best preamp for a winegard hd- 9032 uhf antenna?

Question

best preamp for a winegard hd- 9032 uhf antenna?

Answer 1

The first and most important step when considering an RF preamplifier is to determine if replacing the existing antenna with a new (higher performance) antenna would accomplish the same or similar results without the use of a preamplifier. If you are absolutely certain that you have properly installed the best antenna and related hardware for your site—and you continue to experience difficulty receiving OTA DTV broadcasts—then please read on. (Please keep in mind that without knowing where you live and how your antenna is installed it is impossible for someone other than yourself to determine if your current antenna is installed properly and is the best choice for your site.)



If you are roughly within what is referred to as a “Near Fringe” or farther reception sensitivity classification and you need (or want) to use a low-noise RF preamplifier then you will need to take every necessary precaution to minimize RF electromagnetic noise and interference from reaching your antenna preamplifier; preamplifiers will amplify not only the desired signal but also undesirable signals as well as noise. In addition, all RF preamplifiers contribute their own noise (some more than others,) which must be taken into consideration, especially when dealing with OTA digital television signals.



To help ensure the least amount of noise and interference you need to make every effort to mount your antenna as high as possible and away from surfaces that are capable of strongly reflecting RF signals in the digital television band (though in very rare circumstances nearby reflecting surfaces have been known to be beneficial with some signals.) Also, whenever you are using a directional antenna such as the WInegard HD-9032 it is very important that you aim it properly for each TV station’s signal that you want to receive. When using directional antennas if the TV transmitters in your area are widely spread across the horizon you will need to use an antenna rotator or multiple antennas if you wish to receive as many stations as possible.



One of the most important steps to help ensure that noise is minimized is to use the absolute highest quality, highest performance 75Ω coaxial cable and connectors for your antenna downlead. For this I highly recommend spending a little extra in order to use Belden’s nonpareil RG-6/U or RG-11/U Tri-Shield coaxial cable, part numbers 1694A and 7731A, respectively. A good source for the Belden RG-6 and RG-11 Tri-Shield coaxial cable is Blue Jeans Cable. (When installing coaxial cabling outdoors always be sure to use coaxial connectors rated for weather-tight outdoor use and always use plenty of waterproof, weather-resistant cable sealant and/or sealant tape. Note: do not use rubber silicone sealant. Also minimize tension on your antenna downlead and always adhere to the coaxial cable manufacturer’s bend-radius recommendations.)



The next important step is to ensure that you have a very good, low-resistance earth ground and that the shielding on your cabling as well as all equipment chassis are properly grounded. To reiterate what I said earlier, you want to minimize or, better yet, avoid amplifying the electromagnetic noise and interference that is present.



When it comes to high performance, mast-mounted low-noise VHF/UHF preamplifiers there are currently three standout choices (listed in descending order of both performance and price): the HDTV preamplifiers from Research Communications* (e.g. their Type 9261 preamplifier is the most appropriate model for UHF-only DTV broadcasts in the United States,) Antennas Direct Model CPA-19 and Channel Master models CM-7777 and CM-7778. *(Note: for U.S. residents the preamplifiers from Research Communications, though superior to virtually all other VHF/UHF preamplifiers, will cost approximately US$200 shipped - or roughly two-to-three times the cost of the units from Antennas Direct and Channel Master, respectively.)



Finally, before you commit to purchasing a UHF antenna preamplifier I strongly encourage you to carefully read through the informative OTA FAQ & Knowledge Base on the Digital Home Forum Website as well as the TV Signal Analysis FAQ on the excellent TV Fool Website, both of which I’ve provided links below.



######################## RESOURCES ########################



Digital Home Forum

– OTA FAQ & Knowledge Base

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=41102&pp=30

– Signal Amplifiers (Amps, Preamps, Distro Amps)

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=42426&pp=30

________________________



Antennas Direct CPA-19 ClearStream Pre-Amplifier Kit

http://www.antennasdirect.com/antenna_amplifier.html

Antennas Direct Introduces CPA-19 Pre-amplifier

http://news.antennasdirect.com/prmanager/press-releases-detail.asp?id=100



Channel Master Amplifiers and Preamplifiers

http://www.channelmaster.com/productm.php?catmID=25



Research Communications, Ltd. - High Performance HDTV Preamplifiers

TYPE 9261 HDTV PREAMPLIFIER (470 - 700 MHz; Channels 14 through 51)

http://www.researchcomms.com/hdtv.html



################## ADDITIONAL RESOURCES ##################



TV Fool

– Mapping Tools: Google Earth Coverage Maps and Interactive TV Coverage Browser

http://www.tvfool.com

– TV Signal Analysis FAQ

http://www.tvfool.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=57&Itemid=89



RabbitEars

http://www.rabbitears.info



Better than AntennaWeb - How to use the site 2150.com

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7625830#post7625830

________________________



Fix Reception Problems

http://www.dtv.gov/fixreception.html



As Analog Shutdown Nears, Antenna Reality Emerges

http://www.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?action=cpt&urlID=29040747&url=http://broadcastengineering.com/RF/analog-shutdown-nears-antenna-reality-emerges-0609/index.html&showBibliography=Y



[PDF] New Research Sheds Light on Major Glitch in the DTV Transition

http://www.centris.com/ContentPages/9/Page361/12.08%20-%20DTV%20Glitch%20PR.pdf



TVTechnology

– Antennas for DTV Reception

http://www.tvtechnology.com/article/printableView.aspx?contentid=11584

– Solving VHF DTV Reception Problems

http://www.tvtechnology.com/article/printableView.aspx?contentid=79862



[PDF] Solving TV Reception Problems

http://rapidshare.com/files/201366511/TVRECEPE_-_Solving_TV_Reception_Problems.pdf



[PDF] Thin Air: ATSC Reception Isn’t Always Easy

http://www.edn.com/contents/images/6656302.pdf

Brian Dipert’s “Thin-Air ATSC (And NTSC)” Articles

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&num=100&aq=f&lr=lang_en&as_occt=title&q=site:edn.com+%22Thin-Air+ATSC+(And+NTSC)%22



HDTVexpert

– Digital TV Reception

http://www.hdtvexpert.com/pages/receptionpf.htm

– DTV Reception Out On The Fringe

http://www.hdtvexpert.com/pages_b/ReceptionOnTheFringe.html



Ultra Satellite & Antenna Voodoo (USAV) - Off-Air FAQ

http://www.ultrasatellite.com/category-s/15.htm



DTV Antenna Resources (Periodically updated and revised as needed)

http://docs.google.com/View?id=dhpmqnbb_15f5t9j3gb



A/V Science (AVS) Forum

– HDTV Technical

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=25

– The Official AVS Antenna Topic!

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=381623&pp=60

– Antennas, rotators, boosters/preamps... for wide-band VHF/UHF

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=546066&pp=60



HDTV Primer

– Erecting a TV Antenna

http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ISSUES/erecting_antenna.html

– Antenna Basics

http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/basics.html

– How Big Should the Antenna Be?

http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/sizing.html

– Comparing Some Commercially Available Antennas

http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/comparing.html

– It doesn’t work! Now what?

http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/fixes.html



[PDF] Belden Coaxial Cable Catalog

http://www.belden.com/pdfs/03Belden_Master_Catalog/06Coaxial_Cables/06Coaxial_Cables.pdf



Analog/Digital RF TV Cables at Blue Jeans Cable

http://www.bluejeanscable.com/store/rf/index.htm

________________________



Grounding Satellite Dish and Lead-In Cables

http://www.mikeholt.com/mojonewsarchive/GB-HTML/HTML/GroundingSatelliteDishandLead-InCables~20020303.htm

Article 810 – Radio and Television Equipment from Mike Holt’s textbook “Understanding the 2005 NEC, Volume 2”

http://www.mikeholt.com/newsletters.php?action=display&letterID=220

 

Answer 2

Best Antenna Preamplifier

Answer 3

In my attic I installed this preamplifier as in this order: 1. ClearStream™ 4 Ultra Long Range Outdoor DTV Antenna in Attic , 2. Wineguard LNA-200 Boost XT Digital HDTV preamplifier, 3. USB power inserter and 4. splitter (8way Distribution Amplifier). I now get 63 channels and 10 FM channels with the ClearStream™ 4 Ultra Long Range Outdoor DTV Antenna in Attic. Before adding a preamplifier I was only getting 12 stations that are about 35 miles away.



Note: I originally had used Antennas Direct PA18 UHF/VHF Antenna Pre-Amplifier Kit, but I returned it after this Winegard preamplifier out performed it. This Boost XT preamplifier has a built-in FM trap that attenuates FM signal so that it does not interfere with digital TV channels. This winegard has Gain 20 dB L-VHF, 15 dB H-VHF, 18 dB UHF and the Antennas Direct has gain18.6 dB VHF/15.4 dB UHF gain.



Please note that Cable Splitters can not be installed between the preamplifier and the power inserter. It they are in the wrong place, they will kill all signals as the splitters will block the preamplifier's operating power which will turn it into the equivalent of a brick.



This preamplifier consists of preamplifier, power inserter, 3’ USB cable, 110 V wall adapter, one zip tie, and two weather boots. The preamplifier is mounted on the antenna boom or on the mast as CLOSE TO THE ANTENNA AS POSSIBLE. The power inserter is mounted indoors before the splitters. The preamplifier is located as close as possible to the antenna feed point because the weak received signal must be amplified before it loses signal going through the coaxial cable, and also before it can be subjected to interference from sources between the antenna and the receiver. Preamplifiers mounted farther from the antenna usually amplify (magnify) the interference along with the signal.



By adding an antenna preamplifier to your antenna system, you can effectively boost available antenna signals often weakened by long coaxial cable runs or multiple television sets. A preamplifier can also be used to improve incoming signals from distant VHF/UHF. The preamplifier will boost the signal received by the antenna, making it much stronger by the time it reaches your TV set. It also helps to maintain the strength of the signal as it travels through coaxial cable. Signals received by your TV antenna become weaker as they travel through coax cable and the longer the journey, the weaker the signal becomes.

If your local broadcast stations are not transmitting strong signals, or you don’t live near the broadcast stations, a preamplifier is almost a necessity if you want to receive a clear signal by the time it reaches your television.



This is such a great preamplifier and so very easy to install.



http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DQN3R9O/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00DQN3R9O&linkCode=as2&tag=taylorfresh-20&linkId=KEWALOQUOGI6C7PT

Answer 4

Depends on where you live. There are very few analog vhf stations on the air and not that many uhf ones in most parts of the country. The weird fact is that only about 1/3 rd of the TV stations went digital. That includes all major networks and their partners, but all the school, religious and local news stations still transmit in analog. In some areas, PBS still simulcasts in both analog and digital.

Answer 5

Winegard Hd-9032