On 2/28/18 8:23 AM, amdx wrote:
On 2/28/2018 12:57 AM, wrote:
On Wed, 28 Feb 2018 00:15:26 -0500, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 2/27/2018 10:37 PM, Its Me wrote:
On Tuesday, February 27, 2018 at 9:13:10 PM UTC-5,
wrote:
On Wed, 28 Feb 2018 01:37:19 -0000 (UTC), Bill
wrote:


Our problem is we are in a valley.Â*Â* I am about 140’ above the valley
floor, but still the hills limit a lot of signals.

I am not sure why OTA sucks so bad here. OI am 30 miles from the
towers and it is flat ground. Looking down the line on Google I don't
even see any big buildings, just trees. I do have one big live oak
right here. The antenna is 25 feet off the ground and I am afraid to
stick a lightning rod up much higher.

I am running this, with an amp
http://www.newark.com/stellar-labs/30-2440/vhf-uhf-hdtv-60-mile-fringe-yagi/dp/88W2140?st=UHF%20antenna


How long is the cable coming down from the antenna, and what kind of
cable?Â* You get a lot of loss in that cable.



I kinda doubt that's his problem.Â* The RF amp will more than make up for
any losses and actually there isn't much signal loss in the RF signal
cable anyway unless he has miles of it.

I think it's more an issue of where the transmitter's antenna radiation
pattern has been optimized for.Â* Greg is near the ocean and there's not
much point of the station wasting signal power out over the water.


This is the setup and that distance is 26 miles. (not sure why google
does not save the ruler when you save the picture)
http://gfretwell.com/ftp/Antenna.jpg

Â*Have you tried TV Fool?

Isn't that where you righties get your news?

On Wed, 28 Feb 2018 07:05:32 -0500, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 2/28/2018 1:57 AM, wrote:
On Wed, 28 Feb 2018 00:15:26 -0500, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 2/27/2018 10:37 PM, Its Me wrote:
On Tuesday, February 27, 2018 at 9:13:10 PM UTC-5, wrote:
On Wed, 28 Feb 2018 01:37:19 -0000 (UTC), Bill
wrote:


Our problem is we are in a valley. I am about 140’ above the valley
floor, but still the hills limit a lot of signals.

I am not sure why OTA sucks so bad here. OI am 30 miles from the
towers and it is flat ground. Looking down the line on Google I don't
even see any big buildings, just trees. I do have one big live oak
right here. The antenna is 25 feet off the ground and I am afraid to
stick a lightning rod up much higher.

I am running this, with an amp
http://www.newark.com/stellar-labs/30-2440/vhf-uhf-hdtv-60-mile-fringe-yagi/dp/88W2140?st=UHF%20antenna

How long is the cable coming down from the antenna, and what kind of cable? You get a lot of loss in that cable.



I kinda doubt that's his problem. The RF amp will more than make up for
any losses and actually there isn't much signal loss in the RF signal
cable anyway unless he has miles of it.

I think it's more an issue of where the transmitter's antenna radiation
pattern has been optimized for. Greg is near the ocean and there's not
much point of the station wasting signal power out over the water.


This is the setup and that distance is 26 miles. (not sure why google
does not save the ruler when you save the picture)
http://gfretwell.com/ftp/Antenna.jpg



Greg, I was just thinking about something. Don't know exactly what type
of antenna you are using but maybe it was designed primarily for the old
VHF frequencies that analog TV used. Most of the digital broadcasts are
now on UHF. Unless your antenna is designed to receive UHF freqs, that
may be part of your problem.

It says UHF/VHF Digital. I am starting to wonder if another antenna is
in my future myself. This really does not make any sense to me either.
I may try moving it away from the tree first since the canopy is right
there.

On Wed, 28 Feb 2018 07:23:05 -0600, amdx wrote:

On 2/28/2018 12:57 AM, wrote:
On Wed, 28 Feb 2018 00:15:26 -0500, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 2/27/2018 10:37 PM, Its Me wrote:
On Tuesday, February 27, 2018 at 9:13:10 PM UTC-5, wrote:
On Wed, 28 Feb 2018 01:37:19 -0000 (UTC), Bill
wrote:


Our problem is we are in a valley. I am about 140’ above the valley
floor, but still the hills limit a lot of signals.

I am not sure why OTA sucks so bad here. OI am 30 miles from the
towers and it is flat ground. Looking down the line on Google I don't
even see any big buildings, just trees. I do have one big live oak
right here. The antenna is 25 feet off the ground and I am afraid to
stick a lightning rod up much higher.

I am running this, with an amp
http://www.newark.com/stellar-labs/30-2440/vhf-uhf-hdtv-60-mile-fringe-yagi/dp/88W2140?st=UHF%20antenna

How long is the cable coming down from the antenna, and what kind of cable? You get a lot of loss in that cable.



I kinda doubt that's his problem. The RF amp will more than make up for
any losses and actually there isn't much signal loss in the RF signal
cable anyway unless he has miles of it.

I think it's more an issue of where the transmitter's antenna radiation
pattern has been optimized for. Greg is near the ocean and there's not
much point of the station wasting signal power out over the water.


This is the setup and that distance is 26 miles. (not sure why google
does not save the ruler when you save the picture)
http://gfretwell.com/ftp/Antenna.jpg

Have you tried TV Fool?
I don't know your exact location but I used Estero and got a map that
shows you have useful stations in three directions. Your antenna is
directional enough that you may need to rotate it to get a strong signal
in the other two directions.
http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...382b41e2ae7 c

Start here with your address,
http://www.tvfool.com/index.php?opti...pper&Itemid=29

For even more info start at the home page.
http://www.tvfool.com/index.php?opti...page&Itemid=75

Mikek

I really only care about the 2 towers to the north. The Naples station
is en espanol. Not sure about the one in Burrito Springs/Immokalee but
I can guess.

On Wednesday, February 28, 2018 at 12:15:32 AM UTC-5, Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 2/27/2018 10:37 PM, Its Me wrote:
On Tuesday, February 27, 2018 at 9:13:10 PM UTC-5, wrote:
On Wed, 28 Feb 2018 01:37:19 -0000 (UTC), Bill
wrote:


Our problem is we are in a valley. I am about 140’ above the valley
floor, but still the hills limit a lot of signals.

I am not sure why OTA sucks so bad here. OI am 30 miles from the
towers and it is flat ground. Looking down the line on Google I don't
even see any big buildings, just trees. I do have one big live oak
right here. The antenna is 25 feet off the ground and I am afraid to
stick a lightning rod up much higher.

I am running this, with an amp
http://www.newark.com/stellar-labs/30-2440/vhf-uhf-hdtv-60-mile-fringe-yagi/dp/88W2140?st=UHF%20antenna

How long is the cable coming down from the antenna, and what kind of cable? You get a lot of loss in that cable.



I kinda doubt that's his problem. The RF amp will more than make up for
any losses and actually there isn't much signal loss in the RF signal
cable anyway unless he has miles of it.

That's why I asked what kind of cable and how long. RG-6 can have upward of 6dB of loss per 100ft at upper UHF freqs, while the old RG-58 would be up around 16dB of loss. There's also loss at each connection point. As you point out, the signal is either on of off with digital TV, and UHF doesn't have long legs.

On Wednesday, February 28, 2018 at 11:01:31 AM UTC-5, wrote:
On Wed, 28 Feb 2018 07:05:32 -0500, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 2/28/2018 1:57 AM, wrote:
On Wed, 28 Feb 2018 00:15:26 -0500, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 2/27/2018 10:37 PM, Its Me wrote:
On Tuesday, February 27, 2018 at 9:13:10 PM UTC-5, wrote:
On Wed, 28 Feb 2018 01:37:19 -0000 (UTC), Bill
wrote:


Our problem is we are in a valley. I am about 140’ above the valley
floor, but still the hills limit a lot of signals.

I am not sure why OTA sucks so bad here. OI am 30 miles from the
towers and it is flat ground. Looking down the line on Google I don't
even see any big buildings, just trees. I do have one big live oak
right here. The antenna is 25 feet off the ground and I am afraid to
stick a lightning rod up much higher.

I am running this, with an amp
http://www.newark.com/stellar-labs/30-2440/vhf-uhf-hdtv-60-mile-fringe-yagi/dp/88W2140?st=UHF%20antenna

How long is the cable coming down from the antenna, and what kind of cable? You get a lot of loss in that cable.



I kinda doubt that's his problem. The RF amp will more than make up for
any losses and actually there isn't much signal loss in the RF signal
cable anyway unless he has miles of it.

I think it's more an issue of where the transmitter's antenna radiation
pattern has been optimized for. Greg is near the ocean and there's not
much point of the station wasting signal power out over the water.


This is the setup and that distance is 26 miles. (not sure why google
does not save the ruler when you save the picture)
http://gfretwell.com/ftp/Antenna.jpg



Greg, I was just thinking about something. Don't know exactly what type
of antenna you are using but maybe it was designed primarily for the old
VHF frequencies that analog TV used. Most of the digital broadcasts are
now on UHF. Unless your antenna is designed to receive UHF freqs, that
may be part of your problem.

It says UHF/VHF Digital. I am starting to wonder if another antenna is
in my future myself. This really does not make any sense to me either.
I may try moving it away from the tree first since the canopy is right
there.

You can get a better performing antenna, but don't rule out your amp. It could be defective and just not doing well at the upper UHF freqs. It have to cover a pretty broad band.

On Wed, 28 Feb 2018 08:30:54 -0800 (PST), Its Me
wrote:

On Wednesday, February 28, 2018 at 12:15:32 AM UTC-5, Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 2/27/2018 10:37 PM, Its Me wrote:
On Tuesday, February 27, 2018 at 9:13:10 PM UTC-5, wrote:
On Wed, 28 Feb 2018 01:37:19 -0000 (UTC), Bill
wrote:


Our problem is we are in a valley. I am about 140’ above the valley
floor, but still the hills limit a lot of signals.

I am not sure why OTA sucks so bad here. OI am 30 miles from the
towers and it is flat ground. Looking down the line on Google I don't
even see any big buildings, just trees. I do have one big live oak
right here. The antenna is 25 feet off the ground and I am afraid to
stick a lightning rod up much higher.

I am running this, with an amp
http://www.newark.com/stellar-labs/30-2440/vhf-uhf-hdtv-60-mile-fringe-yagi/dp/88W2140?st=UHF%20antenna

How long is the cable coming down from the antenna, and what kind of cable? You get a lot of loss in that cable.



I kinda doubt that's his problem. The RF amp will more than make up for
any losses and actually there isn't much signal loss in the RF signal
cable anyway unless he has miles of it.

That's why I asked what kind of cable and how long. RG-6 can have upward of 6dB of loss per 100ft at upper UHF freqs, while the old RG-58 would be up around 16dB of loss. There's also loss at each connection point. As you point out, the signal is either on of off with digital TV, and UHF doesn't have long legs.

The cable is less than 50'

On Wed, 28 Feb 2018 08:33:20 -0800 (PST), Its Me
wrote:

On Wednesday, February 28, 2018 at 11:01:31 AM UTC-5, wrote:
On Wed, 28 Feb 2018 07:05:32 -0500, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 2/28/2018 1:57 AM, wrote:
On Wed, 28 Feb 2018 00:15:26 -0500, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 2/27/2018 10:37 PM, Its Me wrote:
On Tuesday, February 27, 2018 at 9:13:10 PM UTC-5, wrote:
On Wed, 28 Feb 2018 01:37:19 -0000 (UTC), Bill
wrote:


Our problem is we are in a valley. I am about 140’ above the valley
floor, but still the hills limit a lot of signals.

I am not sure why OTA sucks so bad here. OI am 30 miles from the
towers and it is flat ground. Looking down the line on Google I don't
even see any big buildings, just trees. I do have one big live oak
right here. The antenna is 25 feet off the ground and I am afraid to
stick a lightning rod up much higher.

I am running this, with an amp
http://www.newark.com/stellar-labs/30-2440/vhf-uhf-hdtv-60-mile-fringe-yagi/dp/88W2140?st=UHF%20antenna

How long is the cable coming down from the antenna, and what kind of cable? You get a lot of loss in that cable.



I kinda doubt that's his problem. The RF amp will more than make up for
any losses and actually there isn't much signal loss in the RF signal
cable anyway unless he has miles of it.

I think it's more an issue of where the transmitter's antenna radiation
pattern has been optimized for. Greg is near the ocean and there's not
much point of the station wasting signal power out over the water.


This is the setup and that distance is 26 miles. (not sure why google
does not save the ruler when you save the picture)
http://gfretwell.com/ftp/Antenna.jpg



Greg, I was just thinking about something. Don't know exactly what type
of antenna you are using but maybe it was designed primarily for the old
VHF frequencies that analog TV used. Most of the digital broadcasts are
now on UHF. Unless your antenna is designed to receive UHF freqs, that
may be part of your problem.

It says UHF/VHF Digital. I am starting to wonder if another antenna is
in my future myself. This really does not make any sense to me either.
I may try moving it away from the tree first since the canopy is right
there.

You can get a better performing antenna, but don't rule out your amp. It could be defective and just not doing well at the upper UHF freqs. It have to cover a pretty broad band.

This is the second amp I tried. I had one before and I thought it
might be bad so I got a new one.

On 2/28/2018 11:56 AM, wrote:
On Wed, 28 Feb 2018 08:30:54 -0800 (PST), Its Me
wrote:

On Wednesday, February 28, 2018 at 12:15:32 AM UTC-5, Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 2/27/2018 10:37 PM, Its Me wrote:
On Tuesday, February 27, 2018 at 9:13:10 PM UTC-5, wrote:
On Wed, 28 Feb 2018 01:37:19 -0000 (UTC), Bill
wrote:


Our problem is we are in a valley. I am about 140’ above the valley
floor, but still the hills limit a lot of signals.

I am not sure why OTA sucks so bad here. OI am 30 miles from the
towers and it is flat ground. Looking down the line on Google I don't
even see any big buildings, just trees. I do have one big live oak
right here. The antenna is 25 feet off the ground and I am afraid to
stick a lightning rod up much higher.

I am running this, with an amp
http://www.newark.com/stellar-labs/30-2440/vhf-uhf-hdtv-60-mile-fringe-yagi/dp/88W2140?st=UHF%20antenna

How long is the cable coming down from the antenna, and what kind of cable? You get a lot of loss in that cable.



I kinda doubt that's his problem. The RF amp will more than make up for
any losses and actually there isn't much signal loss in the RF signal
cable anyway unless he has miles of it.

That's why I asked what kind of cable and how long. RG-6 can have upward of 6dB of loss per 100ft at upper UHF freqs, while the old RG-58 would be up around 16dB of loss. There's also loss at each connection point. As you point out, the signal is either on of off with digital TV, and UHF doesn't have long legs.

The cable is less than 50'



Doesn't say anything about having an RF amplifier. What are you using
and where is it located? The antenna's with the amp located in the
antenna rather than at the end of the down cable work best.

On 2/28/2018 11:57 AM, wrote:
On Wed, 28 Feb 2018 08:33:20 -0800 (PST), Its Me
wrote:

On Wednesday, February 28, 2018 at 11:01:31 AM UTC-5, wrote:
On Wed, 28 Feb 2018 07:05:32 -0500, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 2/28/2018 1:57 AM, wrote:
On Wed, 28 Feb 2018 00:15:26 -0500, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 2/27/2018 10:37 PM, Its Me wrote:
On Tuesday, February 27, 2018 at 9:13:10 PM UTC-5, wrote:
On Wed, 28 Feb 2018 01:37:19 -0000 (UTC), Bill
wrote:


Our problem is we are in a valley. I am about 140’ above the valley
floor, but still the hills limit a lot of signals.

I am not sure why OTA sucks so bad here. OI am 30 miles from the
towers and it is flat ground. Looking down the line on Google I don't
even see any big buildings, just trees. I do have one big live oak
right here. The antenna is 25 feet off the ground and I am afraid to
stick a lightning rod up much higher.

I am running this, with an amp
http://www.newark.com/stellar-labs/30-2440/vhf-uhf-hdtv-60-mile-fringe-yagi/dp/88W2140?st=UHF%20antenna

How long is the cable coming down from the antenna, and what kind of cable? You get a lot of loss in that cable.



I kinda doubt that's his problem. The RF amp will more than make up for
any losses and actually there isn't much signal loss in the RF signal
cable anyway unless he has miles of it.

I think it's more an issue of where the transmitter's antenna radiation
pattern has been optimized for. Greg is near the ocean and there's not
much point of the station wasting signal power out over the water.


This is the setup and that distance is 26 miles. (not sure why google
does not save the ruler when you save the picture)
http://gfretwell.com/ftp/Antenna.jpg



Greg, I was just thinking about something. Don't know exactly what type
of antenna you are using but maybe it was designed primarily for the old
VHF frequencies that analog TV used. Most of the digital broadcasts are
now on UHF. Unless your antenna is designed to receive UHF freqs, that
may be part of your problem.

It says UHF/VHF Digital. I am starting to wonder if another antenna is
in my future myself. This really does not make any sense to me either.
I may try moving it away from the tree first since the canopy is right
there.

You can get a better performing antenna, but don't rule out your amp. It could be defective and just not doing well at the upper UHF freqs. It have to cover a pretty broad band.

This is the second amp I tried. I had one before and I thought it
might be bad so I got a new one.



Greg, If I were you I'd go to Walmart or Best Buy and buy a cheap,
amplified set of rabbit ears and try them before going to the trouble of
moving your current antenna around. I think you will be surprised.
Should only cost anywhere from $19 to $29 bucks. Just make sure the
amp is built into the antenna itself.

My brother, who lives 55 miles south of Boston, set up a TV and the set
of amplified rabbit ears I gave him in his shed. The antenna is sitting
on the shed rafters, about 7 feet high. He gets the three major
networks in Boston in HD with no problem along with a few other
stations. Was happy because he could go out to the shed to watch the
Patriots games.

On Wed, 28 Feb 2018 01:47:56 -0500, wrote:

On Tue, 27 Feb 2018 23:59:23 -0500, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 2/27/2018 7:29 PM, wrote:
On Tue, 27 Feb 2018 17:06:57 -0500, John H.
wrote:

On Tue, 27 Feb 2018 17:04:59 -0500 (EST), justan wrote:

Thst's too much to pay for tv. Our fiber cable and internet is
free, but I put up a small OTA emergency antenna and I get about
60 channels with it.

That's for everything. If I don't get the discounts I may try an outdoor antenna. I've got one, just
too lazy to put it up yet.

Digital TV has made the antenna thing a lot less rewarding. In
Maryland I could get all of the DC stations with a coat hanger and if
you had any decent antenna at all you got Baltimore as well as DC.
With a rotor you could point it south and get Richmond (Important to
my Ex when the skins games were blacked out)
These days, with a deep fringe antenna and an amp I have trouble
getting the Ft Myers stations 30 miles away.



Weird. I posted this before but I could get 50-60 digital channels with
a simple rabbit ear antenna set (amplified) in the house in Duxbury. I
imagine your area is flatter than we are so I am surprised you have such
poor reception. We were about 40 miles south of Boston, definitely in a
fringe area and not all would stay "locked" in but the main ones worked
fine in HD. Nice thing about digital is that you either "get it" or you
don't. The days of snowy pictures are gone.

Got all of the major network channels from Boston and Providence
including the sub channels. Channel 5 also had programing on 5.1 and
5.2. Same with channel 4 which also had 4.1, 7 also has 7.1 etc. Also
got some of the former UHF channels. Some of the off beat programming
were old classics like Perry Mason, Columbo and the Rockwood Files. One
even had the old Jackie Gleason Honeymooners series, the original
Superman series and many more really old ones.


Dunno, the only thing that makes any sense at all is I have a big live
oak right in the LOS. I did not think that would screw up the signal
tho. I have it hanging on the same bracket as the satellite and I may
move it when that goes away. I am just not sure I can get away from
all of the trees.


===

I think the tree is most likely your issue. Those towers out there on
rt 31 are huge and should easily provide a 30 mile range with good
signal strength. Any chance you can move the antenna off to the side
and look around the side of it, or put the antenna in the tree up near
the top? If all else fails they have this new fangled invention
called cable tv. :-)

---
This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
http://www.avg.com