What are some of the better indoor and outdoor HDTV antenas?

[ljCharlie]

I just decided on a HDTV tuner, now I'm looking for a indoor HDTV antena. What are some of the better ones for both indoor and outdoor? More likely it will be indoor.

[MJA]

how far do you live from the TV stations ?if you live far away then you ganna need an outdoor antenna.

check this link

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=45

[ljCharlie]

Thanks for the response. The problem is, I'm not sure how many stations are around where I live.

[MJA]

how far do u live from the city?

if you live close or in the city. go to the nearest Radio Shack and purchase their best Indoor Amplified Antenna, keep the receipt as you may want to return it.

just remember.

99.44% of the time, the following apply:

- Bigger is better

- Higher is better

- Outside is better

- Directional is better

[ljCharlie]

I live in a city yes, but the city I live in is only about 60 thousand people. And as far as I know, there is only two stations in this city but I've seen people can receive up to more than just two stations. And that is why I'm not sure how many stations are around where I live.

[ljCharlie]

What do you mean by "Directional"?

[MJA]

http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx

just enter your zipcode ,no name or email

[ljCharlie]

Okay, let's say I decided to go with an outdoor antena, do I need any special cable for receiving HDTV singal?

[Krispy Kritter]

No, antennas and cabling are the same for SD and HD.

[ljCharlie]

If I decide to go with outdoor antenna, will the distance or lenth of the cable from the outdoor antenna to my HDTV be any problem? How long should the cable be only? Some say less than 25'. Is this true?

[dphirschler]

It is my understanding that a good directional UHF antenna is what you want. It need not be designated as an "HDTV" antenna. It would connect using standard coax cable. If you amplify the signal, it is considered a good idea to amplify closer to the source (nearest to the antenna).

I've read that you can combine signals from two directional antennas, but that is something that I know next to nothing about. I have heard that two antennas on the same mast can interfere with each other if they are mounted close enough to each other.


Darryl

[edDV]

If I decide to go with outdoor antenna, will the distance or lenth of the cable from the outdoor antenna to my HDTV be any problem? How long should the cable be only? Some say less than 25'. Is this true?

Where are your stations in relation to you? Did you run antennaweb.org to get

distance
angle
channel number (UHF or VHF)
call sign?*

The choice of antenna (omni or directional) depends on your local situation. Deep fringe reception requires large directional antennas sometimes with RF amplifiers.

Antenna lead in can run 100ft no problem. Longer may need a better quality shielding depending on local interference.


*If you know the call sign, you can research transmitter power.

[Soopafresh]

Most HD is on UHF, but that will soon change. I miss the days on putting foil on the rabbit ears ....

[edDV]

Most HD is on UHF, but that will soon change. I miss the days on putting foil on the rabbit ears ....

Today a typical US station has two channels: the old analog NTSC and a temporary DTV (usually on UHF). In smaller markets the DTV station is running near minimum power.

In 2009, the following will happen.

1. The analog transmitter will be turned off.
2. The DTV transmitter will change to a permanent channel number (UHF or VHF). In most cases this will be a different channel number than the current.
3. DTV transmitter power will be increased to maximum.

[MJA]

if you need an outdoor antenna .do it the right way and get a professional antenna installer

[ljCharlie]

Many thanks for the input. I did go through the antennaweb.org site and found 4 digital channels that are within 30 miles. But I figure that if I get an outside antenna that can reach 70 miles or more, I may be able to pull some channels out of the St. Paul/Menneapolis area. Is this possible? Or should I just go with the indoor antenna and save my money?

[edDV]

Many thanks for the input. I did go through the antennaweb.org site and found 4 digital channels that are within 30 miles. But I figure that if I get an outside antenna that can reach 70 miles or more, I may be able to pull some channels out of the St. Paul/Menneapolis area. Is this possible? Or should I just go with the indoor antenna and save my money?

What is the direction to each transmitter? 3 antenna class choices

1. Omnidirectional antenna (360 degree limited distance)
2. Directional antenna focused to transmitter site(s).
3. Directional antenna with a rotor that you can point in different directions.

[MJA]

http://www.radioshack.com/search/index.jsp?kw=antenna&f=Taxonomy%2FRSK%2F2032189&categ...032057.2032187

Minneapolis, MN - OTA for more help

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=446660&page=1&pp=30

ask the guys for a local installer in your area for an estimate

in my area . around $300 for everything (parts and labor).ChannelMaster 4228 on a rotor with a ChannelMaster 7777 preamplifier



ugly.isn't

[qz3fwd]

Yeah-the Channel Master 4228 rocks. I was using an el-cheapo Walmart special $8 amplified antenna and had tons of problems with reception. The CM is rock solid but if you need to tune several channels simultaneously you may need more than 1 antenna. I got a CM Stealth since I record several shows at the same time and these antennas are directional.

Good luck.

I cannot wait for them to turn the DTV broadcasts to full power-2009 cannot come soon enough. But wait-wasnt it supposed to be 2006? Who thinks they will delay the shutoff date yet again?????

[MJA]

Channel Master 3010 looks like an F-117 stealth bomber

[ljCharlie]

Okay, I found this one, http://www.antennasdirect.com/DB8_HD_Antenna.html, while I'm seaching through Google. Any thoughts on this?

[edDV]

By choosing that antenna you are telling us all the stations of interest are in the same direction, all are UHF and they are between 35 and 70 miles away.

If local and distant stations are on the same radial, you might find the locals overload the tuner.

[ljCharlie]

I thin I see what you're saying. The 4 locals that showed in antennaweb.org are within 30 miles or less. I just thought if I can get a better antenna, maybe I will be able to get the further channels from where I live. The 4 local channels are south of me and the furhter channels that I wish to get are west of me.

In any case, I was just wondering if that scenero can be true. It's more likely that will settle for those 4 local channels with an indoor antenna. I saw the one posted by MJA but not sure what the price is and if it is an indoor antenna or not.

[ljCharlie]

Okay, for indoor antenna, will this one work?

And yes, according to antennaweb, most the digital channels that showed up are yellow, green, and red using UHF.

[lordsmurf]

Mine range from 33-48 miles away. I need a large directional with pre-amp. It's easier for me to just watch cable.

[edDV]

Mine range from 33-48 miles away. I need a large directional with pre-amp. It's easier for me to just watch cable.

This depends on the power being used at the transmitter. Larger towns tend to run higher power than small town stations. The small stations don't want to pay the power bills for running two transmitters at full levels.

[edDV]

I thin I see what you're saying. The 4 locals that showed in antennaweb.org are within 30 miles or less. I just thought if I can get a better antenna, maybe I will be able to get the further channels from where I live. The 4 local channels are south of me and the furhter channels that I wish to get are west of me.

In any case, I was just wondering if that scenero can be true. It's more likely that will settle for those 4 local channels with an indoor antenna. I saw the one posted by MJA but not sure what the price is and if it is an indoor antenna or not.

The internal antenna may or may not get stations 30 miles away depending on transmitter power.

You can point the big directional antenna west in hopes of getting the distant city DTV stations. You can also put a smaller wider focus antenna on the same pole pointed south to get the locals. The two antennas can feed a "combiner" on the pole and feed one cable down to the tuner.

[edDV]

You can ask others in the Minneapolis area about their reception at
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=45

Here's a list of stations and transmitter power for the Minneapolis area
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=446660

You should find your town there too.

[ljCharlie]

Thank you so much for all your suggesitons. I just put in an order for the Samsung DBTH260F HDTV Terrestrial Tuner so all I'm looking for is the right antenna for this tuner. I'll take all of your suggestion into consideration. The only problem is I don't want to run two cables into my home. I already have one cable for my broadband Internet access and so I dont' want to drill another hole in the wall for that. I would love to go with the outdoor antenna though but not sure if I want to drill another hole or make the existing hole bigger to fit two cables.

[dj4monie]

I keep hearding about the Silver Sensor from Phillips on the AVS forms and it seems to be a very good indoor ant.

Im going to try that one first, its CHEAP.