Antenna Upgrade time... recommendations?

otteridiz · 17-Mar-2010, 9:43 PM

OK, I have used the Philips PHDTV1 Silver Sensor for a while with my media center PC. It has mostly worked and has been even better since I have moved into the city. But now that I can get more channels, I want them all to be high quality all the time with out having to "point" the antenna. It is really only a couple channels I have to do this for.

Here is the info from TV Fool: http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...b7c8f5fad94299

Keep in mind, that all of the channels I think I want/need are in the "green", in the NW quadrant. But also keep in mind, the more "quality signal" channels I can get the better!

From this info it seems like an indoor or smaller indoor/outdoor antenna will do the trick.

The house is brick house (plaster walls), 3.5 stories high (English basement) with no tall buildings/trees around it. I plan on putting the antenna in the attic in the future, but for now, the antenna will be on main floor (1st floor). This is because I want to run the cables properly, and it is old house (1913), so it is not that easy.

I was considering the Winegard FV-HD30 because it seems flexible in terms of mounting and is getting some good reviews. After looking through these forums I figured it might be good to get some opinions from the experts. It seems like the DB4 (or DB2) is one of the overall best options and although it is a little larger then I wanted, if it is best option, I can make it work.

If you need any more info, let me know.

Thanks in advance for the help!

mtownsend · 19-Mar-2010, 9:51 PM

Since your channels are spread across a wide range of directions, it's likely that you will need to re-aim the antenna from time to time. It's mostly a matter of luck if you can find a sweet spot that actually lets you get almost all the channels without touching the antenna.

The optimum direction for each channel may be different. You might be able to find a spot that lets you get most of the channels, but if you notice any channel instability or breakups, you can probably improve the stability on individual channels by moving the antenna.

For indoor antennas, the PHDTV1 is about as good as it gets for set-top sized UHF-only antennas. A 2-bay bowtie antenna will do better for UHF, but it's much bigger (really an outdoor antenna being used indoors). Neither of these was really designed to help with VHF stations. The FV-HD30 and CS2 are also primarily UHF antennas. However, all your stations are incredibly close and strong, so you may find that the VHF stations work even if you use an antenna that is not so good at VHF.

The next better antenna over the Silver Sensor as far as small set-top sized antennas go would be a Terk HDTVi. It's a Silver Sensor clone that includes a set of rabbit ears for picking up VHF stations. Don't get the HDTVa (amplified version of the HDTVi) because you have so many strong stations that any antenna's built-in amp would get overloaded.

Tigerbangs · 20-Mar-2010, 9:07 PM

Let's get serious here: if you want good TV reception, especially if you plan to run multiple TV sets in the house, you really need to consider a roof-mounted antenna. Channel 7 and 9, your 2 VHF digital stations lie in the same direction, but your UHF channels are scattered in a variety of different directions, and if you want to get them, you need a UHF antenna that has a wide beamwidth. I have an inexpensive solution that will solve your reception issues, be durable, and can be expanded to connect all of the TV sets in your house. It can be mounted on a chimney, or eave-mounted without being obtrusive.

Use an AnrennaCraft Y-5-7-13 VHF antenna aimed at 300 degrees, and mount a Winegard HD-4400 UHF antenna 4' above it on the same mast aimed at 320 degrees. Combine the output of the two antennas using a Pico-Macom UVSJ UHF-VHF antenna joiner, then run the coax cable through a grounding system, then into the house where you can then run it directly to one TV set, or through a splitter, then run to 2 TV sets. If you plan to run more that 2 TV sets, run the coaxial cable from the antennas to a distribution amp-splitter like a channel Master CM3414, which will power up to 4 TV sets, ot a CM 3418, which will power up to 8 TV sets, then run your cabling to eact TV set in the house. You'll enjoy perfect reception from ALL the DC stations without a hitch.

http://www.winegard.com
http://www.antennacraft.net
http://www.channelmaster.com
http://www.solidsignal.com
http://manuals.solidsignal.com/AntInstallGuide.pdf