prejeand
11-04-07, 02:34 PM
I have a digital OTA problem for which I have been unable to find a solution. I use a homemade 4-bay UHF antenna (AVS Forum plans) located in my attic (roof is new fiberglass shingles + tar paper + decking) to pull in several of my local Birmingham, Alabama stations as a supplement to the locals received over Dish on a ViP-622, to get a better picture than that received over the satellite and to be able to record 3 shows at a time. Signal strength on 5 of the 6 local channels I can receive range from 72-87 (the 6th gets 96+) with a good bit of variation between the two values on individual stations. Periodically, however, the signal drops to zero, even on the 2 stations with a signal strength that is usually around 87. I have tried reorienting the antenna and using a Channel Master 0747 (I just happened to have it) hooked directly to the antenna. Antenna orientation is optimal right now. The Channel Master makes very little difference. The run is from the across the attic (30’)down a 2-story chase to the basement (30’) across the basement and back up to the first floor (30’) for a total of about 90’. There are 3 pieces of coax connected together. I have avoided using the roof, although I do have an old vhf/uhf antenna mounted up there. Am I stuck with using the roof mount (I really hate to climb up there) or is there something else that I can do on the attic set-up that might alleviate my “dropped signal” problem? Any help would be appreciated.