HD Antennas

[Bob Villa]

Has anyone here had experience with installing the newer flat-panel, amplified, HD, outside antennas? Satisfactory or a gimmick?

bob

[Dean Hoffman]

Many comments here: >

[ransley]

An antenna is an antenna is an antenna now they just call them HD antennas to make you think they are special, contact people that sell all types to get you what is best for your situation

[LSMFT]

I am looking too. I noticed some have 30 mile range, some have 65 and some have 100. Anybody installed this one?

[Bob Villa]

I was thinking of something like that and adding 10 feet to my mast. Thanks!

[Tony]

Scam! The same old antenna from 5, 10, or 20 years ago will work just as well now, if not better since the change to digital.

[in2dadark]

I think there are pills you can take for that. :0)

[Bob Villa]

Good one...I'll have to "see Alice" for that! B^})

[Mike]

I bought something like that, couldn't get it to work too well. I called the local antenna guy, he came to my house and laughed at the antenna, then sold me one that works like a charm for $60. It's a 3' by 4' frame with 8 bow tie antennas on it. Got it in my attic and get more than 2 dozen channels with great reception. Sorry I don't have more info about the antenna he sold me, but I don't think it's uncommon.

Mike

[salty]

FREE:

[LSMFT]

Try it and let me know how it works. I imagine if you put it outside the coat hangers will rust. Maybe do the same thing with Aluminum wire?

[salty]

It's not much different from the bow tie antenna the previous poster paid $60 for. Antennas for OTA TV reception are not exactly high tech devices.

[Eric in North TX]

The best digital antenna looks exactly like the best analog antenna. The requirements are less for digital, so a good analog antenna is way overkill, just the way I like it. I'm running a fringe antenna 40 miles from the towers, and it is like cable. I do have a rotor and amplifier, the rotor is a waste of time at this point, but it used to help with analog. The amplifier is highly recommended.

[LSMFT]

Bunch of messages seem deleted for some unknown reason. I tried that construction on utube of a UHF antenna and it don't work for me. Only 2 channels with low signal. I'm 50 miles from the nearest.

[Bob Villa]

It's better than cable...cable doesn't have the bandwidth for true HD.

[Bob F]

Did you make sure the two cris-crossing wires don't touch each other where they cross? It's the most obvious failure mode I can think of.

[salty]

He's pretty far away from the stations. An outdoor antenna mounted up as high as possible might give him some reception.

[LSMFT]

flat-panel,

will work just

No it won't. That was VHF. Digital is UHF. Some old ones were combos, true.

[LSMFT]

flat-panel,

tried that

for me. Only

each other where

of. It is exactly as shown on utube.

[aemeijers]

We've been through this before. Not all digital is UHF. Around here, several of the major players are still down in the VHF band, and yes, they are on their permanent assignments.

I meant to put up a replacement roof antenna last summer, but never got around to it. (Can barely get 3 stations with what is left of the old antenna.) Couldn't decide between conventional with a rotor, or a 'flying saucer' omni with an amplifier. (need to cover about 200 degrees to hit all the stations.) In the meantime, I have had middling success with rabbit ears on top of a camera tripod, and one of those indoor-style flat square antennas with an amplifier, stuck in the front window. (RCA something or other- local BigLots had them for 20 bucks rather than the 40 a real store wanted, so I figured what the heck.) Both are very fussy on direction, so sometimes it takes awhile to nail the station I want, and I can only get the PBS station on cloudy nights.

But I did manage, for a couple hours one heavily cloudy night, to get Milwaukee channel 6 for a couple hours, all the way on the other side of Lake Michigan, 3 counties in. 'E-layer tunneling', I think they call it?

But to answer OP's question- when visiting my father down in Lake Charles, I did try one of those outdoor-spec amplified flat antennas, and little or no luck. Don't know if it was local conditions, or if the one he had was damaged. (Climate down there is brutal on anything outside.) Bottom line is, there are a ton of variables, and a few feet up or down, or side to side, or a small angle change, can make something work or not work.

-- aem sends...