I finally got E* to lease me an 811 but they are sending it UPS and not with an installer so I guess they are not going to install an OTA antenna. So I am thinking of trying rabbit ears first and see how that works. Has anyone else had good luck with rabbit ears on an 811 if so which one should I get? Should E* install an antenna for free?
Anyone using rabbit ears?
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Installation of an OTA antenna is your own responsibility. As to wheter rabbit ears will work, that depends on your locale -- distance and direction from transmitting antennas, interference by trees, buildings, hills, etc. Also, you need to know whether your local digital channels are UHF or VHF. Best bet is to visit www.antennaweb.org to get an idea of what kind of antenna you'll need. Another useful tool is www.2150.com/broadcast.
i use rabbit ears and they are the best antenna i have had so far. i think they cost my 7 bucks and they are so much better than the 100 i shelled out for a terk. they have the old "U" shaped connectors and i had to get an adapter from radion shack (about a dollar). they hd comes in great.
some people will tell you no way they will work, but give them a try. if they work great and if they don't, you would only be out less than 10 bucs.
some people will tell you no way they will work, but give them a try. if they work great and if they don't, you would only be out less than 10 bucs.
korsjs said:
Really depends on far away you live from the transmission towers and what their output is. I live about 40-45 miles from ours and I could get the local station and one far away with an amplified rabbit ear (Philips I think) set I bought at Wallyworld. I went to an outdoor antenna and an amplifier and get good reception.
You must live quite close or your stations are transmitting at a good level. The one's I do not receive right now are only transmitting at 1kw while the one's I receive are from 300 to 1000 kw.
I was told by a local station that by July '05, all stations must be transmitting DTV at full power or power equal to thier analog transmission.
That is good advice you gave. Try the ears first and if they don't work, return them and move on to an outdoor antenna.
Where do you guys get all of this info? I wish I knew where the towers are around me and how strong they are transmitting.
Anyways I got a pair of rabbit ears to test with before my 811 comes in and so far it is not good. I get one Spanish SD channel in clear and two or three others that are viewable (sound is clear but the pq has some interference). So I am sure that rabbit ears will not work for me.
Now I wanna make sure that a big antenna will work before I spend the big bucks. I plan on putting the rabbit ears on my roof (just for a few mins) and seeing if the PQ gets better on those channels and if I can get any other channels. I will then get the big antenna if that works.
Anyways I got a pair of rabbit ears to test with before my 811 comes in and so far it is not good. I get one Spanish SD channel in clear and two or three others that are viewable (sound is clear but the pq has some interference). So I am sure that rabbit ears will not work for me.
Now I wanna make sure that a big antenna will work before I spend the big bucks. I plan on putting the rabbit ears on my roof (just for a few mins) and seeing if the PQ gets better on those channels and if I can get any other channels. I will then get the big antenna if that works.
caesar gdi said:
Someone posted this site in another thread and it is very helpful. Analog is not indicative of what you will receive via digital. Where are you located?
http://www.2150.com/broadcast/
OK, You live down the street from me. You will need a real antenna on your roof. There is a guy in Hamilton Mill that put 2 in his attic and gets results but I know of no others than have.caesar gdi said:
The best antenna for the area is the Channel MAster 4228 with an amp. All the towers are are down I-85 with the exception of PAX which is in Rome and hard to get. Channel 11 is VHF but the 4228 does a good job.
http://tv.groups.yahoo.com/group/ahdtv/ Everything OTA and cable in Atlanta
Where the towers are ...
Try here for where they are... direction and distance...
http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx
caesar gdi said:
Try here for where they are... direction and distance...
http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx
Thanks alot guys, I had those websites but I used the wrong log lat for 2150 and I think antennaweb is wrong or too conservative.
The 4228 is a cheap antenna
I thought that I would have to spend over 100 for the antenna not including the extras like an amp. Thanks again.
Do most of you guys install your own antenna?
Kevinw said:
The 4228 is a cheap antenna
I thought that I would have to spend over 100 for the antenna not including the extras like an amp. Thanks again. Do most of you guys install your own antenna?
I installed mine also. Actually played around with different locations/antenna's. The key is height and clear line of sight.
Good luck. From what I saw for your location, a moderately priced antenna should work well. You can always buy an amplifier (I had to) so be sure to get one that handles ALL of the frequencies.
Good luck. From what I saw for your location, a moderately priced antenna should work well. You can always buy an amplifier (I had to) so be sure to get one that handles ALL of the frequencies.
The requirement for digital power by July is NOT equal power, but equal coverage by going to full allocated power. Our UHF power for our main NTSC transmitter is 4 megawatts. Our allocated DTV VHF power is 30kw, which will give greater coverage.
Try the silver sensor antenna you can place near your TV like the rabbit ears. I live in Charlotte, NC and with my $24 sensor I can pick up all 10 of my local HD channels. You can but it on Amazon.com or Best Buy but they are higher priced. The silver sensor is primarily for UHF reception.
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