Recommendations for weak signal: pre-amp or UHF antenna?
 

I live in zip code 22306 but am in a weak signal area (antennaweb.org
estimates I am in the violet zone for ABC, NBC, and Fox digital signals
from Washington DC, just 15 miles away). I purchased a large directional
VHF/UHF antenna (Winegard 7082P) and I have it chimney mounted and
from what I can tell it is pointed in the right direction.

I do get Fox, My Network, CW, and CBS digital very well, but NBC (4.1 or
UHF 48) and ABC (7.1 or UHF 39) digital dropout frequently and PBS
digital (26.1 or UHF 27) does not come in at all. I think the weak
signal is attributable to my being behind a hill (I am at 50' above sea
level and within four or five blocks of my house elevation ascends to
200').

Getting to the point, can anyone guess what I need to do to get a more
reliable signal? Should I try a pre-amp with my current antenna or do I
need a UHF antenna? Any recommendations greatly appreciated.

Kevin

Recommendations for weak signal: pre-amp or UHF antenna?
 

On Mar 1, 9:46 pm, Kevin Bradley wrote:
I live in zip code 22306 but am in a weak signal area
(antennaweb.org
estimates I am in the violet zone for ABC, NBC, and Fox digital
signals
from Washington DC, just 15 miles away). I purchased a large
directional
VHF/UHF antenna (Winegard 7082P) and I have it chimney mounted
and
from what I can tell it is pointed in the right direction.

I do get Fox, My Network, CW, and CBS digital very well, but NBC
(4.1 or
UHF 48) and ABC (7.1 or UHF 39) digital dropout frequently and PBS
digital (26.1 or UHF 27) does not come in at all. I think the weak
signal is attributable to my being behind a hill (I am at 50' above
sea
level and within four or five blocks of my house elevation ascends
to
200').

Getting to the point, can anyone guess what I need to do to get a
more
reliable signal? Should I try a pre-amp with my current antenna or
do I
need a UHF antenna? Any recommendations greatly appreciated.

Kevin

The UHF performance on that antenna is better than most of antennas
the people here use. That plus 150 foot elevation is probably your
problem in that you're in the shadow of the nearby hill. If you try a
preamp, the Winegard unit that mounts directly in the antenna
connector housing would be by far your best bet but if you're getting
multipath/diffraction from the hill, it will just make more poor
signal.

Are you certain that the connectors are all clean and secure? Loose
(or worse, corroded) connectors can cause all sorts of problems.
Outdoors I use clear silicone grease on the center conductor and
threads to prevent water and oxidizing, even under the rubber weather
boots. Also, you want drip loops in the cable - and no short radius
bends - so that any water running down the cable will not go to a
connector or enter the house. If you're sure tha cable issue is OK, I
would raise the antenna to the highest the wife, neighbors and wallet
will allow. At our house, the 5 feet extra height last fall made all
the difference as I have to clear the house across the street. After
that it's a clear shot 35 miles to the transmitters. If you can get it
higher and the cabling is good, you have more than enough antenna to
do the job.

GG

Recommendations for weak signal: pre-amp or UHF antenna?
 

Kevin Bradley wrote:
I live in zip code 22306 but am in a weak signal area (antennaweb.org
estimates I am in the violet zone for ABC, NBC, and Fox digital signals
from Washington DC, just 15 miles away). I purchased a large directional
VHF/UHF antenna (Winegard 7082P) and I have it chimney mounted and from
what I can tell it is pointed in the right direction.

I do get Fox, My Network, CW, and CBS digital very well, but NBC (4.1 or
UHF 48) and ABC (7.1 or UHF 39) digital dropout frequently and PBS
digital (26.1 or UHF 27) does not come in at all. I think the weak
signal is attributable to my being behind a hill (I am at 50' above sea
level and within four or five blocks of my house elevation ascends to
200').

Getting to the point, can anyone guess what I need to do to get a more
reliable signal? Should I try a pre-amp with my current antenna or do I
need a UHF antenna? Any recommendations greatly appreciated.

Kevin
I am also in a fringe area with a winegard. I added a pre-amp and found
it reduced dropouts. The signal meter on the HDTV (what ever that
displays) went up about 20% for most channels after adding an AP-8275
pre-amp. I am 35-45 miles out and choose a high gain pre-amp, you should
not need as much gain.
-Mike

Recommendations for weak signal: pre-amp or UHF antenna?
 

Mike Ray wrote:
Kevin Bradley wrote:

Getting to the point, can anyone guess what I need to do to get a more
reliable signal? Should I try a pre-amp with my current antenna or do
I need a UHF antenna? Any recommendations greatly appreciated.

Kevin
I am also in a fringe area with a winegard. I added a pre-amp and found
it reduced dropouts. The signal meter on the HDTV (what ever that
displays) went up about 20% for most channels after adding an AP-8275
pre-amp. I am 35-45 miles out and choose a high gain pre-amp, you should
not need as much gain.
-Mike

Thank you Mike and G-squared. I think one of my biggest problems is that
the antenna is not high enough. I got up there today and raised it what
little I could given the length of the current mast. That one additional
foot allows me to pick up two more stations from Baltimore (45 miles to
the Northeast), but WJLA, WETA, and WRC digital signals from DC (15
miles to the north) are still unreliable. Maybe another 2 to 5 feet is
all I need. Thanks.

Kevin

Recommendations for weak signal: pre-amp or UHF antenna?
 

Kevin Bradley wrote:
Mike Ray wrote:

Kevin Bradley wrote:


Getting to the point, can anyone guess what I need to do to get a
more reliable signal? Should I try a pre-amp with my current antenna
or do I need a UHF antenna? Any recommendations greatly appreciated.

Kevin

I am also in a fringe area with a winegard. I added a pre-amp and
found it reduced dropouts. The signal meter on the HDTV (what ever
that displays) went up about 20% for most channels after adding an
AP-8275 pre-amp. I am 35-45 miles out and choose a high gain pre-amp,
you should not need as much gain.
-Mike


Thank you Mike and G-squared. I think one of my biggest problems is that
the antenna is not high enough. I got up there today and raised it what
little I could given the length of the current mast. That one additional
foot allows me to pick up two more stations from Baltimore (45 miles to
the Northeast), but WJLA, WETA, and WRC digital signals from DC (15
miles to the north) are still unreliable. Maybe another 2 to 5 feet is
all I need. Thanks.

Kevin

Kevin,
Sounds good. I raised my antenna 4 feet a few weeks after putting it
up and it did help some.
Mike