HDTV Antennas

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I am getting ready to 'cut the cord' and get rid of my cable service, as two of my L&O shows are being cancelled and the only one left is SVU (which I can get from iTunes). Aaaaaaaaaaanyway: I am thinking of getting an antenna so I can still receive network broadcasts, on the off chance that I'm home when SVU is on or if I want to watch network TV news. What's a good antenna to use in situations like this?

From the reviews I've read of various antennae, it doesn't seem to be necessary to get a real expensive or elaborate one, i.e. an antenna that costs ten bucks is supposedly as good as one that costs a hundred. Is this true? What are some good ones?

 

[Amaris]

Just get a set of rabbit ears. HD powered antennas are just like Monster Cables. They look all pretty and shiny, but you're paying much more for them to do the exact same thing as the much less expensive alternative.

Good antennas are the ones you find in the store, really. Phillips, RCA, doesn't really matter. If you see a $10 pair of rabbit ears (RCA, Magnavox, what have you), get them. It's more than enough to pull in a good signal, unless you live way out in the middle of nowhere.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ Figured as much.

Anyone else out there 'cut the cord'? Do you miss cable, or not?

 

[Sheep]

If you have an HDTV and internet service through your cable provider, you might want to try plugging the cable into your TV to see if the provider offers the broadcast networks unencrypted on that line. Of course, try this after your cable service has been cancelled.

This has worked in the past two places I've lived (both served by Comcast) as well as at my buddy's place which is on a completely different cable service (WOW). No need for any sort of antenna if that works in your place.

 

[Starbreaker]

Keep your cable plugged in and switch from Cable to Air/Antenna or whatever and see if you pick up broadcast channels.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ Excellent idea (both of you). Will get right on that, as soon as LOLA and CI end.

 

[ThankQ]

^ Figured as much.

Anyone else out there 'cut the cord'? Do you miss cable, or not?

Cut the cord in 2007 and haven't had any regrets. Had complete DirecTV package, including NFL Sunday Ticket.

I did go buy a $30 RCA antenna, it it does a FAR better job than the old rabbit ears, and I live smackdab in the middle of a city.

Funny, I live exactly 4 blocks from our local NBC affiliate, and that's the station I have the most trouble bringing in.

If you turn out to be in the same boat as I am, a long cord is your friend. For pretty much each station, I have to move the antenna to a certain location in the living room. For PBS, I have to dangle it from a curtain rod!

 

[scotthm]

Funny, I live exactly 4 blocks from our local NBC affiliate, and that's the station I have the most trouble bringing in.

They don't put their transmission towers beside the building. Where I live all the local stations have their transmission towers about 20 miles north of town.

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[Mr. B]

Funny, I live exactly 4 blocks from our local NBC affiliate, and that's the station I have the most trouble bringing in.

They don't put their transmission towers beside the building. Where I live all the local stations have their transmission towers about 20 miles north of town.

Same story where at the station where I work. I think most local stations microwave their signal to a separate transmitter site. Were I in your place, I would try to get an outdoor antenna or something else you could hide. I wouldn't want to look at one in my living room. We have one of those old yagi antennas hanging inside our attic... works great.

 

[ThankQ]

Funny, I live exactly 4 blocks from our local NBC affiliate, and that's the station I have the most trouble bringing in.

They don't put their transmission towers beside the building. Where I live all the local stations have their transmission towers about 20 miles north of town.

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I'm sure you're right, but I still think it's funny.

 

[Amaris]

Funny, I live exactly 4 blocks from our local NBC affiliate, and that's the station I have the most trouble bringing in.

They don't put their transmission towers beside the building. Where I live all the local stations have their transmission towers about 20 miles north of town.

---------------

I'm sure you're right, but I still think it's funny.

Dammit, Mavis, the pennies are sliding up the north side of the wall again! Call the cable company!

 

[RobertVA]

At www.antennaweb.org you can obtain a listing of your local DTV broadcasters that includes the distance and direction to their broadcast antenna as well as their actual channel (NOT the virtual xx.1 channel) in the UHF or upper VHF band. The color codes indicate the recommended receiving antenna type for each DTV broadcaster assuming the signal isn't obstructed by something like a hill or building with metal siding. Indoor antennas on lower floors might even have intermittent problems when vehicles obstruct the signal as they pass by.

Amplifiers are of little use if interference is as strong as or stronger than the desired signal. The amplifier just amplifies the interference along with the desired signal. An outdoor antenna might establish distance from interference sources like motors and computers as well as have better ability to reject interference from directions different form where it is aimed (usually towards the broadcast antennas). Mast height might get the antenna high enough to avoid signal obstructions like buildings, vehicles and the curvature of the Earth's surface.

 

[farmkid]

Go to the TV Fool website and put in your address. It will give you a map showing where all of the local broadcast towers are, the power at which they broadcast, and how strong the signal will be at your location. It also takes the local terrain into account, so if you there are any hills or mountains blocking the signal, it will tell you so. Rabbit ears may be fine, or you may need a high power antenna and amplifier, or anything in between. It all depends on the distance, transmitter power, and terrain.

Here's a forum where people with a passion for antennas hang out.

 

[John O.]

I don't think ordinary rabbit ears will pick up OTA HD channels but I could be mistaken. If a person intends to buy something in any case I don't think it's necessary to avoid HD antennas to save money, you can get a couple of the lower end ones on Amazon for like $20-$30. I was actually planning to fork over $75 or $80 for one of the best out door ones you can buy simply because I've looked at the HD stations and distances and there's a couple of stations I could pick up if I had a range >30 miles that I wouldn't get inside 30 miles, which is the cutoff for one of the gaps in antennas. Plus I have no cable and haven't for about a year since I moved to grad school, and I'd like to occasionally be able to pick up TV shows or NBA playoff games.

 

[RobertVA]

Digital (DTV) or analog, High Definition (HD)or Standard Definition(SD), doesn't make any difference to the antenna. As you get a little distance from the transmitter the relationship between the broadcast frequency and the antenna's length can make a difference (thus the telescoping elements for "rabbit ears") but since the current Digital TV (DTV) utilizes a subset of the same frequencies analog TV used the same antennas will work with either.

The only thing added to make a TV antenna "HD" or "digital" is a label on the package.

With a clear path (no hills, aluminum siding, steel structural beams, concrete rebar. foil vapor barriers or vehicles in the way) and relatively short distance from the transmitter "rabbit ears" with an accompanying UHF loop or "bow tie" certainly will work.

It's how the TV itself processes the signal that makes a difference. With analog TV the picture would start to exhibit a shifting pattern of white dots referred to as "snow" when the signal was starting to get weak. With Digital TV the picture will remain sharp until the signal gets significantly weak when it will start to break up into blocks, briefly freeze (with audio interruptions) or black out entirely.

Some retailers still have some of the converters that allowed analog TVs to show DTV programming. The hardware installation usually consists of shifting the antenna cable to the back of the converter, connecting a piece of coax or a combination stereo/composite video cable between the converter and TV and plugging in the converter's power cable.

 

[Saturn0660]

Go to the TV Fool website and put in your address. It will give you a map showing where all of the local broadcast towers are, the power at which they broadcast, and how strong the signal will be at your location. It also takes the local terrain into account, so if you there are any hills or mountains blocking the signal, it will tell you so. Rabbit ears may be fine, or you may need a high power antenna and amplifier, or anything in between. It all depends on the distance, transmitter power, and terrain.

Here's a forum where people with a passion for antennas hang out.

Indeed, and remember. no such thing as an HD or a DIGITAL Antenna. IF the 50 year old antenna on your roof has RG-6 cable and could back in the old days pick up highband VHF/UHF then it WILL work fine.

That being said you may live in an area that just can't get digital signals. Where I live I get NOTHING with an antenna, however back in the analog days I was able to get about 6 channels.

 

[Chuckles]

Google how to make a coat hanger antenna. I made one and got excellent reception. I had mine outside and ran it through the cable lines in the house.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

If you have an HDTV and internet service through your cable provider, you might want to try plugging the cable into your TV to see if the provider offers the broadcast networks unencrypted on that line. Of course, try this after your cable service has been cancelled.

I have finally 'cut the cord' (feels like a weight off my back, believe you me!) and so in a couple of days we will see if this works.

 

[farmkid]

Google how to make a coat hanger antenna. I made one and got excellent reception. I had mine outside and ran it through the cable lines in the house.

That's what I'm using at the moment. It's the standard 4-bay bowtie you can find plans for fairly easily. My reason for building it, however, is because I needed a bi-directional antenna. My stations are broadcast from two different groups of antennas almost exactly 180 degrees from each other from my house. I wanted an antenna that would pick up the signal from both directions and not from the sides. The bowtie without the reflector screen seemed to be what I needed. It works...mostly. The signal is plenty strong, but I get some multipath interference because the beam width is too wide. I live in a fairly narrow valley and I get reflections from the mountains on each side. I'm trying to figure out how to go about fixing that, but I don't have any good ideas yet.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

News flash: It DID work! No antenna necessary!