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28 Posts
Subject: This thread is dedicated to the Terk HDTVa:
If you have ANY comments on the TERK HDTVa good bad or funny, please lets talk. This is an Amazing Amplified Indoor VHF/UHF antenna.
Q)
I have one question, is there a polar plot for the UHF signal? The UHF antenna is a classic "Log Period. Clearly most gain is in the direction pointed, but how is it off the back and are their any side lobes..... Looking at generic plots of "log period" antennas it is interesting the difference between the elevation and azimuth plots. Turning the antenna on the vertical (which you can do by plugging it into the base vertically) might improve off side signal. I have not tried that yet.
Of course the VHF "rabbit ears" part of the antenna, is a dipole and acts like a dipole. Typically dipoles receive best off the sides, so it's bidirectional in line with the UHF part. However when you put a dipole in a Vee shape it makes it tune better off the ends (in-line with the two aerials). Having the radars totally flat is best, but it takes up too much ROOM inside a house to move it typically. For me my only VHF station is at physical channel 11 which is about 200 Mhz... Ideal 1/4 wave aerial length is a short 28" approximately. The each aerial of the TERK HDTVa is about 3.5 feet each, so stretched out flat at full length that is 7 feet.
Tip)
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND MOVING YOUR Terk HDTVa away from your TV. For one I had no place to set the antenna near the TV. The TV is on an interior first floor wall. There are South Facing windows in that room (main stations to SE), but by getting a coaxial extension, moving the antenna way away from the TV, closer to the windows and higher up near the ceiling on the top shelf of a book case. I improved it's over all performance. It was LESS DIRECTIONAL and was able to get almost all stations in three directions at the same time.... I believe the flat screen TV's make RF noise or RFI, which lowers SNR.....
Comments)
Moved the antenna to the attic for an experiment. Running a coxial out the attic through the 2nd floor ceiling access, down the stairs to a first floor TV, the signal is AMAZING! I'm thinking of making this permanent by running coaxial out the attic, via the eave to the coaxial distribution box outside the house (the house is wired for cable TV), then to the TV of choice via built in the wall coaxial. I only have one TV so I think the existing signal injector (amp) will fine.
The option of course is get dedicated larger attic antenna like a medium sized 4-bay "bowtie", like an Antenna Direct DB4, Channel Master CM4221, Antennacraft U-4000, Wingard PR4400. I am worried about directional nature, wanting to avoid a rotor or two antennas and an A/B switch. Also it would be nice to do away with adding amps and combiners, but one of my stations is on VHF High. Fortunately it is a strong station, but the above antennas are UHF only. Not having the antenna pointed direct at it (to get other stations) might be an issue, so I might need to add a small VHF antenna, combining with a UVSJ - UHF VHF Signal Joiner, a low loss deal.
However the Terk HDTVa is almost getting the job done now. I might make it permanent attic antenna. To make the installation permanent I will drop the coaxial down from the eave to the cable distribution box on the back of the house, which was pre wired for cable.
Performance
In the first floor location I got about 17 networks and about 38 channels. In the attic I am getting about 21 networks and 56 channels approximately. Some networks are duplicates, but CW, Fox and even ABC, CBS and NBC show different programing at times. Also a few of the stations are "Tropopause" stations, only come in when the conditions are right, typically late at night. However this does show the advantage of HEIGHT, from the first floor going to the attic.
I could mount an antenna OUTSIDE but why? There are HOA rules for my area, although they can't stop me from putting up a small outside antenna, they might argue it's not necessary. There are lots of satellite dishes. The area is fully serviced with Time Warner Digital Cable.... I dropped cable a few months ago and love it. I kept the internet, and run that into the house on one of the 5 cable lines to one room and the WiFi router. The other 4 lines are available for use to feed OTA TV signals around the house.
If you have ANY comments on the TERK HDTVa good bad or funny, please lets talk. This is an Amazing Amplified Indoor VHF/UHF antenna.
Q)
I have one question, is there a polar plot for the UHF signal? The UHF antenna is a classic "Log Period. Clearly most gain is in the direction pointed, but how is it off the back and are their any side lobes..... Looking at generic plots of "log period" antennas it is interesting the difference between the elevation and azimuth plots. Turning the antenna on the vertical (which you can do by plugging it into the base vertically) might improve off side signal. I have not tried that yet.
Of course the VHF "rabbit ears" part of the antenna, is a dipole and acts like a dipole. Typically dipoles receive best off the sides, so it's bidirectional in line with the UHF part. However when you put a dipole in a Vee shape it makes it tune better off the ends (in-line with the two aerials). Having the radars totally flat is best, but it takes up too much ROOM inside a house to move it typically. For me my only VHF station is at physical channel 11 which is about 200 Mhz... Ideal 1/4 wave aerial length is a short 28" approximately. The each aerial of the TERK HDTVa is about 3.5 feet each, so stretched out flat at full length that is 7 feet.
Tip)
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND MOVING YOUR Terk HDTVa away from your TV. For one I had no place to set the antenna near the TV. The TV is on an interior first floor wall. There are South Facing windows in that room (main stations to SE), but by getting a coaxial extension, moving the antenna way away from the TV, closer to the windows and higher up near the ceiling on the top shelf of a book case. I improved it's over all performance. It was LESS DIRECTIONAL and was able to get almost all stations in three directions at the same time.... I believe the flat screen TV's make RF noise or RFI, which lowers SNR.....
Comments)
Moved the antenna to the attic for an experiment. Running a coxial out the attic through the 2nd floor ceiling access, down the stairs to a first floor TV, the signal is AMAZING! I'm thinking of making this permanent by running coaxial out the attic, via the eave to the coaxial distribution box outside the house (the house is wired for cable TV), then to the TV of choice via built in the wall coaxial. I only have one TV so I think the existing signal injector (amp) will fine.
The option of course is get dedicated larger attic antenna like a medium sized 4-bay "bowtie", like an Antenna Direct DB4, Channel Master CM4221, Antennacraft U-4000, Wingard PR4400. I am worried about directional nature, wanting to avoid a rotor or two antennas and an A/B switch. Also it would be nice to do away with adding amps and combiners, but one of my stations is on VHF High. Fortunately it is a strong station, but the above antennas are UHF only. Not having the antenna pointed direct at it (to get other stations) might be an issue, so I might need to add a small VHF antenna, combining with a UVSJ - UHF VHF Signal Joiner, a low loss deal.
However the Terk HDTVa is almost getting the job done now. I might make it permanent attic antenna. To make the installation permanent I will drop the coaxial down from the eave to the cable distribution box on the back of the house, which was pre wired for cable.
Performance
In the first floor location I got about 17 networks and about 38 channels. In the attic I am getting about 21 networks and 56 channels approximately. Some networks are duplicates, but CW, Fox and even ABC, CBS and NBC show different programing at times. Also a few of the stations are "Tropopause" stations, only come in when the conditions are right, typically late at night. However this does show the advantage of HEIGHT, from the first floor going to the attic.
I could mount an antenna OUTSIDE but why? There are HOA rules for my area, although they can't stop me from putting up a small outside antenna, they might argue it's not necessary. There are lots of satellite dishes. The area is fully serviced with Time Warner Digital Cable.... I dropped cable a few months ago and love it. I kept the internet, and run that into the house on one of the 5 cable lines to one room and the WiFi router. The other 4 lines are available for use to feed OTA TV signals around the house.
