multiple antennas for different markets?

[akron05]

I live in Akron, OH and want to get both the Cleveland/Akron/Canton DMA OTA stations, towers are 23 miles NW, and the Youngstown DMA locals, towers are 45 mi East. If I were to get two antennas, a medium sized one pointing NW, and a large UHF only (since Y-town is all UHF) pointing East, then running the two coax's together into the house to the TV, could I get seamless reception of stations from both areas w/o using a rotator?:confused:

[kc1ih]

If you just used a combiner you would get all kind of ghosting, since each antenna would pick up some reflected signal for the stations the other antenna is aimed at. What you need to do is use a coax switch to select between the two antennas. These are fairly inexpensive, you can even get ones that are remote capable.

[gbranch]

Channel Master (http://www.channelmaster.com/Pages/TVS/Passives.htm) also makes a line of single channel couplers that can be used to join 2 or more antennas. Each coupler has two inputs - a bandpass for the channel of interest and a band reject for the channel of interest. They are relatatively inexpensive and can be cascaded for multiple antenna configurations.

[akron05]

Don't you need one for every channel you plan to view? That would be a lot of extra crap to attach!

[gbranch]

Don't you need one for every channel you plan to view? That would be a lot of extra crap to attach!

No, not necessarily. You only need one for each channel that is in a different direction from the others.

Example - channels 3,6,12,24,33, and 45 are all at 90°. Channel 19 is at 185°. You use a single V/U combo for the 90° channels, connected to the all channel input. Then you connect a UHF antenna pointed at 185° to the channel 19 input. The channel 19 input passes only channel 19, the all-channel input blocks channel 19.

So, the result is that the V/U combo will not affect 19, and the UHF antenna will not affect any channel other than 19.

The usefulness of this device is if you have most of your channels in one direction, and a few in another direction. It can get complicated if you have multiple channels in multiple directions. In this case, a rotator would be most economical.

[akron05]

No, not necessarily. You only need one for each channel that is in a different direction from the others.

Example - channels 3,6,12,24,33, and 45 are all at 90°. Channel 19 is at 185°. You use a single V/U combo for the 90° channels, connected to the all channel input. Then you connect a UHF antenna pointed at 185° to the channel 19 input. The channel 19 input passes only channel 19, the all-channel input blocks channel 19.

So, the result is that the V/U combo will not affect 19, and the UHF antenna will not affect any channel other than 19.

The usefulness of this device is if you have most of your channels in one direction, and a few in another direction. It can get complicated if you have multiple channels in multiple directions. In this case, a rotator would be most economical.

One advantage is that in my area, even the "oddball" towers in my DMA that aren't right in the same area are in the same line of sight, but closer-the towers in Akron are in the same line of sight as the other towers closer to Cleveland.


The issue is the Youngstown stations, of which I have three analog and two (soon to be three) digital. For the time being I'd like to view both.

[Nick]

http://www.elite.net/~k7xq/antfarm2.jpg

:D

[dsanbo]

Nick....
Kinda hard to hide that "Tri-Bander".....:D
WA1NBI here.....haven't been on the Ham bands for several years...Used to be NECOS for the local QCWA group on 75m Sunday mornings.....
Is that the edge of a C-Band dish on the far right...??

[akron05]

The reason I want to avoid a rotor is two-fold.

First, the deep-fringe UHF antenna w/preamp I'll need for the Youngstown stations would be WAY overkill for Cleveland and esp. the two stations whose towers are 4 miles away.

Second, my girlfriend already gets confused trying to watch TV with my complicated setup-if she has to operate a rotor she'll probably throw something at the damn thing! Are there automatic rotors that "know" where to point the antenna (once you align it the first time) for a specific channel as soon as you tune to the channel?

[Fifty Caliber]

(Off-toppic) It's amazing how big antenna farms can grow if you "water" the owner/user on a regular basis with the right beer.

[Michael P]

akron05, have you tried an omnidirectional antenna? I had a Radio Shack omni at my old house in Seven Hills (Due East of the Cleveland Antenna Farm). I disconnected the power inserter as the amp overloaded big time.

I think either Wineguard or ChannelMaster makes one called the Metroliner which is not amplified. You would overload for sure seeing how you are only 4 miles form WDLI & WEAO. I just wonder if WKYC would be too weak on an unampplified omni in the Rubber City.

BTW: Can you get the digital version of Shop at Home? The analog 67 comes in fine up here, better than WEAO and WVPX (forget WDLI-TV, I never got anything on 17, however I get a dandy signal on WDLI-DT 39) But I can't even see 47 on the "add DTV" screen since I moved (I did get several "blips" on 47 back in 7 Hills). I only moved a little more than 2 miles to the SW and the Akron stations, both analog and digital improved greatly. I'm just using indoor antennas at this time with an a/b switch. I believe the aluminum siding greatly reduces signal quality, I have to aim all my antennas out windows for best results.

[AcuraCL]

...

Second, my girlfriend already gets confused trying to watch TV with my complicated setup-if she has to operate a rotor she'll probably throw something at the damn thing! Are there automatic rotors that "know" where to point the antenna (once you align it the first time) for a specific channel as soon as you tune to the channel?
I plan to program macros into a programmable remote so that I can hit CBS-B to change the channel to 01301 and rotate the rotor to the correct position for Baltimore CBS, another for CBS-W to change the channel to 00901 and rotate the rotor to the correct position for Washington DC, and so on for all the others.

Never underestimate the power (and joy) of the programmable remote :)

[Fifty Caliber]

Never underestimate the power (and joy) of the programmable remote :)

A good universal remote is just as important of an AV component as any other, IMHO.