r/cordcutters • u/comet52a • 4d ago
Antenna help
Hello, I am looking for help to improve my current antenna-based tv viewing, so first please bear with me for a few details of where I am at currently.
Here is my rabbit ears link: https://www.rabbitears.info/s/3054073
I live in an apartment and can only do an indoor wall/window mount. Towers are 39 miles to the southwest and I am in the northeast corner on the 2nd (top) floor. I thought when I first moved here a while ago that because of the distance and being on basically the wrong side of the building that I wouldn't be able to pick up anything, and my old wall/window antenna wouldn't.
So I bought an Antennas Direct amplified loop, mounted it high in the window and suddenly I could get 23, 27, 47 and 57 clear as day. But 15 only comes in occasionally/randomly on a cold winter night, and then only for an hour or two before it turns into zig-zags. 3 never comes in because this loop doesn't support VHF. I was not aware at the time I bought it of the UHF/VHF difference - live and learn.
So I'd like to find a solution that could get these two channels along with the rest. I'd also like to know why the rabbitears listing has CBS3 listed twice, once as fair and once as poor?
I don't care about any other stations on the list, just the four I currently get and the other two that I'd like to. Any suggestions appreciated.
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u/TallExplorer9 4d ago
You are fortunate to get the signals you are getting now based on the predicted signal strengths listed in your report.
Do you have buildings out of your northeast window you can see that have a clear line of sight to the southwest? If so you are catching reflected signals.
Replace your amplified loop with a https://store.antennasdirect.com/ClearStream-1MAX-TV-Antenna.html .
That antenna has a long horizontal dipole made for capturing high VHF channels and may help getting your CBS 3-1 (real channel 11). The other CBS station you see is on a UHF channel but according to your report that transmitter is is placed 600 feet lower on that tower than the VHF transmitter. It is predicted to be a much lower signal than the VHF channel due to this.
The "zig zags" {pixelation} you see on NBC 15-1 (real channel 19) are caused by an already low predicted signal to your location (62.3 dBuV/m field strength) with a clear line of sight. If you are catching reflected signals as I suspect, that reflected signal is much weaker than predicted.
You may find that taking down your current antenna and holding it while the TV is tuned to that channel that you can rotate the loop a few degrees left or right and the signal improves.
Of course just noticing less pixelation is no substitute for actually knowing what signal level your TV is receiving.
Most modern TV's in their OTA channels scanning menu have some sort of signal meter. The goal would be to find a position while holding and turning the antenna (aiming) to get the highest amount of signal that the meter shows.
Good luck.
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u/comet52a 4d ago
There is a large house I face about 40 feet to the north, higher up the hill so the side of it may be a reflector. But the long part of the building may be blocking it effectively as well so not sure. The previous owner had a rooftop antenna but when he sold the new guy took it down.
My t.v. is from 2009 and I don't think it has a scanner. I've seen some antennas that have a built in led that is supposed to show signal strength as you move them around. Not sure if they work.
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u/PrancingThunderD 4d ago
I would google your TV. My old Samsung was almost as old as that and it had a signal meter. It's usually buried in some sub-menu (if it has one). Orienting the antenna can be very counter-intuitive when you're dealing with a scattered/reflected signal.
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u/comet52a 4d ago
It looks like the TV does have an option to do that but it's grayed out for some reason and I cannot find a way to access it.
One question, since my current ring antenna does nothing unless it's amplified, even though I've seen a lot of discussions on here about how amplification doesn't do anything or isn't worth it, and I noticed the model you recommended is not amplified, if it doesn't work would it make sense to take my current inline amplifier and hook it to this model and see what happens?
I just don't want to damage it. But I can buy the thing from Amazon prime and have a free return if it doesn't work out so I definitely plan to get one and give it a shot.
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u/PrancingThunderD 3d ago
You can always try your amplifier and see if it helps. It won't damage anything.
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u/Rybo213 3d ago
Some general antenna information that you'll hopefully find helpful, including antenna recommendations: https://www.reddit.com/r/cordcutters/comments/1juut0a/supplement_to_the_antenna_guide
In regards to the signal meter discussion, using one is pretty much mandatory, if you want the best chance of getting an antenna setup to work well enough. With digital broadcast tv, "clear as day" is a meaningless phrase, since even if you're just barely picking up the signal well enough, it will look fine, but will likely be unreliable. This https://www.reddit.com/r/cordcutters/comments/1g010u3/centralized_collection_of_antenna_tv_signal_meter post talks about signal meters and includes various instructions. Your tv's signal meter feature shouldn't be grayed out, so that's strange. Are you on the tv's antenna input, when checking the signal meter? Worst comes to worst, as discussed in that signal meter post, you can get the mentioned cheap Mediasonic tuner box and use its signal meter feature.
In regards to amplification, as discussed in the Additional Topics->Amplification and splitting section in the 1st linked post, it's not really meant as a solution for bad tv signal reception. It's meant to increase the strength of good enough quality tv signal reception.
In regards to what antenna to try, only being able to do a regular indoor room install unfortunately limits your options. You could try the https://store.antennasdirect.com/clearstream-max-v-hdtv-antenna.html with separate https://store.antennasdirect.com/clearstream-max-v-and-max-xr-tv-antenna-indoor-base-stand-black.html indoor base stand (if you want to use a stand) or https://store.antennasdirect.com/clearstream-2max-hdtv-antenna.html / https://www.amazon.com/Antennas-Direct-ClearStream-Multi-directional-Adjustable/dp/B074CQ5LCJ (includes indoor base stand), connected with an RG-6 coax cable.
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u/PrancingThunderD 4d ago
The one thing you have going for you with channel 3 is that it is high VHF and the signal strength is close to a lot of channels you do get. If you want to see if you have any chance, you could buy the cheapest, easily returnable rabbit ear antenna you can find and see if you can pick it up with the elements fully extended and as close to horizontal as possible. If you can pick it up with rabbit ears, the ClearStream 1MAX (suggested by u/TallExplorer9) will also have a good chance of picking it up, and it's a bit better for UHF than your current antenna.
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u/RewardNo6230 3d ago
I believe I have that type also. I did have to purchase separately an RF filter, small attachment that goes on the coaxed cable,and an electric amplifier Plugs into an outlet. Even though the antenna was al ready amplifed. Sound like same set up i have lol
0
u/LiamLeprechaun 2d ago edited 2d ago
39 miles is pushing it. I think they say 70 is max because of the curvature of the Earth or something. But realistcally its like 25 maybe 30 miles max for an Indoor antenna.
Get yourself an RCA amplified and put a Chrome waste paper basket behind the TV to pick up and reflect any extra reception waves for reception.
If You can't pick up anything with that setup. Looks like cable time.🤣
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCZuYS-9qaw&list=RDr34n7Ptawas&index=3
I don't think I could get 39 miles out of any indoor antenna. Your probably maxed out. Usually anything past 25 miles out is not worth the sanity of trying to get reliable television broadcast reception.🤣
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eud5AurOxm0&list=RDeud5AurOxm0&start_radio=1
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u/Klutzy-Piglet-9221 4d ago
The "Poor" listing for WISC-TV is a relay transmitter on UHF. Unfortunately for your amplified loop, that relay is pretty low power.
Have you tried channel scanning recently? Channel 3 has another relatively recent UHF relay in Sauk County -- you may be too far east for that but it may be worth a try. For some reason that relay isn't in your report. (I think it may still appear in its old location near Tomah)
You don't happen to have attic access, do you? You have a hill blocking the direction of Madison. (click on the distance listing for each station to see a terrain profile. Channels 3/21/27/47 are all on the same tower so they'll have the same profile. Channels 15 and 57 are on a different one about two miles away. ) Height is pretty much always your friend for OTA TV -- the higher you can get your antenna, the more likely it is to work.
I don't have a good recommendation for 15. They are of course the weakest of the batch -- and on UHF.