attic? If you are trying for fringe signal why would you want to lose signal by attic mounting.

 

[comfortably_numb]

Why bury it in the attic? If you are trying for fringe signal why would you want to lose signal by attic mounting.

Not sure the landlord will let me mount anything else on the roof

 

[comfortably_numb]

IN the attic? As stated, roof mount it. As high as you can. You can write off decent reception at that distance inside an attic.

But I do think there are better antennas.

Which model(s) do you suggest? Would be open to trying others

 

[spongella]

If your only option is in the attic you might want to add a preamplifier. It might help.

 

[comfortably_numb]

If your only option is in the attic you might want to add a preamplifier. It might help.

Luckily, I already have the TVPRAMP1Z which has the option to input separate VHF and UHF antennas, so I plan to run the Stellar Labs antenna through that.

 

[harshness]

Luckily, I already have the TVPRAMP1Z which has the option to input separate VHF and UHF antennas, so I plan to run the Stellar Labs antenna through that.

That's the best-case scenario.

While this model has a short wingspan, the mast is almost seven feet long so you should do some measuring to insure that it will fit in the orientation it will be aimed. I don't think OTARD covers multiple antennas if it comes to that.

Bear in mind that most who are using these aren't burying them in their attics and the ratings aren't for attic mounting.

I think you may be perturbed down the road if VHF-Low finds its way into your market.

 

[comfortably_numb]

Received the antenna today and put it together. Simple to install, took less than 20 minutes. Hooked it up to an extra TVPRAMP1Z I had in the closet, and laid it across my bed just to test it out. Received signal on KTWU and WIBW. Hope to hoist it up on the roof tomorrow to see what my top signal gain will be. It's a lengthy beast but weighs next to nothing.

 

[comfortably_numb]

The other observation I can add- in it's current location in my bedroom, the VHF antenna is also pulling in ALL the UHF channels I can currently receive with my RCA ANT751R, which is mounted high on the roof. Pretty darn impressive.

 

[cpalmer2k]

The other observation I can add- in it's current location in my bedroom, the VHF antenna is also pulling in ALL the UHF channels I can currently receive with my RCA ANT751R, which is mounted high on the roof. Pretty darn impressive.

I had the same experience in my testing with their slightly smaller version. I thought it was huge, but this one is a beast!

 

[Comptech]

That antenna was the best 34 bucks I ever spent.. I tried many different ones such as antenna craft hub55 and a similar wineguard for wlos out of asheville.
Nothing would pull it in because of the terrain. I got this antenna and a 8 bay UHf, I planned on mounting them on two separate masts. I put the VHF high one up first and hooked it to my 4 way splitter with no amp and scanned. WLOS 13 came in fine as well as all my other local markets channels in the Grenville area both VHF and UHF. And as a bonus, WBTV UHF out of Charlotte. The 8 bay is still sitting in my garage 2 years later!

 

[comfortably_numb]

Getting decent results. Both channels are in and out, but at 85 miles I guess that's to be expected. At the very least, the antenna will be good for VHF DX'ing. I also discovered that I lose signal when I try to use the separate VHF input on the preamp, so I'm just going to run a separate feed for my UHF antenna to a second separate preamp.

 

[pamajestic]

View attachment 130254 View attachment 130253

I also discovered that I lose signal when I try to use the separate VHF input on the preamp, so I'm just going to run a separate feed for my UHF antenna to a second separate preamp.

Don't forget to flip the switch to "separate" on the amp.

 

[comfortably_numb]

Don't forget to flip the switch to "separate" on the amp.

I did, but I wonder if it has to do with the fact that the VHF antenna is pointing in a completely different direction than the UHF. Or perhaps there is a certain amount of loss when you combine separate antennas. At any rate, when the desired VHF channels are so weak that any loss can be devastating, I decided to do separate feeds for best results. I have 2 separate HD Homerun tuners on my router that can share the final signal to my PC's in a seamless way, so I think all is well. My plan is to buy my own house in a couple years and either install a very tall tower, or buy a place that already has one. Too bad the City won't let me put antennas atop the water tower

 

[Comptech]

Try it without the amp! you might be surprised. Also a couple feet taller would not hurt either. All that extra coax coiled up is not helping either.

 

[Comptech]

All that extra coax has made for bad physics, those two loops hanging under the antenna, just made the shield of the coax part of the antenna. Also the coiled up spool of coax is making a poor mans choke bauln.

 

[(((Garyd)))]

All that extra coax has made for bad physics, those two loops hanging under the antenna, just made the shield of the coax part of the antenna. Also the coiled up spool of coax is making a poor mans choke bauln.

No, because it's 75 ohm coax, not wire, on an iron core, or even plain wire.
All Baulins I ever used, used an x-former with a donut iron core. How else can you match the impedance?
Simple AC theory, but you can get standing waves in coax, and do, in transmission plays a huge part, but you get a loss per foot in signal too, and you have to balance your signal with dummy loads.
Also on long runs you use RG 11, I did use RG11 for over 300 foot runs, longest run was 900 feet. When I got into satellite, it was all copper RG 59 and 50 ohm RG 13 and RG14, before LNB, than came LNBF
Read up on how The Quarter-wave stub is made, then you will understand more AC RF theory, that idea almost saved my job back in 1968, But we still were a hair above the Navy requirements, and losted the contract, and I never would have gotten into satellite

 

[comfortably_numb]

Is there such a thing as a VHF-only preamp? If so, what do you guys suggest? The TVPRAMP1Z is good, but I wonder if it's better on UHF.