HDTV and Digital Television in Boynton Beach

Over The Air DTV and HDTV in Boynton Beach Florida

Antenna in Attic

RadioShack VU-90XR Antenna in Attic

Back in 2001 I rushed into the digital television craze by buying a great Panasonic 34" 34WX50 16:9 format flat front HiDef ready TV. Next came a Samsung SIR-T150 DTV/HDTV receiver, a RadioShack VU-90XR HiGain antenna, and some cable. I opened the giant antenna in my living room and put it on a pole attached to a videocam tripod. At that time the only digital stations broadcasting were in Miami.

I was getting several stations great so the antenna went up into the attic. I had an electrician fish the cable down to my receiver and I got ready for even better reception.

Something strange was going on. I got better reception of the Miami stations with the antenna in the living room than up in the attic. After trying the amplifier route, a fellow on the AVS Digital TV forum urged me to do some radio frequency plumbing to filter out the strong VHF-LO signal from the channel 5 analog television broadcast eminating from the antenna farm near the corner of Lantana Rd and State Rd. 7 (441). I did it and voila - all the channels.

The antenna is a RadioShack VU-90XR 6.4db UHF gain 16:1 f/b ratio 66deg beam, 5.9db VHFHI 12:1 f/b ratio 42deg beam (1/2 pwr) pointed slightly south-west. My roof is covered with 1/2 round masonry tiles.

The "plumbing" consists of:

Splitter - RS 15-1236 (splits signal into UHF, VHF-HI, and VHF-LO)

Combiner - RS 15-1237 (Combines UHF and VHF)..only want VHF-HI

F-Couplers - RS 278-275

F-Terminator - RS 15-1144 (resistive load - for VHF-LO signal)

Connected like this:

June '06 update:
I've been playing around with amplifiers, splitters, and switches. My best setup now has a remote control switch in front of my HDTV receiver. I feed the attic antenna through the VHF-LO filter plumbing, then into a RadioShack 10db inline amplifier and then onto the switch.

I also have a Silver Sensor UHF yagi laying on top of the entertainment center, feeding a RadioShack 10db inline amp (to get channel 25 strong), and onto the switch.

I only need to use the Silver Sensor for channel 25.1, as I get all the other West Palm stations off the back of the attic antenna.

Channel 42, WXEL, is proving to be a challenge though. Sometimes it comes in fine off the back of the attic antenna, but when it doesn't, it also breaks up through the Silver Sensor. I think I need to try a UHF only bandpass filter on the Silver Sensor. I tried my current filter but 42.1 still has a lot of pixelations even though the signal strength is very good. The antenna is only 6 miles away, it should be easy...

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