Range: Most antennas have a "range" number listed in miles, and in a perfect, interference-free environment these figures might actually be accurate. However in many cases, the reception of some channels can be spotty or nonexistent due to a number of external factors: these include faraway broadcast towers or obstructions (like hills or buildings) that break up the signal. As part of our testing, we used this DTV Reception Maps site to determine where the nearest tower was, and found it's a useful resource for planning what kind of antenna you should buy. In addition, indoor antennas are affordable enough that you can find out how strong your signal is for yourself without a big outlay.
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Cost: The sweet spot for an indoor antenna is between $29 and $40, and if you’re paying any more than this, it’s likely for features you probably don’t need. If you're looking to spend even more than this then consider installing an external antenna instead.
Form factor: Forget the old rabbit ears of days gone past, most modern antennas are flat and optimized to receive transmissions in a single plane. Almost every indoor antenna available is designed to be stuck to a surface like a wall or a window, and there are even clear models if you’re concerned about the antenna blocking your view. If you don’t want a long cable messing with your living space you can opt for a desktop standing model, but the tradeoff is that the reception won’t be as good.
Cable length: If your TV is close to the outer walls of your home then you won’t need a long run, but be aware that some of these models have short, attached cables and you may require more length. Look for a model that allows a detachable cable for added flexibility.
Amplifier: In my testing I've found that, nine times out of 10, a gain amplifier doesn’t offer overall benefits, and instead tends to muddy reception while also adding extra expense. Though an amplifier can boost the signal of some stations, it can also overload ones that you already receive well. The net result is fewer channels overall. If you do opt for a model with an amp, try it with and without it connected to see which you like best. The best advice I can give is to buy the cheapest, non-amplified model you can first. If you get too few or even no channels, then adding an amplifier may not change that. An external antenna is the next best option.
We've tested dozens of antennas over the past 10 years with a view to finding the best performance and ease of installation for the least amount of money. Compared to a live TV streaming service, OTA TV does have some restrictions, namely, it is usually confined to a single television, and the broadcast signal from an OTA TV antenna won't work on phones or other devices. Thankfully, you can kick it up a notch with an OTA DVR with networking capabilities and dedicated apps. Our favorite right now is the Tablo 4th Gen.
When you're buying a TV antenna the two things you desire most are: the most number of channels available, and the best reception or picture quality. In our tests, we wanted to find the antennas which were able to pull in more channels than the others, and which also delivered stronger, clearer TV signals, even on "problem" channels. Using the TiVo Edge as our test machine, we hooked up each antenna in turn and tested how many total channels we could receive in both our LA and New York locations. The Edge lists the signal strength of each channel, and while a signal strength reading of 70% usually means it's watchable we watched all of the predetermined test channels (below) to determine the signal quality. In deciding a winner, we tried to find the antenna which had the best performance with both line of sight and without.
With that in mind, we tested seven different indoor antennas with prices ranging from $29 to $50 (all much less than the most basic cable TV service). Here are the seven TV antennas we looked at:
While most of the antennas were made by "name" manufacturers, the Gesobyte and the Btfdreem were chosen specifically because they were two of the highest-selling antennas on Amazon, though the latter is currently unavailable as of May .
Much like real estate, how well a TV antenna works is based on location, location and location. We tested the antennas in two main places: in uptown Manhattan, New York with a line of sight to the broadcast tower six miles away, and in Reseda California, at least 10 miles from the closest tower (though no line of sight). Depending on your own location, for instance, you might receive broadcasts from multiple antennas. In addition, hills or large buildings in the way will affect the frequency range and reception of TV channels.
We situated each antenna in the same spot each time and connected it to the TiVo Edge, which gives signal strength data as well as a total channel count. We used two different metrics to determine which TV antenna performed best. The first was a raw measure of the number of channels the antenna could detect, while the second involved several predetermined "problem channels." For these, we consulted a list of channels culled from various forums, for both testing areas, and gauged how well the antennas pulled in each channel.
Our list of "problem" channels in Manhattan was WABC 7.1 (ABC), WNET 13.1 (PBS), WPIX 11.1 (CW -- Manhattan only) and WNJB 58.1 (PBS -- New Jersey only). In addition, we added popular channels CBS 2.1, WNBC 4 (NBC), and WNYW 5 (Fox). Meanwhile, we compiled a list of channels in LA including KCBS 2.1 (CBS), KNBC 4.1 (NBC), KTLA 5.1 (CW), KABC 7.1 (ABC), KTTV 11.1 (FOX), KCOP 13.1 (MyNetwork) and KCET 28.1 (PBS).
While the outcome will vary depending on where you live and how far you are from TV towers, in our tests the best-performing models received the greatest number of popular channels as well as local channels, radio broadcasts and Spanish-language stations.
Most of the TV antennas were based on the same rectangular design, but there was one important consideration: the cable. Did the antenna have a long, high-performance coaxial cable or, even better, a detachable one? You'll be sticking one of these in your window, which could be a long way from your TV, so longer is better.
It's worth noting that some of these antennas -- the Btfdreem, Gesobyte and the Ultra Vizion Plus -- included gain-boosting amplifiers. Based on our experiences in several locations over the years, amplifiers can affect signal strength in wildly unpredictable ways. The Ultra Vizion wouldn't work at all with the amp attached, while the others did. The numbers printed above are the best results with or without amplification. If you can't get TV reception with an indoor antenna, a gain amp may not actually help you, and in other cases, it could make your reception worse by overloading channels that already have a strong signal.
What antennas do you all use and suggest? Any answers towards bad weather such as lightning or thunder.
I have winegard, it’s okay, I have to move it around once in a while in my room nearest the window, was thinking of calling a roofer to have it placed on the roof in a certain spot.
I don’t think most people realize how much they can save per month, per year if more people would just sit down and go over the tv bill, internet I started mentioning to get their own router.
Beyond a specific antenna - presuming it’s a decent and adequate one - is placement and alignment! An antenna in a room? is defiantly not ideal nor going to provide the best experience even you have a Super-Duper-Premium-Best-Ever Antenna.
Just for starts, here’s a search of Tablo articles about “antenna” Some selected results:
AC Product Page
https://support.tablotv.com/hc/en-us/articles/-What-kind-of-antenna-do-I-need-
https://www.tablotv.com/blog/tag/rotor/
…and a whole bunch more.
True, but there are trade-offs. Me, I’ve always had an antenna with a brief experience from satellite. Some, as you note, just don’t want to bother with what they don’t know.
I had a very large yagi style antenna mounted on a 35’ tower next to my house for 30 years and it worked very well. I had two problems with it. During severe weather the limbs of a nearby tree would sometimes hit the back side of the antenna. This would cause the antenna to rotate a little thus no longer being pointed directly at the antenna towers I was attempting to receive and eventually broke off multiple pieces of the antenna.
When I replaced the old antenna, I purchased an Antop AT-400BV antenna. It brought in just as many channels and is so much smaller and far enough from the tree that it hasn’t been damaged during severe weather.
I would highly recommend this antenna.
The most important factor in choosing an antenna is the size of the antenna. The further a person lives from the towers, the larger the elements need to be to receive the channels (larger elements have higher gain). If there are a lot of obstructions (buildings, hills, trees, etc), larger antennas will also benefit the installation.
About 90% of America lives within a 40 mile radius of the broadcasting towers. Typically a smaller antenna like the Antop Big Boy or Antennas Direct ClearStream series antennas work well in the attic or rooftop for these installations.
From the 40-70 mile range (70 miles is the average maximum distance you can reliably receive stations due to the curvature of the earth), the larger “yagi” style antennas work the best.
If you are lucky enough to live within 20 miles of the broadcast towers, and there are no obstructions between your home & the towers (line of sight - you should be able to see them), just about any antenna will work (VHF may require VHF elements, but usually any antenna will do).
That being said, if you live 70+ miles from the towers or have a lot of obstructions, especially hills/mountains, and you want reliable reception, satellite, cable or streaming via the internet are the best options.
Wineguard generally has the best yagi style antennas. Avoid anything that is made with mostly plastic, they don’t hold up to weather well. Too bad Radio Shack went under - they used to have great antennas - now all the sell online is junk…
Doing very well here with a Clearstream 2MAX antenna indoors, attic height in a two-story house. We get all the network affiliate TV stations, which was our objective…2 PBS stations, and CW and ION, as well as all the traditional ones: ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX. Plus a lot more, but I don’t really go for the local independents at this point. Tablo scan shows all these stations with the green five-dot signal strength. Great for DVR’ing on a schedule.
You can use the rabbitears.info web site, their “signal check” tool, to see what TV stations are available in your locale, as well as their signal strength, orientation, etc. Very useful information to find out what sort of antenna you need, and where to point it.
In my area we need an indoor antenna for the long term because of occasional very strong winds off the ocean. If you drive around a bit here, you see that the antennas that are mounted outdoors are generally bent up, in various stages of destroyed. The ones that aren’t destroyed yet haven’t been out long :-). Luckily our local stations are close and strong enough to be able to use an indoor antenna, if you choose well and pay attention to orientation.
I do have to move my antenna every couple of years or so, because of new buildings and tree growth I assume. So far I’ve been able to re-position the antenna successfully. And keep all those heart warming fully green dots.
There is no such thing as the best antenna. There is the best antenna for your situation. The Antop is just an okay antenna for certain situations. You have to do a www.rabbitears.info report to look at how far and what locations your towers are. I will tell you, you do not want an Antop if the towers are 50 or more miles away. You will get only a small number of channels. If you have towers 20-30 miles away in multiple locations around you, an Antop will work better. To maximize antenna reception, outdoors and high up make a huge difference.
My example, I live 10-20 miles from my broadcast towers in flat Florida. Years ago I started with a very good quality indoor antenna. I got about 50 stations. My towers are located 360 degrees around my house. I then installed an Antop on the roof and my channel count went up to about 80 channels. I wanted a couple channels I wasn’t getting that were probably to far for the Antop to pick up. I installed a Televes and it picked up the further towers and added another 20 channels. The takeaway is because I get over 100 channels on my scan, doesn’t mean it’s the best antenna. It’s the best antenna for my situation.
My point is do a rabbit ears report and that will dictate the best antenna for your situation. It can be a little overwhelming making a decision and it requires a fair bit of knowledge. I would recommend joining the OTA digital TV antennas, streaming devices and FTA satellites Facebook group. There are many installers and antenna professionals in the group who will look at your rabbit ears report and make the best recommendation for you.
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