# Antenna tuning advice...



## sgt-spam (Mar 17, 2006)

```
* yellow - uhf WVPX-DT 59 i AKRON OH TBD 52° 3.4 59 
* yellow - uhf WQHS-DT 61.1 UNI Cleveland OH  358° 24.7 34 
* yellow - uhf WDLI-DT 39.1 TBN CANTON OH  53° 2.5 39 
* yellow - uhf WEAO-DT 50.1 PBS AKRON OH  4° 3.7 50 
* yellow - uhf WBNX-DT 30 WB AKRON OH TBD 359° 24.7 30 
* yellow - uhf WJW-DT 8.1 FOX CLEVELAND OH  356° 23.4 31 
* green - uhf WUAB-DT 43.1 UPN LORAIN OH  356° 24.5 28 
* red - uhf WOAC-DT 47.1 SAH CANTON OH  77° 16.2 47 
* red - vhf WKYC-DT 3.1 NBC CLEVELAND OH  0° 24.8 2 
* red - uhf WEWS-DT 5.1 ABC CLEVELAND OH  356° 24.2 15 
* blue - vhf WOIO-DT 19.1 CBS SHAKER HEIGHTS OH  359° 24.9 10 
* violet - uhf WVIZ-DT 25.1 PBS CLEVELAND OH  352° 22.2 26
```
This is the antenna I'm using.

The antenna is mounted on my second story roof (near the gutter) looking almost north (~358*). The cable from the antenna is approx. 20 feet long and goes into my attic, where the included amplifier is attached. From there it goes to my HD TiVo.

I get Fox (8.1) basically flawlessly, and I get a _very_ clean picture on ABC (5.1). My problem is that I can't really get anything else to come in.

My wife is already frustrated with the attention my new 50" SXRD is getting, and thinks the antenna looks tacky. When locals are available over D*, the antenna will come down.

In the mean time, is there anything I can do to get the other major networks?


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## Fifty Caliber (Jan 4, 2006)

Is using an antenna rotor an option?


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## Jim5506 (Jun 7, 2004)

All your major networks are in the same general direction, so a rotator probably is not necessary, unless you need TBN or SAH.

Your biggest problem will be NBC because it is on channel 2. You have another VHF in CBS on channel 10, all the rest are UHF.

It is my opinion that your antenna is the problem. The physics of radio frequence reception have not changed since TV began before WWII. An antenna still has the same job to do, and space age looking designer antenna still do a poor job of resonating with TV signals.

Since you consider this a temporary situation, go to Lowe's hardware and get a Channel Master UHF/VHF combo antenna (not the stealth antenna). You are probably looking for the Model 3016 or 3017. They look like TV antennas because that's what they are. tha Advantage (3016/3017) is not a real high quality antenna. If you want a higher quality go with the Crossfire (CM 3677).

Be sure your cable is RG-6, NOT RG-59.

If you want guaranteed results, I'd recommend 2 antennas (mainly because of NBC) and a joiner, but we'll cover that in another posting if it comes to that.


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## sgt-spam (Mar 17, 2006)

Thanks for the advice.

I'm using RG-6 cable; and a rotor is not an option at this point, especially since what I'm really wanting to see is all coming from about the same direction.

I took the powered antenna down this morning, and will go out for a Channel Master sometime today. Based on the range listed for the antenna, I'm hoping I'll get decent reception with it mounted in the attic of the garage. Mounting something that size on the room would NOT go over well...

Worst case scenario is I have to wait for D* broadcasted locals.


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## Jim5506 (Jun 7, 2004)

NOOOOO! NO ATTICS!

Attics are the breeding ground for multi-path and attenuated signal!

OK, I feel better now, but If you want to put it in an attic you need a much bigger antenna, because the attic will knock your signal down 50%.

Go ahead and try it, It might work.


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## sgt-spam (Mar 17, 2006)

Sigh...

You're right...

I ended up with a CM3018, because that's what I could find. It's bigger than the 3016/17. I also picked up an amplifier.

Mounted in the attic above the garage because of the size of the antenna (I knew that going in). As predicted, I get nada. Well, that's not totally true. I get fuzzy analogs and a couple stuttering digitals, but nothing watchable.

My wife is getting tired of me messing with the antenna, and so for now, I have a long return list and a long wait for D* to start broadcasting HD locals.

Thanks for the advice!


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## kenglish (Oct 2, 2004)

Get rid of the amplifiers..........several of your stations are close enough to overload an amp. Some are enough to overload the tuner by itself.

And, even if the stations were not so close, other things can cause overload, too.......anything you can see from your roof, no matter what it looks like (tree, light pole, flag pole, building,.....) can be hiding a transmitting antenna. And, those close-by transmitters, whether they are within the TV bands or not, push the amp in to overload.

You might really need to attenuate the signal, rather than raise it.


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## olgeezer (Dec 5, 2003)

Also remember the front of the antenna is the little "ugly" end not the big bird wing end.


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## Tlaz (Dec 23, 2004)

sgt-spam said:


> Sigh...
> 
> You're right...
> 
> ...


I have the same antenna in my attic for VHF reception and a CM4228 for UHF reception. Without the CM4228 I couldn't get WEWS consistently. With this set up I get all of the Cleveland stations without any problems. I live near Summit Mall in Fairlawn. I don't have an amp in the system.


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## sgt-spam (Mar 17, 2006)

I ended up returning everything...

Between work, school, wife, and baby I was catching some flack for fooling around on the roof / in the attic trying to get the antennas working.

Something to the point of "I don't understand why you're going through all this when we already get the channels."


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