Dan needs an antenna
We
got a question about antennas from Dan via our contact form. Dan's
looking for the best antenna for his new Samsung HDTV set that includes
both an ATSC and NTSC tuner. Dan, I've personally used a Terk TV55 in my attic with good results; no movement of the antenna was required and I was roughly 20 miles from the local DTV towers. Currently, I'm about 5 miles farther, but I'm also higher, so I get away with a Terk model TV5 on top of my HDTV tuner (pictured above). That one does require some adjustment of the antenna direction, but I can live with that. Both Terk models are amplified.
Matt has also used the indoor TV5 as well as the TV3. In a few weeks he'll be installing a TV38 rooftop-antenna from Terk, so watch for a post on that. I should also mention that my next door neighbor receives his OTA signal WITHOUT an antenna. His set is in the basement, so we decided to run a basic coax cable from the tuner and attach it to the copper piping in the house. Turns out that the piping acts like a "whole-house" antenna!
Dan, we've got a great post and external link to help you and everyone else out with your specific antenna needs, so let's start there. You should be able to find what you need by following the guidelines and determining your budget. I would always recommend an amplified antenna for signal gain, and in your case, an omni-directional might be just the ticket! Thanks for the question and let us know what you decide!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Buzzcut @ Oct 3rd 2005 9:43PM
Dude, I love antennas. I've got the "big" RCA that they sell at the Depot. I've got in on a 3' tripod, on top of a 6' long boom. The sucker is literally the highest point in my neighborhood.
Next, I got 50 feet of RJ6 and the Zenith high end connectors that they sell at the Depot. I ran a single run straight from the antenna to the pass through on the side of the house. From there it goes into the house, and through another short run of RJ6 with the high end connectors.
It works goddamn well! I'm in Chicago, 28 miles from the Hancock, and I get WBBM with very few dropouts. Look at AVSforums on the Chicago thread, you'll see that this is an impressive boast. WBBM is a bitch to get (broadcasting on channel 3 at 1000 watts will tend to do that).
With that said, you really need to take into account your local conditions. If all your digitals are on UHF, then a monster antenna like mine does you little good (big antennas are needed to get channel 2 through 5). If you are close to the transmitters, a rusty old clotheshanger sticking out of the back of the TV might even work.
One day, I hope that Congress shows some balls, eliminates analog television altogether, and also eliminates the VHF band from television (give it to the cops and firemen). Then I'll be able to get by with a UHF only antenna, and I can go smaller.
Chris @ Oct 4th 2005 8:32AM
I just posted about my adventures with HDTV antennas at:
http://blog.ziffdavis.com/etbooks/archive/2005/10/03/33632.aspx
dave @ Oct 4th 2005 3:43PM
how did your friend hook the coax to his copper piping? i ask because my house has a copper roof, and i have miles of coax laying around. i would appreciate the scoop.