The same question again

[eddieic]

Looking for an indoor antenna to pick up local HD broadcasts.

I've read quite a few other threads trying to find an answer, and I was going to go with the Silver Sensor or whatever it's called, but I see it doesn't have rabbit ears, and I was wondering if it would pick up the VHF signals. In my area there are 2 stations that are VHF (ABC - 2 and CBS - 9), and I'd like to get both. I'm only about 10 miles or so from the towers according to antennaweb. I don't think an outdoor antenna is an option as the house is a rental, and running wires to the attic probably also isn't feasible for the same reason.

So, would the silver sensor be just fine or would I need to find something with some ears to pick up the vhf channels?

Thanks.

 

[brantlew]

Make sure that those channel numbers are actual frequency numbers. The stations that broadcast on analog and digital actually reuse their station identification number for their digital broadcast even though the broadcast is actually on a different frequency. So for example you might have station 7 broadcasting digital channel 7.1 on UHF frequency 52. antennaweb or wikipedia will typically list the true frequencies.

 

[eddieic]

Make sure that those channel numbers are actual frequency numbers. The stations that broadcast on analog and digital actually reuse their station identification number for their digital broadcast even though the broadcast is actually on a different frequency. So for example you might have station 7 broadcasting digital channel 7.1 on UHF frequency 52. antennaweb or wikipedia will typically list the true frequencies.

Yeah, I looked on antennaweb...I don't remember about channel 2 for sure, but channel 9 (CBS) broadcasts on 9.1. Just checked, 2 is 2.1 as well.

 

[brantlew]

Yeah, I looked on antennaweb...I don't remember about channel 2 for sure, but channel 9 (CBS) broadcasts on 9.1. Just checked, 2 is 2.1 as well.

That's not what I meant. The ".1" is just a naming convention. The true radio frequency is in the last column under "Frequency Assignment". Sometimes antenna web is out of date as well. You can usually find the same info on wikipedia by searching for the station call letters.

And of course even if your stations are broadcasting in the VHF range, it is often the case that a UHF antenna can pick up a strong VHF signal. For example I have a dedicated UHF antenna but I pick up my local analog FOX station on channel 7 just fine with it.

 

[mdonnelly]

There's a Phillips version of the Silver Sensor that's amplified (but adjustable), and is capable of UHF/VHF (rabbit ears). I have one that I got from Wal-Mart last year, about $35.

 

[eddieic]

That's not what I meant. The ".1" is just a naming convention. The true radio frequency is in the last column under "Frequency Assignment". Sometimes antenna web is out of date as well. You can usually find the same info on wikipedia by searching for the station call letters.

And of course even if your stations are broadcasting in the VHF range, it is often the case that a UHF antenna can pick up a strong VHF signal. For example I have a dedicated UHF antenna but I pick up my local analog FOX station on channel 7 just fine with it.

Ahh. Thanks for the explanation. The lowest frequency assignment is 13, and that's the ABC affiliate.

 

[eddieic]

There's a Phillips version of the Silver Sensor that's amplified (but adjustable), and is capable of UHF/VHF (rabbit ears). I have one that I got from Wal-Mart last year, about $35.

I see Circuit City has the phillips model (at least online) for 24.99. Walmart online doesn't have it that I saw, but that was only online. Haven't checked in store.

 

[eddieic]

Alright, so I stopped at Walmart tonight and picked up one of these

http://www.sjgreatdeals.com/phimant210.html

Nothing spectacular, not powered. Just wanted to see how much it increased my reception.

It did OK, but some channels didn't come in reliably, but it did pick up 8 analog and 13 digital channels, I think...basically, it got all the digital channels I wanted, and that's all I care about. But like I said, they weren't great signals.

So seeing as this antenna isn't powered and isn't amplifying the signal, would you think that an amplifier would receive the signals better and make them more stable?

Appreciate any help.

 

[brantlew]

So seeing as this antenna isn't powered and isn't amplifying the signal, would you think that an amplifier would receive the signals better and make them more stable?

I don't think amplification is going to help much. I think the problem is your antenna's sensitivity. Also, since you have determined that all your stations are above 13, you can ditch the rabbit ears and go for more inconspicuous UHF antennas. There are other antenna's at Circuit City that should improve your reception including of course the Silver Sensor. However be warned - the Sensor is also fairly directional so you may have to rotate it to optimize weaker stations. At least that was my experience with it.

 

[eddieic]

I don't think amplification is going to help much. I think the problem is your antenna's sensitivity. Also, since you have determined that all your stations are above 13, you can ditch the rabbit ears and go for more inconspicuous UHF antennas. There are other antenna's at Circuit City that should improve your reception including of course the Silver Sensor. However be warned - the Sensor is also fairly directional so you may have to rotate it to optimize weaker stations. At least that was my experience with it.

I actually received one station I'd like to keep that isn't HD. I'll have to check to see what its frequency is, but it's a local station that has a 24 hour a day weather station. We have directv, so we don't get a dedicated weather channel, so it would be nice to keep that station. The way it looks from antennaweb is that only the cbs and abc affiliates have a vhf number, so the silver sensor should pick it all up fine. I'll give that a shot as soon as I can get to circuit city.

Thanks for the help.

 

[brantlew]

No problem.

If things don't work out - don't be afraid to venture into outdoor antennas. It's not that hard to do. I am super lazy and I still managed to install mine without running any new wires and without installing a pole. Here's a pic of my setup. I just clamped it onto an existing exhaust pipe and hooked it into my dish wiring system and now my reception is perfect and available anywhere in my home.

 

[eddieic]

No problem.

If things don't work out - don't be afraid to venture into outdoor antennas. It's not that hard to do. I am super lazy and I still managed to install mine without running any new wires and without installing a pole. Here's a pic of my setup. I just clamped it onto an existing exhaust pipe and hooked it into my dish wiring system and now my reception is perfect and available anywhere in my home.

Thanks for the visual. My dish is mounted off the roof about 75' from the house due to trees in the area (which also is probably affecting my OTA signal). There is some existing wiring from cable that I could probably hook up to, but the jack for that is on the other side of the room. I have so many wires running right now, I don't think the wife would want a coax transversing the room, so...

I actually wouldn't mind running a new wire into the house, but my attic space is extremely limited. That is, I'm 6'6" and at the peak of the roof, there's probably maybe 2.5' of space to maneuver...not a very high peak, so it makes it hard to get around. And, as it's a rental, I don't want to put in too much effort as I'm not sure how much longer I'll live here (I'm a student).

It seems I'm getting a decent signal in the house, just need a better antenna to pick it up. Hopefully.

 

[brantlew]

Definitely try the indoor antenna first as it circumvents so many other issues.

Just keep in mind that you can utilize the same wires that feeds your dish receiver for an external antenna and make your wife happy.

 

[eddieic]

Definitely try the indoor antenna first as it circumvents so many other issues.

Just keep in mind that you can utilize the same wires that feeds your dish receiver for an external antenna and make your wife happy.

I was thinking about that. A multiswitch or something like that would be needed, no?

There's a junction outside of the house that I could tap into potentially.

Basically, what it is is the 2 wires from the sat running underground, then up the outside. Then there's a "connector" for lack of a better term that connects the inside wiring to the outside. Would I just need a 2 to 1 connector right there to join one of the sat inputs and antenna signal and then a 1 to 2 connector at the sat box to split the signals?


edit: check that....not a multiswitch, but a diplexer.

 

[brantlew]

Yeah, the entry point for the outside wiring would be the ideal place to accomplish this. You would just need to diplex the antenna cable to one of the sat cables and then de-diplex the signal at your receiver.

 

[eddieic]

Yeah, the entry point for the outside wiring would be the ideal place to accomplish this. You would just need to diplex the antenna cable to one of the sat cables and then de-diplex the signal at your receiver.

Does the quality (aka price) of the diplexer matter? I see quite a range in prices depending on where I look. Anywhere from about $3 to $20.

 

[brantlew]

Most diplexers will work just fine. A decent cheap one is the Eagle Aspen D-2100LX which you can find for 2 or 3 bucks.

I find that HomeTech has great equipment for reasonable prices.

 

[Tower Guy]

Definitely try the indoor antenna first as it circumvents so many other issues.

Definitely try an outdoor antenna first as it circumvents all the reception problems with indoor antennas.

 

[eddieic]

Took my antenna back to walmart and decided to try an amplified one before I tried the silver sensor ($5 cheaper). Got the Philips MANT310. So far so good. Picked up all the HD channels I wanted, plus a couple extra UHF channels that will be nice. Will see how it works over the course of a month or two before I throw the box and receipt away, though.

Thanks for the help.

 

[brantlew]

Definitely try an outdoor antenna first as it circumvents all the reception problems with indoor antennas.

I disagree. If an indoor works for you and you can receive all the stations that you are interested in without reception problems then there is no easier way to get OTA HD and anything more is just added complexity. Maybe you and I are technophiles so we don't mind dealing with gain, insertion loss, amplification, etc., but most people have better things to do with their time than become RF experts.