Antennae
Posted at 11:27 am on Monday, July 13, 2009, in Technology, and tagged antenna, tv.
This bad boy is sitting on my roof, and has been since last fall…1
It’s called the Clearstream 42 and has a range of “up to 65 miles.” With this thing on my roof, I can pick up 5 channels. Two of them are the same. Three of them are PBS. The last comes in rarely. None are the major channels I need. Although my house is 20 miles from Sutro Tower — the radiowave emitting tower in San Francisco — I cannot pick up any of those signals. All my signals come from the North Bay, either Napa or Cotati. This upsets me.
This is how Google Earth renders Sutro Tower (with the City in the background; looking northeast)…
All of the major signals in the bay area (including radio) are emitted from Sutro Tower, except for NBC, which is inconveniently based out of San Jose.
I have convinced myself that all I need to really do is get the antenna higher, over my neighbor’s roofline, but honestly, I am not all that sure. A ridge or two may also be blocking my view, and based on my research, I need a clear view — direct line of sight — of the emitting tower, and I just don’t know if that is possible. I could realign my antenna and face it due eastward, and look to capture the Sacramento stations, but that is likely too far.
In order for my master plan to work — to eliminate my cable tv bill3 — I need only the locals, the alphabet soup: PBS, CBS, ABC, FOX, NBC (although NBC may be impossible). The signal will be better. The cost will be better. And our lives will be better.
I am heading back up to my roof to figure this thing out. If I need an antenna pole, so be it. If I’m the only house in the neighborhood with an antenna, so be it. (As long as I do not have one of the window A/C units, my elite status, or strive for elite status, will not be shattered). I want my free MTV. But not MTV, because that won’t be available. But ABC and NBC will be. But not NBC, because that is based out of San Jose, which is a little too far.
Notes- I put it together myself. ↩
- The instructions for this antenna include the following warnings: Do not attempt to install if drunk, pregnant or both. Do not eat antenna. Do not throw antenna at spouse. ↩
- I currently have the basic of the basic plans for cable tv, something like 30 channels or so, but a bunch are Spanish, Chinese, shopping, religious and local access, so in reality, I have 10 or 15 good channels, but these are actually the only channels I want, and most of them are available over the air. My basic bill is $22. ↩
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