Paul asked for antenna recommendations based on a lot of readers who ditch cable in favor of OTA. In response to Paul's question, Ed writes:
Philips Silver Sensor or Radio Shack Remote Controlled VHF/UHF that sells for $50. Both indoor models.
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Digital antennas can be a real pain, depending on where you are located relative to the transmitters. It took me several tries and returns, I finally built my own large antenna for the attic. Spliced it into the house's existing coax feed and can use the same antenna for all tvs or fm radios. Much cleaner looking too, and worth the initial hassle of building/buying and mounting. We have 17 channels we receive OTA, which is more than enough. Money saved on cable goes towards an annual contribution to both PBS and NPR stations here in Boise.
To me it's not just about saving money but not having all the worthless crap on tv to surf through. And less worthless crap to watch means slightly higher productivity or reading or listening to a radio with free time.
Posted by: JMaff | December 22, 2011 at 08:33 AM
Indoor TV antennas, now there is sure sign of shriveling masculinity. No specific recommendations here. The major variable is your distance from the transmitter(s).
If all of the transmitters are located at one spot then a uni-directional antenna that you can aim at the transmitter will serve best. Signals from any other direction, including noise, will be dampened.
If the transmitters are located in various directions then one can either aim their uni-directional antenna when switching channels or purchase an omni-directional antenna that will receive equally from all directions.
Television signals, like FM radio, are "line of sight". If your antenna's view of the transmitter is blocked by trees, buildings, mountains and so forth your results will not be good. Place your antenna near a high-window closest to the transmitter.
Most ATSC HDTV channels are now in the UHF range. If your area has stations that are still in the VHF range then you may want to accommodate them as well. In general, a VHF antenna will be larger than a UHF. Again your distance from the transmitter will affect your success with VHF on a smaller antenna. Larger and higher are the general rules.
Amplifiers can be useful but are not a substitute for an antenna bereft of signal. They can and will amplify noise.
Posted by: Keith | December 22, 2011 at 08:51 AM
"rabbit ears" antenna are not sufficient in most areas (I tried dozens of them before finally putting an antenna in the attic).
In my opinion Winegard makes the best antennas. They are quality construction. Many brands which were formally good (such as Channelmaster) are now made of super cheap Chinese construction.
Here is the Winegard I installed in my attic:
http://www.amazon.com/Winegard-HD7694P-High-Definition-Antenna/dp/B001DFTGR4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324573381&sr=8-1
My total cost including some coax cable and a bit of hardware was less than $75. I now receive 17 OTA channels.
Posted by: Morse | December 22, 2011 at 09:06 AM
If all of your signals come from a single sector (maybe at most 60 degrees apart), and you have line of sight or simple multi-path, a small indoor direction antenna should work. I have nothing but praise for the "Terk HDTVa Indoor Amplified High-Definition Antenna for Off-Air HDTV Reception"
http://www.amazon.com/Terk-Amplified-High-Definition-Antenna-Reception/dp/B0007MXZB2/
You need to make sure that your television tuner can take advantage of the features in the DTV standard to handle multi-path reception. Most later generations tuners have these features. In particular, my Tivo HDXL has no problem with multi-path signals.
Posted by: Doug T. | December 22, 2011 at 10:25 AM
Almost everything that you'll ever know about OTA antennas is here:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1037779
I have an AntennasDirect DB2 mounted in my office near a window connected to an ElGato EyeTV tuner for OTA viewing. Works great, considering I live in an apartment in a low-lying neighborhood with poor line of sight to most of the area's transmitters. I'm able to pick up stations about 40-50 miles away, despite it being mounted inside.
Posted by: Ted | December 22, 2011 at 03:05 PM