Trying to use indoor antenna in condo building

[Johanna]

Hello, all --

We live on the second floor of a 6 story condo building, facing south. We recently got rid of cable, and are trying to see if we can get OTA using an indoor antenna. Today, we hooked up a Zenith Silver Sensor (http://www.amazon.com/Zenith-ZHDTV1-HDTV-UHF-Digital-Antenna/dp/B00006FXR9) and could not get any channels.

TV Fool Signal Analysis Results (using the interactive map):
http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3da36216677d12cf

There are a couple of tall buildings one block south of us. We used the same antenna at another house and got a couple of channels (never as many or as clearly as I had hoped), so I don't think it's user error (but I would never rule it out completely!). Our TV is a Sony with a built-in hdtv decoder.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

[John Candle]

As always with these types of situations antenna placement is experimental. If possible put the antenna in a window that faces the transmitters , or if not that window then any and all windows. Better yet out on a patio or out the front door or back door. As always do not use an indoor type antenna that has a amplifier. . http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=233 . Here is a antenna that is easy to use indoor or outdoor , it has a reflector so this makes it more directional , this helps with reception . . winegard FV-HD30 http://www.solidsignal.com

[Dave Loudin]

The Silver Sensor you have is a UHF-only antenna, so it won't work very well with WJLA and WUSA, which are VHF stations. Terk has an antenna modeled after the Silver Sensor that includes integrated rabbit ears for.VHF. If you wanted to get one of those, be sure it's the unamplified version, the HDTVi. However, you might try the most basic indoor antenna of all, first - the rabbit ears/loop combination. You shouldn't have to spend over 15 dollars for one. Be very sure that it has no amplifier, no matter how tempting.

[mtownsend]

Today, we hooked up a Zenith Silver Sensor (http://www.amazon.com/Zenith-ZHDTV1-HDTV-UHF-Digital-Antenna/dp/B00006FXR9) and could not get any channels.

We used the same antenna at another house and got a couple of channels (never as many or as clearly as I had hoped), so I don't think it's user error (but I would never rule it out completely!). Our TV is a Sony with a built-in hdtv decoder.

A couple of thoughts:



1) Did you configure the TV for "Air" mode? On some TV's you need to configure the tuner for either "Cable" mode or "Air" mode so that it knows which set of channels to look for. If your tuner is set up for "Cable" mode then it will be searching for signals on the wrong frequencies and using the wrong decoder type.

Digital TV broadcasts no longer show any "snow", so if you are seeing "snowy" channels, then this is a hint that you are picking up an analog broadcast and not a digital one.

If your tuner is set up correctly and picking up the digital broadcasts, then you will usually get either a nice perfect picture or no picture at all. A marginally receivable digital channel might show some "blockiness" or "pixellation" when the signal is breaking up, but never "snow".



2) It's possible that your building has something in it that is causing problems for the TV signals. If there is any foil-backed insulation, stucco mesh, aluminum siding, or other obstructions, it might block a lot of signal before it ever reaches your antenna. If in doubt, you might want to try sticking the antenna out a window to see if it makes any difference.

If moving the antenna outside make a huge difference in signal quality, then perhaps the building is causing unusually high signal loss. It means that an attic or rooftop antenna may be the best option for you to get reliable reception.