What happened to WSPA - 7 over the air?

[flgargoyle]

I never have trouble with 7, but 13 is on and off. Now that the leaves are on the trees, reception has dropped to about 25%. Weather seems to be a factor, as it came in great for a couple days when the air cleared and cooled. I also discovered that my LED light on the side of the garage (fairly near the antenna) messes it up. Coupled with the 'quality' summer broadcasting content, I really need to get down to the library!

[tylerSC]

Originally Posted by victoriangirl

Something is definitely wrong at Channel 7...I think they operate with just enough power to get to the cable companies and if you don't have cable..to bad they don't care where you are able to watch them or not. I started having problems about April or so and so did everyone else in my apartment building who did not have cable. So I purchased a Clear HD Tv antenna everything was great. Picture and sound came through great. Now am beginning to have the same old problems again. I asked channel 7 about it on facebook..they said tell us who your provider is and we will get with them and straighten it out. When they found out I didn't have cable they did not correspond with me anymore.

Those flat panel antennas are not necessarily optimized for VHF, and can be problematic for reception of channels 7 and 13. To get 7 and 13, you need a basic set of rabbit ears, fully extended. And possibly a low noise amplifier, but just moderate gain. Too much power will cause overload and wipe out the signal. Plus weather conditions change in the summer and can cause dropouts, and apartment reception can be challenging because the walls may block the signal. For an inside antenna, I would suggest a Terk HDTVa log antenna sold at HHG, as it has rabbit ears optimized for VHF, and a very good arrow shaped UHF element. Plus a low gain amplifier. 7 and 13 are VHF, so you need rabbit ears. Forget the gimmick antennas. And 7 has a good strong signal, but 13 is a bit problematic. Another good antenna is the Clearstream 2V sold at Walmart, which has 2 strong UHF loops and a VHF dipole. If you add an amp, the best choice would be Winegard LNA-100, with a low noise figure and moderate gain. The low noise figure is important, as VHF is vulnerable to interference. But if indoor reception remains problematic, then you may need to step up to an outside antenna, which unfortunately may be restricted at certain apartments. Also, if you try the HDTVa, then order from Amazon for a better price unless you can get HHG to price match.

[tylerSC]

Originally Posted by flgargoyle

I never have trouble with 7, but 13 is on and off. Now that the leaves are on the trees, reception has dropped to about 25%. Weather seems to be a factor, as it came in great for a couple days when the air cleared and cooled. I also discovered that my LED light on the side of the garage (fairly near the antenna) messes it up. Coupled with the 'quality' summer broadcasting content, I really need to get down to the library!

Yes LED lights create interference with VHF channels such as 7 and 13. And remember you may need a dedicated VHF dipole antenna to receive 13, and I believe I recall you are using a UHF antenna. You may need a UHF/High VHF combo antenna to reliably receive 13, such as a Clearstream 2V or 4V, or a Winegard 7694. And a good amp such as Winegard LNA-100, or the LNA-200 reamp sold at Home Depot.