OTA went bad

[Jim Abbett]

My Terk TV5 was working well when I first bought it about a month ago. For some reason it tends to break up somewhat on all channels. I've tried adjusting and it doesn't help. What could have happened. Nothing has changed as far as things that could cause interefence problems.

Which antenna would be good for me? I need UHF and VHF and it needs to go outside. Basically, I'm under 20 miles away from most towers. Here's my info from antennaweb.org:

(Hope this is undertandable.)


* yellow- uhf WRTV-DT 6.1 ABC 297° 13.5 miles 25
* yellow - uhf WTHR-DT 13.1 NBC 306° 13.7 miles 46
* yellow - uhf WXIN-DT 59.1 FOX 294° 13.4 miles 45
* green - vhf WISH-DT 8.1 CBS 294° 13.5 miles 9
* green - uhf WFYI-DT 20.1 PBS 297° 13.5 miles 21
* green - uhf WFYI 20 PBS 297° 13.5 miles 20




Thanks, Jim

[TyroneShoes]

Well, not easily understandable. That much info all at once and not columnized is a little daunting, and maybe we need to break it down first. I would go back to aw.org and approach it this way:

First, figure out which channels you are interested in. If you are not interested in SD channels at all, you can sort this list to remove them completely, which will simplify things. Then, cross off your list independents, religious, low-powers, and anything else that will not have a true HD signal in the next couple years. What you are left with is pretty much the big 6 and PBS. If you also want SD channels, it gets a little more complicated, but sometimes the best approach is to create the best reception system you can for DT channels, and any SD channels you also get will just be like extra gravy. Tweaking to get every last SD channel could compromise DT reception.

Now use their orientation map for your location to get an idea what azimuth (direction) the antenna should point to pick these important remaining channels up. If they all come from pretty much the same 20-degree slice, that's helpful. If some important ones don't, things could get dicey. You may have to sacrifice some off-axis channels, depending on distance, power, and terrain.

Those last three things, along with your location and local obstacles and reflective elements and your ability or not to erect a mast, will determine which antenna you need to get. Do that groundwork, and we can help fine tune things and recommend something that will suit you.

[Jim Abbett]

Is this better? Sorry, it was pretty messy before.

These are the channels I want. All are under 15 miles. There are no obstructions to speak of. It's pretty flat around here, no trees or towers, etc. I will need a UHF and VHF. I can mount outside on a mast as long as it's not real high. I'm in a single story home.


* yellow- uhf WRTV-DT 6.1 ABC 297° 13.5 miles 25
* yellow - uhf WTHR-DT 13.1 NBC 306° 13.7 miles 46
* yellow - uhf WXIN-DT 59.1 FOX 294° 13.4 miles 45
* green - vhf WISH-DT 8.1 CBS 294° 13.5 miles 9
* green - uhf WFYI-DT 20.1 PBS 297° 13.5 miles 21
* green - uhf WFYI 20 PBS 297° 13.5 miles 20

Thanks again, Jim

[Runch Machine]

I recommend the Channel Master 4228 UHF antenna. You don't really need a VHF antenna because only one channel is in the VHF band and the 4228 works great in the upper VHF band. I used my field strength meter to compare the 4228 to a traditional all channel radio shack antenna and the 4228 did slightly better the the RS antenn on channel 9 and 11. I also checked 2, 4 and 5 and the 4228 was terrible on those low band VHF channels.

The 4228 has tons of gain and will work great for you.

Check the following link for a comparison of TV antennas. Note the section on UHF antennas performance on the VHF band.
http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/comparing.html

[TyroneShoes]

I second that emotion. Ditto on everything you said, Runch. Your readings reflect exactly what the gain chart says for lo-V and hi-V on the 4228.

Jim, editing your post helped. For your location (13 miles, all within 10 degrees, no low-V's) the answer is clear. The best and most-effective strategy is a 4228. But just as a frame of reference, my scenario is very similar (12.1 miles, all UHF, all within a few degrees, no obstructions or reflective structures). I get perfect reception with a simple FM dipole taped to a second-story window.

The difference for my situation is that the dipole has only 3 dB of forward gain vs. 12.1 dB from a 4228, and I also lose another 8 dB or so from a 4-way splitter, which puts me at a signal level about 17 dB below where I would be with a 4228. Adding a variable amp just ahead of the splitter (adjusted for about +15 dB of gain) puts me in a zone where all channels are solid, 24/7. The only other fine tuning is I chopped the legs of the dipole to be about 8" each, which helps tune the antenna to about 600 MHz (which is the middle of the band of interest for me, giving me slightly more gain in UHF and slightly less in the FM band) and I used an FM trap built-in to the amp, as there are a lot of strong FMs coming from that exact same location.

[Jim Abbett]

Ok, since I have two lines coming in already and don't really want to run another one, are you saying that I can split into one of the existing incoming lines? What do I use for this? Do I need an amp of some sort?