Have a spare TV that I'm putting in my office, instead of adding a DTV box I'm planning on running a local antenna to pickup HDTV signals.

There's 20+ stations within reception distance, all with the green signal strength (most power)

https://www.fcc.gov/media/engineering/dtvmaps

It's fairly flat here no hills, no tall buildings in the way, been looking at reviews and it's anywhere from $100 to $15.

https://www.tomsguide.com/us/b...nas,review-2354.html

The Antop AT-415B mounting it outside and taping into the house Cable system since we no longer use it, we have WiFi DTV and send the signal to all TVs (5 units) if I wish.

https://www.amazon.com/Upgrade...tronics%2C160&sr=1-4

If I don't do that a window mount Mohu leaf 50 unit or similar...

https://www.amazon.com/Mohu-Pa...s=electronics&sr=1-4

Thoughts on which antenna are appreciated.

Forgot, while most of the stations are due south, there are more to the north, and west, so multi directional would be optimum.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: HRK,

I've put Winegard FlatWave Amped antennas on all of the (currently) three TVs we have in the home. They all do nearly as well as our rooftop antenna on all the stations that are w/in about 16 miles.

They're simply hung on the walls, up near the ceilings, with 3M Command™ Strips.

When I first tried this type of antenna I A:B'd the FlatWave Amped against a Mohu Leaf in the same positions at the same location in the house. The FlatWave Amped trounced the Leaf at all positions in all orientations. I returned the Leaf to the store.

N.B.: None of these antennas will work well, or at all, with VHF-Low stations, unless they're really, really close. VHF-Low stations are pretty rare, so that probably won't be an issue.

I've had numerous indoor antennas over the years. The most recent, which has been outstanding on our bedroom set, is the Antennas Direct ClearStream 2MAX TV UHF/VHF Antenna. Got it on sale last November for $55. Prices are up now sadly.

Still use a Winegard yagi outside for our home theater system.

I have a Mohu Leaf 30, which is AFAIK the same as the 50 only without the signal amplifier. It's mounted on the living room wall, not on a window (the tape didn't want to stick on the window when it got cold outside). There's an apartment building in between the antenna and the towers up on the hill, but overall it works fine. Once in a while I get some digital noise on screen, but not enough to be a problem.

I previously had satellite TV and switched to streaming. Like the OP, I was able to use the existing coax, which ran into the attic, and zip-tied a $20-30 antenna from Home Depot to a 2X4 in the attic. Works like a champ. I rarely use the OTA signal, but it's good to have as a backup.

My brother has this ,
https://www.amazon.com/Vansky-...id=1587420490&sr=8-6

as does his neighbor.

they recommend it

I don't have any where to mount it though

Might want to check this professional antenna installer's videos out before buying one of those flat thingies.

https://www.youtube.com/channe...jheRcVJ21B3Jo3HcWMTQ

quote:

Originally posted by bald1:
Might want to check this professional antenna installer's videos out before buying one of those flat thingies.

Hmmm... A "professional antenna installer" doesn't like antennas that Joe or Jane Homeowner can just tack up in the corner of a room? Imagine that.

As I wrote, above: We have three of one of those "flat" antennas we're actually using. The one in the computer room is shooting diagonally through the entire house to the bearing of the main group of stations in our area, some 10-16 miles away. Working great.

They won't work for everybody in every situation, that's certain. But for a lot of people in urban and suburban areas, with stations not terribly far away, they may work fine.

I trashed my attic mounted one years ago, before digital broadcast. Thinking about canceling cable now, any suggestions for a attic mounted unit? I have outlets in attic for signal booster as well, any suggestions for those if needed (20mi as crow flies from DC).

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:

quote:

Originally posted by bald1:
Might want to check this professional antenna installer's videos out before buying one of those flat thingies.

Hmmm... A "professional antenna installer" doesn't like antennas that Joe or Jane Homeowner can just tack up in the corner of a room? Imagine that.

You obviously jumped to conclusions without checking his channel out. Yes he installs antennas for a living but his videos are about helpful hints for average joe and evaluations of all types of outdoor and indoor antennas.

I got a 25 dollar one off of Amazon that has been flawless. My fiancé had. 10 dollar one and it is almost as good with very few blips. We live roughly 15 miles from Kansas City so probably an easy signal.

quote:

Originally posted by bald1:
You obviously jumped to conclusions without checking his channel out.

You pointed us to a URL that lists 3-1/2 hours of videos. Were we to watch them all to find out what you meant by "...before buying one of those flat thingies?"

So, yes: Mea culpa: I jumped to a conclusion. That conclusion, based on the nature of your comment, being he's sceptical of them. Was that incorrect? Or why not have just told us in the first place? And perhaps referenced the video or videos where he says that?

Here's the bottom line...

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:
I trashed my attic mounted one years ago, before digital broadcast.

Digital smigital. An antenna is an antenna is an antenna. The only difference between digital and good old analog is the data that's modulated onto the RF carriers is digital, now, whereas before it was analog. RF behaves the same as it always did. Thus, so do the antennas, feed line, and signal propagation.

The main differences are the transmit power of most TV stations has been drastically reduced and, because the information on their signals is digital, it's more or less go/no-go. What you used to see as things like snowiness and ghosting is now pixelation or a complete inability to decode the data.

A lot of the futuristic-looking "digital" antenna designs are hokum, btw. Here's a photo of our "digital" antenna:



Look familiar?

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:
Thinking about canceling cable now, any suggestions for a attic mounted unit?

Insufficient information.

If you go to TV Fool and enter your street address, as well as the other relevant information, such as proposed antenna height, you'll be presented with a table that's divided into green, yellow, red, and blue antenna zones, indicating increasingly difficult reception, therefor more powerful antennas, in that order. For the stations of interest you need an antenna that is at least in the zone indicated, or one better.

Also pay attention to the relative bearings. Relative bearing + distance + more "powerful" antenna (which means more directional) means decreased performance in off-beam bearings.

(Most of our stations of interest are in the green zone. The antenna in the photo above is a "yellow" zone antenna, IIRC. It gets us well into the red zone on a good day.)

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:
I have outlets in attic for signal booster as well, any suggestions for those if needed (20mi as crow flies from DC).

If your TV stations are grouped relatively close together and only twenty air miles away, and providing there are no serious interferences between them and you, this should be no problem. A preamp almost certainly will not be needed.

But TV reception is often as much luck as it is science. (And I say this as somebody who's put up a variety of antennas for a variety of purposes for over fifty years--including some of my own design/fabrication.)

See my comments in Home TV Antenna (Free Signal) Question/Help Please

See also my comments just above about the flat thingies we've been using. One of those might suffice for your needs.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ensigmatic,

Thanks, I'll check links in AM. Flat thingy not an option, unless I can mount that in attic. Not willing to have things stuck about in my house and already have Chase from TV to attic. Would be way easier for me to run line to attic than run a line to a window.

A lot of people have experienced good results from this antenna at moderate ranges: RCA ANT751E

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:

quote:

Originally posted by bald1:
You obviously jumped to conclusions without checking his channel out.

You pointed us to a URL that lists 3-1/2 hours of videos. Were we to watch them all to find out what you meant by "...before buying one of those flat thingies?"

So, yes: Mea culpa: I jumped to a conclusion.

The link goes to his channel which has a shit load of short videos which also include recommendations for indoor antennas if you'd bothered to look at the video titles.

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:
A lot of people have experienced good results from this antenna at moderate ranges: RCA ANT751E

Oh nose! That one has California Prop 65 Warning! Run! Didja read the specs?

Yeah I spelled it that way on porpoise. But it does indeed have a CA Prop 65 warning. As if I really cared, in Whackyland EVERYTHING has Prop 65 warning (cancer causing).

Have you considered making a TV Antenna?

I live about 40 miles from the closest TV broadcaster. I made an antenna similar to antenna in video below. I mounted the antenna in my attic. The antenna works well for me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlTUiUIWpaA&t=561s

There are a lot of videos out there on how to make an antenna.The Video linked below has some good tips. Plus he has a great southern accent!

Note when discussing TV antennas there are lot of variables. What I made works for me YMMV.

quote:

Originally posted by OKCGene:

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:
A lot of people have experienced good results from this antenna at moderate ranges: RCA ANT751E

Oh nose! That one has California Prop 65 Warning! Run! Didja read the specs?

That Prop 65 warning has become so ubiquitous nobody pays it any heed anymore. Good job, Cali legislature!

Anyway, the antenna. Spent a little time just now perusing performance reviews of the ANT751 at AVSForum, just to make certain my remembery wasn't fooling me. It wasn't. This tiny little yagi antenna has a good reputation.

Looks like HD has the same antenna, only listing it as an ANT752, for $50: RCA Mini Yagi Antenna. It appears to be a stocking item in many HD stores.

I have confirmed it is a UHF and VHF-High antenna. Many so-called "digital" and "HD" antennas are UHF-only. This is important because some UHF stations were moved down into VHF-High in the repack.

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:


Digital smigital. An antenna is an antenna is an antenna. The only difference between digital and good old analog is the data that's modulated onto the RF carriers is digital, now, whereas before it was analog. RF behaves the same as it always did. Thus, so do the antennas, feed line, and signal propagation.





If you go to TV Fool and enter your street address, as well as the other relevant information, such as proposed antenna height, you'll be presented with a table that's divided into green, yellow, red, and blue antenna zones, indicating increasingly difficult reception, therefor more powerful antennas, in that order. For the stations of interest you need an antenna that is at least in the zone indicated, or one better.

Also pay attention to the relative bearings. Relative bearing + distance + more "powerful" antenna (which means more directional) means decreased performance in off-beam bearings.

(Most of our stations of interest are in the green zone. The antenna in the photo above is a "yellow" zone antenna, IIRC. It gets us well into the red zone on a good day.)


If your TV stations are grouped relatively close together and only twenty air miles away, and providing there are no serious interferences between them and you, this should be no problem. A preamp almost certainly will not be needed.

But TV reception is often as much luck as it is science. (And I say this as somebody who's put up a variety of antennas for a variety of purposes for over fifty years--including some of my own design/fabrication.)

See my comments in Home TV Antenna (Free Signal) Question/Help Please

See also my comments just above about the flat thingies we've been using. One of those might suffice for your needs.

So I checked out TV Fool sight, all but one are green, all at 18.3 miles, all are within 1 degree. The one that is not green is with in a 1.5db of the weakest green channel so it's barely outside of the green. Looks like a set top rabbit ear would work, but I don't want anything visible as all my TV, speaker, internet, etc is all ran to a closet with my receiver. Additionally my house is constructed of metal (interior and exterior walls) so besides aesthetics I want my antenna in the attic to avoid interference from the metal structure.



If I understand correctly I will get FOX, ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS all perfectly fine as well a number of other channels. There are also other channels that are not on the same angle as the DC stations, would I get something from those as well or would that require rotating the antenna? The old set up had a dial and motor to rotate the antenna, I have no desire to get any other channels besides the ones listed above, just curious.

As far as digital vs analog, I know antenna is the same, I would only cut the cord if I can get HD picture for sports. In some cases I have seen a better picture from a broadcast than cable.

That RCA Mini looks interesting, and the price is right, getting it dialed in and mounted correctly from inside the attic over the garage will be the hard part, and I'm thinking a multi directional unit might be better if I'm going whole house as I could put it inside, which I'd prefer over mounting to the side of the house.

Most of the stations are south/south east however there are stations to the west and north of us.