Can't Get FOX 9 on TV? DTV Antenna Questions and Answers

One of the key items for achieving successful digital TV reception results is using the correct antenna for your location. Many factors are involved in antenna selection.

Distance from the stations transmission site. Terrain surrounding the receive antenna location are critical when selecting an indoor or outdoor antenna. Many times location and terrain will indicate that an indoor antenna may be appropriate, but then the location of the antenna in the home now becomes a factor. Basements, homes with steel or stucco siding and apartment buildings may produce unique challenges when setting up the antenna indoors.

The guidelines below are starting points. Adjustments may be necessary if one solution does not work.

Within 10 miles of Shoreview

Typical issues are indoor antenna placement
Antenna needs to have sufficient VHF Gain
The Rabbit Ears type seems to perform the best.
Flat Panel antennas have shown low performance in some situations such as apartment buildings, Stucco Homes as they have a screen holding the stucco that acts as shield to VHF, homes with aluminum or steel siding also attenuate VHF more than UHF.

Place near window or outside wall if possible
Fully extend Rabbit Ears and place them in a “V” pattern to start
Then move them down towards horizontal to get the best signal.
Move away from the antenna to normal viewing when scanning.
If fully extended does not produce the results then for channel 9 the antenna elements should be set for about 18”.
Start with the “V” pattern and work the antenna down to horizontal.
Move away from the antenna to normal viewing when scanning. It may be necessary to change the length of the antenna elements slightly to tune the antenna to channel 9 to achieve the most gain from the rabbit ears. Different channels may require different lengths and positions.
It may be necessary to rotate the antenna position as well. A RF amp with about 20db gain can be added between the antenna and the box or TV. One direction or antenna placement may work for some stations and not for others
Note the locations or antenna positions and move the antenna based on what channel you want to view.
Some TV’s erase the channels on new scans and don’t allow for manual adding of channels so the viewer may have to scan each time they move the antenna.

10 to 15 miles from Shoreview

Same suggestions for indoor adjustment of the antenna as the 5 to 10 mile range apply.
An RF amp is generally what needs to be added if the signal is spotty.
Positioning is the critical factor in this range. One direction the antenna faces will often be better for VHF and another for UHF due to reflections.
Antennas in the apartments and homes with steel siding and stucco will encounter the most difficulty even with the RF amp.
Best results come with trying a lot of different positions, changing the antenna length and moving away from the indoor antenna while checking for signals.

15 to 20 miles from Shoreview

Indoor antennas become inconsistent and will require a considerable amount of adjustment to get them to work.
Different stations will likely require different antenna positions.
This distance will require an RF amp.
Antennas on interior walls in apartments and those in stucco and aluminum or steel sided homes generally do not work even with the RF amp.
At this range when viewer has inconsistent reception with an indoor antenna the best option if possible is a low to medium gain outdoor antenna. No amp is typically needed at this range with an outdoor antenna unless the antenna feed is split to more than two locations.
If possible the outdoor antenna is recommended at this range.
The antenna should point towards the stations transmitter.
Be at least 5 feet off the roof.
Be located with the shortest possible cable run to the TV.
Use quality RF coax such as RG6 Quad Shield.
Be sure connectors are weather tight
The antenna must be grounded.
If using a signal splitter remember that each time the signal is split the level is reduced by 50%.
A two way splitter cuts the signal to 50% of the original level.
A four way splitter cuts the signal to 25% of the original level.
If splitting the signal an amplified splitter may be needed.
Antennas always need to have both VHF and UHF capability.

20 to 30 miles from Shoreview

Most reliable reception is achieved with an outdoor antenna.
The antenna typically only needs to be 5 to 10 feet off the roof line.
If trees are high the antenna may need to be higher.
Typically a low to medium gain VHF and UHF antenna is all that is needed.
Position of antenna is critical to minimize reflections and to achieve the highest signal level.
The antenna should point towards the stations transmitter.
Be located with the shortest possible cable run to the TV.
Use quality RF coax such as RG6 Quad Shield.
Be sure connectors are weather tight
The antenna must be grounded.
If using a signal splitter remember that each time the signal is split the level is reduced by 50%.
A two way splitter cuts the signal to 50% of the original level.
A four way splitter cuts the signal to 25% of the original level.
An RF amp or amplified splitter may be required if feeding more than two TV sets or converter boxes from the one antenna.
In rare cases indoor antennas can provide some reception but the location of the antenna is critical and the indoor antenna always requires an RF amp.

30 to 40 miles from Shoreview

Outdoor rooftop antennas are required.
Antenna should have high gain at both VHF and UHF.
Antenna typically needs to be 10 to 20 feet off the roof top.
Position of antenna becomes more critical to avoid reflections and to obtain the highest signal level from the antenna.
The antenna should point towards the stations transmitter.
Be located with the shortest possible cable run to the TV.
Use quality RF coax such as RG6 Quad Shield.
Be sure connectors are weather tight
The antenna must be grounded.
If using a signal splitter remember that each time the signal is split the level is reduced by 50%.
A two way splitter cuts the signal to 50% of the original level.
A four way splitter cuts the signal to 25% of the original level.
An RF amp is often required due to attenuation from trees and reflections from man made objects.
An amplified splitter is generally needed if feeding more than two TV sets or converter boxes from the one antenna.

More than 40 miles from Shoreview

High to very high gain VHF UHF antenna is required based on distance from Shoreview.
As distances from Shoreview approach 60 miles separate VHF and UHF antennas that are combined on the antenna mast may be required.
Antennas generally need to be at least 30 feet above the roof line at 40 miles and as the distance away from Shoreview increase the antenna height must also increase. Typically at 60 miles the antenna will need to be 50 feet above the roof line and at 70 miles from Shoreview 60 feet or more is recommended.
The antenna should point towards the stations transmitter.
Be located with the shortest possible cable run to the TV.
Use quality RF coax such as RG6 Quad Shield.
Be sure connectors are weather tight
The antenna must be grounded.
If using a signal splitter remember that each time the signal is split the level is reduced by 50%.
A two way splitter cuts the signal to 50% of the original level.
A four way splitter cuts the signal to 25% of the original level.
RF amp is always required.
An amplified splitter is always required when feeding more than two TV sets or converter boxes.
Positioning is critical to minimize reflections and obtain optimum gain from the antenna and the lowest noise level from terrestrial interference.
Use of a RF meter is helpful to position the antenna for the best signal
Reception from an antenna over 90 miles from Shoreview is often not obtainable and the cost of antenna system that may not provide consistent reception is extremely high.

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