Long range attic antenna?
- Thread starter Digital2k2
- Start date
- Status
Originally Posted By: Digital2k2
I started with running the RG6, which oddly says not for use within walls. I'm going to have to cut it in half and use an extension adapter to connect it to the cable that's already wired outside the garage to the tv. I wonder if the extension adapters cut reception any?
I'm still really tempted to try the cheap channel master 3010hd, but it would probably just be a waste of my time. According to AntennaWeb, a medium directional antenna with pre-amp would get half the channels I want (blue). If I wanted the other half (violet), then it needs to be a large directional antenna, but requires an amplifier and roof mounting to receive the blue channels... Either way I'm thinking the Channel Master Titan 2 CM-7777 looks like a good preamplifier (it should be since it comes in more expensive than some of the antennas I was considering haha).
You never know unless you try!
Have you considered RCA Compact Outdoor Yagi HDTV Antenna that can be mounted on an satellite mount. They come with a J-pole, so they are easily mounted outside, and you won't have a big honking antenna outside. You can also use two of these pointed in two different directions, and then combine them with a quality splitter. You could also use RCA TVPRAMP1R Preamplifier to boost the signal. I installed one of these for my brother, and it has been working good for about a year now. Not bad for the money.
I started with running the RG6, which oddly says not for use within walls. I'm going to have to cut it in half and use an extension adapter to connect it to the cable that's already wired outside the garage to the tv. I wonder if the extension adapters cut reception any?
I'm still really tempted to try the cheap channel master 3010hd, but it would probably just be a waste of my time. According to AntennaWeb, a medium directional antenna with pre-amp would get half the channels I want (blue). If I wanted the other half (violet), then it needs to be a large directional antenna, but requires an amplifier and roof mounting to receive the blue channels... Either way I'm thinking the Channel Master Titan 2 CM-7777 looks like a good preamplifier (it should be since it comes in more expensive than some of the antennas I was considering haha).
You never know unless you try!
Have you considered RCA Compact Outdoor Yagi HDTV Antenna that can be mounted on an satellite mount. They come with a J-pole, so they are easily mounted outside, and you won't have a big honking antenna outside. You can also use two of these pointed in two different directions, and then combine them with a quality splitter. You could also use RCA TVPRAMP1R Preamplifier to boost the signal. I installed one of these for my brother, and it has been working good for about a year now. Not bad for the money.
Sure you can if you use a Linear 2512 ChannelPlus DC & IR Passing 2-Way Splitter/Combiner I can twist together two 300 ohm twin leads too, and run it to the inside to a matching transformer, and then RG-6 from there. Lots of way to do it, but to me not the ideal way.
BigD1, what do you think of the RCA ANT3037XR compared to something like the Winegard HD7698P? After some searching, it was the only thing I could find locally available to get today. It claims up to a 65 mile range with the RCA preamplifier. The one at the store was 30 bucks and I think the model number is TVPRAMP1R. Wonder if that one would be alright for my long cable run?
I assembled the antenna and held it close to the 2nd floor ceiling aiming it as close to 157ºSSE as I could guess, and I'm getting every channel I was hoping to get with it!
I'm sure the reception will be a little better once it's up in the attic, but then I have that long run of RG6 to deal with.
Edit: You can tell I was excited when I posted because I completely missed that link to the RCA preamp that you put in your above post. It's interesting how it has the option to switch between only UHF or a combination of UHF and VHF. I'm thinking because a few channels are Hi-V, I would have to keep the combination switched on, correct? Also odd how it says to use with antenna model numbers one below and above the one I got.
I assembled the antenna and held it close to the 2nd floor ceiling aiming it as close to 157ºSSE as I could guess, and I'm getting every channel I was hoping to get with it!
I'm sure the reception will be a little better once it's up in the attic, but then I have that long run of RG6 to deal with.
Edit: You can tell I was excited when I posted because I completely missed that link to the RCA preamp that you put in your above post. It's interesting how it has the option to switch between only UHF or a combination of UHF and VHF. I'm thinking because a few channels are Hi-V, I would have to keep the combination switched on, correct? Also odd how it says to use with antenna model numbers one below and above the one I got.
Last edited:
If you are using a combination vhf/uhf antenna, then just plug the from antenna coax cable into the vhf/uhf input. Some people use two antennas. A vhf only, and a uhf only, and then from each antenna coax to the correct inputs on the preamp.
Yes I saw that they mention model numbers with that preamp now, and they use to not do it. But why I think they do it is because channels that are in red, blue, and purple, generally(two tv's, etc) need a preamp, and matched with the correct antenna. Does not mean it would not work with a lesser antenna, but you can't amplify signal if the antenna can't get it in the first place.
My local Lowes stocks the RCA ANT3036XR and the RCA ANT751R. Lowes also stocks the RCA preamp too. You could try what ever, and always return it if it did not work. Lowe's is some what higher than Amazon, but on the other hand you have a 90 day return, and returning antennas can be a big pain depending on the size. If you are a veteran, 10% off helps too.
Anyway, just install the antenna you have now in the attic like you planned without the preamp, and see what the results are. Seems like the ANT3037XR should do the trick. I did not know they made that model. You can easily add the preamp if you need a boost. No use to spend money on one if you don't need it.
Yes I saw that they mention model numbers with that preamp now, and they use to not do it. But why I think they do it is because channels that are in red, blue, and purple, generally(two tv's, etc) need a preamp, and matched with the correct antenna. Does not mean it would not work with a lesser antenna, but you can't amplify signal if the antenna can't get it in the first place.
My local Lowes stocks the RCA ANT3036XR and the RCA ANT751R. Lowes also stocks the RCA preamp too. You could try what ever, and always return it if it did not work. Lowe's is some what higher than Amazon, but on the other hand you have a 90 day return, and returning antennas can be a big pain depending on the size. If you are a veteran, 10% off helps too.
Anyway, just install the antenna you have now in the attic like you planned without the preamp, and see what the results are. Seems like the ANT3037XR should do the trick. I did not know they made that model. You can easily add the preamp if you need a boost. No use to spend money on one if you don't need it.
Originally Posted By: BigD1
Sure you can if you use a Linear 2512 ChannelPlus DC & IR Passing 2-Way Splitter/Combiner I can twist together two 300 ohm twin leads too, and run it to the inside to a matching transformer, and then RG-6 from there. Lots of way to do it, but to me not the ideal way.
Adding multiple directional antennae through a combiner adds signal cancellation, signal phase/freq/amplitude distortion etc.
That's why they sell rotators.
Sure you can if you use a Linear 2512 ChannelPlus DC & IR Passing 2-Way Splitter/Combiner I can twist together two 300 ohm twin leads too, and run it to the inside to a matching transformer, and then RG-6 from there. Lots of way to do it, but to me not the ideal way.
Adding multiple directional antennae through a combiner adds signal cancellation, signal phase/freq/amplitude distortion etc.
That's why they sell rotators.
Originally Posted By: Papa Bear
Adding multiple directional antennae through a combiner adds signal cancellation, signal phase/freq/amplitude distortion etc.
That's why they sell rotators.
Yes I do know that, and that's why I said previously it's not ideal. Mounting an antenna in a attic can be problematic too with multipath and signal penetration. And I do have a rotator on my own antenna system with a combination vhf/uhf directional antenna which is mounted outside which is what I think is ideal.
Adding multiple directional antennae through a combiner adds signal cancellation, signal phase/freq/amplitude distortion etc.
That's why they sell rotators.
Yes I do know that, and that's why I said previously it's not ideal. Mounting an antenna in a attic can be problematic too with multipath and signal penetration. And I do have a rotator on my own antenna system with a combination vhf/uhf directional antenna which is mounted outside which is what I think is ideal.
The foil backed house sheathing was a concern, though thankfully the direction it needs to point is enough to the left of it. I had 100ft of old RG-6 that I hooked up to an old tv in the garage to test, and was getting 26-28% signal strength on CBS. After cutting it in half to the length I needed to connect to the other 50ft of cable that runs from the back of the garage to the living room, I was getting 45-48% signal. It's a shame I have to run so much cable, because only having 50ft makes a big difference.
Instead of getting a screw on f connector for the old cable I cut, since it was almost exactly 50ft and I was worried about signal quality with me adding an f connector, I went ahead and picked up a 50ft roll of triple shield wall rated RG-6. Got it on sale for not much more than standard RG-6 and figured it can only help some.
Also picked up the coax cable extension adapter that I need to connect it to the existing house cable at the back of the garage.
Does the extension adapter cut down on the signal any measurable amount???
Of course there's another at the wall plate in the house. Inside the wall plate is a splitter running cable to another tv that I never watch, so I'll disconnect that because I know the spltters do cut down on the signal quite a bit...
That is a VHF-HI UHF antenna.
Looks like an HBU-22. http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.asp?p=hbu22
Great little antenna ....
Do you have a pre-amp on the line?
Looks like an HBU-22. http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.asp?p=hbu22
Great little antenna ....
Do you have a pre-amp on the line?
Originally Posted By: bradepb
Originally Posted By: Chris142
Are there even any tv channels worth watching that an antenna can pick up? Only the home shopping network and a korean infomercial here.
44 miles is quite a stretch.we are about that far and combined with a low power tv station.well you can see where im going. More static than tv
All our local stations broadcast over the air in High Definition. ABC,NBC,CBS etc. also PBS stations, ME tv,Create and many more.I use an antenna in my camper about 40 miles from Detroit and get about 20 stations.
Exactly, amazes me that people pay for TV if they live within 50 miles of any city or state capital. We get all major network TV stations, ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX plus all their side channels and shopping channels plus weather channels. The major networks over the air with an antenna are a superior HD then what you get with cable or satellite. People dont understand that your cable and satellite HD is compressed and you lose some fine detail.
For the rest we stream using Hulu Plus, Netflex, etc. Total internet, phone, TV bill is less then $50 a month and we give up nothing.
We use an RCA antenna in the attic, bought in Lowes a few years ago, largest one they had in stock, never had a need to upgrade it. Runs though our network/cabling to every room in the house, over the years up to five TVs no issues.
Easy to aim an antenna, just google antenna aiming.
Originally Posted By: Chris142
Are there even any tv channels worth watching that an antenna can pick up? Only the home shopping network and a korean infomercial here.
44 miles is quite a stretch.we are about that far and combined with a low power tv station.well you can see where im going. More static than tv
All our local stations broadcast over the air in High Definition. ABC,NBC,CBS etc. also PBS stations, ME tv,Create and many more.I use an antenna in my camper about 40 miles from Detroit and get about 20 stations.
Exactly, amazes me that people pay for TV if they live within 50 miles of any city or state capital. We get all major network TV stations, ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX plus all their side channels and shopping channels plus weather channels. The major networks over the air with an antenna are a superior HD then what you get with cable or satellite. People dont understand that your cable and satellite HD is compressed and you lose some fine detail.
For the rest we stream using Hulu Plus, Netflex, etc. Total internet, phone, TV bill is less then $50 a month and we give up nothing.
We use an RCA antenna in the attic, bought in Lowes a few years ago, largest one they had in stock, never had a need to upgrade it. Runs though our network/cabling to every room in the house, over the years up to five TVs no issues.
Easy to aim an antenna, just google antenna aiming.
Originally Posted By: Papa Bear
That is a VHF-HI UHF antenna.
Looks like an HBU-22. http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.asp?p=hbu22
Great little antenna ....
Do you have a pre-amp on the line?
It's actually an RCA ANT3037XR. I got the 50ft of new RG-6 run, tested in garage, and got 58% on CBS. By the time I hook it to the other possibly slightly more than 50ft to the living room, I'm dropped to less than 30% on CBS and part of the other channels are too weak to receive.
No pre-amp yet, but if I want to get more than 20 channels I need one. Ion, sky4, fox and a few others just are too weak after that long run of cable. Maybe more than ten channels total (Ion is at least 5 on it's own being 49.1,49.2,49.3,49.4,49.5 hah).
That is a VHF-HI UHF antenna.
Looks like an HBU-22. http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.asp?p=hbu22
Great little antenna ....
Do you have a pre-amp on the line?
It's actually an RCA ANT3037XR. I got the 50ft of new RG-6 run, tested in garage, and got 58% on CBS. By the time I hook it to the other possibly slightly more than 50ft to the living room, I'm dropped to less than 30% on CBS and part of the other channels are too weak to receive.
No pre-amp yet, but if I want to get more than 20 channels I need one. Ion, sky4, fox and a few others just are too weak after that long run of cable. Maybe more than ten channels total (Ion is at least 5 on it's own being 49.1,49.2,49.3,49.4,49.5 hah).
Originally Posted By: Digital2k2
Originally Posted By: Papa Bear
That is a VHF-HI UHF antenna.
Looks like an HBU-22. http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.asp?p=hbu22
Great little antenna ....
Do you have a pre-amp on the line?
It's actually an RCA ANT3037XR.
It looks a lot more like a HBU-22 than a ANT3037XR
http://www.amazon.com/RCA-ANT3037XR-Outdoor-Antenna-110-Inch/dp/B00KVVBF2A
The antenna you show in your attic doesn't have the long reflectors (the last 3) at the back. Those long reflectors are for VHF-LOW. All your reflectors are almost the same length.
Who told you it was an ANT30307XR?
Originally Posted By: Papa Bear
That is a VHF-HI UHF antenna.
Looks like an HBU-22. http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.asp?p=hbu22
Great little antenna ....
Do you have a pre-amp on the line?
It's actually an RCA ANT3037XR.
It looks a lot more like a HBU-22 than a ANT3037XR
http://www.amazon.com/RCA-ANT3037XR-Outdoor-Antenna-110-Inch/dp/B00KVVBF2A
The antenna you show in your attic doesn't have the long reflectors (the last 3) at the back. Those long reflectors are for VHF-LOW. All your reflectors are almost the same length.
Who told you it was an ANT30307XR?
Originally Posted By: Papa Bear
Originally Posted By: Digital2k2
Originally Posted By: Papa Bear
That is a VHF-HI UHF antenna.
Looks like an HBU-22. http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.asp?p=hbu22
Great little antenna ....
Do you have a pre-amp on the line?
It's actually an RCA ANT3037XR.
It looks a lot more like a HBU-22 than a ANT3037XR
http://www.amazon.com/RCA-ANT3037XR-Outdoor-Antenna-110-Inch/dp/B00KVVBF2A
The antenna you show in your attic doesn't have the long reflectors (the last 3) at the back. Those long reflectors are for VHF-LOW. All your reflectors are almost the same length.
Who told you it was an ANT30307XR?
They are still in the box haha. The instruction manual said adding them was only needed if I was trying to receive a VHF-LOW signal.
Originally Posted By: Digital2k2
Originally Posted By: Papa Bear
That is a VHF-HI UHF antenna.
Looks like an HBU-22. http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.asp?p=hbu22
Great little antenna ....
Do you have a pre-amp on the line?
It's actually an RCA ANT3037XR.
It looks a lot more like a HBU-22 than a ANT3037XR
http://www.amazon.com/RCA-ANT3037XR-Outdoor-Antenna-110-Inch/dp/B00KVVBF2A
The antenna you show in your attic doesn't have the long reflectors (the last 3) at the back. Those long reflectors are for VHF-LOW. All your reflectors are almost the same length.
Who told you it was an ANT30307XR?
They are still in the box haha. The instruction manual said adding them was only needed if I was trying to receive a VHF-LOW signal.
http://www.antennapoint.com/
From antennasdirect.com FAQ
Q: Are all Digital Channels on UHF?
A: No, but currently (prior to June 2009), 91% of broadcasting DTV stations are on UHF. A few cities, such as Chicago and Las Vegas have DTV stations on VHF as well as UHF. While Many DTV stations are now occupying UHF broadcast channels, the plan will allow some broadcasters to move back to their original VHF or UHF TV channels once the transition to DTV is complete. After June of 2009: 74% of the DTV stations will be on UHF (14-51), 24% will be on high VHF (7-13) and less than 2% will be on Low VHF(2-6). For more information, please visit www.antennapoint.com.
From antennasdirect.com FAQ
Q: Are all Digital Channels on UHF?
A: No, but currently (prior to June 2009), 91% of broadcasting DTV stations are on UHF. A few cities, such as Chicago and Las Vegas have DTV stations on VHF as well as UHF. While Many DTV stations are now occupying UHF broadcast channels, the plan will allow some broadcasters to move back to their original VHF or UHF TV channels once the transition to DTV is complete. After June of 2009: 74% of the DTV stations will be on UHF (14-51), 24% will be on high VHF (7-13) and less than 2% will be on Low VHF(2-6). For more information, please visit www.antennapoint.com.
Will be interesting to see if they do switch to VHF-Low. Currently there are a few on Hi-V, but the majority are UHF.
Interesting... I appreciate the suggestion, but I've already put as much back breaking work as I'm willing to do into running the line I have.
It's a shame I don't have an easier wall to fish the line down the other end of the attic. 50ft would have been enough to go directly to the junction box for the tv I need it at.
Some of the channels that were coming in weak but good enough before I hooked the 50ft to the other 50+ft run are actually in the other direction!
Something I find odd is that CBS (RF channel 40, 950.0 kW) and ION (RF channel 46, 1000.0 kW) are both the exact distance and heading, but CBS has more than twice the signal strength.
It's a shame I don't have an easier wall to fish the line down the other end of the attic. 50ft would have been enough to go directly to the junction box for the tv I need it at.
Some of the channels that were coming in weak but good enough before I hooked the 50ft to the other 50+ft run are actually in the other direction!
Something I find odd is that CBS (RF channel 40, 950.0 kW) and ION (RF channel 46, 1000.0 kW) are both the exact distance and heading, but CBS has more than twice the signal strength.
Transmitter antenna(e) can be designed to have a radiation pattern to them... they don't just broadcast equally in all directions.
Perhaps CBS is concentrating in the other direction.
https://www.google.ca/?gws_rd=ssl#q=transmitter+radiation+patterns
Perhaps CBS is concentrating in the other direction.
https://www.google.ca/?gws_rd=ssl#q=transmitter+radiation+patterns
That probably explains it, hadn't even considered that.
Also, the other one that was barely strong enough with just 50ft of coax is in that same heading as CBS but 68 miles away. It's Hi-V RF channel 9 70.0 kW and one I really do want to be able to get. Hopefully the RCA TVPRAMP1R will amplify it enough.
Also, the other one that was barely strong enough with just 50ft of coax is in that same heading as CBS but 68 miles away. It's Hi-V RF channel 9 70.0 kW and one I really do want to be able to get. Hopefully the RCA TVPRAMP1R will amplify it enough.
- Status
