Delhi OTA Gear & Antennas

[keeneye]

Hello,

From the couple of actual pictures I've seen of the 4BT-1483 in various threads, it seems to be fairly similar to the CM 4221.

Are there any gain charts available for this antenna? I'm also interested in comparing how directionnal it is compared to the CM 4221, as I'm planning for a rotor-less installation.

Has anyone been able to compare actual results by switching between these two antennas?

Thanks!

[stampeder]

In these HDTV Primer charts of raw and net gain you'll see items B (CM4221) and F (Winegard PR-4400). These are both 4-bay bowtie reflector UHF antennas. Unfortunately the Wade-Delhi competitor was not tested. You'll find that the Wade-Delhi 4BT-1483 (and under its many rebrand names) is very comparable in reception, beam pattern, and size to the CM4221. Between the three antennas I don't find that there's much difference in performance, but the CM tends to lead across almost the whole UHF spectrum by a small amount. Item R is the Terrestrial Digital DB-4, another 4-bay bowtie reflector, and you can see from its poor lower channel performance why I never recommend it.

You can be very content and satisfied with a Wade Delhi 4BT-1483.

[stampeder]

Delhi OTA Antennas are made in Brantford, ON by Wade. They are top quality.

[poncho@home]

So does anyone have any tips on aiming the 5 element antenna for channel 13?

I imagine the Wade Yagi 5y13s is directional? What is the orienation on these antennas? What's front and what's back? Also I installed it upside down, I assume that has no impact? But can someone confirm this.

It is currently installed on a seperate mast from the 4221, but very close by. I will move it 4-5 feet away tonight and try again.

[stampeder]

Yes, it is very directional. To aim your 5y13s see this image. The front of the antenna is pointing at a station that is in the direction of the upper right:

The back of the antenna is to the lower left.

The TV stations and the antenna use horizontal polarity, so that means that the antenna theoretically works exactly the same if it is rotated along its central spar exactly 180 degrees. I would never install an antenna upside down because manufacturers sometimes use rivets that have rounded heads at the top that rain will not accumulate on. If you put the antenna upside down and there are rivet-ends upwards they may accumulate water and thus begin to erode or rust. Also some antennas have attachments like baluns, etc. that need to be on the bottom for ease of connection and for water resistance.

[becks]

Hey Guys

I'm a total newb when it comes to antenna's and I have a Wade 5Y13s I want to set-up but I have no idea how/where I attach the 75 to 300 ohm transformer (balun) to the antenna. Can someone help me out?

Thanks

[recneps77]

I'm not familiar with that specific model, but there are generally two connection points (was there a diagram or anything with the antenna?)
which you connect the two leads to (usually washers+wing nut), and the coax cable connects to the single lead.
Generally, the order doesn't matter (i.e. one lead is on the left and the other on the right, vs. flipping it so the first lead mentioned is now on the right and the other on the left)

[becks]

Thanks recneps77, nope there was no diagram for this, only how to mount, ground etc the antenna. I do see 2 wing nuts so I'll connect it there, thanks again

[fbov]

becks,
Looking at the antenna image above, the two oval loops near the back are the dipoles you want to connect to. There should be a feedline on each side connecting the two and if that's where you see wing nuts, you're in the right place.
Frank

[zapfodder]

Hello,
I'm looking to move beyond the powered rabbit ears I have right now and for simplicity's sake I would like to try an omni directional antenna since I have a broadcast tower to the North and some to the south (I'm in Ottawa, near Mooney's Bay). Delhi seems to be a brand with a good reputation and they show an omni directional antenna (the IDEAL) on their website. The IDEAL is not listed in the Decision Chart for OTA Antennas (ver. 4.2) and whether this reflects on the quality of the antenna or how new it is I don't know.

Do any of the readers here have experience with, or comments about, the IDEAL antenna? Any suggestions about a good omni directional alternative?
Thanks for any help.

[ericball]

Originally Posted by zapfodder

Do any of the readers here have experience with, or comments about, the IDEAL antenna? Any suggestions about a good omni directional alternative?
Thanks for any help.

Tough to say much without cracking open the housing. However, the claimed 24dB figure has to be with amplification, not pure reception.

Typically "omni directional" antennas are dipole variations, thus don't have much true reception gain. A better alternative for you is probably a Grey-Hovermann either without any reflector (just the two wires), or with the wire reflectors or a mesh reflector with large spacing (if the broadcasts from one direction is much stronger than the other). I believe some other people have made similar bi-directional set-ups, check the Grey-Hoverman threads.

[donnyjaguar]

I would stay away from the any omni type of antenna unless all your reception targets are nearby. The conventional Delhi-Wade TV antennas are excellent. I use the CYD1470 myself. It pulls in all the Buffalo South stations all the time, the nearest being 100 miles away. In fact, I have to put 7dB of attenuation between the antenna and my preamp. I have a Delhi preamplifier, but I don't use it because the Winegard AP4700 is profoundly better. I can recommend the CYD1470 without hesitation.

[stampeder]

A good Delhi antenna for your situation would probably be the reflector-less 4-bay bowtie UHF antenna called the SL-4BT since it has a figure-eight reception pattern for situations like yours in which you desire stations from front and back:

http://www.wade-antenna.com/Wade/UHF.htm

If you cannot find one, you can buy a more common 4-bay bowtie reflector antenna like a Delhi 4BT-1483 or a Channel Master 4221 and remove the reflector screen by drilling out the mounting rivets. This could even be done with a CM4228.

[intravino]

Hi again,


Is the 05Y13 (5 Element Yagi VHF CH13 Antenna) as good as the 10Y13 for getting channel 13 ABC Vermont?

I am in the south shore of Montreal (Beloeil).

The price difference is about $ 20.00


Thanks,


Intravino

[Kro]

intravino:

Go for the 10Y13s. The 5y13S has a gain ~6 db and the 10Y13s ~10 db. With the 5y13S you might get a signal at around 60%(MAX) and around 80%(MAX) with the 10Y13s. There's good chance that you will have frequent sound drop with 5y13s. For 20$ more the 10Y13s is worth it.