# Cutting the Cord: An Antenna Success Story



## hddummy (Mar 9, 2007)

My primary reason for posting this thread is to help mitigate others’ apprehension for investing in an antenna. It would have been easier for me to make that decision had I found some “good experience” threads out there. Sorry if it is a bit of a novel.

Anyway…as you might have guessed, I installed an antenna to receive OTA broadcast. I was a cable subscriber and I was generally unsatisfied with the quality of the service. My DVR had to be replaced 5 times in 5 months because it was so buggy. Sometimes, it just wouldn’t even work. I was fed up with that piece of junk. The picture quality had noticeable compression artifacts and that had been getting worse for some time. Finally….they raised my bill. That was it, I was done. I tried to get DISH, but the installer said I had too many trees and couldn’t get a line of sight to the satellite.

My only other option was an antenna, but I was very concerned about signal reception. I live 25 miles from the transmitters in an area with a lot of trees and hills. AntennaWeb said I needed a large directional (violet rated) antenna. I decided on an RCA ANT3036X because I could buy it from Best Buy and I wanted an easy way to return it if I couldn’t get good reception. This thing is huge, but I put it in a back corner of my house that is blocked from view of the road by trees.

It arrived and I put it together, but I didn’t want to permanently install it without testing it first. I went up on the roof and held this thing up in the air after connecting a 50ft coax to the TV through the living room window. My wife was watching the signal strength meter as I tried the antenna in a few different locations. (pictures of Ben Franklin flying a kite flashed through my head) Overall, the reception levels were good, so I was hopeful. I went to Home Depot, got the necessary hardware and went to work installing the antenna.

The coax runs down from the antenna to the side of my garage (40 ft), to where all of the inside coax cables homerun. I have a 4-way, +7.5dB distribution amplifier sending the signal throughout the house. Once in the living room (about 75ft), I run it through my surge protector, then split the cable to the Tivo HD (can’t live without a DVR) and the TV.

After all of this, the signal wasn’t coming in great for a few channels. After some troubleshooting I ended up just pointing the antenna about 10-15 degrees away from the transmitters to avoid direct interference from a patch of trees. Now everything is coming in great and the Tivo never drops below 75% signal strength.

Overall, the picture is MUCH better than cable. Even my wife can tell it is better, so that is how I know it is not just my brain wanting it to be so. I now have a Tivo, so my DVR experience is WAY better than the cable DVR. Everything was looking good, so I cancelled my cable service. I even managed to eliminate a pesky ground loop hum from my subwoofer that must have been caused by cable. Total bill was $850 (Tivo HD, Lifetime subscription, Antenna, Installation Hardware). The savings from not having a cable bill will pay for that in 14 months.

Some of you might not be able to get by on just OTA broadcast, but I would recommend it for network programming regardless. Overall, I was in a less than favorable situation for an antenna to work, but my fears were unfounded. If you are not happy with your current service, it might just be worth it for you to give an antenna a try. If you’ve had good experience with an antenna, tell us about it.


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## mechman (Feb 8, 2007)

Nice post Matt! :T


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## JCD (Apr 20, 2006)

I've heard the same thing.. OTA broadcast is significantly better than cable or satellite. The other bonus, at least for me, is that with my current DVR, I would be able to record three shows at the same time instead of just two if I were to get an antenna. It's one of my projects for this summer.

Thanks for posting your experience.

JCD


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## Bob_99 (May 8, 2006)

Matt,

How's your UHF reception? I'm on an antenna (thought I was one of the last) and have concerns about the upcoming switch to digital because I believe that stations will be switching to the UHF frequencies (freeing up the VHF for other stuff). The trees in my area currently give me limited UHF reception and I'm trying to decide if I should upgrade the antenna or switch to a provider. 

Bob


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## hddummy (Mar 9, 2007)

Bob. If I'm reading you right, you are currently receiving analog VHF stations and are worried about getting the UHF digital stations? You might be lucky in the fact that some stations will remain on or switch back to VHF when they go digital only.

As it happens, the two channels I was having trouble with were 39 and 43. Those are my highest channels, so the trees might be limiting my higher channels. Like I said though, just a little antenna orientation adjustment fixed it. Overall...UHF does well enough for me. 

Another thing to consider is the coax size and cable length. Given the same signal strength at the antenna and after 100 feet of attenuation on RG6 coax, channel 36 will have half the signal strength as channel 3. If the antenna is the problem, I think your only options are to get a bigger antenna or raise it higher up in the air. You might also try to just move it to a different location since there can actually be "dead" spots where the signals don't come in. Check out this link for more info.

http://www.electusdistribution.com.au/images_uploaded/tvrecepe.pdf


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## Bob_99 (May 8, 2006)

> Bob. If I'm reading you right, you are currently receiving analog VHF stations and are worried about getting the UHF digital stations?


Correct!



> You might be lucky in the fact that some stations will remain on or switch back to VHF when they go digital only.


I have read conflicting reports regarding this issue. One agrees with what you said and the other indicated that the VHF band would be cleared for sale to communications companies. I'm not sure what is correct.



> If the antenna is the problem, I think your only options are to get a bigger antenna or raise it higher up in the air.


Yes, I'm currently debating whether I should invest more money into better hardware or just go with cable or something else. It would be easier if I could see the results beforehand. Since we don't watch much TV, the current thought is to go with a better antenna. Your post goes a long way to removing any of my lingering doubts.

Thanks for the link to the pdf file. It's very informative.

Bob


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## hddummy (Mar 9, 2007)

Best I could say is get a TV or converter box that has an ATSC tuner, if you don't already have one, to try it out. The Lowes near me has antennas in stock that are as large as mine, so you might be able to try one of those and return it if it doesn't work out.


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

Bob_99 said:


> Yes, I'm currently debating whether I should invest more money into better hardware or just go with cable or something else... Since we don't watch much TV, the current thought is to go with a better antenna...Bob


If you don't watch much TV ... I think is better to invest in hardware; if you subscribe to cable or SAT you'll be paying $30 - $120 per month (depending on What you order) :yes:

I used to have Dishnetwork (for about 8 yrs) ... but one day I decided to cancel my service ($100+), the reason was that I used the service just for a couple of hours per week; most of the time I watched DVD's and when watching TV my favorite programs were over the air :yes:

I'm happy with my OTA (old, I was thinking to get a new one but I didn't need it to get HD channels, another confusion out there ... "You can get HD signal with your old antenna" you don't need a new antenna ... unless is not the right size ... :bigsmile:


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## hddummy (Mar 9, 2007)

salvasol said:


> "You can get HD signal with your old antenna" you don't need a new antenna ... unless is not the right size ... :bigsmile:


Hey...my boss is in a good location and gets his HD OTA with bunny ears in his attic....must be nice.


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## bobgpsr (Apr 20, 2006)

If you need to get signal through trees and want to overcome cable loss from the antenna to the distribution amp, consider getting a high quality mast mount pre-amp that also has very good strong signal performance (won't overload). The Channel Master CM 7777 is likely the best choice. I have the UHF only version, CM 7775, but will eventually need to add VHF in a few years when two of my local stations go back from UHF to their original hi band VHF channels.


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## hddummy (Mar 9, 2007)

a pre-amp will help overcome cable loss after the antenna, but won't help get better reception because of the trees.


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## bobgpsr (Apr 20, 2006)

hddummy said:


> a pre-amp will help overcome cable loss after the antenna, but won't help get better reception because of the trees.


It does when the signal is just diminished by the trees and not completely masked. The preamp sets the noise figure for receiving very weak signals to a far better low value than what you get going through a lot of cable loss before the first gain stage.

I have to receive UHF hi def (ATSC) TV stations that require pointing my outside corner reflector antenna through a bunch of leafed out oak trees. It works with my CM 7775 but not without.


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## Wayne A. Pflughaupt (Apr 13, 2006)

Great post, Matt!

We have an antenna in our attic, but now that we have DirecTV it isn't getting much use. But back in the day, we had three Super-VHS VCRs w/ cable TV (we were time-shifting hounds, lemme tell ya!). Two of the VCRs were dedicated to the antenna, since most of the shows we watched were on the major networks, and you could definitely see a big improvement in PQ over what we were getting from cable.



hddummy said:


> I tried to get DISH, but the installer said I had too many trees and couldn’t get a line of sight to the satellite.


I expect the reason for this is you probably got the typical installer that is tunnel-visioned to mounting the antenna on the rooftop. If there is anywhere on your property with a clear line of site to the southern sky, you could plant a square wooden pole, mount the dish there, and run the RG-6 back to the house. IIR, so-designated RG-6U is suitable for direct burial.

Regards,
Wayne


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## hddummy (Mar 9, 2007)

bobgpsr: I'll trust you...it sounds like you know what you are talking about.

Wayne: Actually, the installer was very good. He walked the entire property with me and we checked each spot that had potential with a compass and inclinometer. They also have PDAs that detect signal strength. He said to call him back if I ever decided to take down some trees. I love the location, but it does have it's drawbacks. I guess in this case it is a benefit because it forced me to not have a television service bill.....oh well!


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## gychang (Jun 19, 2007)

I am also not too satisfied with Cox Cable, if it wasn't so much time/effort to try the antenna, is there a way to find out if the antenna may or may not work for my address in Irvine, California?

gychang


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## tenzip (May 4, 2007)

gychang said:


> I am also not too satisfied with Cox Cable, if it wasn't so much time/effort to try the antenna, is there a way to find out if the antenna may or may not work for my address in Irvine, California?
> 
> gychang


Check antennaweb.org. Lots of good info there.


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## DougMac (Jan 24, 2008)

Great post, Matt. I'm glad things have worked out for you.

I was sitting on the same bubble. We just finished our home theater and had stepped up to high def. We have SD Dish. The question was how to move forward. OTOH, we felt we were vastly underutilizing Dish. On the other, we're ~18 miles from the local antenna farm, even further from the PBS station tower, down the hill a bit and in the middle of a lovely oak grove. I tried to find an inexpensive way to determine signal strength, but there isn't any. We don't have a DTV with a tuner, so I would have to buy an antenna, mast, pre-amp and tuner just to find out if we can get a signal.

My wife got tired of the discussion and issued an edict to upgrade Dish. That will happen tomorrow. Local channels aren't available in HD, but Dish hopes to have them in our area by the end of the year. 

In the meantime, I stumbled upon the Philips UHF antenna that's unobtrusive and has gotten good reviews. I'm willing to go to Wally world and cough up $40 to try. I can always return it if unsuccessful.

Doug


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

DougMac said:


> In the meantime, I stumbled upon the Philips UHF antenna that's unobtrusive and has gotten good reviews. I'm willing to go to Wally world and cough up $40 to try. I can always return it if unsuccessful.
> 
> Doug


Did you check the antennaweb link posted above???

That will help you determine what kind of antenna you need (red, green, blue, etc.)... How did you came up with the Philips??? :dontknow:

I think it doesn't matter which antenna you get ... you can always return them if it doesn't work :yes:.


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## DougMac (Jan 24, 2008)

salvasol said:


> Did you check the antennaweb link posted above???
> 
> That will help you determine what kind of antenna you need (red, green, blue, etc.)... How did you came up with the Philips??? :dontknow:
> I think it doesn't matter which antenna you get ... you can always return them if it doesn't work :yes:.


Thanks. Yes, I did go to antennaweb. Stations are one yellow, mostly reds and a blue or two. The primary antenna farm is 19 miles away. BTW, the Philips packaging does not use the color codes! They need to get with the program.

I came up with the Philips on a lark. I had to go to Wally world, which I try to avoid, and happened to see the MANT940. I didn't buy it, but Googled the model that night. There's conflicting reviews. I concentrated on the reviews where the reviewers gave pertinent information, such as distance to antenna, terrain urban/suburban/rural location, topology, etc. There were enough reviews of use in circumstances similar to mine that I thought I'd give it a whirl. Where I balked at throwing down $300+ for a pig in a poke, I'll risk the $40 on the Philips. Also, it's small and can be unobtrusively mounted on our porch in the back. If it doesn't work, I'm no worse off than the current plan, which was to do nothing and wait for Dish to bring local HD to me, sometimes in the indeterminate future.


Doug


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## hddummy (Mar 9, 2007)

Doug....if you have an HD setup, I'm assuming you have a projector or else you would have an HD tuner built into a new TV. If you are willing to buy the antenna, you can also buy a converter box for 50$ at wally world. I know it isn't HD, but it will give you a good idea of what kind of signal strength you can get. If it isn't working out, then you just return the antenna and the tuner.

I does, to an extent, matter which antenna you are trying. I returned two different store bought antennas before I went for the big one on my roof. The small ones just couldn't pull anything in terms of reception, but the big rooftop one makes all the difference. You are right, though, that it takes quite the leap of faith to go down that path.

If things are working out with the reception and you want to take it one step further, I would recommend the samsung DTB-H260F tuner. My brother has one and it does a very good job at tuning in his HD. I hope you get it to work out either way.

Anyway, it has been several months now, and we are still happy with the programming and the quality of the reception. We've had a few major storms that disrupted the reception on some of the higher UHF channels, but we can deal with that. Drop outs have been less than whe we had Dish several years ago.


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## Bob_99 (May 8, 2006)

matt,

What antenna did you buy? Also, is it only UHF or a combo?

Thank you.

Bob


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## DougMac (Jan 24, 2008)

Matt, thanks for your helpful reply. We actually ended up going over to the dark side and upgraded to Dish HD. They installed it Saturday. So far, I've been very pleased. I'm projecting with 720P onto a ~110" diagonal screen. 

I haven't mounted the OTA antenna, but I'm able to pick up some stations with it inside. I'll be working on getting it mounted to see if I can get some more stations.

Doug


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## hddummy (Mar 9, 2007)

Bob_99 said:


> matt,
> 
> What antenna did you buy? Also, is it only UHF or a combo?
> 
> ...


RCA ANT-3036 it is a UHF/VHF rated blue if I remember correctly.


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## superchad (Mar 7, 2008)

While I would love to cut the cord there is no much mindless garbage on the networks I only watch news, sports and maybe Jay Leno and NOTHING else, the shows a garbage that actually have actors and reality TV is like having someone else's vomit in your mouth. If I could get History channel, Discovery, and DIY network, IFC...and FOX news OTA I would be close to happy. The bills for cable and Satlelite are criminal but so is network programing so we are pretty much out of luck.


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## DougMac (Jan 24, 2008)

superchad said:


> ..so we are pretty much out of luck.


I think we're SOL!
My understanding is technically satellite providers could offer a cafeteria style ordering system instead of bundles. I'm sure this would be less profitable. This leads to the old free enterprise conundrum, should the Gov't step in and require content providers to allow consumers to choose only what they want, or should free enterprise take care of it? Content providers know we're hesitant to throw the baby out with the bathwater; we'll tolerate being fleeced as long as we can get PBS or (insert your favorite channels here). 

When DTV and HD were first being discussed, my wife lamented they didn't spend as much effort to improve content as they spent improving the technical side. As she put it: "Yes, the picture's much clearer, but it's still Jim Carrey's anus."

Doug


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## superchad (Mar 7, 2008)

While some sort of pick and choose service will be offered down the road its not going to be as complete and absolute as we would want, I mean seriously who would actually order home shopping network?


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## DougMac (Jan 24, 2008)

DougMac said:


> Thanks. Yes, I did go to antennaweb. Stations are one yellow, mostly reds and a blue or two. The primary antenna farm is 19 miles away. BTW, the Philips packaging does not use the color codes! They need to get with the program.
> 
> I came up with the Philips on a lark. I had to go to Wally world, which I try to avoid, and happened to see the MANT940.
> Doug


Well, I did go back to Wally world and pick up the antenna. I finally ran RG6 outside and tried it out. It's not mounted yet, but I did a scan and got 7 stations! They are all 80+ in strength with most in the 90's. This includes PBS which is what I was hoping for.

I can't believe I lucked out. This will be a great addition to our viewing. I can't wait to watch the Olympics on NBC in HD tonight!

Doug


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

DougMac said:


> I can't believe I lucked out. This will be a great addition to our viewing. I can't wait to watch the Olympics on NBC in HD tonight! Doug


:T

I'm sure that after you do the permanent installation and set up everything properly you might get more stations ... I'm not sure if a signal amplifier will be a good idea :scratchhead:


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## DougMac (Jan 24, 2008)

salvasol said:


> :T
> 
> I'm sure that after you do the permanent installation and set up everything properly you might get more stations ... I'm not sure if a signal amplifier will be a good idea :scratchhead:


David,

Thanks. I bet you're right. I haven't even tried adjusting it, I just pointed it in the direction of the antenna farm. It came with a signal amplifier. It's small, but seems to be working well.

Update: We settled in and watched the Olympics in HD from the OTA. Every once in a while, the signal would drop out. When it came back, sometimes I'd see the pop up display show signal strength go from 92 to 68, where I'd lose signal. I'm trying to figure out why the signal fluctuation. The only thing I could come up with was the wind (from Fay) swaying the trees and having them get lined up to block the signal. That's really a WAG, though.

We went from watching the Olympics on a SD 27" CRT to a HD image projected on an 8' wide screen. All I can say is WOW! It was a much more immersive experience. The platform diving was especially impressive on the big a$$ screen. I know it's total decadence, but I'm spoiled.

Doug


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## hddummy (Mar 9, 2007)

Welcome to the HD theater experience. I'm really glad your antenna is working out too.


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## gychang (Jun 19, 2007)

DougMac said:


> We went from watching the Olympics on a SD 27" CRT to a HD image projected on an 8' wide screen. All I can say is WOW! It was a much more immersive experience. The platform diving was especially impressive on the big a$$ screen. I know it's total decadence, but I'm spoiled.
> 
> Doug


Doug which model did u get?, from what I gather I can get an idea what my "potential" is like on antennaweb site and get a model like yours and try it?

gychang


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## DougMac (Jan 24, 2008)

gychang said:


> Doug which model did u get?, from what I gather I can get an idea what my "potential" is like on antennaweb site and get a model like yours and try it?
> 
> gychang


It's a Philips MANT940. To get an idea, here's what antennaweb shows for me.

*	yellow
uhf	WPGA-DT	32.1	ABC	PERRY, GA	Feb 17, 2009 (post-transition)	146°	20.5	32
*	red
uhf	WGXA-DT	16.1	FOX	MACON, GA 146°	20.5	16
*	red
vhf	WMAZ-DT	13.1	CBS	MACON, GA	Feb 17, 2009 (post-transition)	146°	20.3	13
red
uhf	WGXA	24	FOX	MACON, GA 146°	20.5	24
*	red
uhf	WGNM-DT	45.1	CTN	MACON, GA 144°	19.7	45
red
uhf	WMGT	41	NBC	MACON, GA 146°	20.2	41
red
vhf	WMAZ	13	CBS	MACON, GA 146°	20.3	13
red
uhf	WPGA	58	ABC	PERRY, GA 146°	20.3	58
*	red
vhf	WMAZ-DT	13.1	CBS	MACON, GA 146°	20.3	4
blue
uhf	WMUM	29	PBS	COCHRAN, GA 144°	46.7	29
blue
uhf	W50DA	52	TBN	MACON, GA 146°	20.3	52
*	blue
uhf	WPGA-DT	32.1	ABC	PERRY, GA 146°	20.3	32
*	blue
uhf	WMGT-DT	41.1	NBC	MACON, GA 146°	20.2	40
blue
uhf	WGNM	64	CTN	MACON, GA 146°	20.5	64

As you can see, the primary antenna farm is ~20 miles from us and fall in the red category. I don't have a VHF antenna, so I'm only picking up UHF. WMGT, Ch 41, is coming in @90-92 as reported by our Dish 722 receiver. The big surprise is WMUM, which shows up @46.7 miles away. It's strength is in the high 70's and shows up fine.

We're down in a hollow, but on the hillside facing the stations. We're on a plateau a few hundred feet above the plain on which the broadcasting antennas sit. We're on a densely wooded lot.

The problem is you never know until you commit the money. You can do a best guess based on antennaweb. They say they rate conservatively, which seems to be true. BTW, the Philips is not color coded, but rates "for stations within 20 miles".

Doug


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## gychang (Jun 19, 2007)

Aarrgh!!, I hope someone can interpret but so far:


DTV	Antenna
Type	Call Sign	Channel	Network	City, State	Live
Date	Compass
Heading	Miles
From	Frequency
Assignment
*	yellow
uhf	KCAL-DT	9.1	IND	LOS ANGELES, CA 328°	44.2	43
*	yellow
uhf	KDOC-DT	56.1	IND	ANAHEIM, CA 328°	44.1	32
yellow
uhf	KDOC	56	IND	ANAHEIM, CA 328°	44.1	56
*	yellow
uhf	KCET-DT	28.1	PBS	LOS ANGELES, CA 328°	43.9	59
yellow
uhf	KCET	28	PBS	LOS ANGELES, CA 328°	43.9	28
*	yellow
uhf	KCBS-DT	2.1	CBS	LOS ANGELES, CA 328°	44.6	60
*	yellow
uhf	KFTR-DT	46.1	TFA	ONTARIO, CA 328°	44.1	29
*	yellow
uhf	KMEX-DT	34.1	UNI	LOS ANGELES, CA 328°	44.1	35
yellow
uhf	KMEX	34	UNI	LOS ANGELES, CA 328°	44.1	34
*	yellow
uhf	KJLA-DT	57.1	IND	VENTURA, CA 328°	44.1	49
*	yellow
uhf	KAZA-DT	54.1	AZA	AVALON, CA 328°	44.1	47
yellow
uhf	KAZA	54	AZA	AVALON, CA 328°	44.1	54
*	yellow
vhf	KABC-DT	7.1	ABC	LOS ANGELES, CA	Feb 17, 2009 (post-transition)	328°	44.1	7
*	yellow
uhf	KLCS-DT	58.1	PBS	LOS ANGELES, CA	Feb 17, 2009 (post-transition)	328°	43.9	41
*	yellow
uhf	KSCI-DT	18.1	IND	LONG BEACH, CA	Feb 17, 2009 (post-transition)	328°	43.2	18
*	yellow
uhf	KFTR-DT	46.1	TFA	ONTARIO, CA	Feb 17, 2009 (post-transition)	328°	44.1	29
*	yellow
uhf	KBEH-DT	24.1	ETH	OXNARD, CA	Feb 17, 2009 (post-transition)	328°	43.2	24
*	yellow
uhf	KCBS-DT	2.1	CBS	LOS ANGELES, CA	Feb 17, 2009 (post-transition)	328°	44.2	43
*	yellow
uhf	KVEA-DT	39	TEL	CORONA, CA	Feb 17, 2009 (post-transition)	328°	44.0	39
*	yellow
uhf	KABC-DT	7.1	ABC	LOS ANGELES, CA 328°	44.1	53
*	yellow
uhf	KCOP-DT	13.1	MNT	LOS ANGELES, CA 328°	44.2	66
*	yellow
uhf	KMEX-DT	34.1	UNI	LOS ANGELES, CA	Feb 17, 2009 (post-transition)	328°	44.1	34
*	yellow
vhf	KTTV-DT	11.1	FOX	LOS ANGELES, CA	Feb 17, 2009 (post-transition)	328°	43.9	11
*	yellow
uhf	KRCA-DT	62.1	IND	RIVERSIDE, CA	Feb 17, 2009 (post-transition)	328°	43.2	45
*	yellow
uhf	KRCA-DT	62.1	IND	RIVERSIDE, CA 328°	43.2	68
yellow
uhf	KOCE	50	PBS	HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA 328°	44.1	50
*	yellow
uhf	KTLA-DT	5.1	CW	LOS ANGELES, CA 328°	44.1	31
yellow
uhf	KXLA	44	IND	RANCHO PALOS VERDES, CA 328°	44.1	44
*	yellow
uhf	KOCE-DT	50.1	PBS	HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA 328°	44.1	48
yellow
uhf	KLCS	58	PBS	LOS ANGELES, CA 328°	43.9	58
*	yellow
uhf	KPXN-DT	30.1	ION	SAN BERNARDINO, CA 328°	43.2	38
*	yellow
uhf	KTTV-DT	11.1	FOX	LOS ANGELES, CA 328°	43.9	65
*	green
vhf	KCOP-DT	13.1	MNT	LOS ANGELES, CA	Feb 17, 2009 (post-transition)	328°	43.9	13
*	green
vhf	KCAL-DT	9.1	IND	LOS ANGELES, CA	Feb 17, 2009 (post-transition)	328°	44.2	9
green
vhf	KTTV	11	FOX	LOS ANGELES, CA 328°	43.9	11
*	green
uhf	KCET-DT	28.1	PBS	LOS ANGELES, CA	Feb 17, 2009 (post-transition)	328°	43.9	28
green
uhf	KVEA	52	TEL	CORONA, CA 328°	43.2	52
green
uhf	KWHY	22	IND	LOS ANGELES, CA 328°	44.1	22
*	green
uhf	KWHY-DT	22.1	IND	LOS ANGELES, CA 328°	44.1	42
*	green
uhf	KTBN-DT	23.1	TBN	SANTA ANA, CA 328°	43.9	23
green
vhf	KTLA	5	CW	LOS ANGELES, CA 328°	44.1	5
*	green
uhf	KVEA-DT	39	TEL	CORONA, CA	TBD	328°	43.2	39
green
uhf	KTBN	40	TBN	SANTA ANA, CA 328°	43.9	40
*	green
uhf	KNBC-DT	4.1	NBC	LOS ANGELES, CA 328°	44.0	36
green
vhf	KNBC	4	NBC	LOS ANGELES, CA 328°	44.0	4
green
vhf	KCAL	9	IND	LOS ANGELES, CA 328°	44.2	9
*	green
uhf	KLCS-DT	58.1	PBS	LOS ANGELES, CA 328°	43.9	41
green
uhf	KFTR	46	TFA	LOS ANGELES, CA 328°	44.1	46
green
uhf	KPXN	30	ION	SAN BERNARDINO, CA 357°	39.5	30
green
uhf	KSCI	18	IND	LONG BEACH, CA 328°	43.2	18
green
vhf	KCOP	13	MNT	LOS ANGELES, CA 328°	44.2	13
green
uhf	KRCA	62	IND	RIVERSIDE, CA 328°	43.2	62
green
vhf	KABC	7	ABC	LOS ANGELES, CA 328°	44.1	7
green
vhf	KCBS	2	CBS	LOS ANGELES, CA 328°	44.6	2
lt green
uhf	KSMV-LP	33	IND	VENTURA, CA 328°	44.1	33
*	red
uhf	KXLA-DT	44.1	IND	RANCHO PALOS VERDES, CA 328°	44.1	51
*

--
I gather primary antenna is about 44 miles away, either "yellow" or "green" type of antenna may work, but beyond that I am not able to interpret with any intelligence.

Guess maybe the primary station antenna maybe too far??

gychang


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## DougMac (Jan 24, 2008)

gychang said:


> Aarrgh!!, I hope someone can interpret but so far:
> 
> --
> I gather primary antenna is about 44 miles away, either "yellow" or "green" type of antenna may work, but beyond that I am not able to interpret with any intelligence.
> ...


I think you're sitting pretty. I'm not quite sure where you are in the greater L.A. area, but most, if not all the antenna farms there are on top of very high mountains. That's why the stations are listing yellow and green, even though the distances are ~40 miles. There's little or no terrain interference, since essentially the beam is aimed down at you from a high angle. Looks like you'll be getting a huge number of stations easily with a relatively small antenna.

Doug
BTW, when I went to school at Art Center, I loved to listen to KMET. Dr. Demento did a four hour show every Sunday night. This was before he was syndicated.


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## gychang (Jun 19, 2007)

DougMac said:


> I think you're sitting pretty. I'm not quite sure where you are in the greater L.A. area, but most, if not all the antenna farms there are on top of very high mountains. That's why the stations are listing yellow and green, even though the distances are ~40 miles. There's little or no terrain interference, since essentially the beam is aimed down at you from a high angle. Looks like you'll be getting a huge number of stations easily with a relatively small antenna.
> 
> Doug


I live in Irvine, south of LA and live on the side of a mountain, facing the north toward LA direction, is the >40miles make it too far or does the yellow and green suggest good reception?

gychang


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## DougMac (Jan 24, 2008)

gychang said:


> I live in Irvine, south of LA and live on the side of a mountain, facing the north toward LA direction, is the >40miles make it too far or does the yellow and green suggest good reception?
> 
> gychang


Yellow/Green is a good sign!

Doug


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## batman50 (Oct 23, 2009)

Sorry to bring up an old thread . But I made an account here just because of this thread . You guys were helpful and funny . I just bought a rca ant3036w and was trying to find information on it anywhere . This thread was a gooder! I lol'd at " Its still Jim Carrys anus " . Most tv is anyways she is right . Ive got to have something here for the Misses and Baby to watch and we live a little ways from major citys . Hope this antenna works out for me as well as it did for you guys , Im supposed to get started on Saturday . I took it out of the box once and talk about big , Ive never installed anything this big . Anyways thanks guys for the info and laughs .


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