hi all,
I currently have a small rca vhf/uhf powered antenna hooked up to my tv in the basement and get most of my local hd stations. I moved the antenna to my upstairs tv yesterday for thanksgiving party and would like to just leave it there and get another antenna for my basement. I am looking at selling my home and moving within the next 6 months and would like to go ahead and get a good outdoor antenna so i will have it at my next home. My question is will an outdoor antenna work being hung in my basement(i would like to stick it somewhere in a storage area of the basement) if the small antenna was working and if so, what would be a good vhf/uhf antenna to get? I would really like to get something from a local store like radio shack or something so i can have it for sunday. my zip is 45011 and any help would be appreciated!

Do a Google for "Antenna Web" . It'll tell you how far and in what direction the TV antennas are. You'll need an antenna with a 35 mile range and it has to have VHF and UHF capability. Mount the antenna temporarily outside preferrably up high somewhere but not so high you can't take it with you when you move.

I cant put it outside at the moment. what i really want to know is if a small indoor antenna is picking up my stations in the basement would an outdoor antenna just sitting in the basement pick them up also or are indoor antennas built differently since they are powered?

A better site than AntennaWeb would TVFool.com.

And, there is little reason to believe an outdoor antenna would underperform the indoor antenna. You might need a good directional antenna like a 91XG, but it is unlikely your results would worsen.

How much space do you have in your basement? Are you interested in both analog and digital signals or digital only?

While being in the basement is not ideal, since a small antenna already worked to some extent an outdoor class antenna should be an improvement.

Where will the new house be? A ZIP code for there can help us make sure we make the proper recommendations to include the new location.

It looks like VHF-Low won't be needed after the analog shut-down, so you can probably avoid a monster VHF/UHF combo. A Channel Master 4221 for UHF and a Winegard YA-1713 for VHF would probably be a better solution.

ok firs. thanks for the help... current zip is 45011, new zip will be 45013. I really only care about digital and as far as size, as long as i can attach it to the rafters in my storage area it wont matter to much but i would like to stay as small as possible. I pick up all my stations currently with the little rca powered antenna. it is about 10 inches tall and a rectangular shape with rabbit ears on it. I guess antenna thickness might be a concern though because unless i can just stand it against a wall it might be hard to walk around

It looks like the new location will have stronger stations to the South, whereas the current location has stronger stations to the Northeast. If you are looking for something that isn't very deep, then a bow-tie should do the job nicely.

http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/cm4221.html

However, my concern is with WCPO-DT on channel 10. As that is in the VHF band, a UHF only antenna such as the 4221 may have problems or the signal may be strong enough for it to still be received. It is hard to say w/o trying.

Are you more interested in the Dayton channels or the Cincinnati channels? Both should be accessible from the new location, but may require a rotor.

Finding something like a 4221 may be difficult in local stores however. You may need to order online.