OTA TV reception antenna question

[cbehr91]

This site is a little cleaner. There is also TV Fool.

KMGH is on both physical and virtual channel 7. Also in the Denver market KUSA is both on physical and virtual channel 9, so a VHF-hi antenna is definitely required.

 

[BinaryMode]

Thanks. Looks like most of the channels are UHF. So now I know what to look for in an antenna that's omnidirectional.

I find it odd that the TVFool website doesn't seem to show true North of about - ah, I say 345 degrees to Horsetooth mountain. I know for sure there are television towers there. Zip code 80537.

 

[cbehr91]

You can query tower sites on RabbitEars. And yes, you either need an omnidirectional antenna or a directional antenna with a rotor attached.

 

[spongella]

Yep, just found that out while doing some research. I thought I saw vertical orientated Yagi antennas before. So I figured perhaps they were still directional. Thus I looked it up.



I'm thinking an omnidirectional antenna would be better at this point. But all the antennas I see seem like crap. I'm wondering if I should just mount a discone on the chimney?

Interesting point. I've done exactly that just out of curiosity. I'm 55 miles from NYC and 40 miles from Philadelphia. Discone was a Diamond mounted on the chimney. I received a few stations from Philly, none from NYC. Definitely not suitable for OTA, at least for me.

I normally use a Winegard Yagi on a rotor with a preamp which works well for both states.

Try rabbitears dot info for up-to-date OTA channel listings.

 

[BinaryMode]

Thanks for the input on the discone. I'm sure I can scratch that off the list.

That Yagi looks nice, but for what I see to be $82 from one site I'm thinking I should just build my own. LOL It's not that I can't afford it, it's just that price ratio to parts and materials, you know?

 

[BinaryMode]

Another question for the community if you will. I mistakenly mounted my current antenna J-pole horizontally. I used pretty big (maybe half inch, don't remember) toggle bolts right through the side of the house and filled in all the gaps with expansion foam. Not ideal, but I just can't get on the roof anymore due to my current weight, i.e. I don't trust the ladder. If I could rent a scissor lift that would be great, but I'm not sure I'm willing to pay that. LOL Anyway, what kind of hardware can I use to mount a different antenna horizontally rather than vertically with my current J-pole that's in a horizontal configuration?

Off the top of my head I don't know without exploring some clamps and whatnot at a home improvement store, eBay and Amazon. Obviously, the goal is to not have to remove the J-pole as I'll have to then fill in the holes with wood putty, paint, and do it all over again. Also, I'm missing a disk in my lower back so doing stuff like this is sadly a real chore. I've always loved doing home improvement stuff, but I'm currently limited to what I can do. This past Summer I stuck in a new bathroom sink and not only did it take me all day (shouldn't have), my back hurt for a solid week after that! I hate plumbing with a passion! Rather do electrical any day!