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#1 ·
Welcome to EV's Indoor Antenna Round-Up!


The Ultimate Internet Guide to Indoor Antennas!





Some introductory thoughts.

THIS GUIDE IS A WORK IN PROGRESS


These antennas are listed in no particular order. This list of antennas are all recommended and better than average.


There is no one best indoor antenna. Environmental factors present a plethora of situations that no one antenna can be best for all of them. In fact, most times the best indoor antenna is an antenna placed outdoors or an outdoor antenna placed indoors. Some may need VHF Hi and UHF, others only UHF, after the Feb2009 shutdown of analog broadcasts. Antennas are a strange brew, sometimes it's more of an art than a science, and while these are generally well regarded antennas for indoor use, Your Mileage May Vary.


Remember, outdoor placement is much preferred if you can swing it. Even if you get some of these outdoor antennas that are small, flat, and aesthetic and unobtrusive enough to go inside, they will do better outside on a patio or outside a window especially if facing the broadcast tower cluster. Some even put large antennas in attics.


These are some of my personal favorites and I have personal experience with many of these antennas. Most are highly recommended antennas by others on the net and other AVSforum members in this thread; and in reviews and tests that I researched on the net


The other end of the equation is tuner ability, sensitivity and selectivity. ATSC tuners have dramatically improved over the last couple of years. If you are on the fringe of reception even using the best antenna setups, you may want to consider improving your tuner with a set top box tuner. Both SD Coupon Elligible Converter Boxes and HDTV Tuner Boxes exist. LG and Samsung make great HDTV tuner boxes. LG makes some of the best tuners, and their CECB the Zenith DTT901 currently has one of the most sensitive tuners for those looking to keep using their old CRT NTSC analog sets. You can research tuners and converter boxes in the same subforum that you are now located in AVSforum.


Please feel free to add your comments, suggestions, observations, corrections, experiences, questions, etc. They are most welcome.


I am not an expert or highly trained and experienced technician, just an amateur enthusiast. I do not portend to be anything else. There are many other people on this site that are much more knowledgable and experienced than I.


Special thanks to Seatacboy, golinux, fajitamosaic, Rick313, Rammitinski, and deltaguy, for their encoragement, enthusiasm, guidance and contributions.....and to KenH for making this thread a sticky.


I hope this will be useful to others.


Please let me know if you like it.


Best regards


EV



Newbies start here! Read this first!

Quote:
Antennas and Digital Television


FCC Consumer Facts


Federal law requires that all full-power television broadcast stations stop broadcasting in analog format and broadcast only in digital format after February 17, 2009. Broadcast stations in all U.S. markets are currently broadcasting in both analog and digital. If you have one or more analog televisions that receive free over-the-air television programming with an outdoor antenna or "rabbit ears" on the TV, you will either need a digital television (a TV with a built in digital tuner) or an analog television connected to a "digital-to-analog converter box" (which converts digital signals to analog signals for viewing on your analog set) in order to continue to watch programming from full-power broadcast stations. This Fact Sheet provides information on antennas and on what is needed for good quality reception of digital broadcasts.

Try Using Your Existing Antenna First


First, it is important to know that if your television currently receives good quality reception on analog channels 2-51 with a broadcast antenna, it should be able to receive digital television (DTV) signals, including high definition television (HDTV) signals, with the same broadcast antenna. You do not need to purchase a "DTV antenna" or an "HDTV antenna" to receive DTV or HDTV signals. However, consumers should be aware that if they use a digital-to-analog converter box, they will still need to use an antenna to receive DTV signals.


Prior to making any changes to your current antenna or antenna system, you should check to see if it will receive the digital signals being broadcast in your area. Connect your existing antenna to either a digital television or a digital-to-analog converter box connected to an analog TV. Make sure your TV is set up to receive over-the-air broadcasts (as opposed to being connected to a paid provider such as a cable or satellite TV company). It may also be helpful to perform a "channel scan," in which your TV will automatically check to see which stations it can receive. In many cases, this is all you will need to do to watch digital television broadcasts.

For Help With Reception Problems


If you experience reception problems, the following information and tips may help to improve your reception for digital broadcasts.


During the transition to digital TV, many stations are temporarily operating at reduced power levels. If you are not receiving certain digital TV stations, this does not necessarily mean there is a problem with your antenna or receiver. Check with the TV station to find out whether they are planning changes that will improve reception.


When an analog TV signal is weak or receives interference, static, snow, and distortion will often appear on the screen, but you can watch the picture through the noise. Digital broadcasting will provide a clear picture even with a weak signal and in the presence of interference. However, if the digital signal falls below a certain minimum strength, the picture can suddenly disappear. This “cliff effect” means that if you typically watch analog TV stations that have a lot of static and distortion, you may have to adjust or upgrade your antenna system to get a reliably good signal for digital broadcasts.


TV reception can be affected by factors such as terrain, trees, buildings, the weather (rain, wind, humidity), and damaged/deteriorated equipment. Often digital reception can be improved just by changing the location of your current antenna. Moving it away from other objects and structures, or placing it higher can often improve reception.


Many antennas need to be oriented or aimed to get the best signal from the desired station. For indoor antennas, you may need to do this manually by trial and error. For outdoor antennas, a rotor that re-orients the antenna can improve performance, particularly when trying to receive stations that transmit from different locations.


Television stations broadcasting in digital use both the VHF band (channels 2-13) and UHF band (channels 14-51). Many indoor antennas use “rabbit ears” for the VHF band and a “loop” or “bow-tie” antenna for the UHF band. Make sure you are using an antenna that covers both the VHF and UHF bands and have connected it properly.


Simple indoor antennas, such as rabbit ears, provide minimal performance that may or may not be suitable for your location. If you are unable to obtain satisfactory reception with your current indoor antenna, you may wish to obtain an indoor antenna that includes features for better reception of UHF signals and/or an amplifier to boost the received signal (often referred to as an active indoor antenna).


Generally, an outdoor antenna will get better reception than an indoor antenna. If you already have an outdoor antenna and are getting good quality reception from VHF and UHF channels, your antenna should work fine for digital television.


The performance of outdoor antennas can degrade over time due to exposure to the weather. If you are having problems, check for loose or corroded wiring, broken antenna elements and that the antenna is pointed in the right direction.


Try to keep the length of wire between your antenna and digital receiver as short as possible for best reception.


You can use a single antenna to provide digital broadcasts to multiple TVs in your home. Remember, however, that each analog TV connected to your antenna will need its own digital-to-analog converter box to view digital broadcast programming.


"Splitters" that are used to connect a single antenna to multiple receivers reduce the amount of signal available to each receiver. If you are having problems, check to see whether reception is improved without the splitter. In some cases an "active" splitter that includes an amplifier can solve the problem.


If you are near a station's broadcast tower, reception of that station, as well as other stations, can be impeded by signal "overload". Consider using an "attenuator" or removing amplifiers to improve your reception.

If you decide to replace or upgrade your outdoor antenna, websites such as www.antennaweb.org and http://tvfool.com/ provide information on the locations of broadcast towers and the types of outdoor antennas appropriate for the stations you wish to receive. If you need assistance with upgrading your antenna system, check with a local antenna retailer or antenna installer.

http://forum.ecoustics.com/bbs/messa...79/468153.html

Sage advice from KenH.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ken H /forum/post/14136288


In general:

Outdoors is better than indoors.

Bigger is better than smaller.

Directional is better than omnidirectional.

Mounting higher is better than mounting lower.


Performance rankings.....based on EV's observations....Rough Guide....YMMV


These are rough guestimations, based on my personal observations. They have not been instrument tested yet. Just because something is at the top of the list, does not necessarily mean that it is the best antenna for you and your particular situation. You may be best served by an unamplified model or an omnidirectional model, and directional and amplified units tend to do better on net gain and distance measures. This list is also most certainly distorted by varying atmospheric conditions. I will address that by instrument testing these all on one day, so as to minimize human and atmospheric error.


Performance rankings so far.....based on EV's observations....Rough Guide....YMMV

THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS and is changed and updated regularly as new and better testing data becomes available

Channel Master 4220 with CM 7777 amp on roof

DB2 with CM 7777 amp on roof

RS 1880

RS 1892 UFO

Antennas Direct ClearStream2

Channel Master 4220 unamped indoors

DB2 unamped indoors

Winegard SS-3000

Petra SuperPower 32db (Cornet 645A)

Terk HDTVa

RS Double Bow Tie

Philips MANT940

RS DA-5200

GE Futura Outdoor

Philips MANT950

RCA ANT806

Classic Single Bow Tie

Philips Silver Sensor

Godar Model 1

Terk TV-3

Philips MANT510

RS 1634

My First Attempt at the Coat Hanger Antenna, Youtube Video Specifications unamped

GE Futura Indoor

Terk TV-55

RS 1874 Budget

Picture Frame Antenna

RCA ANT1500

Channel Master 4030

Samsung Axession TV DA1000/GE Contempo

RCA ANT108 (very similar to the RCA ANT110 and others)

RS 1868 Delta

Terk TV-2

RCA ANT1020

Terk TV-5

RS 1870

Jensen TV 931

Terk TV-1 without Loop

RS FM Dipole





EV's Favorites....so far


RS 1880

RS 1892 UFO

RS DA-5200

RS Double Bow Tie

RS Single Classic BowTie

RS 1874 Budget

Petra SuperPower 32db(Cornet 645A)

Godar Model 1

Antennas Direc DB2

Antennas Direct ClearStream2

Channel Master 4149

Winegard SS-3000

Terk HDTVa

Terk TV-3

Terk TV-2

Philips Silver Sensor

Philips MANT510

Philips MANT940

Philips MANT950

RCA ANT806

RCA ANT108 (ANT110)




Here is a chart designed by wwong incorporating the data that I collected in regards to antenna performance using a Zenith 901 Converter Box. Note the first 2 entries were tested on a seperate day, I was testing the Clearstream2 and used the DB2 as a control to help integrate the information into the above lists.





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2
#2,656 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by pjm@ /forum/post/18786584


Hi guys. I'm in the western suburbs outside of Chicago, Aurora to be exact. Here's my results:

TVFool


There are hi voltage power lines about a half mile east of me (in the direction of most of the channels). I'd really prefer an indoor antenna, if feasible. I've done a little research and would be ok spending ~$120 for a ClearStream2. Would that be a good indoor solution, and do you have any other suggestions? I'd like to get at least the first 15 stations or so, except the one that is at 223

The majority of your stations that are closest to you are 77+75 degrees.
 
#2,658 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by arxaw /forum/post/18786790


Clearstream2 is a UHF antenna. You have both UHF & VHF channels.

Yep. If you have to stay indoors and are willing to write off WBBM, then it's a fine antenna for Chicago stations. Otherwise, you'll need to go into the attic or outdoors with a larger high-VHF/UHF combo antenna just so you can add WBBM.


WPVN analog is probably going to require an antenna pointed at it. Be prepared to rotate your antenna.
 
#2,659 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lkr /forum/post/18744478


UGH! I want this so badly, but I don't have $30. Will have to wait until I get some money and then I'll have to blow $50 on it at radio shack

Try eBay now. Somebody hit the mother lode of UFO's and has them ALL up for sale (8 so far) at the same time, all ending this weekend, for starting bids of $.98 + $14.99 S/H.
 
#2,660 ·
Can I use a cable (Motorola) amplifier? I bought it to amp up the cable signal but it turned out to be a bit too powerful. It's a 3 way splitter/amplifier. I want to get a Radio Shack uhf/vhf indoor and use the Motorola amp/splitter to feed 2 tivo's and a tv.


Opinions, please?
 
#2,663 ·
I got the Petra (Cornet 645a) and it's garbage. The power plug fits loosely in all my outlets and the coax connector is poor. I went from 1 station to 2 with this unit (many more "local" stations listed on TVFool). I replaced the power plug (thinking the loose power connection could have been the problem) and no improvements were seen. Not recommended!

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1257382
 
#2,664 ·
If you have an indoor UHF antenna, you'll need to write Congress before October to prevent your UHF antenna from becoming less & less useful.


If the FCC, Congress & the White House have their way, there will be less & less FREE HDTV:We ALL need to write Congress BEFORE October:
Quote:
Originally Posted by dkreichen1968 /forum/post/18868641


The hope is in the NAB being able to raise opposition to reallocation in congress and the public at large. I don't know how they plan to do that, or when they plan on doing it. It would seem to me that they would need to get going on it before October 1st when Obama wants the plan in place.
The Right to Write

Some Suggestions on Writing Your Congressman

by Morris K. Udall, Member, U.S. Congress
 
#2,666 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim1348 /forum/post/19000656


I may be in the market for an indoor antenna soon. This will be for a second story 20 miles from the antenna farm for mostly UHF AND two VHF channels. I might go with a CM-4040. Can I do better than that? (The two VHF channels are on RF channels 9 & 11.)

The anitference design is very good for UHF. It's not very good for VHF. In fact, it's terrible. The single classic bowtie, shown on page one here, can in fact receive VHF high. Who's gonna believe that? A UHF antenna for VHF?


EV hasn't been posting here lately. I hope he's too busy building antennas.
 
#2,667 ·
Jim,

That antenna is UHF only. You need a VHF + UHF antenna. If you want a similar style antenna with dipole rods needed for VHF, try an (unamplified) HDTVi antenna, like the one below.


For your two VHF channels, the dipole rods should be extended only about half their full length, (not fully extended as shown in this picture):
 
#2,668 ·
Hi all -

I wasn't sure if I should post here or in the HTPC forum here along with the Chicago OTA thread. I am located on the NW side of Chicago ~4 miles away from broadcast towers. I am on the first floor of a condo building with windows facing north and east. I do not have line-of-sight to Sears/Hancock due to trees and several other 2-3 story buildings.

My issue:

My original setup was this:

Toshiba 32HL66 - picked up HD channels fairly well with amplified Radio Shack antenna.

Tivo Series 2 connected to Zenith DTV Converter box - picked up HD channels fairly well with amplified Radio Shack antenna (splitter with TV)


New setup

I recently constructed a new HTPC with the AverMedia AverTVHD Duet card installed so I can cancel Tivo and use WMC 7 as my DVR. I am having a really hard time picking up signals with this card.


Here is what I have tried so far:

Amplified Radio Shack antenna directly to Card - Almost no signals whatsoever


Basic Rabbit ears/loop (old Jensen model) with adjusting dial directly to Card - I can get stations ok, but they stutter/break up more often and several stations require me to adjust the antenna/dial


I have also tried using a signal amplifer (Radio Shack #15-2505) on both antennas and it doesn't seem to make much of a difference.


Does anyone have any thoughts/recommendations (i.e. is the card not the best for this type of signal? should I get a directional antenna? etc.)? I don't want to have to get up every time I change the channel and I don't want to worry about the DVR not recording especially since it seemed to work before with the DTV converter box. BTW - I don't think I can get a roof antenna mounted/connected.

Thanks!
 
#2,670 ·
I found a Diamond/ATI on sale very cheap. Two TVs picking up most of the local stations then added this PC tuner. It was a devil to get the software to run and it picked up 5 out of 90 channels. That went back to the store for swift refund.


I did a little more research and got a Hauppauge pc tuner. It got all the stations without a problem. This company offers a lot of models. The reception should be the same on all of them but the low end models (about $50) do not have a built in encoder. The encoder takes the stress off the PC processor during recording.
 
#2,671 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by arxaw /forum/post/19030262


How close is the antenna to the computer?

The antenna was about 2-3-ft from the computer. My HTPC was in my TV stand and the antenna was behind the TV.


I think I may have found one issue in that I had my indoor antenna behind my TV sitting on the center channel speaker. When I move the antenna away from the TV and stand by about 2-ft, all of a sudden the reception turns out much better (still some blockiness on a couple of channels). I might have to play around with the location of the antenna...although I think my wife liked it better behind the tv. If I find out a rock-solid fix, I'll let you know in case others have the issue. In one of the other threads, another Chicago-area poster listed an antenna ( http://www.target.com/Terrestrial-Di.../dp/B000EHUE7I ) that I might try too
 
#2,673 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by pvotlucka /forum/post/19040030


Here is one more tuner option that has great reception:

Record digital TV and HDTV with the CM-7000PAL DVR by Channel Master.

I bought one of these a couple of weeks ago under the Dish name, from Kmart.com. I'm enjoying it so far.


Read the 1st page here:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1099071
 
#2,675 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by NeedWheels /forum/post/19042711


Wow they are making the cm-7000 with a PVR now?


I should sell the one I never opened on ebay and get the PVR.


Is it the same quality tuner with svideo output as the standalone tuner?


The remote also looks like a JP1 capable remote?

There is a forum for this product AKA DTVPal that might answer these questions and provide additional information. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...99071&page=340
 
#2,676 ·
The original CM-7000 and Dish DTVPal were digitlal to analog converter boxes designed for the DTV transition and were eligble for the govt sponsored coupon program. Both I believe used the same highly sensitive tuner and were very good at locking in weak long distance signals where others failed. However, they both only output a standard definition digital picture. The new CM-7000 DVR is a high definition dual tuner box and I also believe it uses the same sensitive tuner as the converter box versions, and is also the same as the DTVPal DVR branded by Dish network. Looking to purchase a version if can locate a good price; Fry's in Ga has them in store but not yet on sale.
 
#2,677 ·
Hello, my roommates and I live in a condo and are looking for a suitable indoor antenna. Here's our TV Fool results:

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d9fbe4209f5bef1


We have a window that faces directly south. Using a thin speaker wire as a simple antenna, we get good reception on CBS, NBC, ION, My19, and CW. We also get Fox, though it's not as strong. We'd love to get ABC, but it looks challenging. Can anyone suggest a good antenna for our situation?


Also, I'm a bit confused. The first page makes the RS-1880 sound like an exceptional antenna. It then says that the ANT-102 performs on par with the RS-1880, which should make it exceptional as well--the review even claims it is one of the few "elite" antennas. But then searching this antenna on Amazon reveals that it is rather unpopular (only one review...a 1/5!), and I don't understand why people wouldn't be suggesting this antenna more if it were good. Can someone explain?
 
#2,678 ·
Welcome.


For your ABC affiliate, it looks like you would require an outdoor antenna. There are multiple hills in the way (2-edge) and it's a VHF channel, usually two strikes against reliable indoor reception.


For the other channels of interest, this specific model rabbit ear/loop antenna from RS (model 15-1874) should work well. Avoid lookalike antennas and try to get this specific model. Extend the dipole rods all the way out, in a wide "V" shape. Near an East-facing window should work best. If you need to extend the length of the coax (to get the antenna away from interfering electronics/computers/routers, etc.), add an extra length of coax and connect it with a barrel splice .


Avoid amplified indoor antennas. They usually only amplify noise and may overload from your stronger stations.
 
#2,679 ·
Thanks for the reply. Given the big list of performance rankings on the first page, this model is beaten out by a number of others--what made you suggest this specific one? Also, why are most of the antennas at the top (like the RS UFO) amplified antennas if they don't work well indoors? Do you and the OP simply have different philosophies?


Thanks again.
 
#2,680 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by MasterNES /forum/post/19066615


--what made you suggest this specific one?...

My and other people in this forum's firsthand experience with it, and your TVFool results. And the fact that the channels in green on your TVFool results (assuming it is accurate) are likely the only ones you'll reliably receive with an indoor antenna.

YMMV, of course.
 
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