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  1. Member
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    Nov 2009
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    Hello,

    I have a three story 3700 sq ft home... I am looking to upgrade my HD antenna. I have four satellite receivers and two LED & Plasma TV's and also a stereo receiver that has HD radio. So I will have seven or more things to split to. Will this antenna I have listed here work for my needs? I want to be able to split it to all of these and have no connection issues in strength. Will any HD antenna work for FM/AM HD radio?


    http://www.amazon.com/Terk-HDTVO-Amplified-HDTV-Antenna/dp/B0009W9WHQ/ref=pd_sim_sbs_e_8
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  2. Member
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    Search Comp PM
    That antenna is fairly small from what I remember. Whether it's a good choice or not depends on where you are in relationship to the stations you want to receive.

    Check TVFool.com or antennaweb.org to see where the stations are located. They have color codes for each station that indicates what class of antenna required for it. That antenna is coded blue.

    You may need a distibution amplifier in addition to the amplifier provided with the antenna for that many splits.

    A lot of people find they need separate antennas and cabling for radio and TV. FM can sometimes interfere with a TV signal, and some people add an FM trap for that reason. Some outdoor TV antennas even have a built-in FM trap.
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  3. Member
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    Originally Posted by usually_quiet View Post
    That antenna is fairly small from what I remember. Whether it's a good choice or not depends on where you are in relationship to the stations you want to receive.

    Check TVFool.com or antennaweb.org to see where the stations are located. They have color codes for each station that indicates what class of antenna required for it. That antenna is coded blue.

    You may need a distibution amplifier in addition to the amplifier provided with the antenna for that many splits.

    A lot of people find they need separate antennas and cabling for radio and TV. FM can sometimes interfere with a TV signal, and some people add an FM trap for that reason. Some outdoor TV antennas even have a built-in FM trap.
    Thanks. This is the distance for most of my stations (25 miles looks like). I have this antenna right now. But it only works with one tv can't be split even with a amplifier. Also I will be placing it about 30 ft high on my roof then I have this one.

    http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=109&cp_id=10901&cs_id=1090102&p_id=...seq=1&format=2

    http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=90
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  4. Member budwzr's Avatar
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    Apr 2007
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    City Of Angels
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    ChannelMaster is the king of antennas. Also, you have to find out what "Reception Zone" you're in and buy accordingly. The amplified antennas don't work as well as a big huge metal one on the roof.

    HDTV antennas have to be pointed toward the transmitter, and are mounted flat side forward in an upright position.

    Buy more antenna than you need, the bigger the better.
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  5. Don't know if I'd call myself an expert, but I've installed one for a friend and got amazing results. He's on the second floor of a 4 storey appartment building. We simply mounted this antenna to the balcony railing, pointed it toward the south and plugged it into a 10dB booster. He's able to get the Burlington VT HD stations from Montreal. That antenna is directionnal i.e. you have to point it in the direction of the transmitter. An 8 bay antenna like this one can point to different directions or has a greater gain when aimed at the same direction. I don't know how the Terk antenna would perform, but usually those futuristic designs are more about marketing than performance. Also, shop around a bit for a better price.

    As for feeding all your devices, you would do well to use a drop amp to split the signal. I'm not sure what you mean by HD radio, if you're talking about XM or Sirius they don't use that kind of antenna. Otherwise you need to know that HD antennas are tuned to the UHF frequencies and as such they wouldn't work as well as a VHF/UHF antenna would; FM radio being in the VHF band. You would still get a signal, but it would be weaker than with a properly tuned antenna.
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  6. Member
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    My understanding of outdoor antennas is somewhat theoretical. I looked into one for my parents the last time they got mad at the cable company. (They decided to stay with cable.) One thing I do know about antennas, is that sometimes you have to try more than one to find something that works. The TERK HDTVo may work, but bigger is often better.

    One thing I forgot to mention... That antenna is directional will only really work well if all the stations are grouped fairly close together. It is a variation on the popular silver sensor indoor antennas, and if I recall correctly, would be normally be mounted so as to point at the transmitters like an arrow. The TERK HDTVo is also a UHF/VHF antenna. If you decide to change to another model, find out if you have any VHF stations (digital TV isn't always UHF) and if so, make sure the antenna is designed to receive both bands.

    The TERK HDTVo has a 13dB amplifier from what one reviewer said, which isn't much amplification. Many people get a special low-noise pre-amplifier (about 20 dB) to mount on the mast, or inside where the antenna comes into their house if that is close to where it is mounted, then add another amplifier further down the cable just before the splitter or install an amplified splitter.
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  7. Member edDV's Avatar
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    Mar 2004
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    Fill out the TV fool address info and post the result. It won't have your address.

    OTA reception depends on direction, distance and obstacles in the path (e.g. hills, trees, buildings) to the transmitting tower.

    This is a typical urban TV Fool plot. Antennas required depend on the stations you want to receive.

    Click image for larger version

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    HD Radio is in the AM radio band (~1600KHz) and uses an antenna like this if needed attached to the HD Radio receiver.

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    There is no "HD" FM radio. FM radio is in the lower VHF band just above channel 6.
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    http://www.kiva.org/about
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