OTA antenna with TR40

[yardline]

So I got a TR40 for my mother in law. She's about 45 miles NE of the transmitters for the Tampa, FL stations. She had some amplified rabbit ears and the TR40 picked up about half the stations, but several were at the 50% signal range and would break up. So I figured an OTA, 30ft up would work better. So I went to Radio Shack and got a "160" Long Dual Boom, 57-Element Antenna" Model VU-190 XR. I aimed it a Tampa and got less channels than the rabbit ears. In fact the only two it would even find were Ch 3 and 28. I didn't use an amp and I just took the RF lead with brand new RG6 and ran to the TR40. Do I need some type of ohm step down adapter or something before I go into the TR40?

I have the same setup at my house which is 55 miles from the transmitter, except that I use an amp too with my VIP622 and I get great signal.

Could the amp be giving me that much help?

 

[garys]

If she was getting the signals inside the home, putting the antenna outside around the same height should have been the place to start. More height is not always the answer.

 

[TheKrell]

I have trouble believing you're doing everything correctly. Are you sure you're pointed at Tampa? You used an impedance matching transformer at the antenna?

Could be a bad antenna, coax, transformer, or installation. Perhaps the antenna (or coax, or transformer) was mangled in shipment and is shorted. I have had accidents in my attic and missed the center hole on the F-connector jack, and shorted the center conductor to ground.

 

[highdefjeff]

I'd double check the pointing too.

 

[jimjo3298]

I have a MXU59antenna craft Antenna I can pull in stations from omaha NE about 40 miles away at 90% or better and pick up PBS HD from over 100 miles away at about 70%. Great Antenna have installed about 10 for customers and noone has complained about any dropout or pixelization

 

[highdefjeff]

Now that I think about it...

it could be turned the wrong direction, BUT, you are probably overloading the digital receiver with TOO MUCH signal.

TOO much signal in digital systems can, and does, cause loss of stations and signal lock.

You went from the "least of antennas", rabbit ears (which were just a "little" short of doing the job), to one of the biggest, longest range antennas out there!

You probably have too much signal. Try turning that big antenna a few degrees from the correct direction to weaken the signal and scan again.