01-12-2009, 12:20 PM
Yes Dennis, the literature is correct; high-VHF on up through UHF. Nice antennas built well, you may recall me recommending the 796x series in your earlier thread. At your distance the 7696 might also work, if you have nearby obstructions the 7698 will be better. There's also the 7697 ... I forget what the rule of thumb is, something like trees or buildings X feet high within Y feet of the antenna constitutes a problem. Rolling hills in your nearby vicinity are an issue, rolling hills farther less so.
The 8200 and similar include low VHF frequencies as well, which as you say you won't need after Feb.
A typical 4-way splitter will cut your signal down 7db per TV; that's just over 4 times the signal loss from the antenna. A 2-way splitter loses 3-4db, that's only half the signal reaching the TVs.
So you may also need a premap (these are amplifiers, I don't know why the industry keeps insisting on referring to them as "preamps" when there's no additional amp afterwards ...)
A premap will take what the antenna provides and boost it enough to overcome line loss and splitter lost. (It doesn't "boost" the antenna's signal-gathering ability. That would constitute a miracle. Or marketing hype.)
If you don't have a nearby station that threatens to overload the signal, go with a Channel Master; they have the lowest noise. Pick one that does VHF and UHF. If you do have a nearby station that'll overload the signal, go with a Winegard HDP269. Winegard premaps have a little bit higher noise figure compared to CH, but still better than anything else. What makes the HDP269 special is that it has a high-input threshold --- it won't get overloaded by a strong signal unless you're "next door" to the tower. But if you don't need it go with CH.
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I'm in process here too. I bought a high-VHF/UHF antenna, a CH 2016, but it's just too weak for my situation (about 40 miles from towers) I paired it with one of their preamps but immediately discovered that some local independent station was swamping the signal --- the signal overwhelms the preamp, rendering it blind to all the others. I can get signals here and there without the premap. With it I get nothing but the local station. ...
So I'll be getting a stronger antenna, probably the 7696 because it's at least 3db (twice as strong) as the 2016 on UHF and a bunch more better on VHF. And the HDP269.
The 8200 and similar include low VHF frequencies as well, which as you say you won't need after Feb.
A typical 4-way splitter will cut your signal down 7db per TV; that's just over 4 times the signal loss from the antenna. A 2-way splitter loses 3-4db, that's only half the signal reaching the TVs.
So you may also need a premap (these are amplifiers, I don't know why the industry keeps insisting on referring to them as "preamps" when there's no additional amp afterwards ...)
A premap will take what the antenna provides and boost it enough to overcome line loss and splitter lost. (It doesn't "boost" the antenna's signal-gathering ability. That would constitute a miracle. Or marketing hype.)
If you don't have a nearby station that threatens to overload the signal, go with a Channel Master; they have the lowest noise. Pick one that does VHF and UHF. If you do have a nearby station that'll overload the signal, go with a Winegard HDP269. Winegard premaps have a little bit higher noise figure compared to CH, but still better than anything else. What makes the HDP269 special is that it has a high-input threshold --- it won't get overloaded by a strong signal unless you're "next door" to the tower. But if you don't need it go with CH.
**********************************************
I'm in process here too. I bought a high-VHF/UHF antenna, a CH 2016, but it's just too weak for my situation (about 40 miles from towers) I paired it with one of their preamps but immediately discovered that some local independent station was swamping the signal --- the signal overwhelms the preamp, rendering it blind to all the others. I can get signals here and there without the premap. With it I get nothing but the local station. ...
So I'll be getting a stronger antenna, probably the 7696 because it's at least 3db (twice as strong) as the 2016 on UHF and a bunch more better on VHF. And the HDP269.