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Lord Darth Vader said:

OK, I'm wondering if I can improve my situation. Here's the scoop...

I live 30 miles west/southwest of downtown Chicago, from where all my OTA signals are beamed. I'm on the 2nd floor of a 3-story apt. building. My unit is on the west side of the building, and all my windows are on the west side of my unit. Consequently, I "face" west, in the opposite direction of Chicago and the signals. I do have an outside balcony, though; however, that, too, is on the west side--again, on the side opposite of the direction of Chicago.

I have a Terk indoor amplified antenna, kinda like the Silver Sensor, and have been able to pick up some of the OTA signals, but they fluctuate and get worse when it's cloudier or rainier. What I'm wondering is this: would it help if I relocated the antenna onto the balcony, bringing the antenna outdoors? This WOULD mean it would be behind yet another wall--my balcony's sliding glass door, essentially--and another 5 feet west. Or should I actually get a different antenna and put that outside (but where? can't install one on the roof)?

I guess what I'm wondering is if despite my limitations of being indoors and facing away from the city, I would still be better off having an outdoor antenna that is put on a semi-enclosed balcony (semi-enclosed meaning there's a building wall on one side and my balcony's doors on the other).

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atp1313 said:

STEP 1: Destroy the TERK! They are overpriced junk. Get yourself a Silver Sensor or other non-TERK antenna. That right there will get you better reception.

Mounting an antenna 5 feet further west is not going to kill your signal all that much if at all. And being outside, it might actually do better with the signal "falling" or "cascading" over the building. Keep in mind that these signals are being beamed from the top of the Sears Tower (most likely) or Hancock Building. These buildings are quite tall and the signals are quite strong. With you being in a 3 story building, the eastern side of your building is not going to get in the way too much of a signal coming from 30 miles away and over a thousand feet up.

For the price, the Silver Sensor has a pretty solid track record. Worth getting one and trying it out for a few days and in a few locations.

Good luck and keep us posted...

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Lord Darth Vader said:

I did end up picking up the Silver Sensor. Works better than the Terk of the same look. I still can't get our CBS affiliate, WBBM Channel 2, mainly because that's the only major station not beamed from the Sears Tower; they're on the Hancock Bldg. I also have a bit of trouble pulling in one or two of what I call the secondary channels, the non-network digital ones.

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Lord Darth Vader said:

I did end up picking up the Silver Sensor. Works better than the Terk of the same look. I still can't get our CBS affiliate, WBBM Channel 2, mainly because that's the only major station not beamed from the Sears Tower; they're on the Hancock Bldg. I also have a bit of trouble pulling in one or two of what I call the secondary channels, the non-network digital ones.

I guess the trade-off is do I want all the network digital sub-channels without a few secondary channels, or do I want the secondary ones without some of the network ones?

To get a little better of a signal, BTW, I relocated my antenna to my bedroom, one room away, and placed it up high--a tad better positioning than in the living room--and much better aesthetically.

I kinda wish I was able to install one of the typical bowtie or other such antennas indoors to get a better signal. The look wouldn't be a problem because it would be hidden away in my bedroom.

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