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Post by MonkeyMan on Jan 22, 2018 15:13:06 GMT -5
Will those amplifiers have some sort of 300 ohm combiner in the amp or do I need a 300 ohm-75 ohm adapter out there? I'm assuming that the high quality 1 Ghz+ 75 ohm coax I have a spool of will be good to feed the antenna from the house. Thanks. Both amps I have, and all that I've seen, are straight 75 ohm coaxial connections, so no adapters. Use a decent quality RG6, or better, and you'll be fine.
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Post by MonkeyMan on Jan 23, 2018 10:56:00 GMT -5
I'd like to hear from some experts on this. In my quest to pull in channel 12 (207,000 mhz) I purchased a Kitz Technology low noise preamp to replace my RCA unit. I was pleasantly surprised to see the signal level go from approx. 27-30% with the RCA to 88-90% with the Kitz. Problem is that I still have a big ZERO for signal quality, which is stumping me. I believe the culprit may be WPAZ just a few miles to the North-Northwest broadcasting at 103.500 FM. 103.500 being exactly half of the channel 12 broadcast frequency, could this possibly be interfering? So no channel 12, but as I was scanning the band last night I found that with the Kitz Tech amplifier I'm now receiving (to some degree) WNJS out of Jersey, which is PBS. I was getting this station before when I had the 4 bay UHF antenna up, but took that down in favor of a single antenna and lost it.
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Post by MonkeyMan on Jan 24, 2018 16:52:30 GMT -5
Thanks Bagger. Using my RTL-SDR I can see lots of noise around 205.000 to 210.000. But there are big "spikes" at approx. 206.975, 207.360, 207.740, 208.125, 208.510 and 208.895. My channel 12 interference may be two fold. As I was playing around with the RTL-SDR last night I heard both 101.7, less than a half a mile to my West, and 103.5 playing together on 205.200.
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Sandbagger
Administrator/The Boss
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Post by Sandbagger on Jan 24, 2018 17:56:20 GMT -5
Thanks Bagger. Using my RTL-SDR I can see lots of noise around 205.000 to 210.000. But there are big "spikes" at approx. 206.975, 207.360, 207.740, 208.125, 208.510 and 208.895. My channel 12 interference may be two fold. As I was playing around with the RTL-SDR last night I heard both 101.7, less than a half a mile to my West, and 103.5 playing together on 205.200. If you are getting multiple intermod/harmonic interference, that's going to make it really tough to rectify. A directional antenna can be used to null out interference from one direction. But if both of your interfering stations aren't in the exact same direction, it will be tough to get completely rid of both of them. But if you want channel 12, a high gain directional is your best bet. Pre-amplifiers are known for generating intermod in the presence of strong out of band signals. I would avoid using one in your situation.
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Post by MonkeyMan on Jan 24, 2018 18:03:50 GMT -5
My channel 12 interference may be two fold. As I was playing around with the RTL-SDR last night I heard both 101.7, less than a half a mile to my West, and 103.5 playing together on 205.200. If you are getting multiple intermod/harmonic interference, that's going to make it really tough to rectify. A directional antenna can be used to null out interference from one direction. But if both of your interfering stations aren't in the exact same direction, it will be tough to get completely rid of both of them. But if you want channel 12, a high gain directional is your best bet. Pre-amplifiers are known for generating intermod in the presence of strong out of band signals. I would avoid using one in your situation. I need the preamp for some channels with my current antenna, but if I go with a higher gain antenna I may not need it. Hmm, do I upgrade further or live with with it? First I may try another location for the antenna. I was able to receive 12 with my first small antenna hanging out the rear window with the house blocking to the West, and I believe that was without a preamp.
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Sandbagger
Administrator/The Boss
Posts: 6,247
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Post by Sandbagger on Jan 24, 2018 18:18:24 GMT -5
If you are getting multiple intermod/harmonic interference, that's going to make it really tough to rectify. A directional antenna can be used to null out interference from one direction. But if both of your interfering stations aren't in the exact same direction, it will be tough to get completely rid of both of them. But if you want channel 12, a high gain directional is your best bet. Pre-amplifiers are known for generating intermod in the presence of strong out of band signals. I would avoid using one in your situation. I need the preamp for some channels with my current antenna, but if I go with a higher gain antenna I may not need it. Hmm, do I upgrade further or live with with it? First I may try another location for the antenna. I was able to receive 12 with my first small antenna hanging out the rear window with the house blocking to the West, and I believe that was without a preamp. The preamp is likely exacerbating your intermod problem. I would try a higher gain antenna, and you might end up not needing a preamp at all.
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Post by MonkeyMan on Jan 25, 2018 18:26:00 GMT -5
Saturday looks like nice weather. I'm going to remove the preamp completely and see what happens.
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Sandbagger
Administrator/The Boss
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Post by Sandbagger on Jan 25, 2018 19:37:59 GMT -5
Saturday looks like nice weather. I'm going to remove the preamp completely and see what happens. You might be surprised at how well it works without it, especially if you can get more signal from the antenna side.
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Post by MonkeyMan on Jan 27, 2018 12:48:12 GMT -5
I removed the preamp completely and was receiving nearly every channel, except channel 2, with 100% signal quality. I reinstalled the RCA preamp for channel 2 and all is right with the world.
Still no channel 12, but that will be a tough nut to crack. I'm going to list the Kitz Tech peamp on fleaBay to help fund a higher gain antenna.
I read that vee type lpda antennas, which mine is not, naturally have higher gain on VHF hi where I need it, but further research is in order. Meanwhile we will continue to access PBS content through the Roku app.
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Post by MonkeyMan on Feb 6, 2018 18:18:28 GMT -5
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Sandbagger
Administrator/The Boss
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Post by Sandbagger on Feb 6, 2018 19:49:21 GMT -5
Interesting..... but not altogether unexpected. All sorts of media outlets will likely offer up some sort of internet accessible streaming service in the coming years as more people seek out their entertainment from other media sources other than OTA and cable.
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Post by MonkeyMan on Mar 1, 2018 7:51:15 GMT -5
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Post by MonkeyMan on Jan 16, 2019 15:46:29 GMT -5
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Post by SIX-SHOOTER on Jan 17, 2019 1:07:06 GMT -5
Well Netfiix is a good deal for those who watch movies but I am not much of a movie watcher or much for TV myself. WE have a Basic DISH Network package with No ESPN or any Sports Programming & no movie packages. It costs us about $68 a month so my wife can watch the shows that she likes. Only sports teams I care about are the Atlanta Braves & the Georgia Bulldogs (Football) & I am not willing to pay extra to see either one of them. We don't have High Speed Internet either so most of the bargain internet connection TV Packages will not work here either. I see people paying in excess of $200 a month for TV service which will happen at our house just as soon as Hell Freezes over Twice in the same week. LOL I don't see the importance of the TV when I would rather talk on a radio or surf the web on my laptop or iPhone.{:>) There are Zero outside TV antennas in my neighborhood & I am not in an HOA or my tower & 10 antennas would be a big hit with them I'm sure.
SIX-SHOOTER
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Post by SIX-SHOOTER on Jan 17, 2019 1:14:43 GMT -5
Forgot to mention, after canceling my Dish account I'm still receiving a bunch of channels at no charge. Most are of no interest to us, but we saved a few to our guide and they're F-R-E-E. They didn't want my equipment back because they deemed it "obsolete", so my guess is that they leave me with some service while they bombard me with offers to come back and if I bite they just turn it back on. It's the same kind of marketing strategy that Sirius/XM uses. Every so often they open their service up free of charge, just to get people who have sat radio receivers in their cars to give it a try and hope that they see something they like and will buy. Same goes for you. It would cost them to process your old equipment, but if you keep it, they have a method to entice you with offers. I had SIRIUS Radio for Free for 6 months when I purchased my DODGE Quad Cab in 2007 & when it expired they bugged me all of the time with mail trying to get me to sign up. I called them & told them who I was & I ask them to Remove me from their Mailing List FOREVER. I explained that I did not listen to them when it was FREE & I would never pay for radio service when I listen to CD's when I want any music which is Rare. I checked once when they were running a FREE promotion & my receiver does NOT even hear that so I guess they got the message & that is AWESOME. TV services & Pay Radio services hate people like me since I don't fund their BS waste of money systems. {:>) SIX-SHOOTER
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Post by MonkeyMan on Jul 17, 2019 14:38:22 GMT -5
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Post by cbrown on Jul 17, 2019 14:51:56 GMT -5
I like the idea, except for the return data to the station that allows them to know what you are watching. I'm getting pretty sick of the 'big brother' types knowing every little thing I do. I get that it would require an Internet connection, but today that fairly common for a TV to have net access.
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Post by oldgeezer on Jul 18, 2019 5:59:31 GMT -5
I am sick & tired of the $180 cable bill myself that is about the same as a freakin car payment. I put up an antenna and a $25 TV amplifier. I get about 30 channels without any rotor.
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Post by MonkeyMan on Jul 18, 2019 11:57:47 GMT -5
I like the idea, except for the return data to the station that allows them to know what you are watching. I'm getting pretty sick of the 'big brother' types knowing every little thing I do. I get that it would require an Internet connection, but today that fairly common for a TV to have net access. Doesn't bother me a bit. It will allow "them" to customize what commercials I see, and I'd rather see commercials for things I'm interested in than just random rubbish. Besides, the folks at Netflix, Amazon, Google, Citibank, etc. etc. already know what I'm doing.
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Post by bobcat4109 on Jul 19, 2019 8:49:59 GMT -5
A funny thing.....
My mom passed away in March of 2018. When dad got back home on his own, he wanted to cut his cable. He said he never watched much of it anyway and all he wanted was local stuff. I was unsure how good reception would be in his area so I started researching various antennas.
The following weekend I was at his house and we were talking about it. I picked up a piece of his extra cable TV coax, got out my Buck 110, and following an idea I had seen on YouTube, I removed the outer jacket 13" back from one end, folded the braid back over the back way smoothed it out and taped it down flat, then removed the insulator from the center wire (solid copper) almost to the braid...and ...voila!
Instant bazooka antenna for digital TV. We both laughed but thought...."what the hell!"
Hooked it up inside the house......right to the back of the TV... ran channel scan.... BOOM! It locked in about 70 some odd channels but was missing some of the local channels.
Out to the garage we went.....came up with an old unused cane fishing pole. Put it together, taped the antenna to it and set it outside hooking it up to the jack that the cable entered the house through..... re-ran the scan: 96 channels.....every one clear as a bell.
It worked so well and gave him more channels than he knew what to do with. Some of his most favorite shows from the 50's, 60s and 70s were on there every night of the week.
He told me...."stop looking for an antenna! Leave this one where it is!"
Served him well until he passed Dec 28, 2018.
I miss our phone calls with him giving me a list of all of the shows he enjoyed watching....every single phone call!!!!
An old piece of coax and a pocket knife.
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Sandbagger
Administrator/The Boss
Posts: 6,247
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Post by Sandbagger on Jul 19, 2019 12:59:56 GMT -5
A funny thing..... My mom passed away in March of 2018. When dad got back home on his own, he wanted to cut his cable. He said he never watched much of it anyway and all he wanted was local stuff. I was unsure how good reception would be in his area so I started researching various antennas. The following weekend I was at his house and we were talking about it. I picked up a piece of his extra cable TV coax, got out my Buck 110, and following an idea I had seen on YouTube, I removed the outer jacket 13" back from one end, folded the braid back over the back way smoothed it out and taped it down flat, then removed the insulator from the center wire (solid copper) almost to the braid...and ...voila! Instant bazooka antenna for digital TV. We both laughed but thought...."what the hell!" Hooked it up inside the house......right to the back of the TV... ran channel scan.... BOOM! It locked in about 70 some odd channels but was missing some of the local channels. Out to the garage we went.....came up with an old unused cane fishing pole. Put it together, taped the antenna to it and set it outside hooking it up to the jack that the cable entered the house through..... re-ran the scan: 96 channels.....every one clear as a bell. It worked so well and gave him more channels than he knew what to do with. Some of his most favorite shows from the 50's, 60s and 70s were on there every night of the week. He told me...."stop looking for an antenna! Leave this one where it is!" Served him well until he passed Dec 28, 2018. I miss our phone calls with him giving me a list of all of the shows he enjoyed watching....every single phone call!!!! An old piece of coax and a pocket knife. Yep, a simple coaxial dipole. It's a little harder making them for 11 meters, rolling that coax braid over the outer jacket for 9' is a bit tough. It's usually easier to cut the braid and then slip it over the jacket and resolder it at the "feedpoint". But for VHF or UHF frequencies, it's not all that bad. Your father must have lived in a relatively strong metro signal area to have so many channels. He didn't need a high gain antenna.
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Post by MonkeyMan on Jan 9, 2020 15:30:22 GMT -5
ATSC 3.0: Next-Gen TV to Hit 40 US Markets in 2020Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX Houston, TX San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA Phoenix, AZ Seattle-Tacoma, WA Detroit, MI Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne, FL Portland, OR Pittsburgh, PA Raleigh-Durham, NC Baltimore, MD Nashville, TN Salt Lake City, UT San Antonio, TX Kansas City, KS-MO Columbus, OH West Palm Beach-Ft. Pierce, FL Las Vegas, NV Austin, TX New York, NY Los Angeles, CA Chicago, IL Philadelphia, PA Washington, DC Boston, MA Atlanta, GA Tampa-St.Petersburg-Sarasota, FL Minneapolis - St. Paul, MN Miami - Ft. Lauderdale, FL Denver, CO Cleveland-Akron, OH Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto, CA St. Louis, MO Charlotte, NC Indianapolis, IN San Diego, CA Hartford-New Haven, CT Cincinnati, OH Milwaukee, WI Greenville-Spartanburg, SC Asheville, NC
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Post by MonkeyMan on Jan 10, 2020 7:46:46 GMT -5
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Post by cbrown on Jan 15, 2020 13:32:10 GMT -5
About time. I was so sick of 100's of channels of things I'd never watch.
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Post by gator7 on Feb 19, 2020 9:12:48 GMT -5
No antennas here, I stream now. Can’t afford $130 for basic cable. I can get one local station and national for the others. But on Hulu I can watch most shows later the same day or the next. Not the best deal, but it’s all I can do.
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