Newbie Needing Help!!!!

[fredbaby21]

I enjoyed Voom for 41 days before it went dark.

41 days of bliss.

I didn't do any research or have any prior knowledge of anything about satellite TV or anything other then my cable company until I found Voom. Correction: I still didn't do any research until I got the news Voom was dying. I have been trying to follow the technical posts from you very knowledgeable folks, but I need someone to break it down for me and help me with a few things...

I live in a rural area. I have been getting all the OTA channels fine with my Voom box after they went dark, but I have always had a problem with FOX. I can't get my local broadcast of FOX (nobody really knows why, but I suspect they don't broadcast in whatever makes a broadcast HD). Anyway, my installer has my OTA antenna pointing to Fresno, CA (91 miles from me). I get crappy reception and had a service call into Voom to fix it scheduled for the day they announced their death. Of course, the appointment was cancelled. So here's my question: I know that the antenna he installed is too small to really receive the signal at this distance, but I know an antenna must exist that can. I know I need something larger but have no idea what to get that will be compatible with the Voom equipment already installed. I can't seem to find anyone in my area that deals in antennas or even knows what I'm asking... so I am on my own to order something online, crawl up on my roof, and self install. Can I just order an antenna and mount it on to the pole and "plug" it in to the existing cable running into my house? Any direction on what this will require or what I will need to buy would help!

 

[seandudley]

Any antenna is compatible with the Voom receiver. You just need a high gain directional antenna. There are web sites that list various antennas and list in the description for how good of a distance they are.

 

[dishguy]

Try SS 2000 Winegard amplified antenna. It is perfect for mutiplexing problems that you get in urban or mountain terrain in your case. I just bought SS 1000 non amplified version for $82 and I can get perfect reception in house ( 20 miles away). You need S2200 because of your distance.

 

[lilyarbie]

What about an 8-bay UHF antenna?

From what I've heard, an 8-bay UHF antenna is best for those frequencies that are hard to get in the UHF band. I use one of these myself. I live close to the Alabama stateline in Tennessee and can pick up certain Nashville stations very well. I use a pre-amp for improved performance and a line distribution amplifier for two separate long cable runs.

 

[fredbaby21]

I just looked at the spec of the SS2000 and it looks like its for distances up to 50 miles. I need 91 miles! Is this going to get it? Considering what I have up on the roof right now is supposed to cover 55 miles? What about the Winegard HD8200P? Says it covers 100 miles but I don't understand the language of the specs...

AND IS IT REALLY 14.75 FEET LONG??? SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME I CAN'T ADD!!!

 

[dougmcbride]

I have a CM Quantum 1160A (no longer in production) that is almost 16' boom length with a preamp. I get my locals (~50 miles) rock solid and occasionally get stations from about 105 miles. I live at 1300' MSL with a great line of sight to the towers.

Getting locals from 90 miles unless you have a very large antenna and some antenna height, plus a preamp may be a stretch so set your expectations accordingly. Not that it can't be done, but you are on the edge no matter what equipment you get unless you can really get it up into the air.

Good luck,

Doug