If you have started here, I suggest you go to our Antenna Home Page.
Before you leave the KYES site, You might want to see my comments on the CEA receiving antenna site.
GENERAL COMMENTS:
- The CEA software does not account for ghosting (multipath). They will suggest "multidirectional" antennas which is almost always a poor choice. Also, they suggest use of amplifiers. Amplifiers often degrade, not help.
- How it works: The CEA site looks at your address, gets geographic coordinates, looks at a list of FCC licensed full service and LPTV/Translator stations, grabs terrain data, then applies wave propagation formulas to predict signal strength at your home and displays direction from your home to the transmitter.
- The CEA site works in US only, probably Puerto Rico as well.... though I haven't tested that.
- Other comments:The colors used makes it difficult to see signal strength results from this site, but you can still make out the directions of stations from your location. If you have a lot of stations, the results are cluttered. Still, it is better than nothing.
- I have checked the CEA antenna site for accuracy in a few locations. Where terrain obstruction is not a factor (between your receive location and the TV transmitter) the results seem reasonably accurate, otherwise, the results may not be accurate.
- Interference is frequently a factor, but is not considered here. See our section on interference, or the FCC handbook on interference.
- If you stack a bunch of antennas close together, they results are unpredictable. Minimum spacing is 1/2 wavelength. See this on stacking.
- Last: I wish the CEA site showed you numerical signal strength results, but they hide them.
- Titan TV: Another, competing site is Titantv, which makes you sign up, log in, and slog through menus before you get their not better (but different) antenna recommendations. I'd say it is hardly worth it, but it might help you to get a second opinion. I tried it for my home. One station they predicted as "excellent" reception can hardly be seen at my location due to terrain obstruction, while they dumped my main transmitter from the list, although I should be able to pick it up fine at home. This kind of problem could be expected in rugged terrain, such as ours.
FOR ANCHORAGE RESIDENTS - AND KYES IN PARTICULAR:
- Kenai: Translators are run by a consortium of all stations. Look on at the top of the antenna home page for more info. A contact will be posted shortly. If you see problems with our channel 6 in Kenai-Soldotna, Link to this page scroll down, look me up, Jeremy Lansman, and send me a message. Thanks. .
- If you are located at a place where KYES is shadowed by mountains, such as Rabbit Creek or the Hay Flats, results were optimistic. Now you can look for channel 29, our Mt. Susitna translator.
- If you live on the Hillside, Palmer and Old Glenn-Hayflat area, Potter Marsh area, Goldenview on Rabbit Creek Road try our new transmitter KYEX Ch. 29 on Mount Susitna or the new Channel 12 from Grubstake. If your TV is in Cable TV mode you will find 29 on channel 80. KYEX has a very good signal over most of Anchorage, the Eagle River Valley and Mat-Su. You may need a medium quality UHF antenna to get very good pictures. We also have a very low power channel 14 transmitting from our studio roof.
- The CEA site lists all licensed Anchorage stations, full and low power (except 14 and 29, see our data page). Many listed UHF stations transmit scrambled UHF signals. Try to focus on the stations you actually want to see.
- Directional antennas always produce superior images if the antenna points at the station! If stations are in several different directions, as in some of the Anchorage Bowl, consider using an antenna rotator. It slows down channel surfing, but quality will vastly improve when the antenna is correctly pointed.
- You can email me to request advice. Best if you leave a phone number and good time to call.
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