Can someone give me some info on the HD Antenna's. I know there are indoor and outdoor models. Is there an advantage to outdoor models? Do they really work as advertised? What channels can you get with them? Thanks.
I live in El Cajon, CA (about 10 miles inland from San Diego) in case you need a point of reference and in my area there are supposedly 7 stations broadcasting in HDTV or at least digital TV (FOX, CBS, NBC, ABC, PBS, WB, KUSI). I use a Terk TV5 low-profile indoor antenna. The antenna is powered. I received all but one broadcast (FOX) with very good signal strength. The picture looks amazing on my 50" Panasonic plasma and the sound is great. The antenna cost me about $30. I was highly skeptical about it given the cost and its relatively small size, but it works great! The one channel (FOX) I didn't get is probably because of distance (it's broadcast out of Mexico actually, callsign XETV) and some obstructions in the way. My geography is somewhat hilly and lots of tall trees but no tall buildings. Your mileage may vary. With an outdoor antenna I may be able to pick up that one station too, but I'm happy with the one I'm using. Good luck! Also, check out http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx to see the signals in your area.
Thanks man. I went to that site did the station finder. It looks like I only have about 2 digital stations on the list, and the rest are analog. So does that mean I could only get two HD stations on the antenna?
Pretty much. You'll get 2 HD stations and the rest is analog, which would mostly likely not even come in at all... lots of snow. It would have been better if those analog station broadcast in a digital format, but at standard definition resolution. At least then you'll have a chance of receiving them. You're better off going satellite or cable in this situation in my opinion.
plus a dish or cablebox can upconvert the 480i analog channels to 720p which is a huge improvment. so make sure you get the right box to do this
That site said I could get no digital channels. I put a $24.00 radio shack antenna on the roof and got ALL the Los Angeles HDTV stations. My zip is 91384.
Did you try putting in your whole address? Alot of times the zip code doesn't work because the terrain is so diverse. Ced
Yes, I put in my entire address. My point is that this site is VERY conservative when calculating coverage of DTV stations. gdodd what is your zip code? My guess is that if it says you can get 2 stations you actually will get all of them if they use the same antenna farm. Especially if you get an outdoor directional UHF antenna. After all mine was a VERY cheap model.
Thats interesting. I know the site is conservative they say so themselves. What I mean is that I have shown this site to my customers and have gotten very different results (sometimes) when going from the zip code to their street address. One guy could pick up all the networks in his neighborhood but because he lived on the side of a mountain his house could only pick up a couple channels. Try my Zip code: 45040 (Cincinnati, OH) Ced
I also have been able to pick up stations not listed on the site. Furthermore, I was able to pick up an additional 2-3 stations just by moving my indoor antenna to the second floor. Quirky!
Well they tell you that. There aim isn't to be perfect (especially since a lot of stations are just now going digital). It is to give you an idea of where to aim your antenna and what to expect. The antenna technology is quirky. The best place to put your antenna is outside or at least high enough to get away from any possible signal reflections and signal obstructions. Ced
My dad found a site on the internet with instructions to build an antenna for $5.00 and it worked better than the one he bought. He got more signal strength on the one he made. Sorry I don't know the site.
Dropframe is correct. There have been several instances where Antennaweb has been completely off. I would only use their site as a guide. If in doubt, by the antenna from a local store so you can take it back if you don't get signal. Remember there is no "HD ANTENNA" that's just marketing. You just need a regular antenna...to learn more check out what I think is the best site out there for unbiased HD info: EasyHdtv
Here is an excellent site with pictures that shows you how to build one. http://uhfhdtvantenna.blogspot.com/
