Yet another Antenna post

[mjx3p]

Hello All,
I have no idea where to start and I am hoping some nice soul can point me in the right direction I apologize in advance for my total ignorance in this area and assure you that I have tried to do my own research and am at a loss due to the fact that I don't even understand the basics. That being said...

We are in E. Longmeadow, MA and have just had Dish Network installed. (We tried to get Direct Tv but they could not get a signal due to a tree. Dish hooked us up to their new satellite, the Eastern Arc or whatever and, we took what we could to get away from paying $90/mo to Charter.

We have no locals and we just went out and bought an antenna (RCA digital flat amplified antenna 1080 HDTV) After scanning for our locals, however, there seems to be 3 for each call sign and it doesn't look like we're getting certain channels. Lke I said, reception is really spotty and we're wondering what might be the best antenna for our situation might be. We'd rather not have one on the roof if we can avoid it. So, should we be putting the antenna in the attic, getting a different antenna or...is this the best we're going to get?

Any and all assistance is greatly appreciated. I hope I have provided enough information.

The antenna is connected to the Dish receiver and then sits atop of the armoire - basically the highest point in the room.

I just did another scan for locals and this is what I got:
3-1 WFSB-H
3-2 WFSB-D
3-3 WFSB-D
3-4 WFSB-D
22-1 WWLP-D
24-1 WEDH-1
24-2 WEDH-2
24-3 WEDH-3
24-4 WEDH-4
30-1 WVIT-D
30-2 NBC WX
31-1 DTV
40-1 WGGBDT
40-2 WGGBDT
40-2 WGGBDT
46-1 DTV
46-2 DTV
57-1 WGBYDT
57-2 WGBYDT
57-3 WGBYDT
57-4 WGBYDT
Okay now, not all of these stations actually come in and, when they do, they are pretty spotty. I did notice that the signal strength (when not reading zero) is somewhere between 60 and 75.

I have also attached my result from tv fool.

 

[Don_M]

You have a problem common to your neighbors in CT -- namely, signals coming in from a wide arc. (I used to live there. Trees+hills+stations all over the place = A real barrel of laughs for OTA reception.) Trees, which tend to be quite hard on UHF signals, are another widespread problem for OTA viewers in the Northeast thanks to heavy forestation in many areas.

If your viewing room has windows to the northwest, west or southwest, first try moving the antenna next to the window. Avoid trying to capture signals through an aluminum screen if you have them -- they'll pretty much kill any chance at reception. If the antenna's cable won't reach that far, buy an extra length of RG-6 cable and couple the cables together with a barrel connector to form an "extension cord." If the window trick doesn't work, try other locations in the room. Sometimes, the last place you'd think to put an indoor antenna works the best. Re-scan for OTA channels after each move.

If nothing seems to help, the attic or roof may be your only alternatives for reliable reception. Write back and let us know if this is the case.

 

[Tower Guy]

In addition to the multiple directions that you would have to aim a proper antenna, the signals that you do have are too strong for the amplified antenna that you have. When an amplifier is hit by signals that are too strong, the amp creates spurious signals that tend to cover up the weaker stations.

Next, the typical trail and error adjustment to eliminate the strong signal overload cause an unwitting misalignment of the antenna, which can result in the loss of the strongest stations.

So, what can be done cheaply?

Get a 4220 for the Hartford stations, a second 4220 for WGGB, and a Y5-7-13 for WWLP. Get a Jointenna for WGGB tuned to channel 20. (It won't work until February) Buy a UVSJ to add WWLP to the UHF antenna.

It can be mounted in the attic.