Antenna recommendation - SW of Chicago
 

Hi all
I recently ditched ComCast TV and need to install a better antenna for OTA. I am currently using an RCA flat panel antenna which does a pretty good job of picking up most of the major networks from downtown Chicago, plus a couple of others. However I can't receive WBBM (VHF 12 real) or WTTW (UHF 47 real) which, of course, are the two channels I usually watch the most.

I would like to install a new antenna in the attic and I appreciate that there are no guarantees there. My TV Fool report is here:
http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...2c15240c4fc99b

I currently receive (with the flat antenna next to the TV downstairs) all the green channels in the list, with the exception of WBBM (12) and WTTW (47). If I can get those two additional channels as well as the other "green" ones, I'll be happy. I am approximately 28 miles from the Transmitters on the Willis and Hancock towers.
Thanks in advance for any help or advice.

Attics are not antenna friendly. If your house has a wrap with metal or is stucco it will be near impossible to get a good signal in the attic. Aiming through shingles can work, but you can also loose signal when it rains or snows. But you can try.

If you were putting the antenna outdoors, I'd recommend an ANT-751 pointed to 29 degrees on a compass (just east of north). That may or may not work in an attic. Assuming an attic antenna could work, perhaps something like a HBU-22 or HBU-33, also pointed to 29 degrees. No matter what you try, try it first by putting the antenna in the attic and running the cable directly to one television. I would even go so far as to try your flat panel antenna in the attic (facing 29 degrees) as an experiment (you'd probably need to try a number of locations in the attic). Though flat panels are not designed for great VHF reception, if your reception improves it will give you an idea of what is possible.

The antennas suggested by Jake should do very well if mounted outdoors, free of obstructions. If you are unable or unwilling to consider any option other than attic mounting, be prepared to face unknown reception impairments. Each attic is unique. In some cases a larger antenna is able to overcome the attic losses and interference issues... Some attics simply won't allow reliable reception.