Another Antenna Question - Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730

[Nightmare]

I have just installed a DISH system at the apartment in Rancho. I have the DISH 942 DVR, but Dish in unable to deliver the Local HD channels. I read a bunch of stuff on the web and I have just connected the first of 5 antennas I bought tonight. I have these 5 antennas:

Zenith Silver Sensor - Sears - $39.99
Philips/Magnavox SCA050- Sears - $34.99
Terk TV-55 - Sears - $99.99
Terk TV5 - Circuit City - 49.99
Radio Shack 15-1880 - $49.99

I have about 20 feet of RG-6 Cable that was left over from an older install.

I connected the Silver Sensor and I get 70-95 signal on all the major networks (ABC,CBS,NBC,FOX,UPN and WB). Is this antenna considered directional?

What is normal signal strength to get uninterrupted signal?
Even with an 88-90 ish signal I get pixelization on non-HD shows, is this normal?

I saw some information on the Winegard Sharpshooter SS-3000, this looks like a very nice unit. I can't seem to find one for sale on the web.

I have heard that we have poor HD signals in this area and I have limited options on how I can setup the antenna.

I have been watching CSI for about 45 minutes and I still get some breakup in the broadcast with a signal of 95, is this also normal?

Has anyone else used some of these antennas in this area?

[zephyr]

I went through nearly that many antennas the first time I installed an hd/digital receiver. A couple of observations:

What matters more than signal strength is signal quality. The 942 can lock on to a signal in the 60's, if it is good quality. It cannot lock on to a signal in the 90's if it is poor quality. The primary signal quality issues are multipath interference and electrical interference. You describe a complex of buildings. Multipath may be an issue, because of the signal bouncing off and through so many structures..

Electrical interference is also a problem. For example, just now I had the picture breaking up because of a lightning storm between me and the transmitter.

The pixelation happens on digital stations, whether or not the show being broadcast is HD or non-HD. There is no difference as far as the antenna is concerned between HD and SD for a given digital channel.

[Rick_R]

In Rancho Cucamonga your reception probably depends on how close to the mountains you are. If you are close then there is more likely a foothill in your path to Mt Wilson. This means that you might be getting a direct signal and an indirect signal around the obstruction resulting in multipath. The best solution to multipath is a good directional antenna on your roof. Then play with aiming it so that you get the good signal and the antenna rejects the extraneous signal.

I know your problems well. I lived in Clarement near the foothills many years ago and had a foothill in my way to Mt Wilson. I now live in Simi Valley and have a 2700' peak 3 miles from me directly in my line of sight to Mt Wilson which is 35 miles away. I use a Winegard 8200 UHF/VHF antenna and a Winegard 8275 UHF/VHF preamp. I played with aiming this so it would get the direct signal and reject the signal that came around the peak.

Mine is probably too big for an apartment but the Winegard SS-2000 has had good reports. The SS-2000 comes with a preamp and the SS-1000 is the same antenna without the preamp. You mentiones the SS-3000 which I have never heard of. Putting the SS-2000 on your roof would probably help alot.

Rick R