What is best Indoor Antenna for me?

[tnovy]

Hello,

I have a ranch home and would like to place an antenna in my attic, what would the best one be for my situation?

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d60b548f93a1376

I'm in Monroe NJ and just want the basics, CBS, NBC, Fox, ABC...

Thanks in advance.

[Tower Guy]

I'm in Monroe NJ and just want the basics, CBS, NBC, Fox, ABC...



HBU-55

Be prepared to experiment with different locations in the attic until you find the sweet spot for all channels.

[tnovy]

Thank you for the response. I looked up the HBU-55 and I see it is an outdoor antenna and fairly large (did I find the right one?).

http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.asp?mc=03&p=HBU55&d=&c=TV%20Antennas&sku=&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=google_adwords_03_AntennaCraft_HBU55

Is there anything smaller that is comparable? If I need to move it around to find a sweet spot, I think that one might be too large.

Thanks again

[GroundUrMast]

If you could consider mounting outside, clear of obstructions, a smaller antenna would be appropriate. In the attic, you need a larger antenna to overcome attenuation caused by roofing and the underlying construction materials.

To preemptively answer a common question in situations like yours, signal not received by the antenna can not be created by an amplifier. So no, using a small, low gain antenna with a high gain amplifier is not a technically sound option.

Chimney mounted panel antennas such as the CS-4, DB-4, U4000, HD4400 CM4221 are rather unobtrusive. They are not very good at receiving real channels 7-13 and quite poor on channels 2-6. A high VHF antenna will be smaller than the HBU-55 which would make it easier to fit in the attic. The outdoor UHF and attic VHF are easily combined with an inexpensive UVSJ (UHF / VHF Signal Joiner). I'm thinking Antennas Direct CS-4 facing NYC, try it alone... if you get satisfactory reception, great. If you're missing one or more real channels in the range of 7 through 13, add a Winegard YA-1713 pointed toward NYC and a UVSJ.

[tnovy]

Thank you for the suggestions, I will let you know how I make out.

[Tigerbangs]

I assume that you have decided that the NYC channels are the "basics" but the Philadelphia stations are also within reach, if you decide to go with an outdoor antenna. Philadelphia will require a different antenna, however, one that can also receive low-band VHF channel 6, and you would also need a rotator to turn the antenna between the two cities: just a thought...