(Topic ID: 236041)

CUTTING THE CORD. Tips and tricks to do it right?

By Chitownpinball

5 years ago


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There are 1,588 posts in this topic. You are on page 18 of 32.
#851 2 years ago
Quoted from mbwalker:

I'm a RF engineer (retired not long ago). I didn't design antennas, but I designed high power transmitters and some parts of receivers (the front-end/low noise amps) - so I've dealt with the antenna designers fairly often since I was the person who's module connected to their antenna.
There's no wiz-bang magic in the 'new fangled' antennas that seem to cost an arm and a leg nowadays. The ClearStream appears to just be a glorified UHF loop. Basically the same thing as below (which at $7.95 is even outrageous...it's just a piece of wire.). I don't think the ClearStream even has an LNA (low noise amp) in it.
One advantage with the ClearStream is it's an outside antenna. Just getting outside instead of inside is a plus on weak signals, but that holds true for any antenna.
[quoted image]

Clear stream is total BS. you only need to see their T.V. ads.
They claim that you can receive 1080P broadcasts (I've yet to find any station that broadcasts in 1080P. Their are some that transmit in 1080I.).
the take one of their Weingard wannabe antennas on a boat about 50 feet from the shore and talk about getting DTV reception off the coast like you're in Bermuda or something.

Quoted from Irishbastard:

I went to two Lowe's, no antennas at one, other had a few marked down, nothing good like you had though (one box was an obvious return, with many missing parts and somebody's Gerber multi tool). Only thing I got was the $9 RCA amp, which made things worse (Read about faulty power supplies, so going to check the voltage output on mine and see if that was the issue).

Check out the Weingard FlatWave antennas:

https://www.amazon.com/Winegard-FlatWave-FL5500A-Amplified-Ultra-Thin/dp/B00BN5Z2WM/ref=sr_1_3

They start at about $28.

#852 2 years ago

Those flat antenna's don't even receive one channel here.

So, maybe this is why that RCA amp from Lowe's made everything worse. Wallwart is supposed to put out 12v, it's actually putting out 9v. Read elsewhere that it needs 12v to function.

20220123_104003.jpg20220123_104003.jpg20220123_104044.jpg20220123_104044.jpg
#853 2 years ago
Quoted from Irishbastard:

Those flat antenna's don't even receive one channel here.
So, maybe this is why that RCA amp from Lowe's made everything worse. Wallwart is supposed to put out 12v, it's actually putting out 9v. Read elsewhere that it needs 12v to function.
[quoted image][quoted image]

Mine reads 9V too. The thing I don't know is if the AC wallwart puts out 12V, but they regulate down to 9V in the power injector.

#854 2 years ago
Quoted from mbwalker:

Mine reads 9V too. The thing I don't know is if the AC wallwart puts out 12V, but they regulate down to 9V in the power injector.

The tv fool reviewer measured 9v on a working pre-amp as I recall. The link is a few posts up.

“The supplied power brick is hard wired to the power inserter and is rated @ 12 VDC, 200 ma. Mine actually outputs 16.63 VDC. Output from the power inserter measured 9.50 VDC unloaded and 9.47 VDC with the amplifier connected. This is important to know because unlike my Winegard amps that have the voltage regulation in the mast head unit the RCA amp. has the regulation in the power inserter”

#855 2 years ago
Quoted from mcluvin:

The tv fool reviewer measured 9v on a working pre-amp as I recall. The link is a few posts up.
“The supplied power brick is hard wired to the power inserter and is rated @ 12 VDC, 200 ma. Mine actually outputs 16.63 VDC. Output from the power inserter measured 9.50 VDC unloaded and 9.47 VDC with the amplifier connected. This is important to know because unlike my Winegard amps that have the voltage regulation in the mast head unit the RCA amp. has the regulation in the power inserter”

I recall reading that. Who knows what's really needed for the RCA. Might not affect the NF, might lower the preamp's compression point some.

I did go up the attic (brrrrr...) and unhooked the old Channel Master CM-7777 and connect the RCA LNA just for the heck of it. I have maybe 10 ft. of coax out to the antenna, so good enough for now (I'll move the preamp to the ant when we get a warmer day). Seems to be working OK.

I could actually measure the CM-7777's and RCA's gain since I have a network analyzer (doesn't everybody? ). Can't measure noise figure tho.

pasted_image (resized).pngpasted_image (resized).png

#856 2 years ago

Read the first two reviews, they both mention the need for 12v in order for it to work. Can't find the other link where I read the same.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003P92D9Y/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_JJZ6K2CE1KKR2FXXWYKE

#857 2 years ago
Quoted from Irishbastard:

Read the first two reviews, they both mention the need for 12v in order for it to work. Can't find the other link where I read the same.
amazon.com link »

I’ll check output voltage on mine tomorrow. My TiVo gives signal strength % and I tested with and without the pre-amp. My signal strength improved with the pre-amp. The TV Fool reviewer was very thorough and sounded like he knew what he was doing.

#858 2 years ago
Quoted from mcluvin:

I’ll check output voltage on mine tomorrow. My TiVo gives signal strength % and I tested with and without the pre-amp. My signal strength improved with the pre-amp. The TV Fool reviewer was very thorough and sounded like he knew what he was doing.

I'm measuring 9.08v with the pre-amp disconnected. One of my weaker channels was ~57% without the pre-amp. Installing the pre-amp kicked it up to ~67% so I know it is working. I'd have to pop it open to measure voltage coming from the wal-wart so can't measure that.

I'm wondering where the Amazon reviewer got their info?

#859 2 years ago
Quoted from Irishbastard:

Read the first two reviews, they both mention the need for 12v in order for it to work. Can't find the other link where I read the same.
amazon.com link »

The first reviewer says it should read 18v. The second reviewer says 12v. I call BS. In my limited understanding, you would need a step-up converter on the power injector to get 18v from a 12v power supply. Also, there is an answer provided by user ANT if I search Q&A for voltage.

"Q: What is the power inserter output voltage supposed to be? i've purchased several and they only put out 9v dc.
A: The voltage from the power injector to the amplifier is DC 9.0 +/-0.5V. The power injector is not a direct power in and out, it includes many electrical components and we use a 9V voltage regulator inside of it, so the output voltage should be 9V not 12V.
By ANT on November 2, 2021"

#860 2 years ago
Quoted from mcluvin:

The first reviewer says it should read 18v. The second reviewer says 12v. I call BS. In my limited understanding, you would need a step-up converter on the power injector to get 18v from a 12v power supply. Also, there is an answer provided by user ANT if I search Q&A for voltage.
"Q: What is the power inserter output voltage supposed to be? i've purchased several and they only put out 9v dc.
A: The voltage from the power injector to the amplifier is DC 9.0 +/-0.5V. The power injector is not a direct power in and out, it includes many electrical components and we use a 9V voltage regulator inside of it, so the output voltage should be 9V not 12V.
By ANT on November 2, 2021"

Thanks for that nugget of info. I was kinda leaning towards the wall wart being a switcher (i.e. noisey, bad for a LNA) and they had a linear regulator (i.e. quiet, good for a LNA) in the little box to regulate it down to 9VDC.

Or the wall wart is just a simple transformer/rectifier/filter caps, then it's cleaned up/regulated down to 9V.

#861 2 years ago
Quoted from mcluvin:

The first reviewer says it should read 18v. The second reviewer says 12v. I call BS. In my limited understanding, you would need a step-up converter on the power injector to get 18v from a 12v power supply. Also, there is an answer provided by user ANT if I search Q&A for voltage.
"Q: What is the power inserter output voltage supposed to be? i've purchased several and they only put out 9v dc.
A: The voltage from the power injector to the amplifier is DC 9.0 +/-0.5V. The power injector is not a direct power in and out, it includes many electrical components and we use a 9V voltage regulator inside of it, so the output voltage should be 9V not 12V.
By ANT on November 2, 2021"

I believe that's a typo, think he meant 12v not 18v.

#862 2 years ago
Quoted from Irishbastard:

I believe that's a typo, think he meant 12v not 18v.

Yeah probably. I see he typed 12v elsewhere. But he's still wrong. I asked you earlier and I don't think you responded, but are you certain you don't have a splitter somewhere between the power inserter and pre-amp? Most splitters don't pass-through power. If the pre-amp isn't getting power, it's going to make the signal worse.

#863 2 years ago
Quoted from mcluvin:

Yeah probably. I see he typed 12v elsewhere. But he's still wrong. I asked you earlier and I don't think you responded, but are you certain you don't have a splitter somewhere between the power inserter and pre-amp? Most splitters don't pass-through power. If the pre-amp isn't getting power, it's going to make the signal worse.

Sorry, no splitter. Straight coax to antenna.

#864 2 years ago
Quoted from mbwalker:

I randomly changed the zip code (i.e. picked different stores). Saw $45 one place, another location is $50

ANT705 showing up for $29.99 again (also 10% Rakuten Cashback available now too). If it doesn't work, try using zip 32725.

ant705 (resized).PNGant705 (resized).PNG

#865 2 years ago
Quoted from Irishbastard:

Those flat antenna's don't even receive one channel here.
So, maybe this is why that RCA amp from Lowe's made everything worse. Wallwart is supposed to put out 12v, it's actually putting out 9v. Read elsewhere that it needs 12v to function.
[quoted image][quoted image]

Besides the antenna maybe just being bad, a preamp (LNA) won't do any good if the signal is just in the mud. You'd need a better antenna.

Antenna's can have passive gain (relative to an isotropic antenna, which they consider to be the reference level of 0dB, i.e. no gain). This is accomplished by directing or focusing the receiving signal pattern. This gain comes at the the cost of now being directional.

pasted_image (resized).pngpasted_image (resized).png

Here's a two element UHF 'bowtie' antenna. Looking at the specs, you can see the gain is 6.7dB. For every 3dB, power is doubled. So if this antenna had 6dB of gain the receiving signal would be 4x the power of the isotropic. Doing some quick math, 6.7dB = 4.6x power. The reduction in the signals coming from the back side are attenuated by 15.5dB. Turning 15.5dB into power, results in a 0.028x power reduction (that goes back to my antenna being directional comment). A decent improvement in picking up a marginal signal.

pasted_image (resized).pngpasted_image (resized).pngpasted_image (resized).pngpasted_image (resized).png

So the flat antenna just might not have enough gain for your application.

Getting back to the preamp (LNA)... Everything electronic has noise. This figure of merit is called the 'noise figure', or NF for short. If an amp has a lot of noise, the noise can be higher than the signal, and that will make you just go backwards when trying to receive a station. The goal of the preamp is to be quiet enough to be able to amplify the signal without adding excessive noise. Decent preamps will have a noise figure of 1-2dB. Looks like the RCA preamp has a pretty good NF, based on the link earlier in this thread.

The takeaway of all this is you need a decent antenna to pick up the signal, then a decent preamp to increase it more to get it to a higher level to offset cable loss, splitters, etc. On the flipside, too much amplifier gain can be an issue too, if it overloads the amp or the TV. It's really just a bit of a balancing act to get the levels right.

Sorry for maybe being a bit too technical.

#866 2 years ago
Quoted from Irishbastard:

Sorry, no splitter. Straight coax to antenna.

This thread may be helpful and also contains a pic of the power inserter innards. One user explained that with one particular power inserter he was trying to install, it wouldn't work if you screwed the coax connector all the way tight. You had to back it off a half turn.

See post #94

https://www.avsforum.com/threads/rca-tvpramp1r-preamp-a-technical-review.1794290/page-5

#867 2 years ago
Quoted from mcluvin:

This thread may be helpful and also contains a pic of the power inserter innards. One user explained that with one particular power inserter he was trying to install, it wouldn't work if you screwed the coax connector all the way tight. You had to back it off a half turn.
See post #94
https://www.avsforum.com/threads/rca-tvpramp1r-preamp-a-technical-review.1794290/page-5

Thanks for finding the link. Has the typical linear regulator that's been around for ages.

#868 2 years ago

This is the old clunker I'm using (picture was taken before I connected a coax to it), unknown age, mounted in my 83 yr old house. It was in the attic, disconnected when we bought the house. It receives "19" channels, but only three "normal" channels (rest are nonsense channels). The funny thing is, when looking at sites that list signal range, it receives two clearly (36 and 10) that the sites say it shouldn't, but doesn't receive others that the sites say it should (Basically I just want 10, 12, 6, 36, and 64(fox)). Currently I receive 10, 6, 36 (the rest are nonsense channels).

20220127_070837.jpg20220127_070837.jpg

Screenshot_20220127-071749_Firefox.jpgScreenshot_20220127-071749_Firefox.jpg

#869 2 years ago
Quoted from Irishbastard:

This is the old clunker I'm using (picture was taken before I connected a coax to it), unknown age, mounted in my 83 yr old house. It was in the attic, disconnected when we bought the house. It receives "19" channels, but only three "normal" channels (rest are nonsense channels). The funny thing is, when looking at sites that list signal range, it receives two clearly (36 and 10) that the sites say it shouldn't, but doesn't receive others that the sites say it should (Basically I just want 10, 12, 6, 36, and 64(fox)). Currently I receive 10, 6, 36 (the rest are nonsense channels).
[quoted image]
[quoted image]

That looks like a VHF or FM antenna. It might have UHF elements that aren't in the picture. The VHF elements will be large, FM larger, UHF being pretty small. Like this:

pasted_image (resized).pngpasted_image (resized).png
#870 2 years ago
Quoted from mbwalker:

That looks like a VHF or FM antenna. It might have UHF elements that aren't in the picture. The VHF elements will be large, FM larger, UHF being pretty small. Like this:

Also, he has twin-lead wire going to the antenna. Cool looking antenna though. I bet it is real old.

#871 2 years ago
Quoted from mcluvin:

Also, he has twin-lead wire going to the antenna. Cool looking antenna though. I bet it is real old.

That is why i mentioned the pic was taken prior to a coax connection being added. It used to have the old flat antenna wire connected to it.

#872 2 years ago
Quoted from mcluvin:

ANT705 showing up for $29.99 again (also 10% Rakuten Cashback available now too). If it doesn't work, try using zip 32725.
[quoted image]

Tried with your zip code and it changed to $29.99.....until I went to checkout and changed the zip for store pickup, Bam, back to $49.99. D'oh, lol

#873 2 years ago
Quoted from mbwalker:

That looks like a VHF or FM antenna. It might have UHF elements that aren't in the picture. The VHF elements will be large, FM larger, UHF being pretty small. Like this:[quoted image]

That's just a UHF Yagi antenna (don't ask me why they're called Yagi's. I have no idea).

VHF/FM antennas are much wider FM is in the middle of the old VHF television band).
This is a combination VHF/UHF antenna picture posted below:
pasted_image (resized).pngpasted_image (resized).png

#874 2 years ago
Quoted from girloveswaffles:

don't ask me why they're called Yagi's. I have no idea

From Wikipedia:

The antenna was invented in 1926 by Shintaro Uda of Tohoku Imperial University, Japan,[5] with a lesser role played by his colleague Hidetsugu Yagi.[6][7]

However the "Yagi" name has become more familiar with the name of Uda often omitted. This appears to have been due to Yagi filing a patent on the idea in Japan without Uda's name in it,[5] and later transferring the patent to the Marconi Company in the UK.[8]

#875 2 years ago
Quoted from girloveswaffles:

That's just a UHF Yagi antenna (don't ask me why they're called Yagi's. I have no idea)...[quoted image]

The one in the IrishBastered's attic is UHF? Aren't the elements far too big for UHF? I'm definitely no antenna expert, but those looked around the size for VHF/FM. Just based on a 1/4 or 1/2 wavelength in freespace, that's all. I would think the UHF section would be like this SnipIt below.

pasted_image (resized).pngpasted_image (resized).png

Or were you referring to the picture I posted?

#876 2 years ago
Quoted from Irishbastard:

Tried with your zip code and it changed to $29.99.....until I went to checkout and changed the zip for store pickup, Bam, back to $49.99. D'oh, lol

Looking at the stations you want and aren't getting, they are both vhf-hi. That ANT705 isn't going to help you.

I'm wondering if you may be experiencing FM transmitter interference? See here....

https://www.avsforum.com/threads/providence-ri-ota-indoor-antenna.2130410/

#877 2 years ago
Quoted from mcluvin:

Looking at the stations you want and aren't getting, they are both vhf-hi. That ANT705 isn't going to help you.
I'm wondering if you may be experiencing FM transmitter interference? See here....
https://www.avsforum.com/threads/providence-ri-ota-indoor-antenna.2130410/

I was talking to IrishBastard on the side. Here's a summary of what he's getting and not getting, along w/the RF freqs. Definitely needs an antenna w/Low VHF too if he wants to pick up PBS. Plus he's dealing with some trees too.

Mostly OK reception:
ABC 6: UHF 530MHz
NBC 10: UHF 686 MHz
PBS 36: Low VHF 54 MHz

No reception:
CBS 12: High VHF 174 MHz
FOX 64: High VHF 204 MHz

#878 2 years ago

This popped up in a quick Amazon search: https://www.amazon.com/Winegard-YA7000C-Antenna-Mount-VHF-Low/dp/B07Y2MN2QX/ref=sr_1_3

I'll have to find the gain numbers, but at least it covers the bands and has some gain. Plus add a LNA.

pasted_image (resized).pngpasted_image (resized).png

#879 2 years ago
Quoted from mcluvin:

Looking at the stations you want and aren't getting, they are both vhf-hi. That ANT705 isn't going to help you.
I'm wondering if you may be experiencing FM transmitter interference? See here....
https://www.avsforum.com/threads/providence-ri-ota-indoor-antenna.2130410/

So, I just happened to have an "FM Trap" in my plethora of Radio Shack "going out of business" sale piles. Tried a rescan with it installed, my previous nineteen channels, changed to 23. It now shows I have what I want, but when I select CBS or Fox, "no signal". NBC, ABC, and PBS are all still working perfectly (weather permitting).

I forgot to mention, I also have this amp thing in line, I figure it's not suitable for my application, but it was collecting dust in the basement, part of my old cable setup. Without it, all my ota channels are choppy.

20220127_163909.jpg20220127_163909.jpg20220127_165403.jpg20220127_165403.jpg
#880 2 years ago
Quoted from mbwalker:

This popped up in a quick Amazon search: amazon.com link »
I'll have to find the gain numbers, but at least it covers the bands and has some gain. Plus add a LNA.
[quoted image]

I believe that's essentially an RCA ANT751 with vhf-lo extensions added. You can get the ANT751 much cheaper.

#881 2 years ago
Quoted from Irishbastard:

So, I just happened to have an "FM Trap" in my plethora of Radio Shack "going out of business" sale piles. Tried a rescan with it installed, my previous nineteen channels, changed to 23. It now shows I have what I want, but when I select CBS or Fox, "no signal". NBC, ABC, and PBS are all still working perfectly (weather permitting).

I forgot to mention, I also have this amp thing in line, I figure it's not suitable for my application, but it was collecting dust in the basement, part of my old cable setup. Without it, all my ota channels are choppy.

I believe that's a distribution amp and should be fine. Maybe try hooking up the pre-amp again. And just to be clear, the Antronix amp wasn't in-between the RCA pre-amp and power inserter? If it was, that's a problem.

#882 2 years ago
Quoted from mcluvin:

I believe that's a distribution amp and should be fine. Maybe try hooking up the pre-amp again. And just to be clear, the Antronix amp wasn't in-between the RCA pre-amp and power inserter? If it was, that's a problem.

No, I removed it first.

#883 2 years ago
Quoted from mcluvin:

I believe that's essentially an RCA ANT751 with vhf-lo extensions added. You can get the ANT751 much cheaper.

He's got a Low VHF channel that he wants to pick up.

Not saying the AT751 won't work well enough, just pointing out the Low VHF channel in his lineup.

#884 2 years ago
Quoted from Irishbastard:

No, I removed it first.

Try re-adding the pre-amp. This time keeping the distribution amp and put the power injector for the pre-amp between it and the pre-amp.

In my home setup, I use both a pre-amp and a distribution amp.

#885 2 years ago
Quoted from Irishbastard:

So, I just happened to have an "FM Trap" in my plethora of Radio Shack "going out of business" sale piles. Tried a rescan with it installed, my previous nineteen channels, changed to 23. It now shows I have what I want, but when I select CBS or Fox, "no signal". NBC, ABC, and PBS are all still working perfectly (weather permitting).
I forgot to mention, I also have this amp thing in line, I figure it's not suitable for my application, but it was collecting dust in the basement, part of my old cable setup. Without it, all my ota channels are choppy.
[quoted image][quoted image]

That amp is actually pretty decent. Not too much gain (15dB) and a fairly low noise figure (3dB). It does go down to below the FM band, so the suggestion for the FM trap was a good one. If your old attic antenna picks up the FM band, then definitely a good suggestion for the trap.

Irishbastard Where is the Antronix amp located? At the antenna?

pasted_image (resized).pngpasted_image (resized).png
#886 2 years ago

And also keep in mind, if you can get the RCA pre-amp working, it already has a built-in fm trap. There is a slider switch to enable/disable it. Default from factory is enabled.

#887 2 years ago

I stopped by Lowes today and they had a couple of these for $30, worth it? Some sites have it for $70+, used to be $74 at Lowes.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/GE-Stealth-Attic-Outdoor-Mount-Amplified-TV-Antenna-Bar-Directional-Outdoor-HD-UHF-VHF-TV-Antenna/1001306040

Edit, should mention I'm between Tampa and Fort Meyers so stations in both but both about 50-60 miles. I used to have a kick ass antenna on a pole but a hurricane took it out years ago.

#888 2 years ago
Quoted from HFK:

I stopped by Lowes today and they had a couple of these for $30, worth it? Some sites have it for $70+, used to be $74 at Lowes.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/GE-Stealth-Attic-Outdoor-Mount-Amplified-TV-Antenna-Bar-Directional-Outdoor-HD-UHF-VHF-TV-Antenna/1001306040
Edit, should mention I'm between Tampa and Fort Meyers so stations in both but both about 50-60 miles. I used to have a kick ass antenna on a pole but a hurricane took it out years ago.

I'd probably pass. Educated guess...they likely just have a simple antenna(s) in there and try to make up the poor antenna performance with the built in amp. Probably fine for semi-local stations, but your 50-60 mile comment makes me think otherwise.

What kind of antenna did you originally have?

#889 2 years ago
Quoted from mbwalker:

I'd probably pass. Educated guess...they likely just have a simple antenna(s) in there and try to make up the poor antenna performance with the built in amp. Probably fine for semi-local stations, but your 50-60 mile comment makes me think otherwise.
What kind of antenna did you originally have?

It was an old Radio Shack that was probably 3x7 or so. No amp or anything but could pull from both markets. It did a good job but this was back in the early 2000s when there weren't multiple sub stations too. Was looking for something easy, don't really want to mount another pole and all that. Do they still make big aluminum antennas or is it all small stuff with loops and such?

#890 2 years ago
Quoted from HFK:

...Do they still make big aluminum antennas or is it all small stuff with loops and such?

Yes, they do. At the end of the day, size still pretty much matters when it comes to antennas that need to pull in weak stations. All the elements that provide the gain - they are based around the length of a wavelength (or a fraction of it), and that just requires space.

Added: A 'wavelength' is really just what it sounds like: The length of the signal. Lower frequency - the longer the signal. That's why CB (27MHz) antennas were huge. Short wave antennas were gigantic since it was very low freqs. VHF is lower in freq than UHF, so that's why VHF antennas are bigger than UHF. There's some ways to electrically make an antenna smaller, but often at the cost of performance.

I think we hijacked the Cutting the Cord thread and turned it into the antenna thread. LOL, I guess it's appropriate at times.

#891 2 years ago

Out of print book I found online, TV Antennas and Signal Distribution Systems...

https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/Salvati%20-%20TV%20antennas%20and%20signal%20distribution%20systems.pdf

#892 2 years ago

So apparently, all I needed to receive all the channels I want was a Blizzard, who knew. Couldn't receive CBS at all before lol

20220129_171609.jpg20220129_171609.jpg

#893 2 years ago
Quoted from Irishbastard:

So apparently, all I needed to receive all the channels I want was a Blizzard, who knew. Couldn't receive CBS at all before lol
[quoted image]

I'd think snow on the roof would make it worse, but maybe snow covering the ground between you and the transmitter helps? We never did ask what kind of roof you have. Hopefully not metal. That kills reception.

#894 2 years ago
Quoted from Irishbastard:

So apparently, all I needed to receive all the channels I want was a Blizzard, who knew. Couldn't receive CBS at all before lol
[quoted image]

Do you have a dual VHF/UHF antenna? I see that WRPI is VHF and most of the cheaper ones are really only designed to pull in UHF signals. Skywave Propagation is a real phenomena where waves will bounce off clouds and such so you may sometimes get a signal under certain conditions that don't normally appear.

#895 2 years ago
Quoted from mcluvin:

I'd think snow on the roof would make it worse, but maybe snow covering the ground between you and the transmitter helps? We never did ask what kind of roof you have. Hopefully not metal. That kills reception.

Just architectural roofing shingles.

#896 2 years ago
Quoted from boscokid:

Do you have a dual VHF/UHF antenna? I see that WRPI is VHF and most of the cheaper ones are really only designed to pull in UHF signals. Skywave Propagation is a real phenomena where waves will bounce off clouds and such so you may sometimes get a signal under certain conditions that don't normally appear.

I have an antique, picture a few posts up. (No clue what it is)

#897 2 years ago
Quoted from boscokid:

Do you have a dual VHF/UHF antenna? I see that WRPI is VHF and most of the cheaper ones are really only designed to pull in UHF signals. Skywave Propagation is a real phenomena where waves will bounce off clouds and such so you may sometimes get a signal under certain conditions that don't normally appear.

He's got a low VHF channel in the mix, limits the antenna options some (i.e. probably doesn't want to put a monster antenna in the attic). Maybe a high VHF might still be OK. Trees in the path too.

#898 2 years ago

T-Mobile now offering a free year of Paramount +.

https://www.t-mobile.com/offers/paramount-plus-deal

1 month later
#899 2 years ago

So I don't know what markets this is available in, but there's a second ME TV channel (ME TV+)
For a short while it was on a side channel in the L.A. area on channel 54.3. Only 481i broadcast. Then last weekend it disappeared.
I re scanned my T. V. and Viola! There's a new Channel 6 that's carrying it. Now all the shows are in 720p and in their original aspect. Now you can watch old favorites in their aspect as they were meant to be show.
Some of the shows are ones that generally are shown on ME TV only on Saturday night (i.e. Lost in Space) but there are other shows that aren't shown on Me TV (Space 1999, Hardcastle and McCormick, T.J. Hooker, War of the Worlds) along with Laurel and Hardy and Little Rascels shorts.
Right of the bat I have to say Lost in Space looks way better on ME TV + in its original 4x3 aspect and in HD and Space 1999 looks almost as good as the Blu Rays from Shout! Factory.
https://www.metv.com/metvplus/

#900 2 years ago

This is a great site for TV listings:

nocable.org/tvlistings

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