# Want hd. Need uhf antenna. Help.



## maciej229 (Sep 11, 2006)

Yes hello i was wondering what kind of antenna i should get. Pittsburgh is pretty mountainous but i live on a hill. I was looking at the DB8. Will that be to big? I also have a vhf antenna on the roof. Will the new uhf antenna be able to replace that. Thanks!


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## Jim5506 (Jun 7, 2004)

I'd recommend the CM4228 ($50 + shipping) or the DB8 ($120+shipping) performance is comparable, except 4228 is better on VHF high.

Aim it at your FOX station and other majors should follow. If you want others a rotator may be necessary.


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## maciej229 (Sep 11, 2006)

Which one do you recommend?


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## Cholly (Mar 22, 2004)

Your biggest issue is with the ABC outlet at 127 degrees. You won't be able to access it and the others with a single antenna without a rotator. As to the selection of UHF antennas in general, I'm getting great results with the Antennas Direct LaCrosse. See the thread at the beginning of this forum for several comments about this antenna.


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## Jim5506 (Jun 7, 2004)

The ABC is yellow, it might be viewable off the side of the antenna.


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## Tower Guy (Jul 27, 2005)

Have you tried the existing antenna with your HDTV? It might work well enough.

For an optimum system I would install a Channel Master 4221 fix aimed at WTAE and a 4228 on a rotator just above it. I'd add the two together with a channel 51 Jointenna. Normally I'd leave the rotator at about 20 degrees for NBC, CBS and FOX. When you want to watch some of the odd stations, just turn the rotator for that one instance. If you don't care about Johnstown or Stubenville, the rotatable antenna can be a second 4221.

The advantage of this configuration is you will not have to turn the antenna to channel surf the major networks.

You may take down the existing antenna.


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## maciej229 (Sep 11, 2006)

what about this antenna. http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-VHF-UHF-OUT...ryZ73383QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


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## oljim (Aug 6, 2002)

Snake oil


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## maciej229 (Sep 11, 2006)

snake oil?


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## joshg (Sep 18, 2006)

oljim said:


> Snake oil


I hate to say it but I am going to have to unscientifically totally disagree with you here. I actually bought one of these antennas. I live south of Franklin, NC and am picking up Atlanta Stations(So far I get Fox, NBC, ABC, UPN, and TBN DIGITAL CHANNELS + most all of the analog) and I am still playing with placement of the antenna. That is 120+ miles away!

I am on a south facing slope, but do not have line of sight. In fact there are poplar trees about 50 feet in front of the antennas, and lots of hills/mtns between here and there. I have noticed that by placing the antenna low on the roofline, I get better reception. Is it possible that the roof is acting as a giant reflector?

I aso reciever all of the locals from the local repeater (about 11miles) crystal clear)

That being said I am thinking of going to a CM4228 with the 7777amp, the thinking being if it works so well with this little antenna then it ought to work a lot better with a "real" antenna.

Josh in WNC


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## JM Anthony (Nov 16, 2003)

Do what I did. Head to our sister site (avsforum.com) and you'll find threads for local OTA Q&A (different threads for different cities) and particularly since you live in a large city, you should find a few folks who live in your area and can probably provide you good advice. You might also check with one of your local high end a/v shops and see who does their custom installations and give them a call.

If you live in an area that has it's share of geographic challenges (hills, trees, large buildings, etc.) OTA reception is more art than science. What worked well for me in Seattle might not work at all well for you. If you really want to do it right, pay for a custom installation so you can get the various antenna options checked out on a scope. For OTA, it's more signal quality than power if you're within transmission range.

Good luck!

John


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