# How do you amplify an outdoor antenna?



## buzzdalf (Jan 27, 2003)

I live outside of a small town in NW Ohio (Fremont, 43420).
I recently bought a DB8 Multidirectional HD Antenna from antennasdirect.com. Here's a link for reference:
http://www.antennasdirect.com/DB8_HD_Antenna.html

I installed the thing to the side of my house, and I am pulling in all Toledo stations great. The low power WB station from Toledo is coming in between 60-70% signal strength and the rest are all 90-100%.
I'm pretty happy with what I have, but I am wondering if I added an amp to it, would it help me pull in Cleveland too?
What kind of an amp can you/would you use?


----------



## greywolf (Jul 13, 2005)

The one most often mentioned is the Channel Master 7777. However, with your present numbers so high, an amp will probably overload your receiver.


----------



## buzzdalf (Jan 27, 2003)

greywolf said:


> with your present numbers so high, an amp will probably overload your receiver.


I'm not sure what this means. What do you mean by present numbers and also, how does it overload my receiver?


----------



## oljim (Aug 6, 2002)

Your best bet is to get up as high as you can


----------



## nostar (Jun 22, 2003)

buzzdalf said:


> I'm not sure what this means. What do you mean by present numbers and also, how does it overload my receiver?


I think the present numbers are your signal strength readings. Further amplification might cause distortion in your receiver.

From Fremont to Cleveland looks like 75 miles, give or take, but It could be closer or farther depending on where the transmitters are located in Cleveland.

That's quite a distance for UHF reception, even with a mast amplifier, such as the CM 7777.

Maybe you should stay with what you have.


----------



## nostar (Jun 22, 2003)

go to this link and check out the stations. There are too many to mention. Some of them are VHF, channels 2-13, and your antenna will not pick them up. Perhaps a different antenna would have been a better choice.

HTTP://www.antennaweb.org


----------



## buzzdalf (Jan 27, 2003)

Well, I got the antenna I did to get Toledo. Once I saw I was getting 15-20% on some of the Cleveland channels it made me wonder if I could get Cleveland if I amplified it.
It's really not that big of a deal to get Cleveland, I am able to get all the major networks in HD now that was my goal.


----------



## Jim5506 (Jun 7, 2004)

Buy a good amplifier (such as mentioned earlier) from a store that will let you bring it back, and give it a try.

Digital TV is in the first 10 year beta-testing stage, even stations are still figuring out what works and what does not.

Analog TV was around for 20 years or more before it started to settle down.



buzzdalf said:


> Well, I got the antenna I did to get Toledo. Once I saw I was getting 15-20% on some of the Cleveland channels it made me wonder if I could get Cleveland if I amplified it.
> It's really not that big of a deal to get Cleveland, I am able to get all the major networks in HD now that was my goal.


----------

