Looking for best antenna for my area 13057

scottdee · 6-Dec-2010, 2:10 AM

I am sick of paying for fios and want to go OTA. I have a new HDTV and would like some help on what antenna and other equipment i will need to get as many channels as I can OTA. Here is my report:

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...81a3c6f0475a1b

Thank you for any advice!

John Candle · 6-Dec-2010, 3:24 AM

Do you live in a house , condo , apt. , mobile home , motor home , etc.. How many Tv's will be connected ? Are there big trees or big buildings obstructing the view to the south and south east where most of the tv transmitters are at ?

GroundUrMast · 6-Dec-2010, 6:11 AM

Any of the 8 bay panel antennas (for example http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.asp...0Antennas&sku= ) aimed toward the south will provide a substantial channel line-up. The gain of that type antenna is such that you would likely be able to run with no preamp or distribution amplifier even if you choose to split the signal 4 ways.

You may not see much from the north, but the pay off would be that there would no rotator to buy, fight over or replace when it breaks.

If you are lucky the cable TV company may have already placed a splitter / grounding block ( http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.asp...u=615798101992 ,http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.asp...0Supplies&sku= )outside and wired RG-6 to the locations you need signal. If so, mount the antenna outside, run new RG-6 to the point were the cable company drop connected. (Simply disconnect the cable company's drop to make way for your new feed)

John Candle · 6-Dec-2010, 6:55 AM

Do you live in a house , condo , apt. , mobile home , motor home , etc. . How many Tv's will be connected ? Are there big trees or buildings obstructing the view to the south / south east where most of the tv transmitters are at ?

scottdee · 6-Dec-2010, 10:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Candle

Do you live in a house , condo , apt. , mobile home , motor home , etc.. How many Tv's will be connected ? Are there big trees or big buildings obstructing the view to the south and south east where most of the tv transmitters are at ?

I live in a 2 story cape house. I will have 2 HDTV's hooked up. There are no big trees or obstructions in my southern or eastern view.

scottdee · 6-Dec-2010, 11:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GroundUrMast

Any of the 8 bay panel antennas (for example http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.asp...0Antennas&sku= ) aimed toward the south will provide a substantial channel line-up. The gain of that type antenna is such that you would likely be able to run with no preamp or distribution amplifier even if you choose to split the signal 4 ways.

You may not see much from the north, but the pay off would be that there would no rotator to buy, fight over or replace when it breaks.

If you are lucky the cable TV company may have already placed a splitter / grounding block ( http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.asp...u=615798101992 ,http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.asp...0Supplies&sku= )outside and wired RG-6 to the locations you need signal. If so, mount the antenna outside, run new RG-6 to the point were the cable company drop connected. (Simply disconnect the cable company's drop to make way for your new feed)

Thank you GroundUrMast for the great detailed info! Yes, I believe I have a splitter outside on my house that I could connect my antenna to I think. Snowing pretty good here now but will look today.

Tower Guy · 6-Dec-2010, 1:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scottdee

I live in a 2 story cape house. I will have 2 HDTV's hooked up. There are no big trees or obstructions in my southern or eastern view.

You have all UHF stations with angles that vary from 161°- 203°. A UHF antenna with such a wide pattern would be an Eagle Aspen DB-2 or any of the 4 bay designs. An 8 bay could not be aimed to receive all stations simultaneously.

There's plenty of signal, so no need for an amplifier.

John Candle · 6-Dec-2010, 3:37 PM

I agree , a 8 bay design has a much narrower (beam width) - (how wide of angle the antenna can receive). A 4 bay design has a much wider beam width. You need Wide beam width. The best place to put the antenna is on the roof. These roof top mounts work well , tripod mount , cheminey mount.