Since we are discussing tv, what is the correct way to point a
conventional TV antenna? I have been going on with this between
several people and no one agrees.


_+++\\\\\\_
+++//////

Ok, here's a picture (sort of) of the antenna. The small arrows on
the left are the UHF, the Large arrows are the VHF. If I want to
receive a station directly North, should the small arrows (UHF end) or
the large arrows (VHF end) point toward the north? Some people said
the arrow shape of the antenna should point toward the station, others
say it's supposed to be pointed away so the signal is caught inside
the arrow. Who is right?

By the way, I have tried ot both ways. My nearest station is 55 miles
away, so reception is not the greatest either way, but it seems that
as long as EITHER end is pointed toward the station, it works pretty
well. If neigher end points toward the station, I get nothing.
However, there must be a "correct" end to point toward the station.
(or maybe no one has ever agreed) ????

By the way, I found a website that said the smaller element should
point toward the station, but does that mean the smaller VHF element
or are they including the UHF elements which are smaller yet?
(Why dont they just have a picture instead of trying to explain it).

Mark

The left end of your diagram should point toward the station. Just
look around your neighboorhood. Every time I look, like 95+% of them
are pointed the same way.

caught inside the arrow. think of the shape of the arrows as a dish to
recieve the signal.

wrote in message
...
Since we are discussing tv, what is the correct way to point a
conventional TV antenna? I have been going on with this between
several people and no one agrees.


_+++\\\\\\_
+++//////

Ok, here's a picture (sort of) of the antenna. The small arrows on
the left are the UHF, the Large arrows are the VHF. If I want to
receive a station directly North, should the small arrows (UHF end) or
the large arrows (VHF end) point toward the north? Some people said
the arrow shape of the antenna should point toward the station, others
say it's supposed to be pointed away so the signal is caught inside
the arrow. Who is right?

By the way, I have tried ot both ways. My nearest station is 55 miles
away, so reception is not the greatest either way, but it seems that
as long as EITHER end is pointed toward the station, it works pretty
well. If neigher end points toward the station, I get nothing.
However, there must be a "correct" end to point toward the station.
(or maybe no one has ever agreed) ????

By the way, I found a website that said the smaller element should
point toward the station, but does that mean the smaller VHF element
or are they including the UHF elements which are smaller yet?
(Why dont they just have a picture instead of trying to explain it).

Mark

wrote:

The left end of your diagram should point toward the station. Just
look around your neighboorhood. Every time I look, like 95+% of them
are pointed the same way.

I doubt I could find an outdoor TV antenna in our neighborhood. Just
about everybody (except me) has cable.

--
The e-mail address in our reply-to line is reversed in an attempt to
minimize spam. Our true address is of the form .

The small elements on a Yagi point towards the transmitter.
Another way to look at it is to look for the elements that actually
connect to the 300ohm twin-lead- these elements should be as far from
the transmitter as possible.

Dave

Here's a good site that will help you.
http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx

wrote:
Since we are discussing tv, what is the correct way to point a
conventional TV antenna? I have been going on with this between
several people and no one agrees.


_+++\\\\\\_
+++//////

Ok, here's a picture (sort of) of the antenna. The small arrows on
the left are the UHF, the Large arrows are the VHF. If I want to
receive a station directly North, should the small arrows (UHF end) or
the large arrows (VHF end) point toward the north? Some people said
the arrow shape of the antenna should point toward the station, others
say it's supposed to be pointed away so the signal is caught inside
the arrow. Who is right?

By the way, I have tried ot both ways. My nearest station is 55 miles
away, so reception is not the greatest either way, but it seems that
as long as EITHER end is pointed toward the station, it works pretty
well. If neigher end points toward the station, I get nothing.
However, there must be a "correct" end to point toward the station.
(or maybe no one has ever agreed) ????

By the way, I found a website that said the smaller element should
point toward the station, but does that mean the smaller VHF element
or are they including the UHF elements which are smaller yet?
(Why dont they just have a picture instead of trying to explain it).

Mark


Performance is the only thing that counts. But.
the standard ways is the shorter elements are at
the front and the longer elements are at the rear.
The front is the part of the antenna that is
closest to the station. If countryside is open
with no interference from hills, trees, houses,
etc., the best reception will be obtained by the
front pointing to the stations. Any interference
and the the antenna may perform best when pointed
several degrees from dead on. In the case of a
huge reflector (trees, building, mountain, etc.)
in the opposite direction from the station,
turning the antenna around may provide superior
performance.

If the stations are all in the same general
direction, just tune the tv to the weakest station
and rotate the antenna until you get the best
picture.

How many stations do you receive? If there are only a few the antenna
can be custom built to maximize reception on those frequencies. Read
the ARRL antenna book for lengths, spacing for different channels. The
antenna will need to be as high as you can possibly get it.
Richard

George E. Cawthon wrote:
wrote:
Since we are discussing tv, what is the correct way to point a
conventional TV antenna? I have been going on with this between
several people and no one agrees.


_+++\\\\\\_
+++//////

Ok, here's a picture (sort of) of the antenna. The small arrows on
the left are the UHF, the Large arrows are the VHF. If I want to
receive a station directly North, should the small arrows (UHF end) or
the large arrows (VHF end) point toward the north? Some people said
the arrow shape of the antenna should point toward the station, others
say it's supposed to be pointed away so the signal is caught inside
the arrow. Who is right?

By the way, I have tried ot both ways. My nearest station is 55 miles
away, so reception is not the greatest either way, but it seems that
as long as EITHER end is pointed toward the station, it works pretty
well. If neigher end points toward the station, I get nothing.
However, there must be a "correct" end to point toward the station.
(or maybe no one has ever agreed) ????

By the way, I found a website that said the smaller element should
point toward the station, but does that mean the smaller VHF element
or are they including the UHF elements which are smaller yet?
(Why dont they just have a picture instead of trying to explain it).

Mark


Performance is the only thing that counts. But.
the standard ways is the shorter elements are at
the front and the longer elements are at the rear.
The front is the part of the antenna that is
closest to the station. If countryside is open
with no interference from hills, trees, houses,
etc., the best reception will be obtained by the
front pointing to the stations. Any interference
and the the antenna may perform best when pointed
several degrees from dead on. In the case of a
huge reflector (trees, building, mountain, etc.)
in the opposite direction from the station,
turning the antenna around may provide superior
performance.

If the stations are all in the same general
direction, just tune the tv to the weakest station
and rotate the antenna until you get the best
picture.

On Fri, 30 Dec 2005 17:20:29 GMT, CJT wrote:

wrote:

The left end of your diagram should point toward the station. Just
look around your neighboorhood. Every time I look, like 95+% of them
are pointed the same way.

I doubt I could find an outdoor TV antenna in our neighborhood. Just
about everybody (except me) has cable.

I was just thinking the same thing. I started thinking which neighbor
has an antenna, and I dont recall seeing any. This is a very rural
area, and I think almost everyone has satellite dishes (no cable
available). And then, there are my Amish neighbors whose children
love to come over here to get a peek at my tv, and to them even the
commercials are exciting....

On 30 Dec 2005 15:18:49 -0800, "spudnuty" wrote:

How many stations do you receive? If there are only a few the antenna
can be custom built to maximize reception on those frequencies. Read
the ARRL antenna book for lengths, spacing for different channels. The
antenna will need to be as high as you can possibly get it.
Richard

George E. Cawthon wrote:
wrote:
Since we are discussing tv, what is the correct way to point a
conventional TV antenna? I have been going on with this between
several people and no one agrees.


_+++\\\\\\_
+++//////

Ok, here's a picture (sort of) of the antenna. The small arrows on
the left are the UHF, the Large arrows are the VHF. If I want to
receive a station directly North, should the small arrows (UHF end) or
the large arrows (VHF end) point toward the north? Some people said
the arrow shape of the antenna should point toward the station, others
say it's supposed to be pointed away so the signal is caught inside
the arrow. Who is right?

By the way, I have tried ot both ways. My nearest station is 55 miles
away, so reception is not the greatest either way, but it seems that
as long as EITHER end is pointed toward the station, it works pretty
well. If neigher end points toward the station, I get nothing.
However, there must be a "correct" end to point toward the station.
(or maybe no one has ever agreed) ????

By the way, I found a website that said the smaller element should
point toward the station, but does that mean the smaller VHF element
or are they including the UHF elements which are smaller yet?
(Why dont they just have a picture instead of trying to explain it).

Mark


Performance is the only thing that counts. But.
the standard ways is the shorter elements are at
the front and the longer elements are at the rear.
The front is the part of the antenna that is
closest to the station. If countryside is open
with no interference from hills, trees, houses,
etc., the best reception will be obtained by the
front pointing to the stations. Any interference
and the the antenna may perform best when pointed
several degrees from dead on. In the case of a
huge reflector (trees, building, mountain, etc.)
in the opposite direction from the station,
turning the antenna around may provide superior
performance.

If the stations are all in the same general
direction, just tune the tv to the weakest station
and rotate the antenna until you get the best
picture.

I bet I could get the best reception in the area if I had the nerve to
climb to the top of my 90 foot silo. But I dont !!!!
Besides, I'd need to run coax about 160 feet to the house, so I'd lose
what I gain in all that cable.

Thanks to all that replied. I have been running it backwards, I'll
have to spin it in the morning. I have an economy rotor. Thats an
old bearing on the bottom of the mast, welded to a bracket and a vice
grips for spinning it from the ground level. My indicator is the
pencil marks on the bracket. My locking device is a pipe hanger with
a nut and bolt in the center. Yep, hi-tech, but it works

I was just thinking the same thing. I started thinking which neighbor
has an antenna, and I dont recall seeing any. This is a very rural
area, and I think almost everyone has satellite dishes (no cable
available). And then, there are my Amish neighbors whose children
love to come over here to get a peek at my tv, and to them even the
commercials are exciting....

I haven't had a TV in ten years, and when I do see TV, I find it interesting
that the quality of the shows is so incredibly low, and that the quaility of
the ads is so high. Sad commentary perhaps!

Sounds like you got the satellite blues, as AC/DC would say.

http://launch.yahoo.com/video/default.asp?vid=2138619

Tim and Steph wrote:

I was just thinking the same thing. I started thinking which neighbor
has an antenna, and I dont recall seeing any. This is a very rural
area, and I think almost everyone has satellite dishes (no cable
available). And then, there are my Amish neighbors whose children
love to come over here to get a peek at my tv, and to them even the
commercials are exciting....


I haven't had a TV in ten years, and when I do see TV, I find it interesting
that the quality of the shows is so incredibly low, and that the quaility of
the ads is so high. Sad commentary perhaps!


I'll probably join you once they obsolete my sets. There's very little
(or, I'm guessing, nothing) on TV I couldn't do without, especially the
current programming.

The one thing I might miss is the PBS News Hour.

--
The e-mail address in our reply-to line is reversed in an attempt to
minimize spam. Our true address is of the form .

Mikepier wrote:
Here's a good site that will help you.
http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx

They want your name, address, ZIP code, email address telephone number, and
Lord knows what else so they can convince you, ultimately, to get Direct TV.

Screw 'em.

wrote:
Since we are discussing tv, what is the correct way to point a
conventional TV antenna? I have been going on with this between
several people and no one agrees.


_+++\\\\\\_
+++//////

Ok, here's a picture (sort of) of the antenna. The small arrows on
the left are the UHF, the Large arrows are the VHF. If I want to
receive a station directly North, should the small arrows (UHF end) or
the large arrows (VHF end) point toward the north? Some people said
the arrow shape of the antenna should point toward the station, others
say it's supposed to be pointed away so the signal is caught inside
the arrow. Who is right?

By the way, I have tried ot both ways. My nearest station is 55 miles
away, so reception is not the greatest either way, but it seems that
as long as EITHER end is pointed toward the station, it works pretty
well. If neigher end points toward the station, I get nothing.
However, there must be a "correct" end to point toward the station.
(or maybe no one has ever agreed) ????

By the way, I found a website that said the smaller element should
point toward the station, but does that mean the smaller VHF element
or are they including the UHF elements which are smaller yet?
(Why dont they just have a picture instead of trying to explain it).

Small end toward the transmitter. The big end will act as a minimal
reflector for the UHF stations.

Reversed, the big end will shield signals from getting to the UHF elements.

Satellite TV has much better porn than does the over-the-air stations,
though.

On Sat, 31 Dec 2005 18:52:48 -0600, "HeyBub"
wrote:

Mikepier wrote:
Here's a good site that will help you.
http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx

They want your name, address, ZIP code, email address telephone number, and
Lord knows what else so they can convince you, ultimately, to get Direct TV.

Screw 'em.


There's an easy solution to that.....
You know that asshole who sold you that lemon car a few years back.
Use his name and address....

On Sat, 31 Dec 2005 18:52:48 -0600, "HeyBub"
wrote:

Mikepier wrote:
Here's a good site that will help you.
http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx

They want your name, address, ZIP code, email address telephone number, and
Lord knows what else so they can convince you, ultimately, to get Direct TV.


Although you don't have to enter anything but a ZIP. No cookies are
required (although you do need to enable Javascript).

Screw 'em.


Got a better site?
--
Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com

"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what
to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb
contesting the vote." - Benjamin Franklin

wrote:

Mark

have you thought about satellite?

it's pretty competitive

if you have a view to the southern sky you can get
womens mud wrestling on tv

I bet I could get the best reception in the area if I had the nerve to
climb to the top of my 90 foot silo. But I dont !!!!
Besides, I'd need to run coax about 160 feet to the house, so I'd lose
what I gain in all that cable.

It you can put an antenna up 90', go for it.

Use RG-6 (quad shielded) cable and the losses will not be unreasonable.
You can even consider going to RG-11 (special order) or putting an antenna
mounted amplifier up there.

We are lucky: we are about 40 miles (as the crow flies) to the nearest TV
stations and the roof top antenna is "gud enuf." We get the "local" news
of the three nearest cities (Richmond, VA, Washington, DC, Baltimore, MD).
That would not happen with a dish. The disk would cost over $400/year.
My antenna installtion (DIY) totaled less than $200 and that was 7 years
ago.

When there is nothing good on, I just go into the bedroom and read.

BTW: on occasion I have picked up Philadelphia, PA.