hdtv antenna uhf

Hi Folks:
I recently bought a HDTV and was looking for a good UHF anttenna
for it. I'm not in the city and the nearest TV antenna is about 15~20
miles away. These station come in OK on an ordinary TV using a
discone antenna, but nothing great. I was looking at the UHF band
with a spectrum analyzer and found 7 UHF HDTV stations and the best
was about -76dBm. That wasn't too bad for using a cellular antenna..
So, I just put a 7" piece of wire hanging out of the F-connector on
the back of the TV, and Bingo! It works! (on two stations anyway).
It looks like cable! It looks like, at the time being, some stations
are just re-converting their NTSC to HDTV. Not ALL the programming is
sharper, but it is snow-free! So, I guess nothing very special is
required. But, I bet a flat-response would be best.
Harry

In article . com,
says...
|Hi Folks:
| I recently bought a HDTV and was looking for a good UHF anttenna
|for it. I'm not in the city and the nearest TV antenna is about 15~20
|

Indoor or outdoor antenna ?

Indoor, the common suggestion is the Zenith Silver Sensor
Outdoor, Channel Master 4228 (I think) or 91XG Yagi seem to work well.

Digital broadcasts come in various flavors including HD but many are SD
(standard definition) or worse if the station tries to cram
subchannels. One station by me has 10 sub channels.
|

HarryHydro wrote:
Hi Folks:
I recently bought a HDTV and was looking for a good UHF anttenna
for it. I'm not in the city and the nearest TV antenna is about 15~20
miles away. These station come in OK on an ordinary TV using a
discone antenna, but nothing great. I was looking at the UHF band
with a spectrum analyzer and found 7 UHF HDTV stations and the best
was about -76dBm. That wasn't too bad for using a cellular antenna..
So, I just put a 7" piece of wire hanging out of the F-connector on
the back of the TV, and Bingo! It works! (on two stations anyway).
It looks like cable! It looks like, at the time being, some stations
are just re-converting their NTSC to HDTV. Not ALL the programming is
sharper, but it is snow-free! So, I guess nothing very special is
required. But, I bet a flat-response would be best.
Harry

If you are looking for an indoor UHF antenna, the Silver Sensor is
highly regarded. It is sold at most Circuit Cities under the Philips
brand, model PHDTV1 for around $25. Terk sells an unamplified model with
rabbit ears for VHF, model # HDTVi. If you are looking for an attic or
outdoor antenna, the Channel Master 4221 4 Bay bowtie is a very useful
medium range UHF antenna which can pick up stations over a wide spread
in azimuth. I get UHF stations out to 45 to 50 miles with a CM 4221 in
my attic. The CM 4221 is not as good, however, in areas with severe
multipath however.

However, some stations currently at UHF for their digital signal will
be switching the digital broadcast to their current VHF channels in 2009
after the analog NTSC broadcast shutdown. If you post your zip code, I
can look up the stations for you. Or you can dig up the lists from last
year at the FCC website http://www.fcc.gov/dtv/. Look for First and
Second Round DTV selection.

Alan F

On Mar 29, 11:37 am, Alan F wrote:
HarryHydro wrote:
Hi Folks:
I recently bought a HDTV and was looking for a good UHF anttenna
for it. I'm not in the city and the nearest TV antenna is about 15~20
miles away. These station come in OK on an ordinary TV using a
discone antenna, but nothing great. I was looking at the UHF band
with a spectrum analyzer and found 7 UHF HDTV stations and the best
was about -76dBm. That wasn't too bad for using a cellular antenna..
So, I just put a 7" piece of wire hanging out of the F-connector on
the back of the TV, and Bingo! It works! (on two stations anyway).
It looks like cable! It looks like, at the time being, some stations
are just re-converting their NTSC to HDTV. Not ALL the programming is
sharper, but it is snow-free! So, I guess nothing very special is
required. But, I bet a flat-response would be best.
Harry

If you are looking for an indoor UHF antenna, the Silver Sensor is
highly regarded. It is sold at most Circuit Cities under the Philips
brand, model PHDTV1 for around $25. Terk sells an unamplified model with
rabbit ears for VHF, model # HDTVi. If you are looking for an attic or
outdoor antenna, the Channel Master 4221 4 Bay bowtie is a very useful
medium range UHF antenna which can pick up stations over a wide spread
in azimuth. I get UHF stations out to 45 to 50 miles with a CM 4221 in
my attic. The CM 4221 is not as good, however, in areas with severe
multipath however.

However, some stations currently at UHF for their digital signal will
be switching the digital broadcast to their current VHF channels in 2009
after the analog NTSC broadcast shutdown. If you post your zip code, I
can look up the stations for you. Or you can dig up the lists from last
year at the FCC websitehttp://www.fcc.gov/dtv/. Look for First and
Second Round DTV selection.

Alan F

Thanks for the replies!
I'm in 08525, on top of the Sourland Mountain range of Jersey. I
ordered a PR-9032. I have a VHF/UHF combo on a rotor now, but it was
pretty much destroyed when a tree came down upon it a few years ago.
I've always had a fancy for UHF-TV DX station hunting. Except for
CH8, the VHF channels are loaded. I pick up Connecticut once in a
while on CH8. I listen to CH6 TV audio on my truck radio now, for
morning weather and news. I guess I'll lose that when the change
comes. No big deal.
Harry

HarryHydro wrote:
Hi Folks:
I recently bought a HDTV and was looking for a good UHF anttenna
for it. I'm not in the city and the nearest TV antenna is about 15~20
miles away. These station come in OK on an ordinary TV using a
discone antenna, but nothing great. I was looking at the UHF band
with a spectrum analyzer and found 7 UHF HDTV stations and the best
was about -76dBm. That wasn't too bad for using a cellular antenna..
So, I just put a 7" piece of wire hanging out of the F-connector on
the back of the TV, and Bingo! It works! (on two stations anyway).
It looks like cable! It looks like, at the time being, some stations
are just re-converting their NTSC to HDTV. Not ALL the programming is
sharper, but it is snow-free! So, I guess nothing very special is
required. But, I bet a flat-response would be best.
Harry

www.antennaweb.org to find what you need. Use the full address rather
than just zip code on the search. Much better results if you do that.

Marlin Singer wrote:
HarryHydro wrote:
Hi Folks:
I recently bought a HDTV and was looking for a good UHF anttenna
for it. I'm not in the city and the nearest TV antenna is about 15~20
miles away. These station come in OK on an ordinary TV using a
discone antenna, but nothing great. I was looking at the UHF band
with a spectrum analyzer and found 7 UHF HDTV stations and the best
was about -76dBm. That wasn't too bad for using a cellular antenna..
So, I just put a 7" piece of wire hanging out of the F-connector on
the back of the TV, and Bingo! It works! (on two stations anyway).
It looks like cable! It looks like, at the time being, some stations
are just re-converting their NTSC to HDTV. Not ALL the programming is
sharper, but it is snow-free! So, I guess nothing very special is
required. But, I bet a flat-response would be best.
Harry

www.antennaweb.org to find what you need. Use the full address rather
than just zip code on the search. Much better results if you do that.

You also get better results with antennaweb for digital if you add
several hundred feet for the antenna height under the options link. You
may not get all those digital stations, but it will provide a more
complete list. I have to add a 150' to my specific address to get a
close match to the digital stations I get with a CM 4221 in my attic.

Alan F

HarryHydro wrote:
On Mar 29, 11:37 am, Alan F wrote:
....
However, some stations currently at UHF for their digital signal will
be switching the digital broadcast to their current VHF channels in 2009
after the analog NTSC broadcast shutdown. If you post your zip code, I
can look up the stations for you. Or you can dig up the lists from last
year at the FCC websitehttp://www.fcc.gov/dtv/. Look for First and
Second Round DTV selection.

Alan F

Thanks for the replies!
I'm in 08525, on top of the Sourland Mountain range of Jersey. I
ordered a PR-9032. I have a VHF/UHF combo on a rotor now, but it was
pretty much destroyed when a tree came down upon it a few years ago.
I've always had a fancy for UHF-TV DX station hunting. Except for
CH8, the VHF channels are loaded. I pick up Connecticut once in a
while on CH8. I listen to CH6 TV audio on my truck radio now, for
morning weather and news. I guess I'll lose that when the change
comes. No big deal.
Harry

For the major stations in NYC, WABC-DT 7 and WPIX-DT 11 will be
changing their digital broadcast to VHF 7 & 11 after the analog shutdown
in 2009.

In Philadelphia, WPVI-DT ABC 6 is an unsettled question for 2009,
perhaps the highest profile open question for digital channel selection
after the shutdown. WPVI-DT has been tentatively selected to switch to
VHF 6 in 2009, but the FCC has stated that it prefers to not have any
full power ATSC stations on VHF 6 because of the long standing
interference problem with FM radio. WPVI-DT is currently broadcasting on
UHF 64 and they have to vacate that on Feb. 17, 2009. WPVI would
probably rather go to another UHF channel, but there may be none
available because of the very crowded mid-Atlantic TV market. There is a
final round of digital channel selection for stations stuck at low VHF,
but the selections have not been announced.

The bottom line is that you will need to receive upper VHF for digital
broadcasts in 2009. The PR-9032 will probably do the job for UHF, but it
not regarded as the top line of UHF antennas. That goes to the Channel
Master 4228 and the AntennasDirect 91XG. Winegard has two upper VHF only
antennas, the YA-1713 and YA-6713 which are likely to become popular
adds-on in 2009.

If you want to research TV antennas, this is a good site to start with:
http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ISSUES/erecting_antenna.html

Alan F

On Mar 29, 3:38 pm, Alan F wrote:
HarryHydro wrote:
On Mar 29, 11:37 am, Alan F wrote:
...
However, some stations currently at UHF for their digital signal will
be switching the digital broadcast to their current VHF channels in 2009
after the analog NTSC broadcast shutdown. If you post your zip code, I
can look up the stations for you. Or you can dig up the lists from last
year at the FCC websitehttp://www.fcc.gov/dtv/. Look for First and
Second Round DTV selection.

Alan F

Thanks for the replies!
I'm in 08525, on top of the Sourland Mountain range of Jersey. I
ordered a PR-9032. I have a VHF/UHF combo on a rotor now, but it was
pretty much destroyed when a tree came down upon it a few years ago.
I've always had a fancy for UHF-TV DX station hunting. Except for
CH8, the VHF channels are loaded. I pick up Connecticut once in a
while on CH8. I listen to CH6 TV audio on my truck radio now, for
morning weather and news. I guess I'll lose that when the change
comes. No big deal.
Harry

For the major stations in NYC, WABC-DT 7 and WPIX-DT 11 will be
changing their digital broadcast to VHF 7 & 11 after the analog shutdown
in 2009.

In Philadelphia, WPVI-DT ABC 6 is an unsettled question for 2009,
perhaps the highest profile open question for digital channel selection
after the shutdown. WPVI-DT has been tentatively selected to switch to
VHF 6 in 2009, but the FCC has stated that it prefers to not have any
full power ATSC stations on VHF 6 because of the long standing
interference problem with FM radio. WPVI-DT is currently broadcasting on
UHF 64 and they have to vacate that on Feb. 17, 2009. WPVI would
probably rather go to another UHF channel, but there may be none
available because of the very crowded mid-Atlantic TV market. There is a
final round of digital channel selection for stations stuck at low VHF,
but the selections have not been announced.

The bottom line is that you will need to receive upper VHF for digital
broadcasts in 2009. The PR-9032 will probably do the job for UHF, but it
not regarded as the top line of UHF antennas. That goes to the Channel
Master 4228 and the AntennasDirect 91XG. Winegard has two upper VHF only
antennas, the YA-1713 and YA-6713 which are likely to become popular
adds-on in 2009.

If you want to research TV antennas, this is a good site to start with:http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ISSUES/erecting_antenna.html

Alan F

Well I've used a fair number of antennas over the years and personally
I'm a Winegard guy and am not likely to be swayed, but that's me. I
suspect the PR-9032 will be overkill for 15-20 miles. Heck, I'm using
the non-preamped squareshooter at 35 miles with a 4 way splitter and
still get 75-80% on the HDTV Wonder cards.

For DTV I believe that a good front-to-back ratio is more important
than high gain and narrow beamwidth like the PR-9032 - not to mention
that it is HUGE and looks like a garden implement.

GG

"HarryHydro" wrote in message
ups.com...
Hi Folks:
I recently bought a HDTV and was looking for a good UHF anttenna
for it. I'm not in the city and the nearest TV antenna is about 15~20
miles away. These station come in OK on an ordinary TV using a
discone antenna, but nothing great. I was looking at the UHF band
with a spectrum analyzer and found 7 UHF HDTV stations and the best
was about -76dBm. That wasn't too bad for using a cellular antenna..
So, I just put a 7" piece of wire hanging out of the F-connector on
the back of the TV, and Bingo! It works! (on two stations anyway).
It looks like cable! It looks like, at the time being, some stations
are just re-converting their NTSC to HDTV. Not ALL the programming is
sharper, but it is snow-free! So, I guess nothing very special is
required. But, I bet a flat-response would be best.
Harry

I put a deep fringe aerial antenna in my attic pointed to "split the
difference" between transmitters 10 miles away. 100% signal strength.

Stevie wrote:
"HarryHydro" wrote in message
ups.com...
Hi Folks:
I recently bought a HDTV and was looking for a good UHF anttenna
for it. I'm not in the city and the nearest TV antenna is about
15~20 miles away. These station come in OK on an ordinary TV using a
discone antenna, but nothing great. I was looking at the UHF band
with a spectrum analyzer and found 7 UHF HDTV stations and the best
was about -76dBm. That wasn't too bad for using a cellular antenna..
So, I just put a 7" piece of wire hanging out of the F-connector on
the back of the TV, and Bingo! It works! (on two stations anyway).
It looks like cable! It looks like, at the time being, some stations
are just re-converting their NTSC to HDTV. Not ALL the programming
is sharper, but it is snow-free! So, I guess nothing very special is
required. But, I bet a flat-response would be best.
Harry

I put a deep fringe aerial antenna in my attic pointed to "split the
difference" between transmitters 10 miles away. 100% signal strength.

How do you meassure signal strength?

DougW