OTA TV Reception, antenna question

[hoosierdoc]

We just started the Dave Ramsey thing and I'm considering dumping Comcast TV and Phone. I used to do OTA from New Castle, IN using a Channel MAster 4228 with a pre-amp about two feet off the ground and got 92% signal. For our current home I could either mount it on the side of the house and run wiring through the soffit, or I could mount it in the attic. Anyone know if the antenna will work well enough through residential brick exterior home? There are no significant buildings to the north (I'm in 46143) but there's some trees.

I can save $100/mo by doing this if I pay for the 25Mbps internet service and stick to antenna, hulu, netflix, etc...

I'll have to learn about how to route antenna signal through the home and get it to work with my TVs for the other rooms though. Ahh... backwards compatibility


EDIT: This thread now covers the ChannelMaster DVR+ and my install and use of it

 

[Cameramonkey]

Ask the experts. (or at least use their map based antenna calculator)

AntennaWeb - Home

 

[woowoo2]

How far away are the transmitters ?

 

[hoosierdoc]

Ask the experts. (or at least use their map based antenna calculator)

AntennaWeb - Home

I did, it did not answer question of in-attic or not. And their site changed, the FCC one was better.

 

[hoosierdoc]

How far away are the transmitters ?

Not sure, I'm guessing 25-30 miles on north side but really no clue.

 

[Cameramonkey]

Not sure, I'm guessing 25-30 miles on north side but really no clue.

that site wont necessarily answer whether an indoor antenna by your tv will help. This is a tool to select a rooftop antenna.

And its easy to get it to all your TVs! Use the cable network in your house you are using now. When you disconnect the CATV feed from the street, simply replace the street feed with the new one from the rooftop antenna. I did and it worked like a charm.

As to the no clue of the distance, if you put in your address and used the calculator, it would tell you how far the transmitters are from you.
Example from the left column:
WFYI-DT 20.1 PBS
RF Channel: 21
23 miles at 314°

 

[woowoo2]

At 25 to 30 miles you should be good with a 4228 and a preamp in the attic. You will lose about half of your signal strength by having it inside. 60 miles is the fringe area for most transmitters. Question, Why don't you want to use a proper roof mount?

 

[hoosierdoc]

I'd like to avoid roof for cosmetic purposes. I have a vertical brick face I could mount it on nicely though so exterior isn't out of the question. I realize HOAs are not allowed to restrict antennas based on federal rules, but it shouldn't be an issue.

when I did antenna web it only showed me three channels out of Franklin and I couldn't figure out how to have it show me more I wonder if it screened the Indy ones based on my attic selection.

 

[9mmfan]

I plan on doing the same thing when my Direct TV contract runs out. I'll pick up Netflix and Hulu so most of my bases should be covered.

 

[Ruger-9mm]

I'd like to avoid roof for cosmetic purposes. I have a vertical brick face I could mount it on nicely though so exterior isn't out of the question. I realize HOAs are not allowed to restrict antennas based on federal rules, but it shouldn't be an issue.

when I did antenna web it only showed me three channels out of Franklin and I couldn't figure out how to have it show me more I wonder if it screened the Indy ones based on my attic selection.

I'm in Franklin, so I'm about 30 miles from the transmitters in Indy and I pull things in fine with my antenna that I have in the attic. I get the major networks and PBS out of Bloomington, and I can't be happier. The only thing we do splurge on is season subscriptions for cable shows through iTunes. I'd much rather pay $30/per season for a show I like once and have to wait for the next day to watch it, than a huge cable bill for a bunch of channels I don't watch. Already waiting for the new season of Deadliest Catch to go up.

 

[IndyBeerman]

Personally I think the Channel Master is junk and is inferior to Antenna's Direct DB8.

I live in Plainfield and the 4228 couldn't pull a green bugger out of a snotty 5 year old's head if it tried @ my house.

So I bought a DB8, but it does not pull in Channel 8 and 13 in very well, so I bought a ClearStream 5 from Antennas Direct and
have been thoroughly impressed. Before I mounted it outside on a temp pole, it sat in my sunroom and pulled everything from
Indy's antenna farm with nary a problem.

But what impressed me the most was it pulled WTTV 4's signal out of Trafalgar perfectly and there was no direct signal to the
antenna because of it being in the sunroom. Before I had a older model Antennas Direct DB4 pointing that way just to pick WTTV4.

 

[danmdevries]

I'm about 40 miles southeast of Chicago and with a clearstream 4 antenna mounted in the attic I pick up all the broadcast channels from the city. Actually have more channels than the "local only" comcast package. The antenna cost as much as a year of the local only Comcast package, but I figure it'll be worth it if I can wean the wife off of cable TV...

From what I read in my research, mid-high end antennas will work well within a reasonably small distance from the transmitter while mounted in an attic, and work phenomenally well if roof-mounted.

40 miles and attic mounted (halfhazardly at that - took the antenna into the attic, screwed it onto a joist, and aimed in the general direction of Chicago. Didn't have to do any further adjustment. Ran a coax cable through the cieling in the garage, along the garage wall and drilled through floor joist from the side of the garage to bring the cable into the basement. Connected antenna coax cable to the splitter I used to have the cable TV ran through, and we've got all the channels in all the rooms.

Pretty happy so far. Though, I don't normally watch TV. I'll watch a show here n there on hulu or netflix, but very rarely do I sit in front of the TV. Wife hasn't complained yet.

 

[PistolBob]

46143 is Greenwood. I live south of there. I use amplified rabbit ears and can pick up 4, 6, 8, 13, 20, 43, 59 and a few 24 hour a day preachers and home shopping channels for free. Any antenna you get is going to work LOADS better if it is outside and aimed at downtown Indy....although the channel 4 stuff is coming out of Trafalgar I think.

So you might just try your reception with a set of powered rabbit ears as you are closer to the transmitters than I am. Now i will say, sometimes channel 4, 8 and 20 get a little iffy...but they are free.

We do DSL with the phone co for cheap, and stream Netflix and Amazon and all the Roku stuff. Knocked about $75 a month off the TV bill. You can do it.

 

[Stickfight]

I have a Clearstream 4 from Antennas Direct mounted inside the attic of my brick home in 46202. The roof is slate and wall is a double layer, but even without a preamp I get good reception for about 35 stations. I don't watch TV often enough to know how stable they are but they always seem to be there when I want them.

 

[IndyBeerman]

The antenna cost as much as a year of the local only Comcast package, but I figure it'll be worth it if I can wean the wife off of cable TV... .

You must have bought from Antenna's Direct, you could have bought it off of Amazon a whole lot cheaper.

I got my CS5 for about 50.00 cheaper.

I have a Clearstream 4 from Antennas Direct mounted inside the attic of my brick home in 46202. The roof is slate and wall is a double layer, but even without a preamp I get good reception for about 35 stations.

Living in zip 46202, even if you're at the southeastern edge of that zip, you're less than 10.5 miles away from the Indy antenna farm, that is a HUGE factor, and the main reason why you're pulling signals like that mounted in your attic.

I live in the Mooresville/Plainfield and I'm 21.5 miles away from the antenna farm and my brother in law lives in Greenwood, he had his old DB4 in the attic and had trouble at times pulling in the farm, downtown Franklin is 30 miles from it.
I think putting it in the attic down there, will make it a fringe antenna on reception, and greatly diminish the reception.


One thing to note for anyone considering a Clearstream 4, it is a UHF antenna, does not pull VHF signals in real good, My DB8 is a UHF and while it could pull in both 8 and 13, it was not as good as it should be.

The CS5 is rated @ 65 miles UHF and 35 miles VHF.

 

[danmdevries]

You must have bought from Antenna's Direct, you could have bought it off of Amazon a whole lot cheaper.

I got my CS5 for about 50.00 cheaper.

Got it on Amazon iirc $120. Comcast local only was 10/mo

 

[PistolBob]

Also....do a Google for homemade digital TV antennas....there are MANY designs you can try before you buy and most are very inexpensive to make.

 

[hoosierdoc]

Went to radio shack, bought an AntennaCraft HDTV indoor ultra thin antenna, amplified, omnidirectional for $49

i have it resting in an upstairs window, facing north (antenna farm). I put a TV there to test it and was very happy. CBS was the only sketchy part but when I removed the screen from the window it got much better. I am going to work on running a cable into the attic, out the soffit, down the side of the house, into the basement and then to our coax network. I am pretty stoked to cut the cable (except for Internet)

I am still considering returning it and getting something like the CS5 and mounting it externally on the house. Just seems like if you're going to do it, do it right.

i wrote down the channels we get. I'm on the border of bargersville/greenwood if that helps anyone.


4-1 Cw
4-2 this TV
6-1 wrtv
6-2 htsn
6-3 Lwn
8-1 wish TV
8-2 lws
8-3 radar
13-1 wthr
13-2 cozi
13-3 me tv
20-1 wfyi
20-2 wfyi
20-3 wfyi
23-1 wndy
23-2 bounce
29-1 wttk (Cw)
29-2 this TV
30-1 wtiu
30-2 world
30-3 create
30-4 v me
40-1 whmb
40-2 whmb
42-1 tbn
42-2 tcc
42-3 juce
42-4 enlace
42-5 soac
46-1 walv
59-1 wxin
59-2 antTV
63-1 ion
63-2 qubo
63-3 ion life
63-4 shop
63-5 qvc
63-6 hsn
69-1 wdti

 

[hoosierdoc]

I just bought the CS5 with 30" mount for $131.50 and free shipping from antennas direct. I did the online tech chat and the guy offered to match Amazon's price when I asked if the 30" mount would fit the antenna. Nice guys.

877-825-5572. Ask for Tim, ext. 321.

 

[ttrimcobra]

wife and i have been doing the antenna, internet, hulu, and netflix thing for about two years now. we just have a cheap indoor antennna but pick up fox and abc so it suits us just fine for FREE!