ctceo
Premium
join:2001-04-26
South Bend, IN
clubs:
| ATSC
I've a few friends who live just north of me in an apartment complex, and I am trying to set up his ATSC receiver with an indoor antenna until he can afford a Terk HD antenna with amp. Does anybody have any suggestions as to what the antenna should be? Here is a pic of what he currently has:
»www.walmart.com/catalog/product.···=2153141
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RadioDoc
Sortofadog
Premium,ExMod 2000-03
join:2000-05-11
Chicago, IL
 ·AT&T Midwest
| Aren't all the TV stations in and around South Bend UHF? You should only need a simple bow-tie panel-reflector type antenna to get perfect reception. Even a simple UHF loop antenna should work fine.
By the way, that Terk "HD" antenna is a ripoff. So are any labelled "digital" or "high definition". Don't waste your (or your friend's) money.
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Toolmaster of Brainerd. |
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ctceo
Premium
join:2001-04-26
South Bend, IN
clubs:
| reply to ctceo
Will do. Thanks for that heads up.
A friend of his gave him an in-line amplifier to use with his RCA antenna (non-amplified) Now he's able to get more signal strength but it is unstable (between 2 and 5 bars). This friend told him that he didn't need the amp because his antenna is on the roof, and clear line of sight with several stations.
Any suggestions there.
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RadioDoc
Sortofadog
Premium,ExMod 2000-03
join:2000-05-11
Chicago, IL
·AT&T Midwest
| UHF is subject to multipath and variations in signal is expected. A digital TV tuner, however, shouldn't care as long as it's got enough signal to meet it's BER specs.
The best reception on UHF is not always pointed directly at the TV transmission antenna. Your friend might want to try moving the antenna around some, since it's directional.
You confused me a bit with the 'antenna is on the roof' statement. The RCA antenna you linked is a set-top, indoor unit. Which is it? |
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ctceo
Premium
join:2001-04-26
South Bend, IN
clubs:
edit:
November 18th, @12:45AM
| My bad. The Terk that came with my friends, friends Terk TV55 came with the amp, and is on the top of his house, not My friends apartment. I did word that a bit messy. lol.
So I will try to move the antenna around a bit. The dipoles are probably not as important on his RCA Indoor as is the reflector and loop. Ideally I'd want to have the dipoles straight up and down, and the reflector straight up and down with the loop tipped so it would be in the path of the reflected signal's approximate direction.
Also, what good are those round switches, I've never really found them to be terribly useful for Analog reception... What exactly do they do to improve the signal. |
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RadioDoc
Sortofadog
Premium,ExMod 2000-03
join:2000-05-11
Chicago, IL
·AT&T Midwest
| The switches are mostly an attenuator to help avoid signal overload on strong stations. These days the front end sensitivity & selectivity of most TVs makes this not much of an issue.
The loop is the important part of that set top antenna. There is no reflector so it picks up equally well from the front or back.
Good luck! |
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ctceo
Premium
join:2001-04-26
South Bend, IN
clubs: | Ok, cool. The only reason I ask is because the box says it has a reflector, but it doesn't look like much more than a round piece of plastic with the RCA logo on the front. Thanks for all your assistance. |
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ctceo
Premium
join:2001-04-26
South Bend, IN
clubs:
| reply to RadioDoc
Found a couple good spots, whats weird is the weaker stations come in from further away compared to the stronger signals he must move the antenna to the opposite side of the room, about 15 feet away from the other 2 spots, lol. And if he puts the antenna out on the balcony with the front of the unit facing north he gets no Indiana ATSC signals but pulls in 3 Michigan stations 3.5 of 5 bars.
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hdtvtechno
join:2005-09-04
Chicago, IL
| reply to ctceo
Check out my »www.hdtvtechno.com/HDTVFAQ.htm
and look under HDTV antennas 
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ArthurS
Watch Those Blinking Lights
Premium
join:2000-10-28
Hamilton, ON
| Great website you have there. Got it bookmarked! |
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hdtvtechno
join:2005-09-04
Chicago, IL
| said by ArthurS  :Great website you have there. Got it bookmarked! Thanks and spread the word
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