What's the skinny on digtal TV antennas?

[RoadKingLarry]

Pretty much got the wife convinced to give up the satellite dish.
We've got Netflix and Amazon, I don't watch much anyway.
Still want to get the "local" broadcast stations, mostly for news and weather.
As the crow flies RF propagates, I'm in the ~45 mile range from the stations I want to see.
Would prefer an simple indoor antenna but an outdoor or attic mount is not out of the question.

[Firethorn]

https://www.antennasdirect.com/antenna-selector.html

There are many complexities. Tower height, transmission power, home construction, placement of tv receiver in home, facing, weather, and more.

http://www.antennaweb.org/Address

[Brad Johnson]

Don't think of it as a "digital" or "analog" signal. RF is RF. The carrier frequencies and transmission power remain virtually unchanged even though the signal is now digitally encoded rather than being open analog. Manufacturers began slapping "Digital Antenna" on the boxes because, marketing (and they could charge more because, well, just because).

All this to say reception requirements are similar enough to old fashioned non-digital signals that you can treat them identically, meaning same type and size antenna, same cable, etc.. At your stated range you will likely need something with a bit more gathering ability than simple rabbit ears. The outdoor TV antenna mounted in the attic will likely be your best bet. That being said, given the relatively flat terrain and decent line of sight it's possible an indoor unit might work. Try experimenting with a set of rabbit ears if you still have some laying around.

Channel Master is still around and still has a line of non-frufru outdoor antennas. Most of their stuff is available on Amazon.

Brad

[230RN]

^
Don't forget to mention the "digital cliff."

Since just about every bit/byte of information has to be correctly processed, at a certain distance or changing conditions, reception quality just "drops out" to the point of non-viewability.  Up to that "cliff," the quality is fantastic.

This, as opposed to the gradual diminishing of quality with distance of an analog signal,  You can still watch and enjoy an analog transmission down to the point where "snow" (background "white noise") totally obscures the picture.

I have that "digital cliff" problem when the trees behind my apartment get wet or it's windy.  Great viewability until then, then the picture breaks up and a lot of channels just go bad.

Most of the time, if I really want to watch a particular program a change of orientation of my little loop antenna fixes the problem for that channel at that time.

All in all, though, I am not married to entertainment stuff anyhow, so since Over The Air (OTA) reception is free, I accept the limitations.

Terry

[Brad Johnson]

Don't forget to mention the "digital cliff."

Since every bit of information has to be processed, at a certain point, reception quality just "drops out" to the point of non-viewability.  Up to then, the quality is antastic.

This, as opposed to the gradual diminishing of quality with distance of an analog signal,  You can still watch and enjoy an analog transmission down to the point where "snow" (background "white noise") totally obscures the picture.

This.

Also, don't be surprised if the signal drops out during heavy rains or dense blowing dust. The digital encoding makes for a great picture but it also means signal quality (i.e. data rate) has to remain above a certain threshold or you get nothing. Depending on the decode/buffer mechanics of your particular equipment, it'll probably start as pixellation, pauses, or dropped frames. When the signal drops below the viability threshold... *poof*, gone.

Brad

[RoadKingLarry]

Being on one of the highest points around should help some. Now I can't remember if my old TV is "digital ready" or not....crap...

[Brad Johnson]

No worries. Digital tuners are still available on Amazon for around thirty bucks.
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Or it might be time to rationalize the purchase of that nice new 75" flat screen TV.

Brad

[230RN]

ETA: Thanks, Brad.  I wrote and posted this before I saw your information on their availability:

Well, back when all this transition to digital was taking place, da gooberment, to ease the pain, offered $40 coupons toward the purchase of conversion boxes.

There are probably some of them still around if you ask your olde pharte neighbors.  I got coupons for 4 of them, and still use two of them on old-timey TV sets for the bedroom and the kitchen.  The thing that goes bad with them are the remote controls.

They might actually still be available somewhere, but I'm not disposed to go a-searching on-line for them.

[RoadKingLarry]

Manufactured in 2006, It IS digital capable.
I wouldn't mind having a little bigger screen than my trusty 32" CRT but I'd have to change out the TV furniture. Wife decided she needed a farking HUGE 7' cabinet thing with 2 7' side cabinets that go with it for our "entertainment center" when we acquired this TV. Decent enough cabinetry but farking huge and very limiting as to how big a unit will fit into the opening. I just don't watch enough boob tube to justify the expense. I'd rather pour that money into my hole in the water.

Off to wallyworld...

[charby]

45 miles, probably going to need an outdoor antenna. I get most of air tv from Rochester, MN via a 1970s outdoor 30' aerial antenna.

[Ben]

Tell that stingy company you work for that they should use their Trump tax cuts to give you full sat for twenty bucks a month. 

[Jim147]

If the vertigo hadn't added to my problems I would pull mine off and send it to you. It has power rotate and an amplifier built in but I could never get it high enough to get good quality KC stations.

jim