This is so awesome!

[Mr Tony]

So a couple weeks ago I posted of "this is so wrong" with a chinese "150 mile" plastic antenna on the top of a 70 foot tower
http://www.satelliteguys.us/xen/threads/this-is-so-wrong.351506/

well there is a bar/motel/restaurant nearby (12 miles or so) who does it right

behold......2...yes TWO of the Channelmaster UHF parabola antennas...and a 10 element VHF one
(we'll give them a pass for the dish dish mounted up the tower)

I soooooo want one of those antennas

 

[localclassictvfan]

first off them plastic antennas dont get 150 miles away. Secondly i am sure you put those 3 ufo looking things on a mast about 30 feet high you should be good.

70 feet really....what one is trying to get, New York City

 

[Mr Tony]

first off them plastic antennas dont get 150 miles away.

I'm fully aware of that

Secondly i am sure you put those 3 ufo looking things on a mast about 30 feet high you should be good.

They're not UFO looking things. They are the BEST UHF antenna ever made. The Channelmaster 4251
http://www.rocketroberts.com/cm4251/cm4251.htm

If you've got some time away stop bugging Media General and read the link. Its a good read

70 feet really....what one is trying to get, New York City

nope. You have to realize where I live the options are slim. I live in North Central Minnesota which is 100 miles from Minneapolis and 90 from Duluth. If you read the 1st post in the link above (this is so wrong) back in the analog days you had 2 "clear" or "few sparklies" stations and that was KCCW CBS 12 (satellite of WCCO Minneapolis) and KAWB 22 PBS. Otherwise it was really hit and miss.

One thing to note is the Minneapolis market is GIGANTIC! It runs from the Iowa border almost to Canada. (click on the picture below) That has to do with WCCO (CBS O&O in Minneapolis) years ago (mid 80's) buying what was KCMT 7 and KNMT 12 (now KCCO and KCCW) and running them as satellite stations (they rebroadcast WCCO). So all of a sudden the other Minneapolis stations started putting up translator stations in northern and central Minnesota. But they were very low power and in specific spots so if you were say 15-20 miles away you needed them big badass antennas. Folks didnt use them to get DX stations. They used them to get local stations to pipe through their sportsbars, restaurants and hotels (this is before Dish and Directv). Tower systems are kinda the norm around here. My neighbor has one. We had a guide wire setup before the house burned down. It was an antenna probably 30 feet above the roofline of the house which was 2 stories.

Where I live (and I've posted my tvfool report) I can get the following on a consistent basis
CBS 12 (KCCW) (subchannel Decades)....I wouldnt say consistent as I have a UHF only and they broadcast on RF12. It comes in "most of the time" and only if the antenna is facing SW or West
PBS 22 (KAWB) (5 subchannels)
ABC 16 (translator which is ANALOG!!)
FOX 26 (KMSP translator K48IF) but it is very hit and miss. It pumps out a whole 2800 watts and I'm 26 miles away (My and Movies! subchannel). At night it comes in stable..during the day no way
FOX 39 (KQDS Duluth translator K39GG....but again ANALOG...and the antenna has to be NW and its still real fuzzy)
ION 41 (KPXM). That one comes in almost all the time

As you can see I have minimal stations and I have a big 8 bay on the roof of the house with a pre-amp. While I can get Minneapolis at night with minimal blips (depending on weather) they don't come in during the day.

The use of 2 of them hooked together gives them more "collection" of the signal...Since its been up there so long I'm sure it was used to get the low powered analog translators back in the day.

 

[larrykenney]

well there is a bar/motel/restaurant nearby (12 miles or so) who does it right

behold......2...yes TWO of the Channelmaster UHF parabola antennas...and a 10 element VHF one
(we'll give them a pass for the dish dish mounted up the tower)

I soooooo want one of those antennas

I'd love to have one or two of the huge parabola antennas, too! I had one when I was a young guy back in New Hampshire, but we left it when we moved. Bad decision!

 

[localclassictvfan]

1. I stopped bugging Media General, damn I cant remember but it was before the new channels launched in Lafayette. I did email the lady that i first got in touch with that I just wait and told her thanks for at least trying to help. No biggie, I know where Media General stands in my book.
2. Where you get the 8 Bay Antenna
3. I am from the country it looks like ufo's to me...Sorry must been the times I was hit by SNOWBALLS.
4. Thank You. I might have found my equipment to catch the grit, get, and escape out of Baton Rouge....

 

[Mr Tony]

1. Could have fooled me
2. solid signal DOT com
3. I'm from the country too. Whats your point?

 

[localclassictvfan]

1. Oh well hopefully they dont put nothing stupid then I get laughed at on here like a dummy
2. Is the 8 bay the butterfly or circular one and would you recommend a Denny Stacker.
3. You really want a reply to that one.

 

[Mr Tony]

Here is my 8 bay
http://www.satelliteguys.us/xen/posts/3706334/

I have a couple monster VHF/UHF combo antennas that are still in the box. I just need to move
HBU55 (biggest one Winegard made)
C490 (biggest antenna AntennaCraft made...has VHF Low elements too)

Also have a simple 2 bay and a HBU22

As to what I recommend? Well I personally like 2 separate antennas (VHF & UHF) but that is just me. I guess when I lived in Minneapolis and wanted the only station in Mankato (KEYC) I NEEDED a separate VHF antenna (they were 180 degrees opposite Minneapolis and 72 miles away).

Now where I am I still really need 2 separate antennas. CBS (KCCW) is NW of me whereas the others are W/SW. So this setup (2 antennas) allows me to record something on CBS (or Decades) AND say ABC or PBS.

 

[localclassictvfan]

The one on top is exactly what i was looking for. So i basically purchase the 8 bay and keep the vhf/uhf i got from Wal-Mart then put a joiner in between. I guess you connect both antennas to the joiner the connect another wire from the joiner to the amp or tv

 

[localclassictvfan]

How do you take the time to be knowledgeable about every station, the ownership, what stations have how much power to add what they can add. Heck you even know more about the Lafayette DMA than I do which is fine with me. I thought I knew everything that's until I came on this site. I got put in my place quick. I mean I am sure there are plenty of other exciting things to do in Central Minnesota.

 

[primestar31]

How do you take the time to be knowledgeable about every station, the ownership, what stations have how much power to add what they can add. Heck you even know more about the Lafayette DMA than I do which is fine with me. I thought I knew everything that's until I came on this site. I got put in my place quick. I mean I am sure there are plenty of other exciting things to do in Central Minnesota.

Http://www.tvfool.com (Check Your Address for Free TV)

http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=kadn#station

 

[boba]

Here is my 8 bay
http://www.satelliteguys.us/xen/posts/3706334/

I have a couple monster VHF/UHF combo antennas that are still in the box. I just need to move
HBU55 (biggest one Winegard made)
C490 (biggest antenna AntennaCraft made...has VHF Low elements too)

Also have a simple 2 bay and a HBU22

As to what I recommend? Well I personally like 2 separate antennas (VHF & UHF) but that is just me. I guess when I lived in Minneapolis and wanted the only station in Mankato (KEYC) I NEEDED a separate VHF antenna (they were 180 degrees opposite Minneapolis and 72 miles away).

Now where I am I still really need 2 separate antennas. CBS (KCCW) is NW of me whereas the others are W/SW. So this setup (2 antennas) allows me to record something on CBS (or Decades) AND say ABC or PBS.

HBU55 by Winegard?

 

[TRG]

That's a cool setup ice. At first look I thought the two parabolas were setup as stacked. But upon further review they are facing in slightly different directions.

The idea of setting up a 7 foot antenna sounds daunting. I'm fortunate to have a 10,500 foot mountain 10 miles east of me blasting out a signal. I knew I wanted to split my signal into two lines so I went a bit overkill on my antenna. Since there are two VHF Hi channels with everything else on UHF I decided on a Winegard HD7694P and it works great. The splitter hardly attenuated the signal at all. Oh and no amplifier was required so that was a plus.

 

[Mr Tony]

So i basically purchase the 8 bay and keep the vhf/uhf i got from Wal-Mart then put a joiner in between.

you can do that. What do you currently have for an antenna?

I guess you connect both antennas to the joiner the connect another wire from the joiner to the amp or tv

The joiner I use actually separates VHF & UHF to the 2 different antennas. My HBU22 that I use is a combo antena but I only use it for VHF. UHF comes from the 8 bay. Both go into the joiner and then to the pre-amp

If you look at the pic of my setup (I posted the link above) you'll see it. Like I say its ghetto rigged right now as its only temporary....but it gets the job done

 

[Mr Tony]

How do you take the time to be knowledgeable about every station, the ownership, what stations have how much power to add what they can add. Heck you even know more about the Lafayette DMA than I do which is fine with me. I thought I knew everything that's until I came on this site. I got put in my place quick.

Rabbitears.info has all the info that you need
Its not that hard to see the info

I mean I am sure there are plenty of other exciting things to do in Central Minnesota.

sure there is. I am right on a huge lake (Lake Mille Lacs) but what else ya gonna do while waiting for a fish?

 

[Mr Tony]

HBU55 by Winegard?

AntennaCraft.....geez Bob out of that huge post THAT is what you took from it? The fact I put the wrong company?
(I was multitasking and looking at Winegard antennas when I posted.....good god)

 

[Mr Tony]

That's a cool setup ice. At first look I thought the two parabolas were setup as stacked. But upon further review they are facing in slightly different directions.

It does look like that. I assume (and I could be wrong) that is from the days when there were some translator stations for the "Big 3" from Duluth that were about 15 miles NE of Brainerd. So they had one dish at that and the other at Brainerd which had PBS, NBC, ABC

The idea of setting up a 7 foot antenna sounds daunting.

on a tower no less. I'm sure a cherry picker/boom lift was used

I'm fortunate to have a 10,500 foot mountain 10 miles east of me blasting out a signal. I knew I wanted to split my signal into two lines so I went a bit overkill on my antenna. Since there are two VHF Hi channels with everything else on UHF I decided on a Winegard HD7694P and it works great. The splitter hardly attenuated the signal at all. Oh and no amplifier was required so that was a plus.

NICE! Its like when I lived in Minneapolis and had a HBU44 on the roof. I was only 25 miles away from the towers.
If I tried that one in Duluth it REALLY would have been overkill. Was 2 miles from towers

 

[boba]

AntennaCraft.....geez Bob out of that huge post THAT is what you took from it? The fact I put the wrong company?
(I was multitasking and looking at Winegard antennas when I posted.....good god)

You are right so much of the time even correcting my errors, I just had to razz you when the chance came, I definitely knew who the HBU was by.

 

[Mr Tony]

This is by an apartment complex in the same area. Note there is no cable company in the town (its only 200 people.....but home to the worlds smallest town McDonalds)

 

[localclassictvfan]

I currently have a rca ant3036w 60 mile range vhf/uhf/hdtv outdoor antenna 22 feet high. Everything i need with the new uhf antenna, plus the joiner and pre amp will run me about 115 dollars. The HDB8X says the radius is 60 plus miles uhf. So by the time the baton rouge new channels launch i should have this up.