Local channels with DirecTV?

[bonnjer]

Hi everyone, I'm new here and of course have questions. After reading through various other posts here, I was encouraged by what looks like a very helpful community.

I recently got DirecTV and have encountered the old "problem" of getting local channels. I currently have a simple indoor antenna, the RCA Indoor VHF/UHF/FM Antenna (ANT-110).

With that antenna, I can pick up some channels clearly, but would like to know if a better antenna would improve things. I bought this one from Wal Mart and they have other RCA and Phillips models there. I just want some sort of indoor antenna since I can't mount anything. My zip code is 71351 if you need to look up my locals. If you can provide any help, I would certainly appreciate it. Thanks!

Jeremy

 

[Jimbo]

Hi everyone, I'm new here and of course have questions. After reading through various other posts here, I was encouraged by what looks like a very helpful community.

I recently got DirecTV and have encountered the old "problem" of getting local channels. I currently have a simple indoor antenna, the RCA Indoor VHF/UHF/FM Antenna (ANT-110).

With that antenna, I can pick up some channels clearly, but would like to know if a better antenna would improve things. I bought this one from Wal Mart and they have other RCA and Phillips models there. I just want some sort of indoor antenna since I can't mount anything. My zip code is 71351 if you need to look up my locals. If you can provide any help, I would certainly appreciate it. Thanks!

Jeremy

Jeremy,
Check out this site:
http://antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx

It will give you an idea of what cities you can expect to pick up...
If Baton Rouge is the city your shooting for, I doubt you'll get them with an inside antenna.
IF you can get a outside antenna, with a rotor, that would be the very best way to go... looks like you can get a whole lot of channels that way.
The BR channels are all about 70+ miles from you, for a outdoor antenna, thats no trouble, for an inside thats a long ways.

You did not mention what cities you were looking for so I presumed that that was what you were looking for, there are some closer, but they would require you turning you antenna in different directions to get them.

An indoor antenna that a lot of people have used wiith good sucess is the Silver Sensor, (I think it's made by Zenith, but I'm not sure)

How about placing an anterrna in your attic, Is that possible ?

Jimbo

 

[dfergie]

to SatelliteGuys!!!

 

[bonnjer]

Jimbos and dfergie, thanks for the welcome!

Jimbos, I am trying to pick up as many of the green and blue as possible (especially the green). As it stands now with the antenna that I have inside, I'm picking up some of them very well and some others not so well.

I did see where others talked about the Silver Sensor. I will take a look at that some more. I was just wondering if there were any others that were found to be successful. I saw various ones at Wal Mart from RCA and Phillips that were for HDTV and had different dB levels. I know that the one that I have is the very basic one, so I wasn't sure if the more expensive ones there were worth looking into.

Thanks for any further help that you can provide. It helps for me to decide.

 

[Jimbo]

Jimbos and dfergie, thanks for the welcome!

Jimbos, I am trying to pick up as many of the green and blue as possible (especially the green). As it stands now with the antenna that I have inside, I'm picking up some of them very well and some others not so well.

I did see where others talked about the Silver Sensor. I will take a look at that some more. I was just wondering if there were any others that were found to be successful. I saw various ones at Wal Mart from RCA and Phillips that were for HDTV and had different dB levels. I know that the one that I have is the very basic one, so I wasn't sure if the more expensive ones there were worth looking into.

Thanks for any further help that you can provide. It helps for me to decide.

Some antennas you find (Indoor) are amplified and some are not, keep in mind it amplifies the signal... so if the signal is not there, it won't help ....
Also don't get hung up on the " FOR HD ", or "HD capable" antenna's, yes they will do that, but there is no such thing as a HD antenna.
The HD signal is normally picked up on the UHF side of the spectrum, some VHF, but not many.
The digital signal is being picked up by you everyday uhf antenna, my first one was one from the early '70's that my dad had sitting around in the garage.

Jimbo

 

[bonnjer]

Ok, so for instance....

The Fox station out of Natchez...I can pick that up with the unamplified antenna that I have now, but it's fairly snowy. An amplified antenna would pull it in clearer?

I'm not too worried about the whole HD thing since I don't have any televisions capable of receiving it. My main concern was getting advice about the unamplified versus amplified issue and whether or not it would be useful to get an amplified antenna.

 

[johnml]

Get a out side antenna the reception is much better. Its almost no comparison. check out antennaweb.org.

 

[Jimbo]

Ok, so for instance....

The Fox station out of Natchez...I can pick that up with the unamplified antenna that I have now, but it's fairly snowy. An amplified antenna would pull it in clearer?

I'm not too worried about the whole HD thing since I don't have any televisions capable of receiving it. My main concern was getting advice about the unamplified versus amplified issue and whether or not it would be useful to get an amplified antenna.

It depends on the amount of gain involved in the amplifier, there are alot of variables involved with analog signals

Jimbo