Looking for OTA antenna

[EricD]

I apologize if this is slightly OT. I'm looking for an antenna to get local and semi-local station (analog for now, but compatible with HDTV for future use).

According to Antennaweb, the stations I'm interested in are located at:
- Providence stations: 20 miles, 75-77° (red-blue zones)
- Boston stations: 45 miles, 41-42° (violet zone)

Since this antenna signal will be split to several TVs, I don't want a rotator (my wife would get upset if I rotate the antenna while she's watching Survivor). Is a span of 36° acceptable for directional antennas?

Also, which antenna do you recommend? Previous posts recommended the ChannelMaster Crossfire.

Bonus points: Can you find what town I live in based on the station locations above? :rolleyes:

[langlin]

"Since this antenna signal will be split to several TVs, I don't want a rotator (my wife would get upset if I rotate the antenna while she's watching Survivor). Is a span of 36° acceptable for directional antennas?"

In analog you will probably have problems if you have mountains or hills BUT in digital you may not, I have a digital station that is 35 miles away and directly behind my antenna that comes in perfectly in DT but terrible in Analog

[boba]

What channels are you looking for is the important information missing. Are the channels VHF low/VHF high or UHF or a mixture from each direction. Cut to channel antennas can be setup as in a cable system to get good reception but that isn't cheap.

[Michael P]

There are omnidirectional antennas, they look like saucers. I used to use one. It takes awhile to find the "sweet spot" where you will get acceptable reception for all desired stations.

[JM Anthony]

There's a lot of good advice on local reception issues on the AVS Forum. There's threads for all of the major cities. More often than not, you'll be able to find someone in your area who can give you specific advice based on the reality of your environment. I live in a beautiful part of Seattle, but it just happens to be butt ugly for OTA reception. Some local expertise helped solve my problem. Hope you have a similar experience.

John