Can you recommend an OTA HD antenna? Say from Circuit City or Best Buy? For use with the VIP 722? I live in the country 50 miles from Houston.
Can you recommend an OTA antenna? Say from Circuit City or Best Buy?
- Thread starter jlaavenger
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I've Heard....
that these are good and definitely available from the BestBuy website:
Antennas Direct - Outdoor Multidirectional HDTV Antenna
Model: DB8 | SKU: 8850594
I don't use an OTA antenna so I'm going by word of mouth here - good luck.
that these are good and definitely available from the BestBuy website:
Antennas Direct - Outdoor Multidirectional HDTV Antenna
Model: DB8 | SKU: 8850594
I don't use an OTA antenna so I'm going by word of mouth here - good luck.
There is nothing special about an "HD" antenna. The HD signals are using the same UHF and VHF (depending on where you live) that analog signals used. You don't need to pay more for an HD antenna. Check antennaweb.org to find out how close you are to the towers. I would say you might need a good roof antenna. I am about 13 miles from my towers and I use an amplified UHF indoor antenna that I got from Target a few years ago. Didn't have anything about "HD" on the box.
Radio Shack or Lowes/Home Depot type stores will have more selection especially when it comes to "large" antennas. Best Buy or Circuit City will focus more on smaller, indoor antennas or "cool" looking antennas, i.e. the type that look like airplane wings or flying saucers. One rule of thumb with antennas are if it looks cool, it probably doesn't work well.
The same 40-50 year old antenna designs people tore down from their roofs, chimneys, and towers work just great still today !
The same 40-50 year old antenna designs people tore down from their roofs, chimneys, and towers work just great still today !
I live 40-60 miles from the antenna farms. According to antennaweb.com that distance required a giant outdoor antenna. I sent off my location to solidsignal.com. They sent back a checklist of everything needed to receive OTA in my area. Giant antenna, amplifiers, grounding and cables.
Like you, I live flat land Gulf Coastal. I could pick up a bunch of Digital stations with simple rabbit ears. Before investing $500 or more in a giant outdoor antenna I went to Wally World and picked up a small amplified indoor outdoor antenna. It worked with a 10' cable indoors. Outdoors on a long run it did not work. Wally World is great with returns;-) Exchanged it for Phillips Mant 510 50db amplified antenna and now can pick up stations over 80 miles away. I think the total number of Digital stations I receive is around 90. Digital stations go 66.1, 66.2. 66.3, 66.4,... One of the problems right now is weak transmitter signals. As the transition to all digital nears, station are upping the strength of their digital transmitions. It might be worth trying a cheap indoor antenna before investing in large outdoor antenna.
If I could have found one, my first choice would be Terk HDTVa.
Like you, I live flat land Gulf Coastal. I could pick up a bunch of Digital stations with simple rabbit ears. Before investing $500 or more in a giant outdoor antenna I went to Wally World and picked up a small amplified indoor outdoor antenna. It worked with a 10' cable indoors. Outdoors on a long run it did not work. Wally World is great with returns;-) Exchanged it for Phillips Mant 510 50db amplified antenna and now can pick up stations over 80 miles away. I think the total number of Digital stations I receive is around 90. Digital stations go 66.1, 66.2. 66.3, 66.4,... One of the problems right now is weak transmitter signals. As the transition to all digital nears, station are upping the strength of their digital transmitions. It might be worth trying a cheap indoor antenna before investing in large outdoor antenna.
If I could have found one, my first choice would be Terk HDTVa.
I live in Morganton NC, and unless I travel to Asheville or Charlotte I cannot think of a single store I would walk-in to buy a QUALITY antenna. As has been stated on several forums, Radio Shack seems to only carry cheap quality and I rank Lowes up there, too--except for the F connectors and related tools they sell. Several years back, my local Lowes carried a good selection of Channel Master products but no more. I think the internet retailers have the best options and best quality products. The only drawback is that (1) you cannot see the antenna live and in person and (2) return policies are not too liberal since once the elements are "snapped" into place and the antenna installed, it's difficult to restore the antenna to re-sellable condition. Do as much homework beforehand to try and select the appropriate antenna, and specifically make sure this is the antenna you will need AFTER the February transition. Be certain of the retailers' return policy -- unless the antenna is outright defective, many will not accept returns simply because you chose the wrong antenna. However, I do know that Denny's Antennas TV Antenna Source Indoor/Outdoor TV Antennas - digital/HDTV has a quite liberal return policy. That site openly invites potential customers to try all of their products and if you're not 100% satisfied to return it. If any other vendor has a liberal return policy, I'd like to see someone post it.
Eric
Eric
I'm impressed that you can pick up digital stations from 40-80 miles away with an indoor antenna. It's almost unbelievable !
I get digitals at 42 miles with a Silver Sensor on my bedroom TV (second floor). That antenna doesn't work worth beans on my living room TV on the first floor.
I have a CM4228 on a mast outside and I get the 42 mile antenna farm, the 7 mile antenna farm (between lobes almost in a null) and if I spin it around to the north I get Toronto.
I do not use a rotator, nor do I use a pre-amp, nor amplification of any kind. I basically have an "antenna on a stick" . The 20 foot mast at the gable end of my house goes from the ground up and it tethered at the gable with a 4 inch stand-off mount. Antenna is probably 5 feet above the roof itself. I'm shooting through thick pines and maples. I still get a great signal.
On the new house I'll be trying out one of these:
Antennas Direct C4 ClearStream4 Outdoor Digital HD TV Antenna (C4) | C4 [Antennas Direct] | Antennas Direct c4 terrestrial digital c3 clear stream color stream digital stream hd1080 hd-1080
It's quite a bit smaller than the DB8 (roughly the same as the CM4228... it's an 8-bay bowtie) and is supposed to have very similar performance. We shall see.
If it doesn't work, I'll try something else. Everything here will be UHF and will stay that way so....
It's all about line of sight (and height=better line of sight in most cases)
If you're trying for an 80 mile hit, you'll want to get some height as I believe 80 miles is "over the horizon" even in the flats. A cheaper antenna may work fine, but if it's a tough pull and you just need UHF, you might want to get a 91XG (only after seeing if something cheaper and smaller will work). With about a 25 degree beam width, if all your stations are clustered in that beam.... you would be all set.
A chain of VERY LARGE electronics stores that have inched their way east from CA. Got one here in Indy.
If you have 6 or 8 hours and all of the stations you want are UHF, you can build your own pretty easily with some supplies from Lowe's, Home Depot, or the local hardware store.
Do a google search for Grey-Hoverman Antenna and check out digitalhome.ca/ota/superantenna (I can't post URL's because I don't have enough posts). The discussion forum is located at digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=85987
They released the plans under GPL so anyone can build it for free. I use this antenna and it works really well although I am not in a fringe area. But there are some people that are getting some distant stations in rural areas with this antenna. It was pretty easy to build and fun to know that I did it myself!
Do a google search for Grey-Hoverman Antenna and check out digitalhome.ca/ota/superantenna (I can't post URL's because I don't have enough posts). The discussion forum is located at digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=85987
They released the plans under GPL so anyone can build it for free. I use this antenna and it works really well although I am not in a fringe area. But there are some people that are getting some distant stations in rural areas with this antenna. It was pretty easy to build and fun to know that I did it myself!
DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT BUY AN ANTENNA FROM A STORE!!!
They are all overpriced ripoff's that don't work well at all! You'll need to dip deep into your pockets if you want one that really works.
INSTEAD...
Make your own! For less than $10.00 (if you have to buy all the supplies) you can make your own that works 100% better than the in-store antenna's. If you search youtube for "How to Make HD Antenna" you'll find the instructions.
I built this myself yesterday, hooked it up, and WOW! The signal strength of my channels increased by a minimum of 20 points... Now I am taking the $100 antenna I bought from circuit city back to the store.
The total cost of my new antenna? About $7.50.
They are all overpriced ripoff's that don't work well at all! You'll need to dip deep into your pockets if you want one that really works.
INSTEAD...
Make your own! For less than $10.00 (if you have to buy all the supplies) you can make your own that works 100% better than the in-store antenna's. If you search youtube for "How to Make HD Antenna" you'll find the instructions.
I built this myself yesterday, hooked it up, and WOW! The signal strength of my channels increased by a minimum of 20 points... Now I am taking the $100 antenna I bought from circuit city back to the store.
The total cost of my new antenna? About $7.50.
Sorry ... I was asking in jest. I have heard of Fry's, but my point was they're not a nationwide retailer and without knowing where the OP lives, suggesting Fry's may not be much good. Looking at Fry's "store locator" page, outside of California, which they break into two sections, and Texas, they lump Arizona, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Nevada, Oregon, & Washington into one grouping.
I was shocked, too. My house is between Tampa and Ft Meyers on the coast, so it is not surprising to pick up both of those markets. I also get stations out of Orlando. If memory serves it is FOX, CW and Independent. Orlando is due NorthEast of me almost on the opposite coast. With the Mant510 I have to turn down the amplifier to get most Tampa and Ft Meyers stations. That is why I suggest trying an indoor antenna first.
