Maximizing the Antenna
My antenna was doing fine, but I felt it could be a bit better and I wanted to search the airwaves for “hidden treasure”. I mentioned earlier in a post about DXing, but another form of searching the airwaves is peeking into neighboring markets. It’s fairly easy to pick up analog signals from Richmond, VA. Greenville-Washington, NC, Greensboro and Wilmington, but getting their DTV signals requires some experimenting, and may not be possible.
Locally, the commercial stations are mostly in the same location, which makes it easier to get the major networks. However, PBS and Ion are in two different directions, so a rotor is one of the cheapest ways to to pull in all the local signals. Next month we’ll look at combining two antennas and the pitfalls and tips for pulling in signals in multiple directions.
It really does come down to the antenna. Now is the time to play with it since you have the analog signals to give you a visual indication you are pointing in the right direction. Remember a DTV receiver does not know what channel a station has their digital signal on until it scans the airwaves. If your antenna is not peaked on the tower, the CECB will not see it and miss it. Do it now while the weather is nice!
Once again, here I am on the roof at my house and hopefully some useful tips maximizing weak signals. Be safe, have a buddy help and do the leg work, running back and forth checking signal strength.
Yes, I did break out in sweat!
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