OTA HD antenna question, could my Satrelite installer do the job?

[Killswitchengage]

Heres my dillema.

I live about 25 miles south of where the majors keep their towers here in the DC area. I currently have a silver arrow hooked up to my 811 and can get abc, cbs and FOX with about 70-75% strength, still I get drop outs at least a few times a night. I can sometime pick up NBC, but PBS, The WB and UPS aren't even options. Not evena blip.

Can someone give me some advice on what a good OTA Antenna might be? I live in a townhouse that backs to the woods, so I'm not opposed to a roof top, but don;t want oneso big that my neighbors see it from the front and want to stone me.

Also, if and when I do upgrade my 811, would the Dish Installation person be capable of installing the antenna at the same time? IF not, can some one give advice on where I might find an antenna installer for a decent price?

There is a place called Fairfax antenna that will install a winegard hd-9065 or a channel master 4221 for $300. Is this a reasonable rate or complete robbery? Any Advice would be greatly appreciated. Please help!

 

[Reefer123]

I am sure many installers will hook you up with installation as long as you give him some $$$ on the side.

 

[Killswitchengage]

Oh absolutely. I would gladly purchase my own antenna for $50 bucks and give the installer an extra $50- 100 for the extra installation to save $150. Again maybe i'm just being cheap though.

 

[Killswitchengage]

and one more thing, Am I even Allowed to put a regular TV antenna on my TOWNHOUSE?

We do have a HOA but I was told that they had no say over wether a Sattelite dish or TV antenna was perched on top of my house, any ideas?

 

[Harry]

and one more thing, Am I even Allowed to put a regular TV antenna on my TOWNHOUSE?
We do have a HOA but I was told that they had no say over wether a Sattelite dish or TV antenna was perched on top of my house, any ideas?

Can't find anything about a Silver Arrow antenna, but, you may try putting a pre-amp on it. 70-75% strength is pretty good. The dropouts are likely to be from the stations themselves.

In my area, I get all of the networks at pretty much the same strength. (in the 70's). However, my 811 will not receive ABC when you first change to it. It takes a few seconds, then you get the "Lost Signal" message then it hooks up.

Anyway, try an amp. Make sure it handles the HD frequencies. I live about 45 miles from the towers.

 

[Killswitchengage]

Harr, here are the specs, it's from zenith


ZHDTV1Z




Highly Directional
High front-to-back ratio helps reject unwanted multi-path signal corruption. This ensures densely populated urban areas receive clear HDTV and data broadcasting signals.

Even Response
A flat forward gain slope delivers balanced reception throughout UHF. Ensures all channels are received to the same quality.

Proven in the Field
Silver Sensor proven itself in front of the FCC, but it is now the "reference antenna" for data broadcasting.

Easy to Install

75 Ohm, Gold Plated "F" Connector for Antenna Inputs
Additional Info


Note: When using the enclosed antenna, you will only receive UHF channels. To receive VHF channels (Channels numbered 1 thru 13), you must slso connect a VHF antenna to the TV. You can install a device referred to as a "antenna combiner" which will combine the two antenna output signals into one 75 ohms for a single connection.

Safety Note: Cables or cords connecting your television to any antenna, set top box, electrical outlet or any other component should never be craped or hung across traffic areas or in any positions where those cords or cables may be pulled on or tripped over, causing damage or injury to equipment or people.

and here is where you can find the link

http://www.zenith.com/sub_prod/product_Display.asp?cat=49&id=131

 

[BigFella]

Killswitchengage,
You have a Silver Sensor indoor antenna, which is one of the best out there. If that doesn't cut it for you for OTA reception (it didn't for me), you'll have to go with an outdoor antenna. To do it yourself, start with www.antennaweb.org to find out what digital stations are available to you and the type of outdoor antenna that'll enable you to receive them. $300 to have someone do it for you is not unreasonable (at least, that's what they charge around here in the LA area) and could save you a trip to the hospital. As far as HOA's are concerned, the FCC (and federal law) is on your side. Where the antenna can be mounted can get a little tricky in a townhouse situation as opposed to a single family residence (no common areas, etc. - read the related posts elsewhere on this site).

 

[robertjp]

Can someone tell me the difference between a preamp and an amp.??
Im getting confused. I gotta do something. Have a CM 4228, works fine on main tv but need to run a long line to 2nd tv (HD). How can I only amplify 1 line and leave the main line alone???? Not sure what I need.