[archi1]

Hi,

I bought a stealth antenna recently that had absolutely unacceptable reception. It was the antenna recommended for use in my area for HD and analog reception. I'm assuming my problem stems from all the trees around my property. What is the best antenna to use in areas with lots of trees? I don't want to put some monstrousity 20' above my roofline either. Also, can someone explain to me how an antenna can get good reception in an attic where it is surrounded by wood and building materials but they cannot receive a good signal through tree branches?

Thanks

 

[David McRoy]

Your assumption that the trees are the problem may not be correct.


The so-called "stealth" antennas like the Terk 55, for example, are equally sensitive to signals arriving from the front and from the rear. They seldom provide satisfactory performance. If you aim one side of it in the direction from which a desired signal eminates the antenna will be equally sensitive to reflected signals bouncing off objects behind it, from which multipath reception will arise.


Go with a directional antenna. You don't mention where you are located so I can't make a specific recommendation but basically you would be best served by a conventional, directional outdoor antenna.


Re: attic reception, the building materials will attenuate the signal level somewhat but so long as it remains above your receiver's threshold you can get good reception. Beware metal roofs, though. Really thick trees in close proximity to the antenna can adversely affect reception, particularly when wet and especially at higher frequencies like UHF. Again, receiver threshold is an issue.

 

[archi1]

Thanks for the info.

BTW- I am in Dallas and I live in one of the few areas with a lot of trees . Go ahead and make a recommendation of antenna capable of receiving analog and HD signals and I will certainly take a look at it.

Thanks again

 

[Glenn_L]

I know some types of trees don't cause problems, but I have a very large tree with large thick leaves a few houses below me. Some stations I get are directly in line with this tree. I have had to raise my antenna higher this year than last year to get over this tree. If I lower my antenna just a few feet, I loose all reception. Large trees can also cause signal reflections (multipath), a antenna that is very directional can reduce this.

 

[David McRoy]

Since the Dallas/Ft. Worth ADI has a DTV allocation on channel 9 for WFAA-DT (ABC) you're going to need a VHF/UHF combo antenna. (Many TV markets have all of their DTV allocations on UHF but there are exceptions and Dallas is one of them.)


I'd suggest a directional VHF/FM/UHF combo outdoor antenna from Winegard or ChannelMaster. Radio Shack's antennas are pretty good I use them) but conguisenti seem to prefer Winegard and ChannelMaster.


Here are links to their websites:

www.channelmaster.com

www.radioshack.com

www.winegard.com


Get the biggest rig your esthetic sensitivities can live with.


By the way, Ft. Worth, Texas and my hometown, Lake Worth, Florida were named after the same guy...a U. S. Army officer in charge of Army engineering projects.

 

[Autom8ed]

Pardon the newbie question but,


I live in an Apartment complex with pre-wired Antenna. Is there anything about this shared antenna setup that would prohibit me from receiving HDTV through a PC tuner card like HiPix or MyHD cards?


The reason for this concern is that I purchased an HDTV DirecTV receiver only to realize the shared Dish for the entire complex does not support this enhanced receiver.


Would hate to drop another 3 bills on a card and not have it work.


Thanks


Bryan

 

[Scooper]

Sure, an antenna is an antenna (with regards to TV reception, anyway). In fact, I'd try my DTC100 hooked to the antenna connection first - you might be surprised.

 

[discodol]

Try this site to determine the size\ ype of antenna you need and where it should be aimed for the best reception.
http://www.antennaweb.org/antennaweb/

The Channel Master site will help decide on a specific model.
http://www.channelmaster.com/

I have purchased all my antenna products from Stark Electronics who have always given me excellent advise and service.
http://www.starkelectronic.com/

 

[KenA]

Quote:

Originally posted by Autom8ed I live in an Apartment complex with pre-wired Antenna. Is there anything about this shared antenna setup that would prohibit me from receiving HDTV through a PC tuner card like HiPix or MyHD cards?

Shared antennas are very different from shared dishes. Dish signals are encoded and need decoding. The only problem you may have with a shared antenna is signal strength. To overcome this, you can install an amp. Piece of cake.