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hdtv outdoor antenna

C

captex

i recently bought a new hdtv outoor tv antenna, to pick up farther away stations, since our cable compaay (time warner-austin) has trouble's with thier lines that they accidently drop channels from our lineup and the local hd channels. we are suppose to be getting. we may go with direct tv and put the antenna, just in case we loose more channels.

hopefully the hdtv outdoor antenna, i got will pick up these channels. lava hd 2605 outoor antenna. is the lava hd tv antenna good or not good.

thanks captex
 
That antenna looks pretty small. It might work in areas with local stations close-by, but it looks too small for fringe areas. The preamp might be a problem as well. Some can overload easily, causing even more problems. Intermod (brief non-technical definition: false signals that are created inside the amp due to overloading) can kill the station you want to watch, if the "false" signal falls on that channel and is strong enough.

Usually, a large non-amplified VHF/UHF antenna, fed by good cable-quality RG-6 coax, will be better than a small, amplified antenna. How large an antenna you need depends on your particular location. Just like the "good" old analog days. ;D

Link: HDTV Antenna Labs
 
captex said:
i recently bought a new hdtv outoor tv antenna, to pick up farther away stations, since our cable compaay (time warner-austin) has trouble's with thier lines that they accidently drop channels from our lineup and the local hd channels. we are suppose to be getting. we may go with direct tv and put the antenna, just in case we loose more channels.

hopefully the hdtv outdoor antenna, i got will pick up these channels. lava hd 2605 outoor antenna. is the lava hd tv antenna good or not good.
Click to expand...

This looks like a UHF antenna with maybe a bit of VHF capability as an afterthought.

It may be a bit marginal for VHF channels. In Austin, KTBC is the only VHF station to be worried about, and it's pretty powerful -- I think you'll be OK.

You mention "farther away stations", if you mean Waco and San Antonio then you do have a few more VHF stations to be worried about. Specifically, KLRN (9), KSAT (12), KWTX (10), KCEN (6), and KAKW (62).
 
w9wi said:
captex said:
i recently bought a new hdtv outoor tv antenna, to pick up farther away stations, since our cable compaay (time warner-austin) has trouble's with thier lines that they accidently drop channels from our lineup and the local hd channels. we are suppose to be getting. we may go with direct tv and put the antenna, just in case we loose more channels.

hopefully the hdtv outdoor antenna, i got will pick up these channels. lava hd 2605 outoor antenna. is the lava hd tv antenna good or not good.
Click to expand...

This looks like a UHF antenna with maybe a bit of VHF capability as an afterthought.

It may be a bit marginal for VHF channels. In Austin, KTBC is the only VHF station to be worried about, and it's pretty powerful -- I think you'll be OK.

You mention "farther away stations", if you mean Waco and San Antonio then you do have a few more VHF stations to be worried about. Specifically, KLRN (9), KSAT (12), KWTX (10), KCEN (6), and KAKW (62).
Click to expand...
Correction. KAKW is on 13. The distinction is important nwakdays. And there would be no channel 62 as that is no longer used for broadcast TV.
 
thanks for all, who has responded so far. great advice.

thanks captex

comments and suggestions are still welcome.
 
captex said:
thanks for all, who has responded so far. great advice.

thanks captex

comments and suggestions are still welcome.
Click to expand...

OK then....if you wanna see KCWX 2 (actually RF 5), you might be in for a disappointment, if VHF reception is minimal. There were even complaints about the coverage on the SA/Austin board (or Texas TV board).

Never mind that KCWX is caught on E-skip by DXers a thousand miles away! :) As far as "consistent" reception, that's what I was talking about!

Channels 2 to 6 on so-called "HDTV antennas" IMO might present a problem. Many TV stations that use these low channels would like to move, because of it. Some just can't.

cd
 
The best kind of antenna is the old tradional looking outdoor one. those little square box or funny looking round antennas are usually only good for 20-25 miles or so. Indoor antennas only work if you are very close to the towers. Get a regular outside antenna. its getting hard to find them. Some store have quit selling them and only sell the indoor types and the fake "hdtv" antennas, which don't work well. I noticed that Lowes still sells traditional outside antennas.
 
KeithE4 said:
That antenna looks pretty small. It might work in areas with local stations close-by, but it looks too small for fringe areas. The preamp might be a problem as well. Some can overload easily, causing even more problems.
Click to expand...

The preamp WILL be a problem. Preamps distort the modulation envelope and the HD receiver can't decode it. My advice to you is to bypass the preamp and use the straight antenna.
 
vchimpanzee said:
Correction. KAKW is on 13. The distinction is important nwakdays. And there would be no channel 62 as that is no longer used for broadcast TV.
Click to expand...

Since the OP is not an engineer, KAKW is on 62. (unless they're not complying with the ATSC standard which is of course possible!)

His TV thinks KAKW is on 13 but it doesn't want him to know that :)
 
w9wi said:
vchimpanzee said:
Correction. KAKW is on 13. The distinction is important nwakdays. And there would be no channel 62 as that is no longer used for broadcast TV.
Click to expand...

Since the OP is not an engineer, KAKW is on 62. (unless they're not complying with the ATSC standard which is of course possible!)

His TV thinks KAKW is on 13 but it doesn't want him to know that :)
Click to expand...
That word in my post should be "nowadays".

I don't get why you're saying KAKW is on 62. There is no channel 62 if we're talking about antennas. If the actual channel is 13, then the channel is subject to all the problems of today's HDTV antennas which have difficulty with VHF. The fact that you select channel 62 on your remote is irrelevant.
 
vchimpanzee said:
I don't get why you're saying KAKW is on 62. There is no channel 62 if we're talking about antennas. If the actual channel is 13, then the channel is subject to all the problems of today's HDTV antennas which have difficulty with VHF. The fact that you select channel 62 on your remote is irrelevant.
Click to expand...

KAKW-DT is RF 13, and PSIP 62.x. You need a VHF antenna to pick it up, even though you select 62.1 with your remote (although my Dynex set would also work by selecting 13 with no decimal point).
 
vchimpanzee said:
I don't get why you're saying KAKW is on 62. There is no channel 62 if we're talking about antennas. If the actual channel is 13, then the channel is subject to all the problems of today's HDTV antennas which have difficulty with VHF. The fact that you select channel 62 on your remote is irrelevant.
Click to expand...

Virtual channels aren't confusing until one starts insisting on specifying the RF channel...

You know about virtual channels, I know about them. I see no sign the original poster is a techie. If KAKW is one of the distant stations the OP is wanting to watch (and to be honest, it probably isn't..) he's going to know it as either "KAKW" or "channel 62". The purpose of typing "KAKW (62)" is strictly to identify one of the out-of-market stations that will require a VHF antenna; "KAKW (62)" clearly identifies this station. "KAKW (13)" would be meaningless to the OP if the station doesn't brand itself with its call letters.

I clearly identified KAKW as being one of a list of distant stations that requires a VHF antenna.
 
w9wi said:
vchimpanzee said:
I don't get why you're saying KAKW is on 62. There is no channel 62 if we're talking about antennas. If the actual channel is 13, then the channel is subject to all the problems of today's HDTV antennas which have difficulty with VHF. The fact that you select channel 62 on your remote is irrelevant.
Click to expand...

Virtual channels aren't confusing until one starts insisting on specifying the RF channel...

You know about virtual channels, I know about them. I see no sign the original poster is a techie. If KAKW is one of the distant stations the OP is wanting to watch (and to be honest, it probably isn't..) he's going to know it as either "KAKW" or "channel 62". The purpose of typing "KAKW (62)" is strictly to identify one of the out-of-market stations that will require a VHF antenna; "KAKW (62)" clearly identifies this station. "KAKW (13)" would be meaningless to the OP if the station doesn't brand itself with its call letters.

I clearly identified KAKW as being one of a list of distant stations that requires a VHF antenna.
Click to expand...
Which was confusing to me because you called it 62 without saying 13.
 
For an outdoor antenna, amazon.com, summitsorce, & solidsignal.com are 3 places you can get antennas. Summitsource & solidsignal.com specialize in antennas and can give recommendations for an antenna. They have plenty of traditional antennas. I have bought from solidsignal with excellent results. The op needs to know what kind of antenna to get for his/her peticular needs.

Now if the op has a Radio Shack near his/her home, & that Radio Shack has antennas in stock, that's a place to go to. The selection is limited to Antennacraft, except for a UHF only antenna & an FM only antenna.
 
I vouch for Solid Signal! They know their stuff, will answer your questions, and ship "toot-sweet".

cd
 
Sorry to bring this thread back around...Just my two cents...


If your walls are brick, concrete, stucco or aluminum siding, your best bet would be a two-bay bowtie and preamplifier. You'll "rotate" by moving from room to room and placing the antenna backed off from a window. If you're in a west-facing window, target a station from the northwest by holding the antenna southeast of the window - northeast of the window to target a station from the southwest (you'll get the idea for what to do behind the other three walls).

If your house is sided with wood or vinyl, you can probably do okay staying in one place.

Even better would be to take a battery power TV and a yagi to a lake shore on a hot day.

Some DTV converter boxes use a power supply that plugs directly into the wall socket and is connected to the converter box by a coaxial power plug. You can build a portable battery pack to power the converter anywhere.

I've heard of a few DXers using the old (no longer available) 7ft parabolic UHF antennas in their attics like these models https://bestoutdooritems.com/best-outdoor-hdtv-antenna/ (!) I've also seen a few, large, VHF antennas mounted inside of attics and garages.

I use an old office chair base (wheel assembly) with a 5 ft piece of PVC pipe attached to it. This makes a 'mobile' indoor mount for any antenna I decide to put on it. I can roll it around the house and aim the antenna (currently, a 91-XG UHF antenna) out any of the windows.
 
I've noticed this as well. I found a position where I can get 80% of the broadcast channels,
but in order to get the others I have to move the antenna over to a spot above the window
(where I lose most of the others). My house is brick.
 
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