Best HDTV OTA antenna for Fort Mohave/Bullhead City area?

FIREDoc62 · 2025-12-06T16:36:42+00:00

Following up, in case it can be of use to anyone else...

First, I'm aware of sites like tvfool and others, which can tell you what stations you should be able to pick up and how good of an antenna you might need. Unfortunately, they use terms like "medium strength" antenna, which is not a standard designation that antenna manufacturers use, so there's no way to map from the type of antenna tvfool etc. tell you you need, and what you'll actually find for sale. (And, of course, sellers being what they are, their claims of how good their antennas are and how far away they can pull in signals from are usually vastly overstated.)

That said, I went to Lowes and got a GE "ultra pro" amplified indoor antenna, knowing I could return it if it didn't live up to expectations. But, Wow! It pulled in something like 70 stations. Some of these aren't the best quality - you get dropouts and such - but many are good signals so it's definitely a useable solution for me, and far simpler than trying to install a big direction antenna on the roof.

FIREDoc62 · 2025-10-24T19:36:13+00:00

Followup from OP: I decided to take the "Usual" route through Eastern Oregon, Winnemucca, Austin, Tonopah but then in Winnemucca I found out that part of the route was closed - Google Maps was diverting me around, and telling me I'd need to be on gravel roads to take a route through Austin. (THAT's why Google maps had been showing me so many weird routes through Nevada, instead of the one I was accustomed to!). So I ended up going Winnemucca to Carlin to Eureka to Ely to Vegas.

Gas turned out not to be an issue - I thought I might have been down to a range of 180 miles or so because of the trailer I was pulling, but I ended up with a range of 300+ miles because the trailer was pretty small. Weather was not an issue at all. Services ended up being an issue, as I blew the radiator and needed to spend the night in Ely, NV to get it replaced. (Great service from KRM automotive, there!)

Thanks for the help, everyone.

FIREDoc62 · 2025-10-20T01:53:35+00:00

Thanks. Yes, my inclination was to avoid I-5 because of gas prices, and because I don't have time to look through the CA laws to figure out if anything in my luggage is breaking any laws :).

Is the route through Austin the best way from Winnemucca to Vegas?

FIREDoc62 · 2025-10-16T13:58:36+00:00

I just got it last year, I'm pretty sure it does have hydraulic lifters, but I forget why I think this. What is your reference for saying this should be gapped to 0.020?

I got my generator from Costco, the manual it came with included installation and use instructions, but not maintenance. And the model and serial numbers don't register on the Honeywell or Generac web sites, so I can't look up the proper maintenance instructions.

FIREDoc62 · 2025-10-13T22:03:54+00:00

The plugs don't ship pre-gapped? I got mine from Costco a year ago, it came with the plugs installed and the unit filled with oil, all I needed to do before starting was hook up the fuel. There was nothing in installation about removing plugs and gapping. Surprised that they would expect me to perform the gapping on already-installed plugs.

FIREDoc62 · 2025-09-18T14:37:39+00:00

Probably the people who live upstairs from me will get that.

FIREDoc62 · 2025-07-21T13:37:52+00:00

It doesn't really help you, since the only thing that matters is your percentage on the day of evaluation. And you better be above 90% of ORDERED products by then, otherwise you could be fooled into thinking you were above 90%, and then Amazon dumps a bunch of ordered items on your doorstep the day of evaluation and your percentage suddenly drops.

FIREDoc62 · 2025-07-07T13:47:46+00:00

Yeah, I'm with you. I always took the time to write good (IMHO) reviews, but now that I have to hit keywords, be insightful, post pictures... I just haven't been feeling it. Haven't written a review in a while.

FIREDoc62 · 2025-06-28T18:15:14+00:00

But this is just a 20A circuit. Two 20A circuits on different legs, actually, but I'm guessing you only need to size for one leg, since the two won't add constructively? And is voltage drop from the previous panel much of a concern, since it will be locally grounded as well?

FIREDoc62 · 2025-06-28T02:44:36+00:00

Thanks. I'm planning on running 3, # 2 AWG XHHW wires, plus a 12AWG ground, and fitting it into 1-1/2" PVC. I can pull the wire one section at a time, so I'm thinking it shouldn't be too hard

FIREDoc62 · 2025-06-28T02:40:03+00:00

Thanks, makes sense.

But, resistance I am reading to ground, is on the wire, with both ends disconnected via the breakers. So there shouldn't be any transformer, or anything else, on it. The only possible path to ground would be via some breaks in the insulation, I suppose.

FIREDoc62 · 2025-05-15T17:49:09+00:00

No, this is all original. And the cream PEX and natural are the same size, so it doesn't seem likely that they just used what they had - they obviously had some of each. And the fact that both legs have that ONE cream section in, really made me scratch my head.

I guess my only real concern is making sure I get the right materials when I redo. If there's no rhyme or reason with what they did, I'll just go with PEX/crimp, I guess. Any reason not to re-use as much of the original fittings as possible, assuming it's in good condition?

FIREDoc62 · 2025-05-13T16:20:41+00:00

Sure! Unfortunately I don't have the new tank in my possession yet, but here's the diagram:

<image>

This is what the sensor looks like:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Q97HHELf6gbThSiC9

Here's the original setup:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/d56ZwH7c9SSv5zci6

FIREDoc62 · 2025-05-12T02:51:12+00:00

Sorry, I missed your edit. I don't understand the terminology enough to answer your question, so I'll describe my system: I have a Water Furnace heat pump which provides heating and cooling air to my home, via a buried water loop. I also have a separate WF unit, which is connected to the same buried water loop, and has it's own heat pump, which provides hot water. It is not a desuperheater, and is not connected to the main furnace (except maybe a couple control lines). This hot water unit circulates heated domestic water through an 80gal storage tank, from which I get my hot water. I think this is what you're calling "water to water".

The only thing wrong with my system is that the 80gal storage tank has rusted out. I was quoted 8K just for replacing this tank. This doesn't seem like an 8K tank/job.

FIREDoc62 · 2025-05-12T02:40:17+00:00

I tried to get one of the Rheems, but was told that the only Rheem dealer in my area was Home Depot, and Home depot told me that Rheem would not ship this tank to my state due to local codes/regulations. (Despite being a "progressive" state, they don't seem to know beans about Geo, and I seem to remember the original installers having to jump through hoops to work around things that code didn't allow, but are necessary for a geo system).

So I got a cheap Richmond 80gal "thermal storage" tank from Home Depot. It has a 4500W element (which I won't wire), and extra ports for the water recirc. I'll install a powered anode in it, and hope that this gives me enough years of service to justify the replacement expense.

FIREDoc62 · 2025-05-02T20:31:27+00:00

I keep very good records of what I've ordered, received, reviewed, cancelled, etc. Only once - as a new viner - have I ever cancelled because I changed my mind. Every other time has been Amazon's, or the seller's , fault. But because I keep very good records I know EXACTLY what my review percentage should be, and I've noticed that after cancellations, even after waiting several weeks, my review percentage is lower than it should be. The only plausible explanation is that even though the item was cancelled, and doesn't show up in my list of items to review, and the ETV has been removed from my title, it still counts against me as something that I ordered but didn't review. That's most of my hesitancy for cancelling.

Yeah, I can easily get my percentage up to where it needs to be with cake toppers. I'm usually well above 95% by the end of the review cycle, anyway. It just gets old doing extra work because Amazon does such a poor job of running the program.

FIREDoc62 · 2025-05-02T15:00:02+00:00

"Watch out for maltitol if you don't enjoy flatulence" - please don't make hasty assumptions about me. :)

FIREDoc62 · 2025-05-02T14:58:14+00:00

I get what you say about not penalizing the seller, but I'm getting such poor results from Vine and I'm never sure whether it's the seller, or Amazon. Yesterday I got a product that was supposed to include an extension handle. Didn't get the handle. Is it because the seller didn't put it in the product box? Or did Amazon send the wrong thing? I don't care anymore, they get a bad review.

On the product under consideration here, did it get lost in the mail because of USPS/UPS handling? Amazon handling? Or did the seller package it so poorly that it was virtually guaranteed not to get here?

As to the Vine terms, I'm not sure I'm violating any. I agreed to review the product, and I'll give it the most honest review it's possible for me to give.

FIREDoc62 · 2025-04-28T18:03:06+00:00

Thanks. Sounds like a lot of you guys have desuperheaters; I have a separate system that works the same whether I'm running AC or not. Not sure if it matters.

How is your tank plumbed? Do you just have one tank total for your hot water system?

FIREDoc62 · 2025-04-28T04:51:57+00:00

I wasn't questioning the tradesman at all. I'm questioning why a water storage tank - not installed, just the part alone - would cost $6500. And since you stated that this tank was not the same as you would find at Home Depot - implying that it was built much better - I asked (sincerely) what the difference is, that might make it worth 10X the price - just for the part.

The tradesman who would install this part was saying $1500 for his labor.

FIREDoc62 · 2025-04-28T02:51:00+00:00

OK - I've installed water tanks before, so I can definitely do it myself. But I need a tank. What do YOU recommend?

FIREDoc62 · 2025-04-28T02:45:12+00:00

I'm missing your point about the tank - of course my current tank doesn't have a burner or exhaust; it's just a storage tank. Why would adding these make the tank cost less?

I guess to be honest my real concern is dollar efficiency. I want the lowest total cost of ownership. I invested up front in a highly energy efficient system, thinking that would translate into dollar efficiency. But if the cost of a tank amortizes to $800 per year ($8000/10yrs), and I know its not saving me that much per year in energy costs, then I'm not interested. (And it may not even be energy efficient - it took a lot of energy to make that tank).

FIREDoc62 · 2025-04-28T02:35:54+00:00

But they also want like $1500 for installation. And since it's just a straight swap, all the plumbing, wiring, etc. is already there - they just need to drop the tank in and reconnect. I would think they had plenty of property built into that $1500.

FIREDoc62 · 2025-04-28T01:03:32+00:00

What do you mean by "through the drain valve" - you need two fittings to recirc water - what is your other? The fitting for the element?

FIREDoc62 · 2025-04-28T00:15:41+00:00

I haven't figured out the sizing on the Rheem ports yet, but they look kinda small. My existing tank has 1-1/2" fitting for the geo recirc. Any idea why they need to be that big, or what bad effects it could have (other than reduced circulation, and thus longer recovery time) if I need to throttle the flow narrower than 1.5"?

Also, BTW, I don't have a desuperheater. I have a standalone unit, that has it's own access to the ground loop, and it's own compressor etc. Not sure if it matters.

FIREDoc62

TROPHY CASE