I live on the north side of Chicago and want to put an outdoor TV antenna on my roof. In Chicago, most of the TV signals come from one of two buildings downtown, the John Hancock Center and the Sears Tower. I am between 6 and 7 miles from each of these buildings. The Sears Tower lies 30 degrees east of directly south of me (or at 150 degrees on a compass) and the John Hancock Center lies approximately 42 degrees east of directly south of me (or 138 degrees on a compass). Radio Shack offers two antennas that I'm considering:
1.80" boom length, 32 element antenna 90 mile VHF range 70 mile UHF range HDTV compatible $602.50" boom length 18 element antenna 75 mile VHF range 50 mile UHF range does not mention HDTV compatibility $40
I have a clear view of both buildings. From what I understand, the longer the range of an antenna, the narrower the angle of reception. I would go for number 1 above because of the HDTV compatibility (don't have a TV set yet, but plan to buy one in the future), but I don't know if it would be hard to pick up the transmissions from both buildings. I don't really want to get a rotator, because (I hate to admit it) I switch channels quite often and I don't know if a rotator is ideal for someone like that.
Does anyone have any suggestions for either one of the antennae?
Thanks.