Digital Antenna Reception
December 12, 2018 7:59 AM Subscribe
I live in Charlotte, NC next to a creek and I am, essentially, at the bottom of a narrow valley carved out by the creek. The antenna I have now pulls in three, sometimes four local TV channels. I should be able to get several more in Charlotte but, I think, I have bad reception due to being at the bottom of this narrow valley.
So, other than building a tall antenna tower, any suggestions for getting around this issue?
Response by poster: Tvfool.com was helpful. It accurately showed the channels I am currently recieving and those that I am not. Thanks. My current antenna is on the second floor of my home.
posted by zzazazz at 8:15 AM on December 12, 2018
posted by zzazazz at 8:15 AM on December 12, 2018
A agree that getting higher would be ideal here. If you're already as high as you can go (or are willing to go), I'd look into an antenna with a powered preamp. I don't have any specific recommendations but a google/amazon search will take you to the various options. This may or may not help -- at some point, no amount of amplification will compensate for your lack of line of sight. So, I'd buy from somewhere with a good return policy.
posted by Betelgeuse at 8:24 AM on December 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Betelgeuse at 8:24 AM on December 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
I had excellent success by building my own antenna from these directions to pick up signals from about 40 miles away, through a bunch of tall buildings blocking my way. Amplified antennas were no help. With the homemade antenna, I went from about 4 or 5 channels to over 20.
posted by AzraelBrown at 9:12 AM on December 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by AzraelBrown at 9:12 AM on December 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
The accepted wisdom for antennas is that performance is basically a function of three things: size of the antenna, height of the antenna, and antenna gain.
Size and height are straightforward.
Antenna gain is always the tempting thing to play with, particularly if you are trying to sell antennas, since you can't control where people put the things. But antenna gain isn't magic; it's basically like the antenna's "focus". Higher gain = more directionality. Very high-gain antennas need to be pointed at the source you want to hear. If all the transmitters are in the same direction, that might be fine! But if they are not, you will either need multiple antennas or you'll need an antenna rotator (which used to be quite common, less so anymore).
The traditional "TV antennas" you used to see atop people's houses are typically high-gain Yagis. They are not really that expensive—a top-end model is under $200—but putting it on your roof can be a bit of a pain. You need to run a feedline up there, worry about mounting it, grounding, lightning protection, etc. I'd budget $500.
What I have done in some places where I've lived is gotten a decent antenna and put it in the attic. That gets you some decent elevation, lets you have an obnoxiously large antenna compared to what you'd want in your living room, but doesn't require a lot of worries about lightning, masts, wind loading, etc. You just need to make sure there's enough room in your attic to point the thing in the right direction, since a directional antenna pointed in the wrong direction is not going to work well.
But broadly, there's no free lunch where electromagnetism is concerned.
posted by Kadin2048 at 10:11 AM on December 12, 2018 [2 favorites]
Size and height are straightforward.
Antenna gain is always the tempting thing to play with, particularly if you are trying to sell antennas, since you can't control where people put the things. But antenna gain isn't magic; it's basically like the antenna's "focus". Higher gain = more directionality. Very high-gain antennas need to be pointed at the source you want to hear. If all the transmitters are in the same direction, that might be fine! But if they are not, you will either need multiple antennas or you'll need an antenna rotator (which used to be quite common, less so anymore).
The traditional "TV antennas" you used to see atop people's houses are typically high-gain Yagis. They are not really that expensive—a top-end model is under $200—but putting it on your roof can be a bit of a pain. You need to run a feedline up there, worry about mounting it, grounding, lightning protection, etc. I'd budget $500.
What I have done in some places where I've lived is gotten a decent antenna and put it in the attic. That gets you some decent elevation, lets you have an obnoxiously large antenna compared to what you'd want in your living room, but doesn't require a lot of worries about lightning, masts, wind loading, etc. You just need to make sure there's enough room in your attic to point the thing in the right direction, since a directional antenna pointed in the wrong direction is not going to work well.
But broadly, there's no free lunch where electromagnetism is concerned.
posted by Kadin2048 at 10:11 AM on December 12, 2018 [2 favorites]
What I have done in some places where I've lived is gotten a decent antenna and put it in the attic.
Keep i mind that with an antenna in the attic that when the roof gets wet, the reception will go, uh, through the floor.
posted by Stoneshop at 12:58 PM on December 12, 2018
Keep i mind that with an antenna in the attic that when the roof gets wet, the reception will go, uh, through the floor.
posted by Stoneshop at 12:58 PM on December 12, 2018
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by chasles at 8:09 AM on December 12, 2018 [1 favorite]