Improving VHF & UHF TV channels
 

I live on a high plateau area and only have rabbit ears, though they are good ones. The kind that you can move the antenna and round antenna, just bought it about a year ago. I don't want to get a satellite dish, but would getting an antenna outside improve the range of TV channels I get, currently I get about 10 channels, thought not all the time? Thanks Chris

yep

Generally speaking, the higher the antenna the better. Also, remember that VHF/UHF antennas are directional - they'll work best pointed in the general direction of the broadcast antenna. Typically, most of the stations in a given area are clustered together, so once you get one, the rest should more-or-less follow.

If you're having problems, you can call the television stations and ask to speak to an Engineer - they'll give you advice, directional info based on your location, and sometimes make house-calls.

You can get a signal booster. We have one on ours and it does improve the quality of reception. Picked ours up at Kmart.

We use rabbit ears that have a built-in signal amplifier. These work much better than plain rabbit ears.

Here is a great web site that will tell you what antenna and or accesories will give you the best reception for your exact location. Just put in the necessary details and it will tell you every thing you need to know.

http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx

Please also take into consideration that rabbit ear attenna's will be a thing of the past in a little longer than one year; Feb 2009

All Analog signals will go away and everything goes digital.

For more answers about the digital conversion please visit http://www.dtvanswers.com

Likewise, for help in choosing an antenna that will carry over to the conversion you might want to visit http://www.antennaweb.org/

We get high definition (digital signal) with our rabbit ears and HD television set.

Several points:

1. Too much signal can be as bad as not enough. One of the first things I do when trouble shooting signal reception issues is remove the amplifiers. If you choose to buy an amplifying antenna, get one that has a gain adjustment knob.

2. Rabbit ears will work just fine after the analog shutdown if they're connected to a digital tuner. An antenna is an antenna and RF is still RF - no matter what the guy at Circuit City tells you. I've successfully received HDTV with a paper clip stuck into the RF jack.

3. The primary reception issue with digital television is that it is either perfect (reception-wise, content is another matter entirely) or it isn't watchable.

Disclaimer - I'm a broadcast engineer with 22 years of experience. I intimidate electronic devices for a living, so your mileage may vary slightly.

Sure but you have a Digital TV Set. That person will have to get a Digital box to convert the signal Back to Analog for her TV. YES ANY regular antenna as long as it will get UHF, will bring in HD, Digital. But to Get that Signal into the older sets a Set Top Box has to be bought.
You don't have to have any "special" antenna to receive Digital HD signals~!
But those converter boxes for older TV sets is a must. For 12 years and counting I watch Digital TV Signal on my "Standard" TV because I have Satellite TV~!
That Satellite Receiver Coverts the Signal Back into Analog, Just like these New Set Top Boxes will convert the Digital signal to analog, when analog is shut off in a little over a year.
And now I am on Digital Cable, so that 2009 deal will not effect me at all, as I get all 120 channels Now In Digital over the DSL Telephone line~!
And I have a "Standard" TV set.

It's unlikely that everything will go digital in 09. They may simulcast for a period of time until a majority of the analogue receivers expire.

An outside antenna is always preferable to "rabbit ears" for improved reception. Choose a location with a clear line of sight to the majority of the transmitting antennae location. An antenna rotor is very good for receiving stations from different directions as well as minimising ghost immages.
Coaxial cable feedline will help reduce interference (RFI) caused by appliances,fence chargers,etc. Don't forget a lightning arrestor secured to a good ground.

It would be interesting that this conversion to digital may be a prelude to signal encryption which would require EVERYONE to pay for the "privelige" of watching TV regardless of system used. Every station would have an additional revenue stream, like those WOR and WTBS now enjoy. The only difference in these stations is the location of their antennae

I think it's very likely that analog will shut down in 09. Broadcasters have been paying dual electric bills and holding their analog transmitters together with duct tape as market share continues to shrink. Analog will go away or broadcasters will start folding.

Broadcast radio and television will always be free (for viewers) - it's in the contract

An outdoor antenna will work much better than rabbit ears.

Analog shutoff date is good, and will probably happen.

An exception will be for those who watch analog on a translator. Still no FCC mandated end of analog broadcasts over low power or translator stations. I would expect that translators will use an ATSC converted NTSC signal to rebroadcast. Might be an improvement for some areas.

Shut Down for Analog.
 

An outdoor antenna is much better than rabbit ears. The higher you can place an antenna the better. In some areas a rotor is needed to aim the antenna toward the transmitting tower.

I, too, believe that analog will be shut off in 2009, EXCEPT for the ultra low power stations that have been exempted from the switchover.

We are receiving high definition, "rabbit ear" signals from the planet Antromedon Nine now. Granted, the programming is a little unorthodox, but ya get used to it :) Dang rabbit won't stay still though...

S-p-e-w! GAWD, that's funny. PM me and I'll let you know where to send my new keyboard!

Hey,
Do any of you guys know if there is a way to tell if your current TV set will receive Digital? 2 of our TVs are pretty recent, less than 5 yrs old. I looked in the manuals, but it doesn't say if they receive digital. I would hate to buy a converter if I don't need one, but I don't want to wait until the actual changeover, because we want to get those discount coupons from the govt. I am reading if you don't sign up to get them early, the funding will run out. And, they have an expiration date, they will have to be used soon after getting them.

No Clue,

Time will tell :rolleyes:

Chances are if the manuals don't say anything about HDTV or digital, they don't receive the ATSC signal.

Look for ATSC in the manual or on the tag on the back of the set.

ATSC=Advanced Television Systems Committee. It is our digital system that will replace the old NTSC.

Digital still needs a little more work. Many times when I turn on my TV there will not be a picture on digital, analog works fine but I get a message "low digital signal".

Sorry RandB, but if your TV is receiving analogue signals now, it won't receive digital, and you will have to get a set-top box to keep using it. There are two types: Standard, and HD, (which does both).
And by the time that it's all sorted out and just about running right, they'll introduce VHD-3D, and the process will begin again. LOL

I don't agree that any antenna will pick up a digital signal.

when I bought my digital tv last year, I tried one of the rabbit ear type antennas that was specifically intended for hd and/or digital. didn't work and I am only 35 miles to downton indpls.

honestly, the best solution may be to just buy a digital tv. the picture is fantastic, supposedly even better than cable because the signal isn't compressed. walmart has a 27 in on sale right now for $189.

and thats not true, shinsan, either. my new digital tv has both analog and digital tuners in it so it can receive either type of signal.

We just bought a new tv from Walmart (it might've been the 27" one on sale). Anyway when I went to menu to autoprogram the channels it searched for analog then for digital. It programmed in both.Then on the remote control there is an antenna button I can push to go from analog to digital.

Reply
 

Canfossi in this area if you can pick up 10 stations you're doing well. An antenna will probably bring them in clearer but I doubt you'll get anymore stations. We were running about a 40' antenna with a booster and we were lucky if we could get 5.
Ummm let me guess
CHEX
CKWS
CJOH
Global (CIII I think?)
WWNY
TVO
WHEC
WROC
WUHF
and french CBC?

DaleK, I am in Hastings county, about 50km north-east of Belleville, way out in the sticks. I can get all those channels plus CBC (non-french), some of the US ones are fuzzy at times depending on the weather and which way the antenna is pointing. PBS and the weather network would be nice though. Chris

Tv
 

digital is digital and I doubt you will be able to watch a digital channel with "rabbit ears" I was told we are going to be all digital circa 2020 so you won't be able to "get" anything with your rabbit ears. Soon your computer and your tv are gong to be only one. In my case when I got married 20 years ago I realized how much pornography we bring into our home with the cable tv. and I unppluged the tv. I still watch videos and DVDs. But I control what and when I watchsomething and in our days when you watch a show today I can get it in DVD in one to two months, and even our education improved during the years becasue the amount of documentaries we watch american and foreign. And The amount of money saved is amazing. If you want to be happier unplugge the TV.

Reply
 

Ya I'm in Hastings too, I'm about 30 km straight north of Belleville. We could usually pick up PBS in the summer only.

er, I watch pbs 90% of the time. digital has 3 pbs stations so always something on to watch. I've owned a tv for 25 years and have never, ever, watched porn. don't have cable, don't have porn on over the air channels. but even when I had cable or directv I never subscribed to a porn channel. they didn't come with the regular package.