Medium Directional Antenna

[lumis]

I've been checking out HDTV antenna's and so far I've determined that I need a Medium Directional Antenna, possibly with a pre-amp. How important is a pre-amp? I've looked through google and 90% of the anenna's I've seen are made by TERK. Is TERK a good brand, or is there something else I should be looking for?

Any suggestions would be very welcomed.

[otpw1]

If you're in the 'states check out winegard. They have been around forever.
Internal or external?
Is it your roof or window?
If external a line powered preamp is a good possibility.
The farther you can move the antenna away from electrical and rf noise generators, the better.
So external w/preamp is better as a rule than internal.

Edit: took my own advice. The winegard page is a good source of info.
Medium range should be external and amplified.

[redwudz]

Just my opinion, but Terk is overpriced, at least in their interior versions. You will see them listed a lot because they advertise a lot.

If you are in anything except a strong signal area, an outside antenna is probably needed. Some HDTV users have had better luck hanging a wire out their window than using an interior antenna, even with preamp.

I use this external antenna:

http://www.warrenelectronics.com/antennas/4228.htm

An attic antenna and preamp is another option.

If you have to use an interior settop antenna, check out other brands beside Terk. The construction of your building, the direction, distance and angle to the transmitters all make a difference. If you want to make some reception tests, just a cheap UHF 'rabbit ears' type of antenna will tell you if you can use a more expensive indoor antenna or if you need something bigger.

[edDV]

http://store.electrogalaxy.com/zengemdtv1.html

This unit has had very good reviews for 30-40 mile range.

Further our look at wineguard and channelmaster.

[lumis]

i was messing around with a pair of rabbit ears yesterday, i was able to pick up the big 4 (abc, cbs, nbc, fox) stations with it.. but i just had to move it around quite a bit.. i wasnt able to get all 4 at once.. so i'm thinking a pre-amp may be unnesessary.. i am mainly interested in picking up the big 4, upn & wb dont really interest me.. but if i happen to pick them up, that's fine.. but i'm thinking since i was able to get the big 4 with just a pair of rabbit ears, that a roof mounted medium directional antenna should work just fine..

[edDV]

i was messing around with a pair of rabbit ears yesterday, i was able to pick up the big 4 (abc, cbs, nbc, fox) stations with it.. but i just had to move it around quite a bit.. i wasnt able to get all 4 at once.. so i'm thinking a pre-amp may be unnesessary.. i am mainly interested in picking up the big 4, upn & wb dont really interest me.. but if i happen to pick them up, that's fine.. but i'm thinking since i was able to get the big 4 with just a pair of rabbit ears, that a roof mounted medium directional antenna should work just fine..

run your address through
http://www.antennaweb.org/

They will give you your list of stations, direction and distance to each transmitter.
If they are all in the same direction you are good.

[lumis]

run your address through
http://www.antennaweb.org/

They will give you your list of stations, direction and distance to each transmitter.
If they are all in the same direction you are good.

they all range from compass orientation 303° to 308° & 24.8 miles to 27.5 miles from.

sounds good?

[edDV]

run your address through
http://www.antennaweb.org/

They will give you your list of stations, direction and distance to each transmitter.
If they are all in the same direction you are good.

they all range from compass orientation 303° to 308° & 24.8 miles to 27.5 miles from.

sounds good?

Sounds excellent. I wish I was that close. A single smallish external or attick antenna should work fine. Don't use an amp.

Use the Zenith above or a Winegard.
http://www.winegard.com/offair/chartselector.htm

[redwudz]

Sounds good to me. I would definitely go for an outdoor antenna if you are able. You can add an amplifier if needed later. The angle between the stations is small enough alignment shouldn't be critical. I would always go for a little more antenna that the guides suggest. A stronger signal is not a problem, but a weaker one that requires an antenna upgrade or an amplifier can be.

I would also use quad shielded coax for the antenna feed to the receiver. It has two layers of shielding and low loss for the UHF frequencies of HDTV.

[edDV]

TV sets adjust signal strength over a wide range, but an amp at 30 miles out will overload the set.

Get the right antenna. Amps are for deep fringe and highly directional antennas. Otherwise you will just amplify the surrounding noise.

[shelbyGT]

I have most stations between 50 degrees and 100 degrees in a 9-30 mile range... I'd prefer not to have an external antenna since I live in a renter's unit. Suggestion?

[edDV]

and the internal antenna isn't working ? With a 50 degree separation you might need to aim the antenna as you change channels.

Use www.antennaweb.org to find out where the stations are and distance.

[edDV]

and the internal antenna isn't working ? With a 50 degree separation you might need to aim the antenna as you change channels.

Use www.antennaweb.org to find out where the stations are and distance.

[redwudz]

It's a little ugly, but one option is to use a outside antenna indoors, such as this one or a smaller version. This one is 40" square and a little obvious unless you have a back room to place it in.

http://www.warrenelectronics.com/antennas/4228.htm

Most any UHF antenna will work for HDTV. You might find a more attractive one you can stash more out of sight.

I hesitate to recommend the average indoor antenna. I tried two of them before I found out they couldn't get a sufficient signal. Even with a amplifier, I only got 3 of the 5 local stations. If you are on a bottom floor apartment or your building has stucco walls, (Wire mesh in the stucco) it gets harder. You need a clear line of sight to the transmitters to get the best signal.

[edDV]

and the internal antenna isn't working ? With a 50 degree separation you might need to aim the antenna as you change channels.

Use www.antennaweb.org to find out where the stations are and distance.

[gmoney42]

Sorry to revive such an old topic, but I'm having the same problem

http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/8266/hdtvpd2.jpg

There is a picture of my situation, I bought the Terk HDTVi Indoor Antenna and I'm able to get channel 2 (not HD though) as well as 38 (not HD) .. why can I get the basic channel, but not the HD? Everything else comes in that's within that 40 mile range, not really interested in the others. Just want CBS (which I get) and NBC and FOX in HD. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[cal_tony]

I haven't used any of these antennas but they seem to have a complerte collection of long and med antennas.

http://antennasdirect.com

One of my stations is 60 miles away and the signal comes and goes sometimes. I was thinking of getting one of their long range models.

Tony