[Grem]

Well it doesn't seem like slightly over a yr since last time I was here but I guess time flies by that fast. In that last yr I switch to cable so my need for a very good antenna wasn't all that important but after only having cable for 1 yr I realized it wasn't worth the $$. I mean heck for the 9 yrs previous I was satisfied to watch OTA tv and I'm heading back that way.

I stopped back to see if you guys had made any developments in more refined OTA antennas but since I wasn't very good at understanding this stuff before it still remains the same to me. I moved locations to one that is slightly worse then I had before an lost a few signals I had with my old SBGH Gen 1 with narods and reflectors. (note narod reflectors are not shown in that picture)

From what I can tell the improvements have been the tilted hat narod and that the reflectors that have been moved to different locations. The signals I use to get have dropped in strength in my new location to around 30% signal strength and I was wondering if the newer design has enough gain to over come that or if that was too much of a drop for the new design to deal with and I would be best staying with my old build.

I know that a question that can only really be figured out by building a new antenna but I has hoping for some suggestions.

 

[300ohm]

Post your new TVFool for your location. Still a nice looking job,Grem. Is that table a built in base for that antenna ?

There is a top hat style NAROD improvement for your pictured antenna here, post #29:
http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=121956&page=2

That will help to get a little bit more gain on channels around 32 to 38. And a little more vhf-hi gain IIRC.

Also, you could add NAROD reflectors for even more vhf-hi gain.

 

[300ohm]

In that last yr I switch to cable so my need for a very good antenna wasn't all that important but after only having cable for 1 yr I realized it wasn't worth the $$.

Especially when you realize all the good free shows and movies on legal places like Hulu, Crackle and PBS.org and Natgeo etc.
And for low cost, Net Flix.

OTA is still needed for local news and sports though. And the OTA picture quality is superior to most cable.

 

[nikiml]

I see no balun on the picture?

 

[300ohm]

Most likely he's using a 300ohm to 75 ohm balun on the TV, unless its a really old set, then its 300 ohm input.
For typical indoor distances, thats really the way to go for least loss. And as a bonus, you can put on a piece of sliding aluminum foil on the 300 ohm twin lead to fine tune the SWR per channel.

 

[Grem]

Also, you could add NAROD reflectors for even more vhf-hi gain.

Yeah that was the picture I took for that contest Stampeder had a little over a yr ago like I said in my 1st post that picture doesnt show the narod reflectors that it had put on it after that picture was taken.

Most likely he's using a 300ohm to 75 ohm balun on the TV, unless its a really old set, then its 300 ohm input.

Yes it has a 300 ohm to 75 ohm balun and no I dont own a tv that has a 300 ohm input.



Here is a link to both new and old TVfool charts side by side. I didnt move far as you can tell by the distance to stations but the new location I moved to is about 80 feet lower it altitude so not good. As you can see from the charts a lot of the channels I could get that were in the yellow zone of the chart are now in the pink zone.

These are the channels I built the 1st antenna to pull in and I could about 75% of the time. I'm worried since now I'm in an area with lower ground elevation thats like lowering 80 feet from an antenna mast. Hense why I decided to ask if the new antennas have better gain to make up for something like that. My guess is no

 

[nikiml]

These are the channels I built the 1st antenna to pull in and I could about 75% of the time. I'm worried since now I'm in an area with lower ground elevation thats like lowering 80 feet from an antenna mast. Hense why I decided to ask if the new antennas have better gain to make up for something like that. My guess is no

It looks like the pattern of this GH10n3 antenna might fit to you situation if you point it at 12 deg magnetic. The gain should be sufficient for all non-gray channels from North and South except RF 5. If those 2 Edge channels from the North are coming at all, of course.

Which channels do you have problems with?

 

[Grem]

Well as of tonight I am receiving 5 of the 7 channels in the pink (left tvfool chart) those are the main ones I'm shooting for but 10 (10.1), 9 (6.1) and 44 (44.1) are all on the edge. The 2 VHF high ones is what my narods/narod reflectors are tuned for.

Any of the ones without a network listed behind them on the list I have never gotten with the exception of 36 (31.1) which is the same channels as 13 (62.1). I dont know what is the deal with the ones without networks listed behind them if they are even active stations. Other then that tonight I am getting all the ones with networks listed behind them green and pink part of the chart. (of course not 5 (2.1))


[edit] I got a question about the GH10n3 - it says the wire is 1/4 inch diameter T6 aluminum but what diameter is the reflectors?

 

[nikiml]

May be 300 Ohm can correct me here, but I think that GH10n3 has 3+ dB more gain on the VHF hi than your antenna, and probably also has few dB more on RF44.

 

[300ohm]

May be 300 Ohm can correct me here, but I think that GH10n3 has 3+ dB more gain on the VHF hi than your antenna, and probably also has few dB more on RF44.

Yep.

[edit] I got a question about the GH10n3 - it says the wire is 1/4 inch diameter T6 aluminum but what diameter is the reflectors?

The same diameter, but you could go a bit larger.

the main ones I'm shooting for but 10 (10.1), 9 (6.1) and 44 (44.1) are all on the edge.

Thats a big drop, 6 to 9, in NM from your old location to the new one. Im not sure if even the GH10n3 will pull in channel 44.