Need help w/Antenna choice - Omaha

[alta]

Help,

I live in Omaha and find that the tower locations are a nightmare for an OTA antenna. Some stations are located in one direction and several others are over 100 degrees off. Another important one to me (PBS) is 180 degrees from the majors.

Someone has suggested that I mount an Antennas Direct DB-8 but separate half of the array and aim them in the two major directions. Does this sound like a smart move?

BTW, my main TV is in the basement fully shielded from all towers, so indoor is definately not an option.

Anyway, any and all help will be greatly appreciated. The attachment is the particulars from TVFool.

 

[Jim5506]

I would make myself a 4 bay bow-tie antenna out of a 2X4 and a coat hanger and put no reflector back on it so it picks up in both directionsand set it up pointing SW and NE.

You might just get all the nearby stations for less than $5.

Look here: coat hanger antenna - High Def Forum - Your High Definition Community & High Definition Resource

 

[alta]

Jim,

Thats very interesting and so simple and cheap I'll certainly try it.

Just a couple of quick questions.

Will this only pick up UHF, so the PBS station that broadcasts on VHS won't be picked up?

Would building 2 of these, aim them in the two main directions, combine them using a splitter (reversing of course) and then running it to the TV work better, or work at all?

Last but not least, If I built one (or two as described above) put it in the attic and got the desired effect could I use a second splitter and run it to each of my TVs? or would I need each TV to have its own dedicated array?

Much thanks.

Joe

 

[Jim5506]

Combining two similar antennas pointing in different directions usually gets you less signal than one (Merging feedlines).

You can use a combiner, not a splitter, to merge UHF and VHF signals. You may need a vhf antenna to get PBS.

If the 4 bay bow tie without reflector is not strong enough you can add 4 more bays, but if you put them side by side, you narrow the beam, vertical might be better.
Reference: A 16-Bay UHF Antenna

 

[alta]

"Combining two similar antennas pointing in different directions usually gets you less signal than one (Merging feedlines)"

I was afraid of that. Thanks.

 

[satcom1]

There is a step by step video on youtube.com on materials and construction of the coathqnger bow tie antenna.

 

[Voyager6]

Combining two similar antennas pointing in different directions usually gets you less signal than one (Merging feedlines).

You can use a combiner, not a splitter, to merge UHF and VHF signals. You may need a vhf antenna to get PBS.

If the 4 bay bow tie without reflector is not strong enough you can add 4 more bays, but if you put them side by side, you narrow the beam, vertical might be better.
Reference: A 16-Bay UHF Antenna

"Combining two similar antennas pointing in different directions usually gets you less signal than one (Merging feedlines)"

I was afraid of that. Thanks.

As close as you are to the towers that you are trying to receive, I don't think any slight signal loss will matter. I would try the cheap solution first.

 

[fz5j2r]

Help,

I live in Omaha and find that the tower locations are a nightmare for an OTA antenna. Some stations are located in one direction and several others are over 100 degrees off. Another important one to me (PBS) is 180 degrees from the majors.

Someone has suggested that I mount an Antennas Direct DB-8 but separate half of the array and aim them in the two major directions. Does this sound like a smart move?

BTW, my main TV is in the basement fully shielded from all towers, so indoor is definately not an option.

Anyway, any and all help will be greatly appreciated. The attachment is the particulars from TVFool.

KUON is located at 243 degrees from your location and is VHF channel 12. The other PBS station is KYNE (UHF) and is in the same general location (87 degrees) as all your major networks except FOX.

A good antenna for all of the channels EXCEPT FOX could be the Channel Master 4221. It should have enough beamwidth and gain to do the job.

Channel Master 4221

Remember to use an amplifier to overcome the loss in the coax (RG-6 minimum). Because you are close to the transmitters I would consider using a Winegard HDP269 because of it's acceptance of high signal input without overloading.

Your only answer to receiving FOX would be adding a second antenna and an additional DVR. This would give you all the majors and allow recording.

There is an outside chance that the 4221 could be aimed in between all the channels.

The only other possible option is a Winegard MS2000.

Winegard MS 2000 TV Antenna


You must get as much height for your antenna as possible!

 

[alta]

Sorry to be bumping this, but I've spent the last year wasting my time listening to my wife screaming at me to quit stalling and get this fixed. She's sick and tired of lost signals.

So, has anything changed?

Any recommendations for good installers? BTW, I'll be looking for someone willing to run a line through my outside wall into a lower level sat box.

 

[Voyager6]

Sorry to be bumping this, but I've spent the last year wasting my time listening to my wife screaming at me to quit stalling and get this fixed. She's sick and tired of lost signals.

So, has anything changed?

Any recommendations for good installers? BTW, I'll be looking for someone willing to run a line through my outside wall into a lower level sat box.

It would help if you could tell us what you have tried. There were several solutions listed above. Did you try any of them? Did anything change in your area after the 6/12 switchover?

 

[alta]

I'm using an indoor terk directional on the main level, which needs to be pointed for each of the local channels. My wife thinks that she's too good to actually have to remember where to point it , but we also lose signal anytime the wind blows.

On the upper level I have a simple rabbit ear that generally works fine.

The lower level is where we have the big TV and do most of our watching. I built a version of the DB-4 that works better than the directional terk or the rabbit ear. But, it still has too many drop outs. Moving it around sometimes helps, but the fact that it is below grade for all the pointing spells trouble. For some reason, there is no rhyme or reason as to the pointing. It's never the same twice.

I have two antenna masts. One that is located where the DirecTV dish is. It currently has a Winegard Sensar on it that is totally worthless.

I also have an old DISH on a mast that's near the highest point if the house. Its a 40' run from there to the DirecTV array, but it's probably the best place for an antenna.

With the Omaha signals coming from so many directions, I'm kind of hoping that in the last year someone has developed a truly multi-directional antenna that can pull signals.

 

[TRG]

You should be able to cover this with two antennas.

AntennaCraft HBU22 Pointed between 238 deg. (PBS) and 189 deg. (Fox/CW), or about 210 degrees.

And

Antennacraft U-4000 Pointed between 70 deg. (NBC, ABC, CBS) and 93 deg. (PBS), or about 81 degrees.

And a Combiner

You could potentially wind up with three PBS channels and all the networks with this configuration. Good luck and let us know how it works out for you.