any luck with HD locals using indoor antenna?
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I live 17 mi from the towers in my area, and use an indoor antenna.
It's the Radio Shack amplified indoor HDTV antenna.
You should check antennaweb. It will tell you if you can get away with a small indoor antenna or not.
It's the Radio Shack amplified indoor HDTV antenna.
You should check antennaweb. It will tell you if you can get away with a small indoor antenna or not.
I use an indoor antenna and get very good signal. You may have to move the antenna around sometimes, but it should work.
kcromeis said:
I use a $14 Radio Shack double bow tie indoor antenna (click on Barney's System below to see it). I live 15 miles from the towers.
I've heard great things about that Zenith, but be sure you can take it back if it doesn't work (it should unless there is alot of buildings in the way)...
Barney
Silver Sensor is an excellent UHF antenna. I use it to get signals from towers 20 miles from here.kcromeis said:
kcromeis said:
Even after the MPEG-4 conversion, OTA channels will be less compressed and probably look better.
Go get yourself a Silver Sensor and try it. Worst case scenario -- you take it back.
Previously I had one Silver Sensor and no singnal. I combined two of them, and get CBS clear, but no others. I am going to try some more positions and see what happens.
Silver Sensor
I had full size antenna in my attic and was only able to get a couple of stations (approx. 25-30 mi from towers).
Then I picked up a Silver Sensor and put it right next to my TV. Now I get all available OTA HD channels in my area (Philly market).
Couldn't recommend it more.
I had full size antenna in my attic and was only able to get a couple of stations (approx. 25-30 mi from towers).
Then I picked up a Silver Sensor and put it right next to my TV. Now I get all available OTA HD channels in my area (Philly market).
Couldn't recommend it more.
I got one of those Terk amplified indoor HD antennas from Radio Shack, and I was amazed. It says up to 45 miles, but I'm a good 50 from the nearest station. I get WRTV (ABC), WLFI (CBS), WTHR (NBC), WXIN (FOX), WFYI (PBS), WNDY (UPN), and WTTK (WB)! I don't get WISH (CBS) for some reason, but I'm sure I could if I changed the direction a little bit. I was surprised because I thought surely WRTV would be one that doesn't come in.
kcromeis said:
I live app. 43 miles NE of the antenna farm here in Houston. I get really good reception with a Winegard powered antenna mounted up in my attic. ABC,CBS and FOX are all very strong. NBC is not quite as good, but watchable 99% of the time.
silver sensor here....have it next to a window and I am about 30 miles away!! Get everything possible!! It is the best
My son lives 46 miles (GPS verified) from the cluster of digital towers in the Dallas area. After trying a couple of amplified loops, he bought the Samsung amplified yagi, which has a 20db preamp, and ant is enclosed in plastic to look like a flying wing. He gets all Dallas OTA stations, with some re-aiming. His ant is sitting on fireplace shelf, and has to get sigs through a solid brick wall on his house and a signal-blocking path through neighbor's house. Samsung ant is $99 at BB, but worth trying - with return if not what you hoped for. He uses Dish 811 and Samsung HLP 46 inch DLP. I get only one OTA here in the sticks, and that is with a 50 foot tower and a big yagi and preamp, and it is not a Dallas station, but one in Okla. You can go to the FCC.gov site and get the grid coordinates of any digital or analog tower and use a GPS to find the exact distance and bearing from your location.
With the newer indoor TERK model (the one that resembles the silver Sensor) I get excellent reception...
I pull in one channel from 30 miles away with an 85% signal..
Another I pull in at 95%, but its only 3 miles away..
Another channel that is 40 miles from me I can pick up at 45% or so, but it wont lock in...
With the Silver Sensor I got very bad results...
The only channel I picked up at all was the one from 3 miles away...
Keep in mind, you need to know what direction the towers are at, and you will need to point to each specific channel if they are much more than 10 -15 miles away..
I only get the 85% signal on the 30 mile away channel if I point right at it, if Im not pointed at it I only get a 60% signal or so...
Anyways, to sum up, I had way better luck with the TERK model over the Silver Sensor, but thats just me...
I pull in one channel from 30 miles away with an 85% signal..
Another I pull in at 95%, but its only 3 miles away..
Another channel that is 40 miles from me I can pick up at 45% or so, but it wont lock in...
With the Silver Sensor I got very bad results...
The only channel I picked up at all was the one from 3 miles away...
Keep in mind, you need to know what direction the towers are at, and you will need to point to each specific channel if they are much more than 10 -15 miles away..
I only get the 85% signal on the 30 mile away channel if I point right at it, if Im not pointed at it I only get a 60% signal or so...
Anyways, to sum up, I had way better luck with the TERK model over the Silver Sensor, but thats just me...
I tried about 5 different indoor antennas until I found one that works best. I now have the RCA model:ANT 1250 powered antenna. It works great and is about $25 at walmart. I get 93%-100% on all but the our low powered UPN digital station and I still get 65-75% on that one. My towers are 30 miles as the crow flies.
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