Television Antenna Reception

I'm paying way to much for dish network and would like to spend it else where. We had an antenna growing up back in Pennsylvania. Do they still work?

yes. i live in the sticks of Oklahoma and i am too cheap to pay for a satellite. i spent well under $200 for a good outdoor antenna and some cable to run from the antenna to my house and i get at least 4 or 5 channels crystal clear. i also have lots of dvd's for when there is nothing on, because it does happen from time to time when there isn't crap to watch. i wont lie , it may take a lil getting used to, but I'm happy with my set-up

2006-07-24 20:04:00 by John M

Using approximately $50 worth of parts from Radio Shack, I hooked my Grundig G5 to the old TV antenna on the roof that wasn#39;t being used ...

I asked this question before, but I am re-wording it. I have a Jensen VM9021TS DVD/CD/TV/FM/AM/XM/Etc. Radio in my 2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse. The TV antenna is 2 small wires that stick near the top of the windshield inside the car. I was thinking of replacing the antenna with possibly something like a CB antenna if that works. It has a coax input for the television. I want to replace it with a CB antenna if the frequency/bandwidth will work with a television. Anyone know if this will work or have tried it?

There are several problems with your suggestion. A CB antenna is in the wrong frequency range. TV signals are horizontally polarized, so a vertical antenna won't do as good a job. A television antenna and coax has a characteristic impedance of 75 ohms and a CB antenna has an impedance of 50 ohms and this would also cause a problem.

There are other TV antennas that are designed for vehicles. Check with a motorhome or trailer outfit to see what they may have. The link below is a start.

2007-03-12 13:58:48 by Jak K

Price: $49.99

Paper thin - hang behind any picture or bookcase near your tv
Omnidirectional reception, no adjustments needed
High quality construction - made in the USA!
High performance design - outperforms all major brands

I want to just use an antenna for TV reception local channels VHF and UHF, I live in Marietta Georgia near Altanta, and want to discontinue cable service due to financial reasons, I just want to get the basics ABC NBC CBS

Follow this link,
put in your zip code & uncheck the two "spam me now" boxes, hit submit.
You see a map, ignore it and click continue.
Now you will see a list of available broadcast TV stations, the color codes on the left tell you how strong the signal is in your area. If you have yellow, rabbit ears will do. If you go green or greener, amplified (I would get amped ears even with yellow but sometimes the wallet dont agree). If you get purple or blue you will need some serious stuff.

Note: stations with an * by the color code indicate digital. You will need an ATSC tuner to get those but they are usually worth it as digital can compress multiple channels onto one feed. I bought a DVD recorder from Walmart for $144 before tax with a digital tuner in it. Its not very good if your into flipping channels alot but it does a pretty good job of bringing in the signal if you just key in the channel number. In Feb. of 2009 all analog broadcasting will stop in the US. You will have to have an ATSC tuner to watch anything. Prices are dropping so if finances are tight you should be able to pick up something cheaper in a year. The one that I bought a year ago was over $400.

2007-05-25 18:50:24 by potterylady

Price: $79.99

Ultra small design needs less than 1 meter of space for placement where traditional antennas do not work
Supports all digital and analog TV frequencies including VHF and UHF and 1080 signals
Extended range signal reception quality up to 40 miles
Ultra-small design needs less than 1 meter of space for placement where traditional antennas do not work
Supports all digital and analog TV frequencies including VHF, UHF and 1080 signals

The digital signal continues to break up occasionally. How can I improve the reception without purchasing a rooftop antenna?

Some locations simply will not work with any indoor antenna. The digital TV signal is much less forgiving of weak signals than analog.

Also, there are a great many indoor antennas being marketed that are worth little more than the box they came in. One of the very best is the Winegard SS3000, but even it may not work for you. It's tough to tell without trying it, or anything else.

Check the references for the stations in your area you should be receiving, the direction to point your antenna, and suggestions for antennas.

Remember to rescan your converter after making any antenna adjustment for the purpose of capturing new stations.

2009-06-28 09:15:23 by scottgoowill

I do not subscribe to satellite television.
I cannot get cable in my area.
I don't want either, anyways, because they have lots of commercials and programs I don't like, and seem to cost too much.

I have a small, old antenna outdoors high up in a tripod-like stand which was here when I bought the house. It was slightly broke and I tried to repair. It works OK, but I know I would get better reception with a nice new one.

I also have a filter in the line,which made a big difference.

I heard there are small boomerang type antennas that install under the soffit outdoors?

I also heard about some type that you just put on the inside wall?

I want to purchase the very best one available, so I would like the type, brand, model, size, etc., please.......

Antenna requirements vary with your distance from the transmitters. Enter you address at the websites below to see how far away the transmitters are and what type of antenna you'll need.

It's likely that the antenna that's on your roof now is better than a small boomerang type. In general, with antennas, there's no substitute for size. Don't buy the baloney about new modern HDTV antennas. Digital television broadcasts on the same channels as old analog television, so the old antenna work fine as long as can receive both VHF (ch 2-13) and UHF (ch 14-69) channels.

After the transition, all but a few dozen stations around the country will be broadcasting on channels 7 to 51. This can allow for a slightly narrower antenna, since it won't the long arms needed to get chs 2-6.

If TVFool's post-transition listing shows that you have only UHF channels, then you may be able to use a UHF-only antenna, like the DB4 or DB8.
http://www.antennasdirect.com/hdtv_anten na_selector.html

2009-02-12 12:39:32 by babeboomer