To save yourself a headache, a roof top antenna will do fine without any kind of amplifier.
Are you asking yourself: Should I get an HDTV antenna for my HR-20?
Someday soon, coming to an HR-20 near you, you may be able to get OTA (Over The Air) High Definition Channels. You might be wondering...
Should I get an HDTV antenna for my HR-20?
What additional High Def channels could I get in my area?
What additional Standard Def channels could I get in my area?
What kind of antenna would I need?
What direction would I need to aim an antenna?
You can find out all of this and much more at:
http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/Address.aspx
- Craig
Should I get an HDTV antenna for my HR-20?
What additional High Def channels could I get in my area?
What additional Standard Def channels could I get in my area?
What kind of antenna would I need?
What direction would I need to aim an antenna?
You can find out all of this and much more at:
http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/Address.aspx
- Craig
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I bought a cheapy indoor RCA amplified antenna and it sits right next to my receiver. I have a clear line of sight to the towers about 18 miles away and I'm on the 2nd floor. I can only get about 50% signal strength according to my TV, but the channels look awfully good. Has anyone who's gone for a better antenna when they had a cheaper one before noticed a major difference when they had better signal strength? A lot of times it's hard for me to tell 'cuz my locals broadcast in so many different formats. The ABC looks great in 720p and the PTV looks awesome in 1080i - again though with only 50% antenna strength.cybrsurfer said:To save yourself a headache, a roof top antenna will do fine without any kind of amplifier.
I tweaked your Title of your thread a bit, to avoid confusion.
As I was about to answer your OP, until I realized what you where doing.
As I was about to answer your OP, until I realized what you where doing.
I don't live very far from the tv towers either, but I warn about amplifiers based on my own experiences and disappointment with it. My roof top antenna is great without the amplifier.Canis Lupus said:I bought a cheapy indoor RCA amplified antenna and it sits right next to my receiver. I have a clear line of sight to the towers about 18 miles away and I'm on the 2nd floor. I can only get about 50% signal strength according to my TV, but the channels look awfully good. Has anyone who's gone for a better antenna when they had a cheaper one before noticed a major difference when they had better signal strength? A lot of times it's hard for me to tell 'cuz my locals broadcast in so many different formats. The ABC looks great in 720p and the PTV looks awesome in 1080i - again though with only 50% antenna strength.
I have a C-Band "style" antenna (MASSIVE and an eye sore) with a regular antenna on the roof and cannot get FOX or NBC. It is a huge headache. I used to get NY/LA stations until July and didnt call in and now I only get NBC and ABC.
Hmmm. I was worried I needed to go amplified because it was gonna be indoors. You think the obvious non-need for you to go amplified is sheerly 'cuz it's on the roof? That's interesting that your amplified antenna performed worse. Was the amplification "overshooting" your tower distance (if that's even possible or does it have more to do with 20db and 25db amplification that worsens it)? I've seen these different recommendations for antennas based on distance/obstructions and multi/uni directional. Can amplification actually degrade signal strength? Interesting.cybrsurfer said:I don't live very far from the tv towers either, but I warn about amplifiers based on my own experiences and disappointment with it. My roof top antenna is great without the amplifier.
Same with indoor too, amplified indoor units stink also. I'm trying to save you the time and money. Amplified seems to be designed for analog not digital.Canis Lupus said:Hmmm. I was worried I needed to go amplified because it was gonna be indoors. You think the obvious non-need for you to go amplified is sheerly 'cuz it's on the roof? That's interesting that your amplified antenna performed worse. Was the amplification "overshooting" your tower distance (if that's even possible or does it have more to do with 20db and 25db amplification that worsens it)? I've seen these different recommendations for antennas based on distance/obstructions and multi/uni directional. Can amplification actually degrade signal strength? Interesting.
Cool thanks cybr. There's a non-amped version of the same antenna at the same store. I'll try that and see if signal strength improves. I'll report back. Appreciate the info.cybrsurfer said:Same with indoor too, amplified indoor units stink also. I'm trying to save you the time.
I was sold an amplified Terk tv-top UHF which was worthless. Antenna farm is about 20mi distant. I installed in my attic the DB-2 indoor from antennasdirect.com and diplexed it into a sat line (after the B-band converter). Signal strength is VERY sensitive to direction but I am getting 85 without an amplifier. Presently, local Houston mpeg-4 pq can be pretty bad (especially ABC). Looking forward to OTA!
IMO, there are way too many variables involved with OTA HDTV to make a blanket statement like this.cybrsurfer said:To save yourself a headache, a roof top antenna will do fine without any kind of amplifier.
Signal strength depends on many things, your location, location of antenna farms, local station equipment, your equipment, time of year, weather, etc.
For me it was a tial and error process. I tried about 5 different antennas in all (all roof mount) and decided on the CM 4228 with electic rotator and amplifier.
What works for some, may not work at all for others...
As is the case with so many technologies YMMV.
Just not true. The antenna/preamp (if any) that you need depends on where you are and what stations you are trying to receive. If you are close to the transmitters, an indoor antenna without a preamp may be enough (unless there are hills or tall buildings around you). Greater distances or low-powered stations will need a better antenna, attic-mounted (not recommended) or outside. Fringe reception, where you are 40-60+ miles from the transmitters, or where there are many hills or other obstructions, may require an antenna (or sometimes two) mounted on a mast or tower, and a good preamp (and the highest gain preamp is not necessarily the best). What is true is that many people use a preamp when one is not needed, or where it actually makes your reception worse due to signal overload. Remember that a preamp can't give you a signal where none exists, and it amplifies noise just the same as amplifying a real signal.cybrsurfer said:To save yourself a headache, a roof top antenna will do fine without any kind of amplifier.
The site that Craig recommended in his original post, antennaweb.org, is a great place to start. Just input your address (you get more accurate results than just your zip) and see what you get. The site is pretty conservative about what digital stations you will receive so it's often worthwhile putting in an increased height - say 200ft - and seeing what you get; this will often show you additional digital stations that with the right equipment you MIGHT be able to receive. Your location, your height, the direction of the transmitters, the power they are transmitting, the type of tuner you are using and so on are all important factors in determining what's possible. A post which tells you "I got great reception using a Radio Shack XYZ amplified antenna" does not help you. It could be your next-door neighbor and his reception conditions could be completely different from yours.
Another important fact that you can get from antennaweb is whether your digital stations are VHF or UHF. In many cities they are UHF-only (or sometimes UHF and VHF-hi); if you have VHF-lo digital stations many of the antennas people sell for "HDTV" won't pick them up because they are UHF-only. You will also be able to see in what direction are the transmitters - unless you are very close and can use an omnidirectional antenna, getting stations that are widely spread in direction usually means using a rotator.
And there is really no such thing as an "HDTV antenna", it's all marketing. The digital stations use exactly the same VHF and UHF frequencies as the analog station, there is no difference between an"HDTV" antenna and a regular VHF or/and UHF antenna. Whatever you do, don't go out and buy an antenna until you have some idea what you might need, and antennaweb is a great place to start.
Yes, there are indeed many variables. Antennaweb.org states that no stations serve my area at all, yet I get six locals from D*.
To receive our local stations at my house one must run 1500 feet of cable to a nearby hilltop and install a ten-foot long log periodic. You also need a preamp with the amplifier at the headend and the power supply at the house.
I sure wish I still had this setup so I could see OTA HD.
To receive our local stations at my house one must run 1500 feet of cable to a nearby hilltop and install a ten-foot long log periodic. You also need a preamp with the amplifier at the headend and the power supply at the house.
I sure wish I still had this setup so I could see OTA HD.
They were out of stock on this one, so no update.Canis Lupus said:Cool thanks cybr. There's a non-amped version of the same antenna at the same store. I'll try that and see if signal strength improves. I'll report back. Appreciate the info.
I indeed checked out antennaweb which was great. It called for a medium range attic or rooftop with multi even though all my signals are from 1 place. I went to a site that sells, and they recommended the XB42? I think. Anyway, it seems the trial and error method may be necessary although my half-baked antenna is giving me pretty good pictures even though it's 1/2 strength right now and sitting on my entertainment center.
I have a 15 year old rusting antenna on my roof left by previous owners. It has a booster/amplifier (which is very much needed being 40 miles from the towers). When I first got a DirecTV HD receiver 4 years ago I plugged in the antenna for the shucks of it and wouldn't you know I picked up all the local stations. Happy day indeed at no extra cost.
As for amplified vs. non-amplified: Try it first non-amplified and check your results. If you are within 30 miles or so of the towers you probably don't need one. Farther out or if you have hills and forest in the way you'll probably need one.
As for amplified vs. non-amplified: Try it first non-amplified and check your results. If you are within 30 miles or so of the towers you probably don't need one. Farther out or if you have hills and forest in the way you'll probably need one.
I have had OTA HD for over a year. I get 25 OTA HD channels (only three unfilled UHF channels on my MATV system). I have a rather elaborate outdoor system on a 40' tower though. Solid signal over 50 mile radius.
The only thing ATSC is a bit cranky about is multi-path reception (ghosts in the analog world). The one channel that gave me a little trouble was the station 2.5 miles away from my house, due to multi-path reflections.
The only thing ATSC is a bit cranky about is multi-path reception (ghosts in the analog world). The one channel that gave me a little trouble was the station 2.5 miles away from my house, due to multi-path reflections.
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