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Antenna questions

Hi, I have a roofmounted FM-only omnidirectional antenna. It works great except for one station (important to my wife) which suffers from multipath distortion/static, so I am looking to install a directional in it's place.

1. APS is mentioned here, but their website says the antennas are non-returnable. I think it's pretty important to be able to try the antenna in your attic before installing on the roof, and return if necessary! Does anyone sell these antennas with return privileges?

2. The Radio Shack website has a chart that shows specs for their various antennas. "FM Gain" is 2.2 on the largest of the their antennas, and only 1.0 on the antennas (including a directional FM-only) that I am considering. What is up with that? Aren't directional antennas also high-gain? Should I worry about it? Since signal strength isn't a problem, maybe just a unity-gain directional is enough?

Thanks for any ideas.
ehart

Showing 2 responses by tweed

tweed
25 posts
 
To answer some of Eric's other questions. Yes, The Winegard
is a serious antenna. I'm using the HD6065 with a Fanfare
FT-1A tuner and it works extremely well.

Get the antenna up as high as possible but be careful not
to get near power lines! (Where will the antenna and mast
fall if the wind blows it over?)

Also, if you live in area that is prone to thunderstorms,
you MUST ground the mast and line - and unplug it from your
tuner during bad weather.

As long as yoou are up on the roof, install a rotor (or
rotator). It can really make a difference and it's cool
watching your 10 foot antenna rotate ;-) I use a Channel
Master 9521A.

John.
tweed
25 posts
 
I wouldn't get too wound up in the spec's - they are all
good antennae and will serve you well. Buy what you can
afford. Get it up as high as you can. Use a rotor.

Happy listening.

John.
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