View Full Version : Hopefully not a FAQ, but probably a FAQ


VideoVulture
01-27-07, 04:19 AM
Okay, read the pinned threads, read some the linked pages, read every post that seemed to be related... and I now know after reading the same thing 20 or 30 times for indoor HD try the Zenith Silver Surfer first, but if you can't find it and can't wait get the Terk HDTVa which is similar to the Silver Surfer and if... argh! I think it gave me headache.

I currently I'm all analog. My television is an old Sony (it was built the year before s-video appeared) and I have a Winegard antenna that looks similar to the 7080 in my attic. I was going to buy a new computer monitor that had inputs for DVD to play HD and found out that a master-of-all-trades PC monitor would be $1100 plus. At that point it made more sense to use the 22" HD W/S LCD monitor I already have (and have never used) on the PC and to replace the ancient television (it's at that age where everything is slightly orange). So after some digging around I'm thinking I want a Panasonic TC-32LX60 or TC-32LX600 (my theory is that HD prices will start dropping soon so I don't want to blow too much where the reductions will be steepest at this point in typical-price vs. year curve). Thanks to your forum I learned that the Terk stuff about needing an HD antenna was bogus. Niiiiice. :( There's a company I'll trust in the future. However, my UHF reception isn't perfect... ever since the termite inspector was up in the attic messing around. :mad: Being the impatient type he simply bent some of the antenna elements that were in his way (what a dork).

So... I'm thinking I should get a new antenna to go with the LCD. However, I won't be all-digital because I'll still have my analog TiVo's for a while. The Winegard is a bit big for the attic and I wanted something more compact and I was disappointed to see that the TV55 seems to universally do poorly in tests. I prefer the attic mount because it's easier to run the cable and I don't have to worry about grounding as much. So I immediately started looking at the Terk HDTVs and the Winegard SquareShooter (which look like the exact same antenna to me). I'm in 90247 so antennaweb says all the broadcast antennas are between 16 to 18 degrees and 25 to 27 miles (I'm only interested in the yellow and dark green channels) which the Winegard guidelines say are out of range of the SquareShooter for VHF (especially because the signal will be attenuated by the roof). Oddly Winegard says the MS-2000 MetroStar and GS-2200 can do the job (which I don't get... maybe because it's trying to make up for size with the amp?) but that would be fine too (because they would be easy to stuff in the attic).

Any suggestions? Or am I just barking up the wrong tree and the only real choice is another big antenna and I should just give in and mount it outdoors?

VideoVulture
01-29-07, 05:33 AM
Further thoughts...

The temptation was to just leave the old SD hardware on the existing VHF/UHF antenna and get a better UHF antenna that wouldn't take a lot of space for HD (Winegard PR4400). However, I recently read that although HD antennas aren't special and that any UHF antenna that can pick-up 14-69 will work, now I read that some people think that some stations currently using UHF for HD will end up back on VHF after the cut-over date. If that is true I should just install a VHF-UHF antenna. Any one think that is true?

Tim Lones
01-29-07, 06:02 AM
I will be taking the HDTV plunge within the next 10 days or so and find I will be needing an Antenna for Cleveland, Ohio HD locals, after not dealing with an antenna for years..I would get VHF/UHF just to be on the safe side. For me , it has to be either amplified indoor or clip-on Satellite Dish outdoor..good luck.

VideoVulture
01-29-07, 06:53 PM
Have you looked at the something like the Winegard GS2200? I don't know if they're any good, but it looks like you'd get some directional capability that you might not get in on a dish clip-on. I'd post a link or image but I'm still restricted (see combo-mounts on the Winegard site).