Jetlink wrote:I think your biggest issue is line of sight. The waves you are trying to catch have properties that limit them to line of sight. They aren't like the low frequency waves that follow the curvature of earth or bounce between the ionosphere and the earth.You need to get your antenna above the local obstructions so it can 'see' directly to the distances you are trying to receive. Think 1st level rooftops. Then second level tree tops. Then third level really high (100's of feet like the super scanner) to 'see' around the curvature of the earth a little farther. If there is local terrain blocking the directions you want to receive from you may just be out of luck. My house is at a lake so naturally down in a hole. I only get about 5 miles to the west most days (lake O) but the terrain slopes lower and away (the water course out of the lake runs that direction) to the east so I can hear about 15 miles that way (Grand Ledge).
I ran some Coax and a BNC connector to a CB antenna up in my bonus room above the garage once just for fun. With that little bit of elevation gain I could hear to Elmdale (15 miles) and Fox (25 miles) just for an example. It got me up over the rim of the hole my house sits in and made all the difference.
This most likely explains it. I would love to raise the antenna up about 15 feet onto the roof; brain says yes, wallet says no. :/
Just a few houses over, somebody owns two three story antenna towers, yet running a coax cable through five backyards, price, permission, etc...
Thanks for the information!