old style roof antenna

[zazu]

hi all,,
I have on my roof one of those old big rotating antenna setups from the uhf/vhf ntsc days..
i am curious is there any way to use or convert it to be hooked to my ota hd atsc tuners.
i know i once had a adapter from the shack to change one of the wires coming down to coa probably would have to buy something like that)?
well any help info on this would be greatly appreciated..
thanks

 

[Blindowl1234]

Zazu, If if still has flat twin lead cable you'd have to change it to some coax. If you have coax on it already then you have a 300 Ohm/75 Ohm balun/transformer right at the rooftop antenna connection. Two leads go to antenna and the other end has a coax fitting. Also check all the connections at the antenna and rotor and if everything looks good give it a try. Blind

 

[zazu]

thanks for replying blindowl,, thing is i cant get up to the roof right now,, and the wires are coming down the side of the house to where i can access them. and they had been cut yrs ago,,,basically 2 sets ,, the old double wire vhf uhf,, and then there is a round bundle,, looks like coax on the outside, but there is a different color coded wires on the inside,,
i didnt think that just using a basic uhf/vhf to 75 ohm coax fitting would work? i had bought on clearance at the shack a adapter that needed more than just 2 wires to attach then had an output for the coax, a few months ago i was trying to find schematic on the net to attach it( now dont know where i put it)
but are you saying just try and use that old double wire into a coax adapter,, i thought there would have to be something added,, i thought there was circuitry needed

 

[boba]

thanks for replying blindowl,, thing is i cant get up to the roof right now,, and the wires are coming down the side of the house to where i can access them. and they had been cut yrs ago,,,basically 2 sets ,, the old double wire vhf uhf,, and then there is a round bundle,, looks like coax on the outside, but there is a different color coded wires on the inside,,
i didnt think that just using a basic uhf/vhf to 75 ohm coax fitting would work? i had bought on clearance at the shack a adapter that needed more than just 2 wires to attach then had an output for the coax, a few months ago i was trying to find schematic on the net to attach it( now dont know where i put it)
but are you saying just try and use that old double wire into a coax adapter,, i thought there would have to be something added,, i thought there was circuitry needed

That old antenna is new again, the ATSC signal is just a different form of broadcast sent on the same carrier waves. The round cable with colored wires is probably the control cable for the rotor. Flat lead 300 ohm cable was used 10-20 years ago for carrying TV antenna signals but has been replaced by 75 ohm coaxial cable. A 75 ohm balun is used to covert flat lead to coax, they have become scarcer but are still available. The problem with your installation is flat lead aged and wind over time could break connections at the antenna so the wires were still hanging down but most of the signal was lost. You can get a balun and connect coax then run the coax to your ATSC tuner and see what you have for signal.

 

[Jim5506]

Actually, when it is new, the flat 300 ohm cable is better for reception that 75 ohm coax because of lower line loss and no need for a balun at least on the antenna end, but it has a tendency to degrade over time, so go with 75ohm RG-6 coax cable.

The antenna may have degraded a little over time with rust and corrosion, but unless you are in deep fringe and the antenna is for the wrong band, it should work for you.

The first thing you need to do is go to TV Fool and input your exact address. This will tell you the frequencies your local stations are now using. they may (likely ARE) different from what they once were. Do not look at the 11.1 or 22.1 numbers, look at the actual RF channel assignment under the Real column.

 

[Larobpra]

If you are a ways from the transmitters, you might consider a signal amplifier too, since you have to run new cables anyway. I have one of these - AntennaCraft 10G202 High Gain Low Noise Pre-Amplifier Antenna HDTV UHF / VHF Booster Signal 29 dB Gain Mast Mounted Television Aerial with Power Supply and Switchable FM Trap, Part # 10G-202: Oak Entertainment Centers and Home Office Furniture, TV An- and it really helps for my area.

 

[zazu]

i want to thank all those that helped long ago when i posted this thread..
so i was able to throw a 300ohm/75ohm balun to go from the 2 uhf/vhf wires to the coax,,and my little converters boxes were able to then scan and pick up channels.crazy thing is my one tv that has a built in Atsc tuner( a toshiba 56inch DLP HiDef) has no sound on 2 channels,a CBS and a CW, and those channels have sound on the TVs that i had to hook converters to?
But my current Question,,due to that i live 24 miles out of the Philedelphia market,,and TV Fool is telling my i am 65 miles from the New York Based stations,,I have no NY channels? I want to watch the Giants game today, and since Philly FOX will be playing the Eagle game, I need to tune in the NY Fox..I dont know how to make heads or tails of the report TvFool rendered me with!!
please any help would be great and appreciated in steps to take ;-]

 

[dfergie]

Can you rotate the antenna? if so move it the direction NY is.

 

[zazu]

Hey Dferg,,i wish i could move it,,i cant get up to the roof,, and i need to get something to hook up to the hanging motor wires to electronically rotate this thing, thats even if the wires are intact and the motor is not seized,,
do you think that is the solution? i mean this antenna is BIG,, would direction matter?
man i wish FOX NY was FTA!!lol( i havent used my system in long time due to blown motor!)

 

[bubbagscotch]

THOSE BIG ANTENNAS

yea thos big antennas are very directional. You should get up on the roof and try to move it manually for now so you can watch your game.