Choosing the Best HDTV Antenna One of the most common questions that we get at Antennas Direct is “What is the best HDTV antenna for my location?” We find ourselves again and again recommending our DB line of Antennas and our Lacrosse Antenna because these antennas function very well in the majority of locations. Because these antennas are multi-directional, they are ideal for locations where the transmitting towers are not centrally located or when one is trying to capture signals from multiple cities. In addition though, multi-directional antennas tend to work well even if all of the antennas are consolidated in one area as we see in cities like New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Use our distance chart to determine the appropriatemodel for your location:
While the above listed antennas will work very well is most locations, we do offer several other antennas to meet your needs. We have analyzed the largest metropolitan areas in the U.S. and provided a summary of which Terrestrial Digital antennas work best in which cities.
1. Go to the antenna selector page of www.antennaweb.org and fill in your address and other relevant information. Check the button that says "Show Digital Stations Only" and this will bring up a list like the one to the right assuming you live in close enough proximity to any transmitters. The CEA site provides this excellent information, but there is one issue that people have with it. For one city, it will often recommend a variety of antennas one should get to receive HDTV signals. Obviously, most people do not want to outfit their home with numerous antennas, so some trade offs are typically made. From this chart you can determine the type (UHF or VHF), power, and style antenna that should work best.
2. Check to see if all of the digital channels in your area broadcast on the UHF band. Look under the columns titled "Antenna Type" and "Frequency Assignment" or refer to our list of digital stations broadcast on the VHF band. If you need to receive low frequency VHF stations (Channels 2-8) you may need a VHF antenna.
3. Determine how far will your antenna be from the transmitters? Look at the "Miles From" column on the far right side of the chart and then choose from the following:
4. Determine whether you need a uni-directional or multi-directional antenna? In some cities like New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, all stations are broadcast from one central area, the Empire State and GE Buildings in New York, the Sears Tower or Hancock Building in downtown Chicago, and Mt. Wilson in Los Angeles. In other cities like St. Louis, the transmitters are scattered around the city.
By clicking on the "View Street Level Map", you can get a graphical representation of your compass orientation. If you need further assistance with choosing the best HDTV antenna for your area, please contact one of our antenna specialists at 1-877-825-5572 between the hours of 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM EST or by using our Contact Form. |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
We've
got answers. Visit our Help & Info center
for information about choosing the best antenna, installation
info., warranty and troubleshooting. If we can be of
any service, contact
us and a real person will back back to you. |
Check
the "Compass Orientation" and if all
of your desired stations are transmitting from
the same area or within 20° of each other
you can use a uni-directional antenna. If the
transmitters are positioned more than 20° apart,
it is best to use a multi-directional antenna.
It is important to note that most multi-directional
antennas will work in place of uni-directional
antennas, but you may pick up some multi-path
distortion.
|
|||||
