Using Your Discone for OTA Reception

[spongella]

Decided to check out my Radio Shack discone's ability to bring in OTA stations, it is mounted on the chimney about 22 feet above ground, and about 30 feet of RG/6 coax run.

Here's what I got, barefoot, that is, no pre-amp whatsoever. Not too shabby:

2.1 WCBS NYC
2.2 Decades
3.1 KYW Philly
3.2 CBS (Decades)
10.1 WCAU Philly
10.2 COZI
17.1 WPHL Philly
17.2 Antenna TV
17.3 THIS
17.4 Mummers (new channel featuring all old Mummers' parades)
23.1 WNJS New Jersey Public broadcasting, Trenton, NJ
22.5 Radio Channel ( unknown origin)
29.1 WTXF Philly
29.2 Movies
29.3 Mundo FOX
35.1 MIND TV (Philly)
35.2 NHK
35.3 France 24
35.4 RT
35.5 MHz
57.1 WPSG Philly
58.1 NJ public TV, Trenton, NJ
62.1 WWSI, origin unknown
62.2 Exitos
65.1 WUVP, Spanish programming, unknown location
65.2 WFPA-CA, unknown location
65.3 GET TV
65.4 Bounce

Will hook up a pre-amp and see if it improves the station count. So, a 25 - 1300 MHz discone is a fairly decent omnidirectional antenna for digital TV. TV used was a 7 inch Accurain. Location is about 50 miles W of NYC and 40 miles NE of Philly.

Time to check out yours and see.

 

[jorgek]

What's the polarization of a discone? Is there any claim as to antenna gain?

 

[FaT Air]

Discone - Favors vertical polarization. db gain comparable to a dipole, ~1.5db gain compared to an isotropic.

I'd be curious to see how THIS compares with the discone.

 

[jorgek]

So not suitable for OTA unless receiving strong signals.
Its impedance is probably 50 ohms and a mis match for TV sets.