Reddit reviews Channel Master CM-7777V3 Titan 2 High Gain TV Antenna Preamplifier [Version 3]

Go to TV Fool and run a report. It will tell you what type of antenna you need, how to orient your antenna to pick up stations, and how far away each broadcaster is. Set up your antenna, (ranges from anywhere from free (a paperclip), to around $400 for a CM-3020 a CM-7777 preamp, a rotator, and a mast). and do a channel scan.

Unless you're VERY far away from the transmitting towers, you'll probably not need to spend much money to get a quite a range of selection of channels to choose from. The only way to tell is to run a TV Fool report for your address. Obviously which stations you are able to pick up will vary by location. For instance, if I were to be able to pick up everything within a 100 mile radius of myself, I'd have about 40 channels OTA.

nice post.

His stations are coming from all different directions and are splits between VHF and UHF. He will need multiple antennas and splitter/combiner.

the DIY Db4 antenna is a UHF antenna, and will likely struggle to consistently pull in channels from the 256-290 degree range. For that, I would reccommend a db8. Since this is a practice, and buisness expense (which is tax deductible), I wouldnt recommend building his own.

My recommendations:

1. db8 antenna
   0r [91xG (http://www.antennasdirect.com/store/91XG_HDTV_Antenna.html)
   
   
2. channel master 7777 preamp
   
   
3. antenna mast, coax cable, coax splitter
   
   
4. ground the antenna (so it is not a lightning/fire hazard)
   
5. possibly simple/inexpensive "rabit ears" for PBS on channel 8

ok so you have 4 stations that are above zero and they are in 4 different directions.. one of them is vhf which will be hard to get..

The first thing you have to do is the stations to the north east that are around 60degrees.. those are probably your best bet..

see how high you have to put the antenna to get them in the 30db range.. if you can put up a 40 foot tower that would be better.. put it up on your hill and get a

https://www.amazon.com/Channel-Master-3020-HDTV-Antenna/dp/B000BSGCSA


and a

https://www.amazon.com/Channel-Master-CM-7777-Antenna-Preamplifier/dp/B000GGKOG8

and if you can one of these

http://www.ebay.com/itm/25G-AMERICAN-TOWER-ROHN-TOWER-STYLE-AME25-NEW-W-BASE-30-FOOT-/321161408070

and you will have to pour a concrete footing for that tower i would guess that a 2 foot x 2 foot x 2foot footing might work ok.. its a lot more concrete than you think if you're mixing by bags.. probably 20 bags easy but you need something serious for that antenna.. if you can go deeper then go deeper ... maybe a 1.5 foot square that is 3 foot deep .. but a 2 foot one would probably not heave in the winter frost.

then you will probably need a second distribution amp in your house instead of a splitter its like a powered splitter that amps up the signal a bit.

How far up the hill? 100 feet ... 50 feet from the house.. then you have to add the height of the tower.. thats another 30 - 40 feet .. then you have to add in some extra for in the attic or to get to your distribution amp .. another 15 feet .. and some spare just so you have a loop at each end in case you need to repair it..

so if you are 50 feet from the house you are over 100 feet from your distribution amp.. hopefully that is enough.. if you are in the 300 foot range you will have to add a booster amp...

If you plan on stringing the coax in the air then you need to add a steel cable to the coax so its actually hanging from the steel cable not the coax cable or you will trash the coax.

good luck

At 55 miles you need a roof mounted antenna to get your stations as you found out inside antennas most likely won't work well at all. All of your signals are pretty strong and LOS even at 55 miles all but one in the same direction which is good but as others have said you want a combo antenna that does both VHF(lo-hi) and UHF such as the CM-3020 HD8200XL or the ANT3038Z I believe they sell a very large RCA antenna similar at Menards for $94 the last time I looked but unsure of the the model just look for the largest box and similar price. These antennas are all 12ft long and if you need something more compact with similar performance there is the HD Stacker TV Antenna.

For a pre-amp the LNA-200 would probably work just fine and it is cheaper than the Channel Master 7777 preamp but you may not need it depending on how many tvs you have but if you have like 4-5 then a preamp is a good idea. You should also be able to use the existing cabling before used for direct tv and hook it into the antenna.

I'm on the opposite side of St. Louis. I'm probably a little closer at around 70 miles away, maybe. Anyway, I'm basically doing what you want to do in reverse. I pick up the St. Louis stations and pick up a couple Cape locals on the backside of my antenna.

As far as gear, I'm using an Channelmaster 4228HD https://www.amazon.com/Channel-Master-CM-4228HD-High-Antenna/dp/B000FVVKQM and a Channel Master 7777 High Gain preamp https://www.amazon.com/Channel-Master-CM-7777-Antenna-Preamplifier/dp/B000GGKOG8/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1537450060&sr=1-1&keywords=channel+7777. I have no affiliation or preference for Channel Master, it just happened. Anyway, with this setup, I can get all the St. Louis full power stations (2,4,5,9,11,24,30) and two from Cape on the backside (12,23). I receive 46 about half the time. I will occasionally receive a few of the southern Illinois stations but I've not optimized (aimed) my setup for those.

Actually with this setup, I once received all your locals via ducting for a few hours.

As they say, buy once, cry once. Don't chase around with those garbage Amazon antennas. Get a big antenna from a reputable company i.e. Channel Master, Winegard, Antennas Direct etc. Then get a decent preamp also from a reputable company. Redo your wiring with new RG6 with NO splices or splitters. Finally point your antenna toward the St. Louis cluster of stations (you have enough dbs to receive you locals without pointing. I think you'll be able to get those St. Louis stations especially since you received them on a garbage antenna.

The DB2e may be a good choice for you. It is small enough to put in a window. Check around on eBay, Amazon and Walmart for the best price.

I would also recommend the Winegard LNA-200 amplifier. You could go with an amp with more gain, but if you have too much gain you won't get a good signal. It is also available at the stores I mentioned. Go with the store that has the best return policy, as you may either not need it at all (I doubt it) or want one with more gain, like the Channel Master CM-7777 Titan 2. Just remember, more (gain) is not always better.

One other note-I had good luck using the Winegard amp on a Antennas Direct, inc CSM1 indoor antenna, but it didn't consistently bring in the channels like the DB2e. I wouldn't recommend that setup. BUT, you Could try just putting the amplifier on your Leaf to see what happens before purchasing a larger antenna.

Any textbook will tell you can't amplify yourself out of a signal level problem. You need a raw signal elevated enough from the noise to make things work.

Those same textbooks will list loss factors for common roofing materials, and the calculations will show that you really don't lose that much with attic installs.

We first went by the book, but two channels were unreliable. After throwing the book away and trying that Channel Master 30db amp - all problems went away. Our nest of digital demodulators is showing a zero bit error rate.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000GGKOG8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

YOUR mileage may vary.....This IS a science experiment. Many things can go wrong for you.

Attic installs stink. But they can be made to work on occasion.

This is the one I'm using. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000GGKOG8/

I'm about 30 miles from the antennas and don't seem to have any problems with over-amplification.

Awesome thanks. I know little about this realm of tech... I assume I need a pre-amp? Something like this: Channel Master CM-7777?

How difficult is it to mount to the roof? Any advice?