TV antennas for HD

maximumzero

So I've had this 19" Samsung in my bedroom for about a year now that I've used strictly for playing videogames. I don't have a cable line in my bedroom so I can't get television, but I've been considering picking up a antenna so I can pick up over-the-air HD.

I've tried the inexpensive basic rabbit ears setup but they never worked well, and the large outdoor antenna we've had on the house as long as I've been alive doesn't work well either, though that may be due to bad wiring, being split multiple times, and other factors.

But recently at Radio Shack and other retailers I've been seeing high-end antennas, stuff like this:



Are any of these any good? Worth the $50?

Thoughts?

Faricazy

well i have this





but i'm gonna buy this:

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=109&cp_id=10901&cs_id=1090101&p_id=4729&seq=1&format=3#specification

Darlan

I don't have the model number on me right now, but I used to have an RCA HD antenna that picked up only one or two channels really well, but generally didn't perform well at all, always dropping out or just plain not detecting a station that old antennas would pick up fine. No ABC I remember, which was problematic in that Lost is pretty much the only tv show I watch.

Of course, I'm sure which model you get and where you live can change results drastically, so *shrug*.

KalTorak

Hey Fari, I think we have the same TV. Hi5.

I've been wondering about this too - I've got a dirt cheap rabbit ears sitting in my living room window, and it gets me 4-5 HD channels and 6-7 fuzzy analog ones. I'm in the middle of a city, but I'm also living in an English basement apartment and the window is facing the wrong way according to one of those TV signal websites. I'm not sure how much of a difference getting a better HD-oriented antenna would make. But since the one I have cost me all of $10, I'll probably just get a better one once they make the switch.

maximumzero

Overall I'm wondering if there are any sort of powered antennas that would work better than rabbit ears. Because as it is the two solutions I listed gets me channels, but they drop every 15 seconds or so.

Faricazy

I think it has more to do with the antenna design than being amped or not. But, the monoprice antenna is dirt cheap so just get that. It looks nice too.

Djeet

I've tried about 5 different internal antennae and the best out of all of them was a POS $30 powered bunny ears (a rotatable ring with an extendable antenna on either side). The HD marketing doesn't mean anything, they're all just antennae. I was going to install a big channelmaster rig on a mast in the attic but I just ended up getting cable.

The antennaes orientation has a lot to do with how well it picks up signal. Try rotating, re-positioning, extending, etc., also the placement of nearby wire runs (like speaker wire) can affect reception.

maximumzero

Djeet wrote: »

I've tried about 5 different internal antennae and the best out of all of them was a POS $30 powered bunny ears (a rotatable ring with an extendable antenna on either side). The HD marketing doesn't mean anything, they're all just antennae. I was going to install a big channelmaster rig on a mast in the attic but I just ended up getting cable.

The antennaes orientation has a lot to do with how well it picks up signal. Try rotating, re-positioning, extending, etc., also the placement of nearby wire runs (like speaker wire) can affect reception.

What this means is unfortunately I'm probably fucked no matter what antenna I choose.

jackal

maximumzero wrote: »

Djeet wrote: »

I've tried about 5 different internal antennae and the best out of all of them was a POS $30 powered bunny ears (a rotatable ring with an extendable antenna on either side). The HD marketing doesn't mean anything, they're all just antennae. I was going to install a big channelmaster rig on a mast in the attic but I just ended up getting cable.

The antennaes orientation has a lot to do with how well it picks up signal. Try rotating, re-positioning, extending, etc., also the placement of nearby wire runs (like speaker wire) can affect reception.

What this means is unfortunately I'm probably fucked no matter what antenna I choose.

The silver sensor type antennas are designed specifically for UHF HD signals. Most HD channels should be UHF because HD works much better in UHF than VHF. YMMV though, one of my local HD channels is broadcasting on 13, and another will start using its current analog frequency (I think 9) for its HD frequency after the switch.

Crap, I just checked AntennaWeb and all the VHF channels in my area are going back to VHF post transition. I guess its rabbit ears for me.

TM2 Rampage

Faricazy wrote: »

well i have this





but i'm gonna buy this:

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=109&cp_id=10901&cs_id=1090101&p_id=4729&seq=1&format=3#specification

I have that exact Monoprice antenna, dude. But, it seems like you lay it on its edge either vertically or horizontally to get the strongest reception for either UHF or VHF, I think. Signal strength Channel 18 for me comes in strong when the thing is vertical, but this makes channel 44 weaker. Luckily I can still watch channel 44, and hopefully it won't break up a lot... or at all... seems like it has stabilized actually.

I wonder if I should have gotten an antenna with a rotating ring and 2 silver rods? With those, can you set the optimal positions to get both UHF and VHF signals strongly??

Unknown

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