Best and smallest antenna for an apartment??

Ice I live in an apartment I use a U-4000 antennacraft this antenna is great my bedroom is on the west edge of the house. the transmitters is on the sw to w so I can get great reception. But this is worth the money check it out.

Dan Rose

Doesnt Wineguard have a rectangle shape antenna that sits inside of a window ledge?

Cheers, K

Kraven said:

Doesnt Wineguard have a rectangle shape antenna that sits inside of a window ledge?

Cheers, K

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I think that maybe the Flat Wave I already suggested he reread the Leaf Thread and pay attention to Solid Signal's review.

There is always the good ole Winegard Sensar (batwing) from the RV market. VHF/UHF very narrow and only about 3' wide should be able to fit on a shelf in that closet, comes both amplified and unamplified and has at least a 20 year history of performance.

Look at post 9 of this forum link - Grabbit ears antenna.

http://www.dtvusaforum.com/dtv-hdtv...king-up-any-vhf-stations-channels-2-11-a.html

u-4000 can pick up vhf I live close to a religious station so it can pick it up pretty easily.

dan rose

Ice,

I started getting set up with OTA reception, but also ended up moving so I am kind of out of the loop for everything currently, both satellite and OTA. When I began, I just purchased one of those $20-$30 RCA antennas that look like a miniature "hotplate". Because of the local terrain and the fact that I was on the top of a hill, that little el-cheapo antenna served me very well. I was pulling in UHF/VHF signals that TV-Fool didn't even list for me. I did have to be creative with the angle and location of the antenna to get them, but they worked very well to my suprise.

Then I moved! I still use this RCA antenna, but I set it up at my sister's cabin down in the river valley. It's really lousy for reception there. It get a few channels to come in, but you have to sit just right and if anyone gets up to go to the kitchen or the bathroon, the signal pixelates and or the audio chirps.

I believe that I will look into the HBU22 antenna for next year myself and I might buy one for my Mom as well.

RADAR

Ice,

Yes. I probably wouldn't go too extreme, the 22 or 33 model would probably suit my needs just fine. The majority of the good OTA channels here in my area are not too far away and all in the same general direction and fairly strong signals. When I get my home in Cedar Bluffs, NE remodeled, I will set one of those two models up there. I have plenty of space on the roof or even inside the attic for a fairly large sized antenna. Besides that, my home there is atop a hill once again, so it won't be like being down in the river valley where the signal is obscured and reduced by forests of trees and tall bluffs.

Before I started spending a lot of my time at my cabin and nearly living at the cabin, I just had an old style OTA VHF antenna at the house in Cedar Bluffs. There was nothing extremely unique about the antenna that came with the house when I bought it, but I was able to pick up a station from Sioux City, IA and that is a LONG ways away as the crow flies... More than ninety miles. I used to watch that station more often than I watched the Omaha, NE stations which were merely 35-45 miles away. The Sioux City station had better programming at the time so I really enjoyed it.

Now that every OTA station is purely digital today, that antenna (which is still in my attic) may not be as good as I can do. I will certainly give it a try before abandoning it, but I know it won't work for any of the UHF stations and currently, the Omaha area UHF stations are better programming.

What really bites is my satellite LOS at my house there in Cedar Bluffs. Between my yard and my neighbors we have some really HUGE American Sycamore trees which are totally in the wrong places for sat reception. I really am going to miss my rental farm that was out near my cabin. That was the most ultimate location for the FTA hobby! Anyone who was interested in Ku or C band reception would have been green with envy! And now I have no access to that anymore so I am green with envy because the people who have it now are not interested in satellite reception except for DN or DirecTV. Seems to be such a waste of the ultimate skyline! I am sure that you understand the scenario here. These new tenants at the farm have the ultimate LOS for everything and they are not interested in the hobby one bit. What a shame. And then, here folks like you and I and the others are just drooling for the ultimate location and we are stuck with what we have! Oh well, Que Sera, Sera!

RADAR

I've built several single bay grey-hoverman antennas for picking up the local VHF and UHF signals. VHF transmitters vary from 20-50mi, and a bunch of UHF at about 55mi. No preamps (so far). Installed them at various locations within about 10mi of my place and they all get all the local channels. I just clamp them onto the satellite dish mast or bring a spare J-mount along. Very simple and hardly visible from the street etc... but they have to be mounted outside to do much good so maybe not the solution for you Ice.

I use 14ga covered copperweld as the elements, 3/4" square aluminum tubing as the backbone, and 3/16 plexiglass as insulators. No reflectors. A jig made with plywood with nails at the bend points helps keep the elements consistent, and I solder two bolts (3/8 X 2") to the feed points to attach the balun. No idea how long they will last, depends on the plexiglass standoffs I guess, and if Big Bird lands on one of the wires...
Since they have no reflectors they can pick up US stations, always one fox station nearby and often PBS, and sometimes ABC and CBS from Grand Forks/Fargo.

hi iceberg how about this antenna
john
http://store03.prostores.com/servlet/dennysantennaservicestore/the-153/EZ-HD-TV-Antenna/Detail

I ordered the Newest Leaf from Mohu. It will pick up stations within a 50 mile radius. I paid 80 plus dollars for it . Hooked it up and got nothing but one PBS local channel in my small 5,000 population town. I called Mohu and they checked and told me that some obstacle was blocking the reception between my house and the towers in Macon which is about 37-40 miles away. I had to send it back and was given a refund without a problem. I don't know what that obstacle could have been. I can rule out mountains. But there are plenty of forests between my area and Macon. Anyway , it would not pick up anything in two other near by towns either. I want to try another indoor antenna , but am afraid too.

Jillian said:

I ordered the Newest Leaf from Mohu. It will pick up stations within a 50 mile radius. I paid 80 plus dollars for it . Hooked it up and got nothing but one PBS local channel in my small 5,000 population town. I called Mohu and they checked and told me that some obstacle was blocking the reception between my house and the towers in Macon which is about 37-40 miles away. I had to send it back and was given a refund without a problem. I don't know what that obstacle could have been. I can rule out mountains. But there are plenty of forests between my area and Macon. Anyway , it would not pick up anything in two other near by towns either. I want to try another indoor antenna , but am afraid too.

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Unless your close to the towers,in pretty flat terrain,indoor antennas aren't really an optimal choice.