TV antenna

[MONTIE]

Well here I am again asking a beginner question, I finally got my TV antenna to work, but I am not sure how to point the antenna in the right direction. I have installed the HD add on to my Wineguard Sensar. I cannot find a meter like that satellite to measure the signal strength, my picture on the station the greatest distance away goes and comes and I have tried to turning while the channel is on without much success. I have looked on the web to find a way to tune the antenna to the station without much luck, is this just a hit and miss or does thew antenna have a best receive end or side, which way does the antenna point. Over all I get a good picture if I am close to the station which is to be expected but I am 80 miles from Memphis and get one of the channels fair, the UHF I receive good. Suggestions as to how to increase signal strength.

THANKS

[jjgnn@yahoo.com]

Well here I am again asking a beginner question, I finally got my TV antenna to work, but I am not sure how to point the antenna in the right direction. I have installed the HD add on to my Wineguard Sensar. I cannot find a meter like that satellite to measure the signal strength, my picture on the station the greatest distance away goes and comes and I have tried to turning while the channel is on without much success. I have looked on the web to find a way to tune the antenna to the station without much luck, is this just a hit and miss or does thew antenna have a best receive end or side, which way does the antenna point. Over all I get a good picture if I am close to the station which is to be expected but I am 80 miles from Memphis and get one of the channels fair, the UHF I receive good. Suggestions as to how to increase signal strength.

THANKS

I assume you have the "Batwing" Winegard antenna most of us have. Good antenna, with a preamp at the antenna, and a final amplifier down line on the coax. There is a little snap on antenna piece now available that narrows the antenna focus, so gets signals in stronger. It is a little more sensitive to the way it is pointed, but works fine. It snaps on in place of the rubber feet under the antenna.

Strongest signal comes from the long side of the antenna. I may not have said that right. Imagine the long axis of the antenna as a ship - strongest signal comes from port or starboard, not fore or aft.

80 miles is darn good reception in anyone's book.

Hope this helps.

On my new digital converter, there is a button that will put a signal strength meter on your tv, compete with anoying signal strength tone that helps tune them. Take it slow when turning, only a few degrees at a change. Should take three minutes to make a compete rotation if you are being careful.

[alexmadison]

Over all I get a good picture if I am close to the station which is to be expected but I am 80 miles from Memphis and get one of the channels fair, the UHF I receive good. Suggestions as to how to increase signal strength.

I heard some DTV stations cut their power by over 90%, making reception nearly impossible.

Many stations that have reverted to VHF assignments have dramatically cut their transmitter power, in some cases by over 90%! Some stations mistakenly thought they could save money by cutting their power while reaching the same number of viewers. http://getting-vhf-stations.blogspot.com/

[Guest Wayne77590]

Ah! Theory again for antennae.

A direct broadside effect may not be as strong as slightly off center where the beam of the transmitting station is at its furthest point and starting the small side of the feather beam. (Wish I could draw here.) If the antenna is at a slight angle, more of the signal will be sweeping across the antenna and may create a better effect.

As stated, most new digital tv's have a signal meter built into the menu system. Tunning for peak signal strength with a meter is the better way to tune in the signal.

Edited: Think of butterfly wings and their shape. Radio waves travel almost in that same shape. (please note the word almost)

[tbutler]

TV Stations haven't cut their signal strength, it is the nature of the digital signal that it doesn't transmit as far or as well. With digital you either have it or don't. There is no snowy picture when the signal is weak. So it is all or nothing. As you watch and the signal strength changes because a bat flaps its wing or a butterfly flits or a ship toots its horn, the signal fades a little and the picture goes... well... gone! Then the signal improves a little and it's back.

As Jack said, there is a signal strength meter on many digital TV's. If you follow his procedure, you should get your best signal for any station. Just remember that all stations in Memphis aren't in the same location. This one is east of town, that one is on a hill to the west and another is north... That means that you may have to check the signal meter and re-align the antenna every time you change channels. And some of those stations may be 90 miles away. This is fun isn't it? Just remember now there is no snow just beautiful picture... when you can get it.

I think over time many stations will set up remote antennas to improve their signal strength in remote areas. In the meantime, we'll have to cope the best we can. Good tuning...

[hermanmullins]

I read with delight all of the great answer about our TVs. As you have seen I to have had several questions myself. However I just thought(to myself). Camping out be be with nature, loving the outdoors. When we piched our tent beside the lake, built our fire pits, cooked over open fire(burnt alot and ate some almost raw), bathed in the lake and slepted on the ground. My God I just missed NCIS. Life was good then and it is good now. I miss the young scouts asking hundreds of questions and learning about camping. But now I enjoy camping with friends enjoying their company with the knowledge that the dvr at home is recording all of our programs. See life just keeps getting better

[tbutler]

Hey Herman,

I know what you mean about camping. I love a good gravel bar on a float trip for a campsite. Quiet, with just the sound of the water in the rapids to keep you company. I can smell the fresh fish cooking over the open fire and taste the cold beer to wash it down. The ground has gotten much harder in the last ten years!

We're living in our motor home full time and the DVR (if I had one) would be here in the motor home. For us full timers, you can expect that we'll want to have all (well most of) the conveniences of home in our motor home. So yeah, we want TV every night. We have a generator and an inverter and we want AC electric on all the time in our (motor) home. We use the internet for correspondence, news, weather, finances, you name it, so we want an internet connection everywhere we go. We need to keep in touch with family and friends so we want the cell phones to work all the time. We love sitting in the lawn chairs watching the sun set with a nice bottle of wine between us. When we can't get all that, then we are camping! Sometimes we do that on purpose, sometimes we don't have any choice.

I hope that when you reach your retirement you are able to experience the wonderful freedom and of traveling and living in your motor home (if you so desire). Any way you cut it though, life in a motor home beats the alternative all to pieces.