local TV what antenna?

We have 4 TVs in the house connected to satellite. We have another, a Sanyo, on which we would like to be able to watch local TV (we live near Memphis). Can someone recommend an antenna for us? Many thanks, Jackie Davidson

Reply to
J. Davidson
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Just the site for you. Welcome to AntennaWeb.org

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-- Oren

"I don't have anything against work. I just figure, why deprive somebody who really loves it."

Reply to
Oren

who really loves it."

Reply to
J. Davidson

Better! The site helps identify broadcast and takes into account mountain ranges.

You should be able to buy locally; any antenna you need for a single TV.

Good Luck.

-- Oren

"I don't have anything against work. I just figure, why deprive somebody who really loves it."

Reply to
Oren

Try cheapest solution first- rabbit ears. Radio Shack, or even local thrift store. If all the stations you want are within 20 miles or so, they may work well enough.

aem sends...

Reply to
aemeijers

Rabbit ears will even receive the local HDTV signals. :-)

-- Oren

"Well, it doesn't happen all the time, but when it happens, it happens constantly."

Reply to
Oren

This site just confirmed why I have cable. Nearest stations to me are 28 miles, most are 40, but the ones in my state that I prefer to watch are all over 50 miles.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

Oh to have even one _within_ 60 miles!!!

--

Reply to
dpb

Whatever anyone is selling on Craigslist

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Reply to
Rudy

I have a "special circumsance" in that the Potomac River sort of acts like a "wave guide" but I get VERY good reception of Washington DC stations and "pretty good" reception of Baltimore stations with a roof top antenna from our home in King George, VA. The distances are 40 miles or a bit longer.

I have a "rotator" but with a swing of 30 degress it doesn't make much difference to we just set it up and leave it alone.

The basic set up is a "tripod" on top of the roof with a 6' mast holding the rotator which holds up a second 6' mast with the antenna. The antenna has something on the order of 20 elements. Generaly speaking, you want the antenna as high as you can get it. My "rig" survived Isabel. That storm knocked out power for most of the county for almost a week. Other storms have knocked down trees on our property but the antenna still has all its little rods, etc.

During the early morning we sometimes pick up stations in Pennsylvania.

Reply to
John Gilmer

P&M

I presume you have a coaxial cable connector on the back of your tv? A silver colored little thimble like thing, but not tapered, with threads on the outside?

What I would try first is a thin piece of non-stranded (single thread) wire, insulated if possible, with the insulation stripped off the inch at one end, and stuff that wire into the little hole in the center of the coaxial connector on the back of the tv. You can put it in a half inch, or even maybe an inch if it goes that far. Although even a tiny bit, a mm. or two, is enough to work, but it might fall out.

The wire should be as thin or thinner than the wire that sticks out of a coaxial cable connector with the threads on the inside. You can use one of the strands in a piece of 4-conductor phone line, for example, or just about anything.

While commercially sold antennas are stiff and stick up, those aren't very inportant characteristics. Stiff is only useful so that one can put the antenna where he wants it, but I just let it run down the back of the tv and the tv-table to the floor. Sticking up, as opposed to dangling down is only important if the stations are far enough away that reception is marginal, and even then one could hook the wire to the curtains or a shelf or a brad in the wall if necessary. I'm sure it won't hurt to wrap the last half inch of the wire once or twice around the brad, although that half inch won't function as an antenna anymore. (becuase it is in a circle and the induced currents in it will be in all directions and will cancel each other out)

If the stations in Memphis are near enough reception will be ok to great with anything although low stations like 2, 3, and 4, require a piece of wire that is at least 3 feet long. Higher number stations usually don't require that, but you probalby want to get channel 2 also. 30 or 40 or 50 miles is where tv reception fades away, and if the broadcast antenna is that far away, it can matter if you are on a hill or in a valley, even a tiny valley like I'm in. It can also matter what floor you are on. The basement can be bad.

Finally, although SONY usually works well, after that I find that one can't predict quality of reception by brand. I have local stations in Baltiomre, and others in DC, and some tv's will get channels 4, 5, 7, and 9 in DC, but most will only get 3 of them, and which 3 varies. Others will only get 2 or 1. I have maybe tv's of all ages and brands going through here over the last 24 years, so I think my sample is pretty good. Neither brand nor age is a good predictor of how many DC stations they will get, although all of them get the Baltimore stations.

Reply to
mm

That's a problem in the hilly northeast, not so much in the flatter parts of the country.

Reply to
Pete C.

You want the best, go with Winegard, they are awesome:

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Also consider that VHF analog broadcasts will be gone in short time, so an antenna that favors UHF reception would be better for over the air High Definition which is broadcast digitally in UHF. The HD8200P should be fine if you still need good VHF reception now, and should do outstandingly well for everything in the future and current HD broadcasts.

Reply to
RickH

Most of the newer TV stations around here use UHF, but there's an interesting exception. The local ABC station broadcasts digitally on channel 10.

Reply to
Mark Lloyd

how many tvs are you watching at the same time? if its usually 4 or less you can run a cable from one or two of the satellite receivers add a switch with infrared remote extender and control your satellite receiver and watch it from tv number 5

Reply to
hallerb

As part of the overall consideration, I'd factor in that NTSC broadcasting over the air is scheduled to be turned off in less than

18 months. So, at that point, you'd need an antenna appropriate to received digital, as well as a TV with an ATSC tuner or an external ATSC tuner/converter to use with older TVs.

Antennaweb.org has lots of good info.

Reply to
trader4

Your points regarding the February 17, 2009 turn off date for analog broadcasts are timely.

This FCC site has a wealth of information about the transition:

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That said I must say that at least in my case, a modest standard UHF antenna does a great job. I'm 44 miles from most of my OTA (over-the-air) stations. I have a modest (6' to 8') VHF/UHF directional antenna without a rotor mounted 4 feet above my flat roof about 12 feet above ground level. Digital signals are all crystal clear; the worse signal registers 78% signal strength, most approach 100%. On the other hand the analog signals are generally poor to mediocre. Admittedly that rating is relative to the digital reception : ) Another thing your cable and satellite providers don't want you to know is that the OTA signals will generally provide the best reception. It's either straight from the source to your antenna or you don't get it at all. That is, it's either received or not --- discounting very infrequent pixelation. I receive over 20 HDTV channels via Dish network and previously got them via Cox cable so this is not hearsay. Side-by-side, my OTA reception is noticeable better --- even at 44 miles!

Bottom line: don't be sold on "Special HDTV" antennas being pushed by too many vendors. And yes, rabbit ears may well be more than adequate.

Just my 25 cents : )

Reply to
DonC

That would be a problem if there was anything worth watching on OTA TV. I have cable, mostly because my work pays for the cable modem and the package isn't a lot more, and even with cable there are only about three channels I watch with any regularity.

Reply to
Pete C.

The same antenna that works with analog will work with digital.

Reply to
Mark Lloyd

My, my!

Evidently you don't enjoy any sports broadcasts. And any PBS broadcasts such as the recent excellent Ken Burns series "The War." And you could care less about what's going on locally via your local news broadcasts. And all this for free!

I do however agree that most prime network broadcasts are crap and unfortunately getting worse all the time -- if that's really possible. Also, I refuse to watch the biased and sensationalized (both sides) prime-time national news broadcasts. I get better and more timely information via the internet. Sigh....

Reply to
DonC

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