[mythtv-users] Antenna and signal strength

Yan Seiner yan at seiner.com
Sun Feb 19 14:41:14 UTC 2006


I am finally ready to do some recording....  But it seems that my signal 
comes and goes.

Sometimes the channels come in crystal clear, at other times I get 
digital breakup (the image tiles heavily).

Since I live in an urban area with stations in close proximity (most of 
my stations are within 5-8 miles) I suspect that my antenna is the 
culprit.  This is not surprising, since the antenna is a highly 
directional yagi that someone was going to throw away, so I got it for 
free, along with the cable.  The cable is a cheap RG-58U cable that has 
been out in the weather for a while...

I got the mast and the antenna, but not the bracket that attaches the 
antenna to the mast, nor the brackets that attach mast to house.  
Apparently the previous owners just stuck the antenna into the end of 
the mast and pointed it straight at the sky.  As a result, I have this 
thing in the attic, sitting on a roll of insulation, probably not the 
best place for it to be.  I can fab up the bracket and mount the mast, 
but first I want to make sure the antenna is functional....

Is there a utility somewhere that will let me measure signal strength 
from the antenna?

Also, any Yagi antenna experts out there that can tell me how to wire 
this thing correctly?  I'll post some pics later with detailed questions....

Thanks,

--Yan


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