Indoor OTA Antenna recommendations? [Text View]

tetzel1517

06-19-2007, 04:51 PM

I just got my Series 3 and because of some blinding incompetence by RCN, my CableCards didn't get installed on Saturday. So, I went out and bought a cheap ($22) indoor antenna at Radio Shack. While my NBC affiliate comes in clear as day without any signal drops, Fox, ABC and CBS are all much more erratic.

However, I've noticed that the OTA signal, when it comes in, is perfect. None of the blockiness/compression artifacts that I faced with my RCN DVR. Am I right that these will likely return if I view these channels via CableCard, even through the S3?

Assuming that's the case, I would like to still use an antenna to receive the broadcast HD stations. But the Radio Shack one won't do. Does anyone have any recommendations? For the record, I live in Washington DC on the sixth floor of a seven story apartment building. The window in my living room faces east. Another factor is that the antenna must be relatively easy to hide behind my TV or in the empty shelf of my TV cabinet. Why? Because the things are ugly and my girlfriend doesn't want a set of glorified rabbit ears distracting from the rest of the living room.

Any thoughts?

LoREvanescence

06-19-2007, 04:59 PM

For indoor I seem to like treck. I got one of their $50 ones for free along with a laptop usb hdtv tuner and it works great, only thing is, if it's not obstructed by brick walls or something like that, and your withing 15 miles of the broad cast area, if you are more then 30 miles a indoor antenna wont really do any good. You need one of the big ones on your roof.

The signal seems to start to be blocky / jumpy after 15 miles or so from my experience. But I have never had a open ground to try it in, some local channels here get blocked by terrain.

jrm01

06-19-2007, 05:07 PM

1. Dump the girfriend, or at least get her to live with it.
2. try a Terk TV5 or Philips Silver Sensor indoor antenna.

However, both are directional, so you may have to move it around a bit if the towers are not all in the same general vicinity.

If you have buildings near-by you may also get echo signals from them.

these two have variable amplification so you can tune it up or down depending on need. Too much amplification can cause as much a problem as too little.

Runch Machine

06-19-2007, 05:45 PM

The Terk TV5 is a piece of junk, little better than a clothes hanger. Thers is one good Terk antenna and that is the model HDTVi. It is a knock off of the Silver Sensor. Either get the Silver Sensor or the TERK HDTVi. I've used them both in different situations and always had success. They are excellent. Note that most Terk antenna are over priced poor performing junk. The HDTVi and HDTVa are the exception.

Teeps

06-19-2007, 08:37 PM

Here's a shot of a 4bay bowtie on top right of entertainment center. The wife poo-poo'ed it at first, but when she saw ER in HD. There was no more problem.

http://gallery.avsforum.com/data/503/medium/DSCF0239.JPG

TydalForce

06-19-2007, 08:52 PM

I have a Terrestrial Digital DB2 hanging in my window. As long as your locals are all UHF (and will stay that way) you can get a UHF only antenna like that.

You might want to check tvfool.com or antennaweb.org to see what your locals are like, distance, etc. as a starting point.

jrm01

06-20-2007, 07:13 AM

The Digital DB2 has had some very good reviews. It was designed for outdoors, and has been used by many in the windows. As noted above it can also be mounted on top of furniture or in a high corner. One benefit is that it is multi-directional in case your station towers are not all in the same direction. However, it doesn't look pretty.

If you wan a "pretty" one, try the PF7 photo frame. It is not as strong as the others and has less of a chance of working as well, but it is pretty. See it here:

http://www.antennasdirect.com/PF7_antenna.html

Bierboy

06-20-2007, 09:24 AM

Channel Master....nothing more needs to be said....

http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k137/Bierboy/HD/Antenna-Mast.jpg

MickeS

06-20-2007, 09:43 AM

Channel Master....nothing more needs to be said....

http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k137/Bierboy/HD/Antenna-Mast.jpg
How did you manage to get that ceiling painted so much like a real sky? ;)

To the OP: First, go check out http://www.antennaweb.org and see where the broadcast antennas are located, so you can see what type of antenna you need.

I bought the Philips MANT-510 from Circuit City: http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Philips-Indoor-Antenna-MANT510/sem/rpsm/oid/158312/catOid/-15607/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

It gets the signals coming from 14 miles away with no problems at all, perfect picture. However, I can NOT get it to receive another set of signals, coming from about 32 miles away in the OTHER direction. Fortunately, the signal it can't get is only the CW which I never watch.

So your situation will vary... start at antennaweb and work your way from there. :)

cwoody222

06-20-2007, 10:52 AM

The Zenith Silver Sensor, hands down. And cheap. Don't get the Terk model, get the Zenith.

hearncl

06-20-2007, 11:47 AM

I have the DB2 (link (http://www.antennasdirect.com/indoorantennas.html)) mentioned in several of these posts. It's mounted hanging on the back of my equipment console and picks up most of the local OTA HD channels.

GoHokies!

06-20-2007, 12:44 PM

Check out the Washington DC HDTV thread over at avs, you'll get a lot more local advice - I've got a feeling that multipath is probably your worst enemy and less gain, not more may be the right answer.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=793124

Bierboy

06-20-2007, 04:16 PM

I vote against the Silver Sensor; I had it, and it was spotty at best even using it in my garage rafters. And, as my previous post indicates, mount OUTDOORS. I don't buy the excuses most people toss out about homeowners' association "rules", looks "bad", etc. BS.....outside is the best.

cwoody222

06-20-2007, 04:23 PM

I vote against the Silver Sensor; I had it, and it was spotty at best even using it in my garage rafters.

Really? When I first got my HD set I bought about 3-4 different antennas before the Silver Sensor. That one was the only one that got all of my locals... which come from 3 locations, around 15 miles away in any given direction.

But, different solutions for different situations I guess.

Bierboy

06-20-2007, 05:59 PM

Really? When I first got my HD set I bought about 3-4 different antennas before the Silver Sensor. That one was the only one that got all of my locals... which come from 3 locations, around 15 miles away in any given direction.

But, different solutions for different situations I guess.Yeah, I had heard good things about the SS, so I was disappointed. It might be my local situation, but I couldn't recommend it to anyone in good conscience at least in my market. My towers are only about 13 miles away in one direction, too, so that really made it disappointing. Might have just had a "bad" one.

TydalForce

06-20-2007, 09:38 PM

pedxing

06-21-2007, 11:27 AM

I bought a Terk HDTVi indoor antenna (on sale at $32) and it works OK for me. It's unidirectional - make that VERY directional - though so its best if all your sources are in one direction. For me, West of Boston, I point it East and get PBS, CBS, ABC, NBC, and Fox so I'm fine. But if you are inside a city, you might be better off with an omnidirectional antenna. Check antennaweb.org's maps.

I was surprised with the little Terk's ability to pull in the signals since I normally get horrible FM radio reception in the valley I live in!

I've heard mixed reviews on the other Terk antennas, by the way, and am not pleased in the two Terk FM antennas I've tried. But the HDTVi seems like a good one.

Ped Xing

bicker

06-21-2007, 03:55 PM

Actually, in Boston, all the major network antennas, as well as that for Channel 56, are in one place (Needham), I believe, so we're save no matter what.

tetzel1517

06-21-2007, 04:53 PM

Thanks for the input, everyone. (And Bierboy, trust me, no outdoor antennas at my apartment building. It's a historic landmark. There's not a single satellite dish on it at all, much less an antenna. But thanks for the advice anyway!)

One question about the Silver Sensor for those who have one: I know it's uni-directional. Does that mean I'll actually have to move the thing around depending on what channel I'm watching. Because that sort of defeats the purpose of having a TiVo in the first place (Oh, I can't leave yet... gotta make sure the antenna's facing the right way!)

Also, I went to antennaweb and it said I need a small multidirectional antenna. All the broadcast networks are generally northwest of my apartment (sadly, my window faces east... but does that matter?) except for CW (don't watch since they canceled Veronica Mars) and PBS (would like to watch more, but let's be honest here, I hardly ever do). So I guess I really only need it pointing in one direction most, if not all of the time. In that case, is the Silver Sensor a fine choice? Oh, and how big is the thing?

Also, I thought I actually had the cheap-o Radio Shack antenna working well... until ABC started cutting out everytime someone walked near the TV. Oh well, I'm well within the return period.

cwoody222

06-21-2007, 04:57 PM

I pull stations in from 3 towers in two completely different directions with my Silver Sensor and I never have to move it.

However, it did take some trial and error to find just the right spot in the living room and the perfect position for it.

Last summer it was a mission for me. Turns out putting it on a little metallic "vase" (it's really just a decorative piece of metal) I picked up from Pier 1 for $20 helped immensely. I don't know if the metal helped or the extra 12" of height but that did the trick.

If I remember I'll post pics tonight so you can see the size.

fred2

06-21-2007, 10:23 PM

I have a Silver Sensor, was working well but not good enough. Being the perfectionist, never willing to let good enough be, I had to try some more.

I tried the Terk HDTVlp. Actually worked rather well. Better than the Silver Sensor in my case. Replaced that with the DB2 and a pre-amp, works even better. Took the back off the DB2 (The part that looks like a fence) so I could position it better. Works great!

Unfortunately, you sometimes do have to poke around a bit with different antennas until you find one that works best in your specific environment.

TydalForce:

I'm looking for a "better" antenna. In Seattle, I'm having pixelation problems with channel 13.1.

I notice you "resized" your antenna and also went with a PRE-AMP. May I ask what model preamp? Where in the antenna-coax line is the pre-amp placed? Does it have to be at the antenna or can it before before a splitter to tv and tivo and inside the house - rather than getting power to an outside pre-amp?

ANYONE else chime in with thoughts.

Thanks.

TydalForce

06-22-2007, 09:30 AM

I have a Terrestrial Digital PA-16:
http://www.terrestrial-digital.com/amplifiers.html
Note: This is UHF Only.

So, take a close look at the DB2:
http://www.antennasdirect.com/DB2_Indoor_antenna.html
The main antenna is the >< looking part, and the bar connecting them. Behind it is the "Fence" part. I took the fence part off, so I could angle it better -- it's hanging in my bedroom window.

From the DB2, there's about 2 feet of cable leading to the preamp. From the preamp is maybe 10-12 feet of cable to the power inserter (looks like a splitter, but one end plugs into electric). And then from there, a foot or two into my TiVo.

You want the preamp to be as close to the antenna as possible. The line between the preamp and the power inserter should be direct - no splitters or anything, since there's power coming through this line. A splitter along this portion would feed power to some other device, and possibly fry it. You *can* have the amp parts all inside, but it may not be as effective that way.

fred2

06-22-2007, 12:39 PM

Hey, thanks for that complete info. The DB2 looks good (not appearance but performance) and can be inside or out.

TydalForce

06-22-2007, 04:07 PM

Hey, thanks for that complete info. The DB2 looks good (not appearance but performance) and can be inside or out.

It works well. Be willing to experiment with different positions and such. Mine's in the window, since that's the best angle for "line of sight" to the transmitters I can get, and the closest to outside I can get trying to avoid brick walls and such. It's actually wedged into the corner of my window, with some tape and being held in place by parts of the window. It's not "pretty" but it's well hidden by the blinds!

mattack

06-22-2007, 10:06 PM

I have a Terrestrial Digital PA-16:
http://www.terrestrial-digital.com/amplifiers.html
Note: This is UHF Only.

I was able to find the antennae at amazon, but in a quick search didn't find these amplifiers.. how much are these?

(I'm still considering just paying for cable cards.. But it'd be nice to have antenna as a backup/alternative.)

Bierboy

06-23-2007, 12:23 AM

Thanks for the input, everyone. (And Bierboy, trust me, no outdoor antennas at my apartment building. It's a historic landmark. There's not a single satellite dish on it at all, much less an antenna. But thanks for the advice anyway!)....I understand that...you're not an owner at an apartment. But some folks who own condos/townhouses have erroneously stated that they can be blocked from erecting antennae on their property by their associations. That's simply not true from a legal standpoint. Apartments are a different animal (unfortunately for those of you who live in them and lust after better OTA reception).

bicker

06-23-2007, 05:23 AM

But some folks who own condos/townhouses have erroneously stated that they can be blocked from erecting antennae on their property by their associations. That's simply not true from a legal standpoint.It isn't that simple. While it is true that you cannot be blocked absolutely, many rules are explicitly permitted by the statute that could effectively block you. For example, you cannot use common space, you cannot make new holes in siding or foundation, etc. If there is no way to snake a wire into your home from the limited-common space where you can install an antenna, or if the limited-common space that is provided for your exclusive use does not have a view of the correct part of the sky, then you're SOL.

TydalForce

06-23-2007, 09:39 AM

I was able to find the antennae at amazon, but in a quick search didn't find these amplifiers.. how much are these?

(I'm still considering just paying for cable cards.. But it'd be nice to have antenna as a backup/alternative.)

I ordered mine from pcalchemy.com - it was $45 back in March.

They still have it, and it's the same price: http://www.pcalchemy.com/product_info.php/pName/terrestrial-digital-pa16-uhf-pre-amplifier-kit-pa16

It's great if you don't need a powerful amp, but want low noise (of course) and don't need VHF. I'm very happy with it.

I also had an incident with Terrestrial Digital's customer service team - the first unit I received had a problem. They swapped it out for me very quickly; I was quite impressed with them.

gwsat

06-23-2007, 11:33 AM

Some channels are simply iffy. I live very close to the antennas of all my local network affiliates and all are in the same direction from my house. With one exception, I have no trouble receiving any of them on a set of simple rabbit ears. Unfortunately, KOCO DT’s, the ABC affiliate, digital channel is VHF instead of UHF and I have had intermittent but severe pixelization problems with it, despite signal strength that runs in the high 90s. My frustration is increased because one night I will get a perfect picture for the entirety of an hour show and the next night, another program showing at the same time of night will be unwatchable. KOCO DT is so problematic that many OKC area viewers report that they can’t get it at all, no matter what kind of antenna they use.

Bierboy

06-23-2007, 12:52 PM

It isn't that simple. While it is true that you cannot be blocked absolutely, many rules are explicitly permitted by the statute that could effectively block you. For example, you cannot use common space, you cannot make new holes in siding or foundation, etc. If there is no way to snake a wire into your home from the limited-common space where you can install an antenna, or if the limited-common space that is provided for your exclusive use does not have a view of the correct part of the sky, then you're SOL.Please note: I said they can't be blocked from putting up an antenna on THEIR property. They can't....period.

jrm01

06-23-2007, 01:12 PM

Please note: I said they can't be blocked from putting up an antenna on THEIR property. They can't....period.
The statement you made is true, with one exception. The FCC has stated that:

"Under some circumstances where a central or common antenna is available, a community association or landlord may restrict the installation of individual antennas"

So it is possible that some "owners" may still be restricted.

bicker

06-23-2007, 03:18 PM

Please note: I said they can't be blocked from putting up an antenna on THEIR property. They can't....period.Absolutely. They might not be able to run cable into their home, from there, but they can surely put up an antenna on their limited common space.

cwoody222

06-23-2007, 05:40 PM

If I remember I'll post pics tonight so you can see the size.

Here it sits on top of my mantle. It's sitting on top of that Pier 1 metal piece thing I discussed above so the total height is only about half of what you see.

It would be hidden completely from behind my 26" LCD (but it didn't get a good signal from that corner of the room).

EscapeVelocity

06-23-2008, 12:04 AM

Check out my guide to the best indoor antennas on the AVSforum.

EV's Best Top Rated HDTV Indoor Antenna Review Test Round-Up Guide (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1037779)

Hope you like it. :)

steve614

06-23-2008, 01:59 AM

I have a Terk indoor and only have problems with one channel.
I'm sure that it's a 'directional' issue.

Overall, I'm happy with the results.

TheGreenHornet

06-30-2008, 08:39 PM

I have had a year of almost perfect digital reception with the Terk 55 sitting on my window sill behind my television. I just bought a Philips Mant 950 version hooked up to an 13 year old Sony still pulling in an analog signal in my home office. That TV has a series 2 attached to it and we are patiently waiting for the codes to get the coupons and get a digital box. The 950 has a decent signal for analog except for KYW very high up on VHF3.

Which brings me to another point about picking out an antenna for digital reception. Research the frequency where the digital channels will reside after the conversion in February. In Philly, two stations will move their digital signals from UHF back to their VHF location. WPVI (ABC) is going back to VHF 6. WHYY (PBS) will go back to VHF12.

To be safe, it is not a bad idea to choose an the antenna that picks up VHF & UHF.

tootal2

07-01-2008, 10:37 AM

Get the db2 antenna. it works very good in doors.

yunlin12

07-01-2008, 06:46 PM

I have a DB2, indoors, 2nd floor in my townhouse by a window facing San Fran. I'm >40 miles away from SF, and partially blocked by other townhouses of same height in my complex. The DB2 managed to pull in almost all of SF UHF channels with it. It doesn't do VHF, so no NBC, and will lose ABC next year when they switch their digital braodcast back to VHF.

TiVo Steve

07-01-2008, 07:55 PM

http://uhfhdtvantenna.blogspot.com/
:)

cmontyburns

07-01-2008, 08:55 PM

JStew

07-01-2008, 11:31 PM

I had the Silver Sensor for about a month until the Winegard SS3000 came out. The Silver Sensor works very well with UHF but I couldn't get the upper VHF range with it at all. I tried the Winegard and it worked right out of the box. I'm about 40 miles from our antenna farm and haven't had a signal problem in two years with the Winegard. It has a pretty low profile, too.

bicker

07-02-2008, 07:49 AM

DB2 is rated for UHF only though.... we need Channel 7 here in Boston.

dig_duggler

07-02-2008, 08:58 AM

I get OK performance with a standard rabbit-ear-and-loop antenna, but it's not fully reliable so I am going to try one of the other options. Probably the Silver Sensor to start with. General commentary on it, here and on Amazon and other places, seems to be pretty good.

I love mine, but didn't realize (or didn't do enough research) to see that abc in my area is VHF only. May want to check that out first....

hmm52

07-02-2008, 09:17 AM

I've got a compact outdoor antenna setup in front of a 3rd floor window. Two window placements worked well but when window screen was reinstalled on one, signal strength dropped substantially - enough to lose reception for 2 difficult stations. I've seen the same thing with wireless transmissions. Antenna in front of glass only - easy connection at 100 + meters. Screen in front of antenna - laptop has to placed and oriented just so to get one bar.

cmontyburns

07-02-2008, 11:32 AM

I love mine, but didn't realize (or didn't do enough research) to see that abc in my area is VHF only. May want to check that out first....

Yes, thanks for that. With the exception of PBS, my locals are all UHF and within 12 miles of me and a few degrees of each other, so I'm thinking any decent directional antenna should have me covered.

janry

07-02-2008, 05:01 PM

I got the Silver Sensor this past weekend. The broadcast towers are not far from me (12-50 miles) but they are primarily in 2 different directions and I have structure and tree blockage, so I was concerned with the Silver Sensor being directional. No matter how I turned it, the signal was worse then with the $10 Radio Shack antenna I was using. I was not happy.

But, I'm not one to give up so I kept playing with it thinking how I could make it not so directional. I don't know why I tried it, but I sat the thing on end so the direction was pointed up. Much better. Then I tweaked how it was turned while pointed up and I mananged to get a better signal on all channels than I was getting with the $10 antenna by several points on the TiVoHD signal strength meter.

When you make it omni-directional, you will also have to play with how VHF dipoles are aimed. How they are aimed can make a big difference even on UHF channels

cmontyburns

07-03-2008, 08:32 PM

I got the Silver Sensor this past weekend. The broadcast towers are not far from me (12-50 miles) but they are primarily in 2 different directions and I have structure and tree blockage, so I was concerned with the Silver Sensor being directional. No matter how I turned it, the signal was worse then with the $10 Radio Shack antenna I was using. I was not happy.

But, I'm not one to give up so I kept playing with it thinking how I could make it not so directional. I don't know why I tried it, but I sat the thing on end so the direction was pointed up. Much better. Then I tweaked how it was turned while pointed up and I mananged to get a better signal on all channels than I was getting with the $10 antenna by several points on the TiVoHD signal strength meter.

Big :up: from me for the Silver Sensor (used normally!). I'm getting 30 points better reception on every channel with this antenna (several maxing out at 100) than I was getting with my old loop-and-ears antenna. I'm very pleased.

cliffdunaway

07-15-2008, 06:55 PM

Here it sits on top of my mantle. It's sitting on top of that Pier 1 metal piece thing I discussed above so the total height is only about half of what you see.

It would be hidden completely from behind my 26" LCD (but it didn't get a good signal from that corner of the room).

When I searched for the Silver Sensor, I got a completely different unit. Maybe this one is a newer model?

http://*******.com/6ypaeq

Hmm, I guess I can't say t i n y u r l ?

cmontyburns

07-15-2008, 09:02 PM

[QUOTE=cliffdunaway;6483372]When I searched for the Silver Sensor, I got a completely different unit. Maybe this one is a newer model?[/URL]

Here's the one we are talking about: http://www.amazon.com/Philips-PHDTV1-Silver-Digital-Antenna/dp/B0007XDI54.

cliffdunaway

07-15-2008, 09:17 PM

That one wouldn't help me. Most of our digital OTA channels are VHF. Thanks, though.

cmontyburns

07-15-2008, 09:52 PM

That one wouldn't help me. Most of our digital OTA channels are VHF. Thanks, though.

Yeah, I'm lucky for now that all mine are UHF. Post-transition, though, at least a couple are scheduled to switch to VHF, so I'll have to re-evaluate.

Bierboy

07-15-2008, 11:46 PM

Silver Sensor = major suckage

bicker

07-16-2008, 07:23 AM

I've got the Terk antenna, but haven't really tested it adequately. The few times I relied on it I got flaky recordings, but I cannot tell if that was due to bugs in the TiVo or not (since I had similar flaky recordings off cable as well -- presumably, these bugs are related to using an eSATA drive). I haven't had any problems recently, but of course I haven't been recording much recently.

I'm thinking of just getting rid of the eSATA drive, until I hear that TiVo found and fixed a problem, but of course that leaves me seriously lacking storage.

Anyway, besides not testing my current set-up accurately yet, I cannot test my post-February 2009 set-up because one channel is switching from UHF to high-band VHF. The Terk supports VHF so it should work, but I don't know how well yet.

Too many variables!!!!