Log in

View Full Version : older antenna


farmbound
11-Jan-2012, 2:09 PM
i have a big older antenna that still has the wingnuts to hook up your antenna wire leads. will this still be sufficient to pick up the new signals?
i am about 45 miles from 3 good tv stations.

ADTech
11-Jan-2012, 4:15 PM
Maybe. Insufficient information. See http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=4


Do some maintenance on the antenna (wire-brush any corrosion off fasteners, replace the twin-lead with a matching transformer and install coaxial cable) and give it a try provided you either have a newer TV with an internal digital tuner or are using a converter box.

farmbound
11-Jan-2012, 4:24 PM
i have bought no equipment yet. i have just canceled cable 2 months ago(hooray)!! there are 3 good signal stations 45 miles away with flat plains land.
my neighbor give me the antenna. all i can tell you about it is it is about 3 1/2 foot long with a big aluminum "v" coming off the main part. i'm pretty new to this!! i will have to have a digital converter and my coaxial cable run will be around 80 to 100 foot total.thanks in advance for your help.

coco
11-Jan-2012, 4:38 PM
Here are a few sites for newbies to learn about OTA.

http://www.dennysantennaservice.com/TV_antenna_help_center.html

http://www.crutchfield.com/learn/learningcenter/home/antenna.html?c=16&tp=3

Dave Loudin
11-Jan-2012, 7:05 PM
@farmbound, please read the post that @ADTech linked to. It tells you what we need to know to truly help you. One thing you will need to provide is a report that shows what signals are in the air.

Go here (http://tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=90), enter your address, then click "map this". The next page has a Google map with a red icon that represents your location. Zoom in on the map to ensure that the icon is actually in the right place. If it isn't, drag it to where it should be. Adjust the height to how far up you think you might install your antenna, then click the "make radar plot" button. Share the URL of that report with us.

I recommend reading the signal analysis FAQ that is linked to at the top of your report (here (http://www.tvfool.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=57#how_to_read)).