newbie question about OTA HDTV Reception in St. Pete area

[tnc9999]

Well, I just joined this forum yesterday so I'm about as new as new can be. I was hoping to get some feedback from anyone familiar with OTA HDTV reception in the old northeast area of St. Pete. I live pretty much on Riviera Bay and I was wondering if I am going to need outdoor antennas or can I get most (better yet - ALL) of the Tampa HDTV stations with an indoor antenna. If I have to go with the outdoor approach, has anyone had experience with installing just ONE high quality VHF/UHF antenna with an antenna rotator (for example : a Channel Master 3769 VHF/UHF antenna with a 9521A Rotator system)??? As I understand it, most of the HDTV broadcast originate from Riverview but I think some come from a different direction. I know this stuff has been discussed a thousand times on this site before but I would REALLY appreciate it if somebody could tell me the exact location for all the local HDTV stations. It's all pretty overwhelming at first.

Thanks in advance for any replies.

Tom

[OccamMD]

you actually have a pretty unobstructed view of the antenna farm. I would try to use an indoor silver sensor and see how you do. Without actually seeing your house and surroundings it is hard to tell. I have a channel master UHF/VHF on a CM rotator. It works very well, but it is kind of a nuisance turning the antenna whenever I want to watch CBS. If it is just me then no prob, but with wife and kids it makes it tough for them.

I could not find the 3769 antenna on the channel master web site so I am not sure which one you meant. Lowe's sells channel master. You can easily get one of those to work for you I would think. It kind of depends upon the local obstructions around your house.

[teampozer]

Welcome! I'm in NE St. Pete as well. I have an outdoor mast with a UHF Yagi about midway up and a multi-directional disc on the top. Lately I've found myself switching between the two depending on the weather but I'd like to find some kind of happy medium. Receiving WB 38 is a bitch because of low broadcast power but the rest of the Tampa signals seem to come in quite well. A rotor may not be necessary. If you've got a good antenna, simply pointing it to the NE should allow you to hit all the Riverview signals plus channel 10 from Pasco County.

[tnc9999]

Thanks to both folks for the prompt reply. Boy, this is a great website! Hats off to you Jaymer!

Sorry about the 3769 - I meant the Crossfire 3679! I also did discover that Lowes carries the 'Advantage' line of CM antennas so I am now looking at the 3016 or the 3018.

Having done some further research after my first post, I think I can possibly do it without a rotator. I am about 20 miles southeast of Riverview and it is mostly across the water. I am about 28 miles south of Holiday so the distances in either case are not too bad. If I point the antenna between the 2 (ie: North-Northeast) and the antenna beamwidth is not too narrow, I may be able to pull everything in with a fixed installation.

I guess I am fortunate in one respect in that I am a HAM Radio operator so, if I REALLY want to get crazy, I can put some antennas on top of my 60 foot HAM tower in my back yard!! Following a discussion with my wife, I am sure of one thing: whatever antenna I decide on, it will be outside and NOT inside. After the long fought battle of getting her to agree to the HAM tower in the first place, she has definately decided that antennas belong OUTDOORS and OUTDOORS only!

Thanks again to all who responded to my post!

Tom

[OccamMD]

Outside is best anyway. If you have a tower I would think it best to point the 3016 to riverview and get a UHF for Holiday (Tarpon). I hate combiners for signal purity, but with the signal you have it shouldn't be an issue. You might need a trap so you don't reflections when you combine.

Go to antennaweb.org and get your exact positions. This should let you know if you can point at both simultaneously. It might be marginal to do so.