ClearStream 4v only $79 at Bestbuy!

What VHF antenna did you get? That is another possibility for me, rather than a preamp.

I went cheap :slight_smile: VHF antenna

EDIT: Also I am only using half the boom because it is long and I am indoors :slight_smile:

Here is my setup. A bit extreme but I wanted a good signal and am planning on moving into a house sooner or later so I figured why not :slight_smile: Also that TV is not in use, lol.

2 Likes

A great VHF antenna is the Clearstream 5. The RCA preamp would be ideal for combining UHF and VHF antennas. In your case I believe that a VHF antenna plus RCA preamp (Amazon) would be the way to go (rather than the Kitz).

BTW take a look at this website - what this guy did in the Toronto area for getting all the channels is amazing!

Especially take a look at his system diagram:

He also has separate UHF and VHF antennas. He talks about CFTO.

I would go with the RCA preamp with separate UHF and VHF antennas. In fact, in his diagram you’ll see his preamp joins the VHF and UHF antennas. The one he uses is the CM 7777 which is exactly like the RCA.

After I had read through his work, it inspired me to go the DIY route and I also made my own SBGH for UHF and loop antenna for VHF. In fact the best VHF antenna you can have is the loop he made costing all of $20. This antenna brings me two VHF channels at 100%. All I needed was some PVC pipe ($2), refrigeration coil ($10) and chicken wire ($6) - all available at a hardware store. If you go this route your total cost will be $50 (RCA preamp plus loop). This VHF loop antenna beats all $100 store-bought antennas!!! Just needs some bending and cutting by hand - nothing complex. I simply used plastic ties to make the whole thing hang together.

Here is some more info on the loop antenna:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/186-antenna-research-development/112675-loop-reflector-vhf-hi.html

PS he also gets the Buffalo channels at close to 100%; his “system” covers all angles.

Oh yah - that loop antenna is fantastic! Made one too for my VHF needs. In fact, the Clearstream5 is a $130 version of this simple twenty dollar loop. We took the C5 apart one day to look inside and saw what it really was.

If you want something as powerful but more compact for VHF take a look at the posts above regarding the loop. One friend has severe VHF problems so we made two loops and joined them into one and that solved his problem (for an extra $10).

I am 36 miles from Beaumont and 64 miles from Houston antennas, I was thinking of installing another clear stream c4. Point one to each city. Do I need to tie the two together?

I seen that DIY one when I was shopping for a VHF solution and was not feeling it. I love my VHF antenna. Since setting it up I have had solid green on both my VHF channels and have never needed to readjust. I also am using the RCA preamp to combine it with the Clearstream 4v.

I am on Tablo web site and with my zip 77538 the best they give is some three yellow dots and lots of single orange dot. But I am picking up 60 channels from both cities. I am going for Lake Charles la next I hope

The C4 has a standard VHF dipole which in most cases works OK. I would first try attaching a preamp like the RCA to boost up the VHF portion of the C4. That would cost you $30 or so to begin with. Since the RCA has good overload protection, CBC won’t be overwhelmed while CTV should go up.

Then if that doesn’t solidify VHF, go to the second step and get a VHF antenna. You lose nothing from the first step since the RCA will then be used to combine the two antennas.

If you get the RCA, keep the default setting. If you go to step 2, turn the switch on the RCA to separate UHF\VHF inputs.

The RCA preamp has another side benefit. It has an FM trap that filters out FM signals that can interfere with television frequencies.

BTW if you add a VHF antenna, you might want to remove the C4’s VHF kit so that the two antennas don’t interfere with each other on the VHF side. Let the C4 do pure UHF and the second antenna pure VHF. This way the RCA will get two pure streams as inputs.

3 Likes

Yes. One coax cable from the Beaumont antenna to one side of a standard splitter. Another coax cable from the Houston antenna to the second side of the splitter. A splitter used this way acts as a combiner. Then the combiner is connected to the TV, Tablo, or amplifier.

Your stations are at 240 degrees and 70 degrees (between 40 and 60 miles). Do you have a preamp? That would help, running the combiner’s output into a preamp like the RCA or Winegard mentioned in the above posts. That would get you 5 green dots on the Tablo.

I have a similar setup with three antennas facing opposite directions. They are all combined with a splitter going into a preamp.

Agree with this stepwise approach. Since CTV is already coming in (though with pixelation), a preamp such as the RCA will do the job to put it over the top (Kitztech not needed). Several users have solved their VHF problems here at this forum just using the RCA. And as @TabloFan mentions nothing is lost if you need to go to a second antenna since the RCA will then be used as a combiner. In fact this is a very good way of combining a VHF with a UHF antenna since the RCA has a separate module for VHF amplification.

2 Likes

And if none of this works @theuser86 will have the right to come back at us with a huge anti-Tablo RANT. We need a good one every so often…right before Xmas.

1 Like

Yes Mark I have the winegard installed

Is the current antenna split between Houston and Beaumont? That’s a 170 degree spread and would contribute to a lessened signal strength. Most antennas have at most effectively a 45 degree spread (20 degrees on either side). Every 15 degrees that an antenna is off axis (i.e. not directly facing a broadcast target) means a 10% diminution of signal strength.

I retired and moved the country to raise cows I did know tv stations would be farther then then I would like. Installing the second c4 now, and have a Bamf bidirectional splitter.

Is it the Winegard LNA 200 preamp or the Winegard distribution amp HDA-200?

I bought this antenna; been waiting for it to go on sale for a long time. Thanks for the heads up!

1 Like

Mark I had the winegard 200, took it off and installed channelmaster four port amplified splitter.adjusting the antenna now. Looking better.

In which direction is the antenna pointing? Do you have a compass? One antenna has to point at 70 degrees, the second at 240 degrees.