In alt.home.repair on Fri, 15 Aug 2003 19:19:46 -0400 "Colbyt"
posted:


Where can I purchase an inexpensive compass for doing this?

The compasses I've seen on the internet appear to indicate the following:

South: 0 degrees
West: 90 degrees
North: 180 degrees
East: 270 degrees

That seems strange. Have you tried turning your monitor upside down.

Is it possible to just look at my approximate location on a map and
estimate
the correct direction to point the antenna in, based upon the direction of
the particular stations the I use the most?

I think that is a good start, although the transmitter is very often
not at the same location as the studio.

I think you want someone at the tv watching, with an intercom (finally
something to use the speakerphone on your cordlss phone for) who can
look at all the stations each time you move the antenna a bit, and
find the best compromise.

Maybe if you are in Kansas there is nothing to cause a ghost in any
station, but I think most places there are tall buildings (don't have
to be as tall as the transmitter, just think think of a triangle
within bigger triangle with the same angles, with one corner in the
same place.) that can cause ghosts. Turning the antenna a bit may get
rid of them, or cause other improvements.

I had a rotator on one of attic antennas, which I used for years, and
unless it was bad and could be made good, rotating seemed like a lot
of work each time I watched a different station. I ended up leaving
it in one place. Of course all my hard to get stations were in or
near DC, about 40 or 50 miles from my house, so they were all in
roughly the same direction.



I think I paid $2 for a 360 degree one at Wally World (Wal*Mart).

I agree. What could a cheap compass do? Point north but not quite
north?

If it only has a needle, where else could the magnet be? Maybe if it
a whole circle they could somehow assemble it wrong.

Anyhow you can verify it by gettting away from steel buildings,
determining which direction north is, and seeing what the compass
says. Even before you buy it, you can check them out. They have to
be separated, maybe a foot apart. But if 4 point in one direction and
1 points in another, don't buy the one.

You can do this before you buy a thermometer or an sand-filled egg
timer too.

Visit the site dicko posted, if you know your zip code you are done.



Meirman

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