CBS-HD on Directv

Quote:
This is getting real old. The number of newbie posts is growing exponentially and the quality of poster (i.e. how much research did they do before posting) is dropping like the stock market in panic mode.


Clip-on antennas are about the worst designed antenna out there. They might work. They probably will not. A brief search of this forum with a keyword of "Terk" or "clip-on" should tell you more than you ever needed to know in order to determine that you wasted your money.


Another cursory check of this forum will reveal that a great deal of posting is going on about WBBM's digital tower and the numerous problems they've had getting it up to full power. Also, the thread documents the insane amount of trouble people have reported getting it "in the Chicago market." But the Chicago market is a very large geographic area (shoot - Chicago ain't small, either) and your specific location will make a big difference in whether or not you stand a chance.


Read those threads. Educate yourself. Then post.


Please.

Quote:
Yes, I'm from SE Minnesota. As far as I know, the laws of physics (which is essentially what we're dealing with WRT antenna reception) don't change very much from one state to the next. Antenna design is antenna design and what works in one market is just as likely to work under similar circumstances is another market. So your question about whether clip-ons work in Chicago is a bit like asking if an FM radio works in Chicago.


The Terk "clip-on" design ignores most of the laws of physics. Now you can take a piece of coax cable and strip the insulation to a certain length and you'll have an "antenna." It will receive certain frequencies and will exhibit certain directional aspects based on how you position the "antenna" relative to the receiving signal. So the Terk will work, but sadly not much better than stripped coax (and sometimes worse.) Is it possible that you could buy one, hook it up, and get reception of all your desired digitals? Yes. But as antenna reception depends on many factors that cannot be accurately predicted in advance, it's best to buy the best design rather than the slickest marketing package unless you're prepared to be disappointed.


But none of the above paragraph is really "new" information. Those of us who've been here for a while have posted and posted and posted about these things. Yet none of it stops people from popping up on the forum and asking questions that have already been answered a thousand times.


Your question is no different from somebody saying "I just bought antenna brand X, model Y. Will it work for me?" Nobody knows for sure because of all the potential factors that can impact reception. 1) Distance to antenna. 2) Relative height of your location to surrounding terrain. 3) Presence of trees or tall buildings. 4) Large obstacles between you and broadcasting antenna. 5) Presence of objects that will reflect signals. Now we can tell you that WBBM is low-powered (and lower in your direction, apparently) and low-VHF, but we can't tell you with 100% certainty what will or won't work. I've seen people do everything wrong (Terks in basements in high-multipath areas) and get solid reception. I've also seen people do everything right (great antenna, great location) and get nothing. Those local factors are a killer and nothing is a sure thing. In at least one case on this forum, a guy has the identical setup to his neighbor's - same antenna, same amplifier, everything - but one gets the digitals and one doesn't.


I was a little harsh in my first post, and I apologize for that.