Have you ever tried stacking two CM4228s and pointing them in the same direction? (rather than in a "V" as discussed above)? Would this increase the gain of a digital UHF signal significantly? I'm 50 miles from the transmitter and the CM7775 preamp I tried with my single CM4228 in the attic did not help. The antenna is correctly aimed at the transmitter per the signal meter in my STB.
If you think stacking might help, would the procedure to connect the two antennas be the same as you gave above?
Thanks.
Ok,
First go to this address
[Link: antennaweb.org]
and locate all the available broadcast towers
that carry the channels you are interested in
Locate an area in your attic farthest away from
any metal obstructions; further if there is another
house near your house, or a big fat tree, that
might block the signal, try to find a spot in
your attic that gives you a work around. I have
found it beneficial to drag a TV and the HD Box
up to the attic, plug in one of the antennas and
just move it around to see what I can get before
I install the whole mess. If you can get some
channels doing this, even if they are kind of
intermittent, you’re in good shape.
If you have the room in your attic. Install an
8-foot pole and mount the antennas one above the
other. Make sure the pole is as perfectly level
as you can get it, mount both of your antennas
facing the general direction indicated by antenna
web. Usually the two antennas will be pointing
in a split V kind of arrangement. If you can get
4228’s in to your attic (they do come apart a
bit) use them as they are a lot more powerful
than the 4221’s.
If you are not experienced with home AC wiring,
hire someone to run a ground for you, If are experienced,
you can usually find a junction box or the back
side of a can light or something that has a ground
in it. If the ground is a #12, run a #12 bare
or green to the first screen reflector and bond
to the crossbar with a ground clamp, and then
jump from that one to the next antenna. Do not
use any coax splitters. Use only 1 X 300 to 75
ohm adapter. Use number 12 copper wire and make
jumps between the wing nut posts on each antenna,
meaning, each antenna has a pair of wing nut posts
on them. This is where you attach the 75 to 300
ohm adapters, but in this case, you use only the
1 adapter on only the first antenna. To attach
the second antenna, run your #12 wire from the
first wing nut on antenna #1 to the first wing
nut on antenna #2. Then run a jump wire from wing
nut #2 on antenna #1 to the 2nd wing nut on antenna
#2. Do not let the jump wires touch any part of
the antennas except for the wing nut terminals?
Run your coax from the adapter to your HD Box
that should be with you in the attic. Work on
moving just 1 antenna at a time mark on the post
with a pencil, which stations come in best at
that particular position. Try to bring in the
most stations you can with the one antenna, then
try to catch the stragglers with the second antenna.
Sometimes it takes a while to get a good combination
between the two before you get what you want.
When you get to a point where you have all the
stations your going to get, I recommend running
a solid core copper RG-6 cable directly from the
adapter to the location where your box will reside.
The longer the run, the more it will reduce your
signal. So try to make the run short as possible.
Tip!
I have done a couple of installs where I got great
results, by catching the signals that were bouncing
off another building across the street.
Note on amplifiers!
Try not to use them unless you have to. Some times
they do miracles and sometimes, they just amplify
your problems.
Good luck!
