Apr
21
Off-Air HDTV Antennas
Filed Under HDTV
As I’m sure many of you know by now, off-air antennas are back and, in some circles, back in a big way. You can receive crystal clear HDTV images from local broadcasters off-air (ABC, NBC, CBS prominently) but there are a few tips I may be able to provide to help you get the most out of off-air HDTV.
Rabbit ear antennas have been eclipsed by newer designs but that doesn’t mean they’ve lost all usefulness. If you live relatively close to your cities broadcaster, rabbit ears may be all you need to receive off-air HDTV signals.
However, if you live far away from those transmitter towers like I do, you may need something a little more powerful. Most ATSC antennas are no more than a few feet long but if you have the room (in an attic perhaps) Radio Shack sells some large, sensitive off-air antennas that can pull signals from over 90 miles away.
If you’re not quite able to swing something that permanent or that large, there are several smaller omni-directional antennas that can even be used with an antenna amplifier for increased effectiveness. These amplified HDTV antennas are generally effective at 35-45 miles away from the transmitters but as with all antennas, environmental considerations play heavily on how well they’ll receive distant signals.
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