Optimizing your antenna's coverage using beamtilt.

What is the optimal beam tilt for delivering the most signal to
the most viewers?
For full-power NTSC, the FCC requires that a point within 1dB of the
elevation pattern's peak of beam be oriented toward the radio horizon.
Therefore, pointing any part of the upper 10% of the elevation pattern's
main lobe at the radio horizon is acceptable.
Increasing beam tilt to this point can increase your field strength to
your mid-range viewers (5-35 miles from the antenna) by as much as
8dB or 630%! Viewers at the radio horizon lose an immeasurable
amount of signal - less than 1dB!
The optimal beam tilt for an antenna with an elevation gain of 25 and a
height above average terrain (HAAT) of 1,000 feet is approximately 1
degree. Taller towers require even higher beam tilts.
What's the best antenna design to produce these optimal beam tilts?
Let's look at two common methods of feeding antennas with energy -- center fed and end fed.
In a center fed antenna, energy is injected into the center of the antenna and is allowed to propagate as two signals
traveling in opposite directions. In essence, the energy is split and feed into two separate end fed antennas.
The two halves of the center fed antenna are electrically separate and produce independent phase fronts. These phase
fronts must be controlled precisely so that they recombine into a desirable composite antenna pattern.
These independent phase fronts limit the amount of beam tilt center fed antennas can produce to less than 0.7 degrees.
Additional beam tilt splits the main beam into two separate main beams; one pointing in the desired direction, and one
pointing above the radio horizon. This results in a significant gain loss.
As we saw in our previous example, this 0.7 degrees would be much less than optimal for maximum viewer penetration.
With an end fed antenna, energy is injected into the end of the antenna and allowed to propagate all the way up the
antenna. Since the energy is propagating in only one antenna, a single, uniform phase front is produced. This single
phase front is much easier to control and shape than the two phase fronts of the center fed antenna.
Antenna design engineers can adjust this single phase front to shape the elevation pattern into one which is optimized for
signal penetration to your customers. Optimum beam tilts may be achieved without the trade-offs associated with center
fed antennas