Hello, all.
I’m in the process of dropping cable TV, since most of the programming watched at home is from the national networks. I may complement OTA with Sling TV but still haven’t taken the plunge. To help get the family with the program, I ordered the Channel Master DVR+ and seems to be doing a good job of replacing the cable provider DVR. That’s the background, anyway.
What I am working on now is antenna options. I built this inexpensive
DIY antenna while I decide on a more permanent solution. It is surprisingly good, compared to a Walmart rabbit ear antenna I bought and returned, and gets all the major networks. However, on some channels, including PBS (main HD one) reception can sometimes struggle.
TV Fool Report
I’m considering going the attic route. A friend of mine a couple of miles east of me bought a Mohu Sky 60 and was able to tune in ~40 channels from the attic. I get 27-28 channels with the DIY indoor antenna. My main goal is to achieve signal stability, get CBET (CBC), and attempt to pull in any further HD channels that may be within reach, so to speak.
Amazon offers an
“AmazonBasics” branded version of the Sky 60 for $99 including shipping. On the other hand, the
RCA ANT751R is recommended often and it’s only $42. The main difference I see is that the Mohu antenna is omnidirectional whereas the RCA one has to be aimed at the towers. I’m assuming that both are equally capable of capturing UHF and HiVHF channels. The tvfool report above for my location shows a cluster of stations towards the NE, with a number of green yellow and red stations all around.
The question is, would I gain much from buying the Sky 60 compared to just getting the RCA antenna and pointing it towards the NE?
If all I’m going to get with the more expensive antenna is a few SD channels showing 60’s movies, then I’ll be happy to pass on it but if the RCA antenna will force me to choose between the main cluster of channels and CBET, which is oriented E to SE, then I won’t be better off than with the DIY indoor antenna I’m already using.
While waiting for access to the website to post this, I also found this alternative: the
“Stealthtenna” from Channel Master, for $29, if anybody has an opinion on that one.
As a side question, I plan to use my existing coaxial cable runs to connect the antenna. Is there a rule of thumb for how much cable length or how many splits would require and amplifier?
Thank you very much in advance.