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

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.

On Tue, 27 Feb 2018 19:37:57 -0800 (PST), 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.

It is the RG6 that the satellite company uses. Originally I had a run
of fresh RG6 I got from Comcast (I have a spool from my neighbor) and
I thought that might be bad. When I sent one of my sat boxes back I
switched over to that cable. No change. The amp is right up next to
the antenna. Without the amp it really sux.
I understand 300 ohm foam twinlead is probably the best but that is
hard to come by and the antenna is set up for coax, as is the TV.

On Tuesday, February 27, 2018 at 11:58:41 PM UTC-5, wrote:
On Tue, 27 Feb 2018 19:37:57 -0800 (PST), 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.

It is the RG6 that the satellite company uses. Originally I had a run
of fresh RG6 I got from Comcast (I have a spool from my neighbor) and
I thought that might be bad. When I sent one of my sat boxes back I
switched over to that cable. No change. The amp is right up next to
the antenna. Without the amp it really sux.
I understand 300 ohm foam twinlead is probably the best but that is
hard to come by and the antenna is set up for coax, as is the TV.

RG6 is the good stuff, at least for TVs. The twinlead would be better, but it's such a pain to install properly with all the standoffs, etc. Tape it to a metal mast and you're losing it's advantage. Sounds like you're just in a dead spot.

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.

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

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



Strange. At 26 miles as the crow flies you should get very good
reception with the antenna you described, trees or no trees. The TV I
used in the garage with the rabbit ears had a signal strength meter in
the setup and I could peg it when I adjusted the antenna for Boston
station. Most of the stations that were viewable registered "70" out of
100. I remember if the signal strength dropped to under 60 I'd get drop
outs sometimes. We were surrounded by big trees as well and they didn't
present a problem.

I wonder if your stations are utilizing the maximum power authorized by
the FCC or if there's a restriction. Doesn't make sense.

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.

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 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.