For those concerned about their antennas and the digital switch here is a great site:

[elocs]

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1037779

Lots and lots of info with pictures and reviews of antennas from rabbit ear types to rooftop to homemade. Plus each page has lots of the antennas and pictures without having to go to the next page.

From the intro:

THIS GUIDE IS A WORK IN PROGRESS

These antennas are listed in no particular order. This list of antennas are all recommended and better than average.

There is no one best indoor antenna. Environmental factors present a plethora of situations that no one antenna can be best for all of them. In fact, most times the best indoor antenna is an antenna placed outdoors or an outdoor antenna placed indoors. Some may need VHF Hi and UHF, others only UHF, after the Feb2009 shutdown of analog broadcasts. Antennas are a strange brew, sometimes it's more of an art than a science, and while these are generally well regarded antennas for indoor use, Your Mileage May Vary.

Remember, outdoor placement is much preferred if you can swing it. Even if you get some of these outdoor antennas that are small, flat, and aesthetic and unobtrusive enough to go inside, they will do better outside on a patio or outside a window especially if facing the broadcast tower cluster. Some even put large antennas in attics.

These are some of my personal favorites and I have personal experience with many of these antennas. Most are highly recommended antennas by others on the net and other AVSforum members in this thread; and in reviews and tests that I researched on the net

The other end of the equation is tuner ability, sensitivity and selectivity. ATSC tuners have dramatically improved over the last couple of years. If you are on the fringe of reception even using the best antenna setups, you may want to consider improving your tuner with a set top box tuner. Both SD Coupon Elligible Converter Boxes and HDTV Tuner Boxes exist. LG and Samsung make great HDTV tuner boxes. LG makes some of the best tuners, and their CECB the Zenith DTT901 currently has one of the most sensitive tuners for those looking to keep using their old CRT NTSC analog sets. You can research tuners and converter boxes in the same subforum that you are now located in AVSforum.

Here is a picture of a homemade antenna:


Here is a picture frame antenna that actually works:


The point is that there are many, many different kinds of antennas and even for people who believe their situation is hopeless they may be surprised to find that a simple amp to boost their signal may solve the problem. I have gotten my tv free and over the air for 3 years now so once I had everything set up I didn't spend another dime on it until I used my coupon and spent $10 to get a digital converter. Even if I had to spend the entire $49.99 to buy the converter it would have been worth it for the better picture and doubling the number of channels I receive. Even to originally get my analog stations over the air I needed to do some adjusting and tweaking and even had to buy a second antenna for my NBC station which is 60 miles from me and mostly in the opposite direction from the others.

Lastly, check out http://antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx and input your address and it will show you what stations you should receive, their distance and direction from you, and also the type of antenna you would need to receive them. It even has a map that will show your location and lines pointing to the stations you can receive. I used this when I originally put up my antennas for analog (I have a metal roof on my house so I need rooftop antennas even though I am close to most of my stations).

[hlthe2b]

1. This is useful.... It does look like the switch will be delayed...

until June... I watch so little tv and much of it live-streamed on computer it doesn't matter a lot to me, but since I do worry about access in emergencies (power outages).... I will have to look at some kind of solution for that...

[elocs]

4. Getting digital signals is not rocket science.

I get all of my digital stations using the exact antennas I used for analog plus I get twice as many channels. For instance, right now on one PBS channel I am watching Bill Moyers, while on another there is a lecture from UW-Madison, and on the third there is a children's program. My NBC station has a second channel that is really a weather channel for the western WI area. So I think digital is well worth it and I don't mind spending the extra $10 to get it.

[hlthe2b]

6. My concern is signal degradation, which, for some means

no picture at all on digital, whereas they could have gotten at least a low quality analog signal before. I live in central Denver, so that will not likely be the issue, but obstruction of some signals could be... I have had a real "hate affair" with cable--after cutting it off finally 4 years ago and I can't justify the cost of satellite dish. I was supposed to get the coupon for my 1 LCD monitors with analog tuner, (supposedly mailed out January 16), but it has never arrived so I'm not holding my breath... Guess I'll just need to buy a new small tv. Prices have come down a lot so, that might be just as cost effective as paying the difference on one of the more effective tuner boxes. I have a couple of analog antennaes that worked at least passably, but I've wondered about the new indoor "flat" low profile antennaes and some of the other new technology. :shrug:

[begin_within]

2. Why doesn't the FCC just manufacture and give away little converters for free.

[elocs]

5. I have seen converters for $40, so with the coupon it would be free.

I am guessing that some of these converters would be less than half of their full price if it wasn't for the $40 coupon.

[hlthe2b]

7. From what I've seen from consumer reviews...

the ones available for $40 are not likely to be very effective in most areas..... The coupon is no more than an offset, it appears.

[elocs]

10. The Zenith model DTT901 I bought for $10 with the coupon was priced at $49.99.

It has had great reviews and works perfectly for me. It will scan for channels that can be received, and it has a remote that will adjust the volume, change channels, and even zoom the picture. Even if I had to pay the whole $49.99 I think it would be worth it for the better picture and twice as many channels as analog. Even with cable I don't think my old 19" tv looked so good.

[hlthe2b]

15. good to know...

thx

[Warpy]

3. During a recent satellite outage

I was extremely hacked off to find out my rather decent rabbit ears weren't adequate to pick up HD signals on my HD ready set. I now have them hooked up to my stereo receiver.

While the picture frame antenna looks doable, I think when I finally give up the satellite, that will be the end of TV for me for the reasons you cited. I'll keep it around for DVDs and my old VHS tapes, but that'll be it.

[elocs]

9. It is amazing how many different types and kinds of antennas there are.

Also realize that there will be stations that will go to full power digital and so their signal will be stronger than it was during the transition. I think if you were able to get your stations when they were analog, you should be able to get them digital even if you have to use a simple signal booster.

I gave up satellite about 3 years ago and have gotten my tv for free and over the air since then. Even then I had to do some experimenting with antennas because I have a metal roof. With satellite and cable it was like that Springstein song "57 Channels and Nothing's On" where I was continually surfing for something better to watch. Now with only 10 channels I always can find something to watch, but there is also so much available online for free also.

[mntleo2]

8. Question: In the homeade antenna ...

...what is that thing hanging off the middle there?

Just wonderin' ...


I have installed my boxes and it is working well considering I live in a valley with lots of trees far away from any of the TV towers. I will have to say that, with two different converters, plain old rabbit ears *did not* work. So after some instigations by a friend who I consulted with who knows about this stuff, I bought a Radio Shack "HDTV/FM" for $19.95 and it is working beautifully (on sale right now for $19.95). It is reasonably priced, does much the same as more expensive antennas, and works well indoors. It has a triangular bas and the "coils" or (whatever you call them) inside the triangle is longer than most, which I understand is what can increase reception and sharpness.

Here are the specs for this antenna, Radio Shack is the Brand:


Impedance: 75 ohms
Frequency Range:
VHF54-88MHz and 174-216 MHz
UHF 470-820 MHz
FM 88 108 MHz

Hope this helps.

Cat In Seattle

[elocs]

11. It's a balun that's used to move the signal from the antenna to your tv.

A coax cable attaches to it and runs to your tv.

[chill_wind]

12. Thanks for that link. K & R. n/t

[elocs]

13. Here are the antennas I used (that I had for analog, but work perfectly for digital):

This is the ChannelMaster 4220 which I had to get for my NBC station which is 60 miles to the northeast of me and that is twice the range of this antenna, but with a signal booster I get the channel perfectly (no, I don't live on a flat prairie because there are bluffs around me, so getting a station from 60 miles away is good and was only done with the aid of a signal booster):



Here is my other antenna, the Square Shooter and it is the square one in this picture which is similar to what I have because it is paired with my old VOOM satellite dish. With it I can get all of my other channel signals which are from 5-17 miles away.

[crispini]

14. Thanks for posting! Much good info here!

I have two TVs in my house. The one in my bedroom, which is right next to a window, has always had good reception, and when the digital switch came along, I just hooked up the digital converter to the rabbit ears on top of the set and viola! :) I had perfectly fine digital channels with very little digital clutter.

The one in the back of the house has always had poor analog reception and honestly, I haven't bothered hooking up a converter box to it yet. I think I'm going to have to do something different for it-- however, since my primary use there is to watch DVDs, I just haven't bothered yet.

[onenote]

16. good info n/t