new to the digital age OTA cuts out

[bighick]

SPECS
TV- 42" 1080p lcd
SAT- dish 1000 - 1 vip222 1 625? Dvr
Antenna- GE futura 24769 outdoor vhf uhf

The OTA is hooked up to my vip222 hd receiver for now with signal strength ranging from 72 to 99 on my different channels (according to the receiver) But most of them cut off in good weather. My antenna is mounted 5' above my sat antenna (i used 1" emt conduit and hose clamps to mount it to the dish pole). ZIP CODE 68347 eagle, nebraska.

1. I would like to get these to quit cutting out obviously. I can get a new antenna if you recomend 1 (needs to be less than $100) if i have to but it really doesnt seem to be signal strength to me.

2. Once I get it to quit cutting out I would like to feed it to all of my 4 of my TVs. If you could recommend what splitter and or amp I would need to do this. I already have 4 rg6 quads, 2 cat5e, and 1 22-4 sheilded to each tv so cable is not going to be a problem.

I hope I gave you all the info you will need to help me.
Thanks in advance
The hicky one.

 

[boba]

The only thing I could find on your antenna was someone bought on from Home Depot and at 26 miles it was working. It looks like Omaha is 40 miles from you and your best source of the networks all seem to be at 26 degrees and UHF permanently. If your LCD has an ATSC tuner built in connect the antenna directly to it instead of the 222. I would replace the questionable GE antenna with a Channel Master 4228 myself.

 

[dodge]

I would try a different antenna. A good one is the Channel master Cm4228. Those type of antenna's what you have really dont work well. How high is your antenna now, going a little higher maybe 10' higher that the peak of the roof may help.

 

[charper1]

ditto the above about the 4228 and a better mounting pos.

 

[boba]

Finally found it on Home Depots site. A fool and his money are soon parted. Supposed to have 20 dB amp built in only got a 2 out of 5 on the reviews on their site neither purchaser was happy with performance. DEFINITELY replace that"antenna". Get a better mounting than hose clamps for whatever you do decide on.

 

[bighick]

www . crutchfield.com/S-FrmgWEXdgrH/App/Product/Item/Main.aspx?i=700LRAPBSC&s=0&cc=01

cant post links, that looks like what i want correct?
I still need to know if i can just toss a plain old splitter to feed all my tv's though

Would i be able to go with a smaller antenna though? I mean i get good signal with this dinky thing . It was hard enough for me just to put up the dish all big and ugly

 

[boba]

First get an antenna that gives you good solid signals, then it maybe as simple as a 4 way splitter. The 4228 should capture plenty of signal so you can split without needing amplification but we have to guess because we can't see your setup so 1 step at a time.
If you were getting good signals you wouldn't be posting here, that dinky thing isn't doing the job. Yes there maybe smaller antennas that would work and a good TV antenna installer in your area that is familiar with that area could recommend something else where they have experience. We know what works and will probably work in your circumstance. We have learned overkill is better than buying 5 or 6 different antennas to find the right one that fits your specific needs. I am using a 4228 to feed 7 digital tuners but I know I can feed 1 TV off an Eagle Aspen DTV2BUHF 2 bay bowtie successfully. I am 61 miles from the Dallas broadcasters and pick up a Sherman broadcaster(40miles) off the back side of the 2 bay bow tie. Would this work for you possibly but I don't know your area enough to say go for it. Satellite is much easier than TV antenna the signal comes from a fixed location 22,300 miles out from the equater with a fixed strength and rain is about the only variable. TV antennas have many more problems and as old as they are (1940s ) few people really understand how to correctly install antennas.

 

[Don_M]

www . crutchfield.com

... that looks like what i want correct?
I still need to know if i can just toss a plain old splitter to feed all my tv's though

Would i be able to go with a smaller antenna though? I mean i get good signal with this dinky thing.

Yes, that's the antenna that other posters have recommended. Search on those model numbers and you'll be able to find this gear for less money elsewhere. (For another thing, you only need one antenna mount, not three, and you'll also need grounding wire and a ground rod, neither of which is included in the kit shown. Mast shipping is also expensive; it's a lot cheaper to visit a local RS store, or a hardware center to pick up a 1 1/2" OD galvanized fence post.)

A plain old 4:1 splitter is all you need. It goes into the coax downstream of the pre-amp's power injector, which needs to be near an outlet inside your home.

Signal level meter readings can be deceiving. Watch the meter for several minutes while tuned to a local broadcast. How steady is it? If the readout bounces up and down by more than, say, three percentage points, that's a classic sign of a pre-amped antenna that's too small. If anything, signal stability is even more important than "strength." I've got a local broadcast that comes in at a reading of 27/100, but it's watchable with few freezes because the signal level doesn't vary at all.