New to OTA reception

[xavier276]

I've recently grown tired of paying comcast to watch only the local channels that I can receive for free over the air. I am trying to determine which antenna setup would allow me to receive all of the digital channels in my area.
I've gone out to antennaweb.org and found the following stations that are available. I'm really only interested in the channels that fall between 257 and 307 on the Compass.

Type CallSign Channel Network Compass Miles Frequency
yellow - uhf WJFB-DT 44.1 IND 75° 7.9 44
yellow - uhf WKRN-DT 2.1 ABC 257° 18.3 27
yellow - uhf WNPT-DT 8.1 PBS 257° 18.3 46
yellow - uhf WHTN-DT 39.1 CTN 120° 5.2 38
yellow - uhf WTVF-DT 5.1 CBS 307° 18.5 56
yellow - uhf WUXP-DT 30.1 MNT 305° 18.6 21
yellow - uhf WZTV-DT 17.1 FOX 305° 18.6 15
green - vhf WSMV-DT 4.1 NBC 277° 19.6 10
green - uhf WNAB-DT 58.1 CW 305° 18.6 23
red - uhf WNPX-DT 28.1 ION 305° 18.6 36

After looking at the channel list, the one channel that I think is going to be an issue is WSMV-DT 4.1 that is VHF.

I submitted this information into the antenna selector at this site, and this is what they recommended for attic installation feeding 3 televisions with some fairly long runs to the TV's

Terrestrial Digital DB4 UHF HDTV Antenna (DB4)
DS-3000 39 Inch J-Mount
Channel Master CM 7777 Titan2 VHF/UHF Preamplifier
Channel Master CM 3044 22dB Four Output Indoor Distribution Amplifier

From what i've read the DB4 is a UHF only antenna, is that antenna going to be able to receive a low frequency VHF signal strongly? And am I going to need to get both a powered preamp and a powered distrubtion amp to feed the 3 TV's in this house?

[carrottop432]

Wow, these forums seems to be fairly inactive. I must say that I just stumbled upon them today! I'm guessing that you've already found the answer to your question by now, but since nobody else replied, I might as well take a stab at it! LOL.

If you're wanting to get 4.1, that antenna isn't gonna do it. There is a small chance you could luck up and pull it in, but my money is riding on "no". My recommendation, if you really want that channel as well as others, would be to get a combo antenna (UHF/VHF). Try to find one that's not highly directional, but you may still have trouble pulling in all the channels with a single fixed direction. My personal preference would be to get the biggest, most highly directional antenna I could afford, but that'd probably be overkill for your situation! If you can't get all your favorite channels without turning the antenna, a rotator will fix you up, but that's more aggravation. An antenna like the Winegard 7210 should do fine for you, since you're not too horribly distant from the towers. I'd go with something a little larger depending on mounting location and terrain, but definitely no smaller.

As for the distribution box and preamp, I'd say definitely grab a distribution box if you have several sets and long runs in the house (channel master 7777 is a great box... I love mine), but I don't think the preamp would be quite necessary.

*EDIT: I meant channel master 3044, not 7777. The 7777 is a preamp, the 3044 is the distribution box. too many numbers!!! AAHH!

Hope this helps.