Okay, OTA Bragging rights poll... with a purpose.

[StingyScotsman]

Let's use this forum the way it was intended...

IF you get all your local OTAs with a signal strengh that is acceptable...

AND if you are more than 25 miles from your OTA antenna...

THEN post your distance AND the antenna that you are using.

Let's cut through the crap and help some of these folks a long way from the OTA towers figure out what works and what does not. I want to know how far you can really be from the towers and still buy your way into decent reception.

 

[Silly Rabbit]

I have a big fat rat shack 10' antenna and winegard amp. I get my channels from Indianapolis. I'm about 65 miles North of the towers. Antenna is about 6 ft above the peek of my 1 story roof peak. I have a rotor, but generally everything is in one direction. Currently using a Toshiba DST-3000 for OTA and get 80-100% signal strength. I picked up the antenna because it was on on sale for next to nothing. Indiana is pretty flat and I am in a small town.

 

[PBHDinSD]

good point, I wish I could post

 

[snathanb]

Let's use this forum the way it was intended...

IF you get all your local OTAs with a signal strengh that is acceptable...

AND if you are more than 25 miles from your OTA antenna...

THEN post your distance AND the antenna that you are using.

Let's cut through the crap and help some of these folks a long way from the OTA towers figure out what works and what does not. I want to know how far you can really be from the towers and still buy your way into decent reception.

Do you only want Voomers... or can Dish 811 folks post, too?

If so, I'm in DFW, 45 miles from the towers in Cedar Hill, get 16 digital channels, with a total of 24 digital channels. Channel Master 3020 in the attic, no amplification. I do live on a tree-less ridge overlooking at lake (Lavon)

 

[brookswashere]

snathanb,

That is pretty impressive. I live much closer to Cedar Hill than you and I can pick up 4,5,8, and 11 most of the time with an RCA indoor amplified antenna.

 

[snathanb]

snathanb,

That is pretty impressive. I live much closer to Cedar Hill than you and I can pick up 4,5,8, and 11 most of the time with an RCA indoor amplified antenna.

The 3020 is a 12 ft antenna rated at 100 miles for VHF, 60 miles for UHF..... $69.96 at Fry's.

 

[DarrellP]

I live about 30 miles from the towers, get all 7 local digital OTA stations and use a Radio Shack 121" combo VHF/UHF/FM antenna, but I also get all of them just fine using the Voom Stealth antenna without the preamp.

I also have my main antenna split 7 ways for house distribution without amplification and even my Analog channels come in crystal clear (except WB, it's in a different direction).

 

[vurbano]

25 miles, all digital stations, RCA ANT40U, But ive heard the channelmaster 4228 is excellent

 

[dispatcher_21]

I have a Dish 811 and I get two out of the three digital channels in the Walla Walla,WA area. The third is not at full strength yet. The towers are about 40 miles away and I get a signal strength of about 68-71. I use a Zenith Silver Sensor sitting next to my recliner so that I can tweak it if I need to. What sucks is that the CBS station, the one still testing has no plans what so ever to offer HD. The NBC channel is multicasting 3 different programs so I dont know how they are planning to do HD. The local ABC is the only one that plans on HD this summer, hopefully before Monday Night Football

 

[mike123abc]

35 miles from tower broadcasting 2.4Kw is the weakest channel (others much closer and 10-40kw) using a large channel master bought from Lowes. With my 10' UHF long throw antenna from Radio Shack I can pick up quite a few of the Dallas digital (and snowy analog) at about 100 miles.

 

[bigstevep]

You are all lucky. I'm only 20 miles tops here in Reno and I only can get a couple stations here because Voom is taking their old sweet time (it's been 2 months) mapping them. Called and wrote everyone without any luck. I could just put a coat hanger on the roof and get the channels Voom has mapped. I had a Dish 6000 and got 12 channels with the same antenna.

 

[wasch_24]

30 miles away

Stealth = two digitals

Wineguard 8800 = 5 out of 6 digitals (#6 is about 75 degrees the other direction-no rotor)

Even though I am within the stated range of the Stealth I explained to Voom that the installer exhausted all options with the Stealth and was upgraded to the 8800. I couldn't be happier. Digital OTA is absolutely amazing.

 

[occammd]

30 miles away

all locals w/stealth

still have a channel master advantage 3018 w/rotator that worked great too for the MyHD HD HTPC receiver.

Antennas on chimney above 3rd floor (45 ft) w/direct line of site to the transmitters over a 150 acre lake.

 

[ricks]

I'm in West Palm Beach. Square Shooter picks up half of the Miami stations 50 miles away with some serious line-of-sight problems included. Two other stations are 25 miles away in the other direction and I pick them up just fine with a Silver Sensor in my living room.

 

[NOHDjunkie]

Radio Shack VU190 Antenna (the largest they sell) Mounted @ 25ft (10 ft above single story roof peak)

An RCA 24DB Signal booster from Walmart. ($39.95)

30 miles from Towers in New Orleans (according to Antennaweb.com)

I get all available Digital channels

4-1 CBS

6-1 NBC

8-1 FOX

26-1 ABC

20-1 IND

38-1 WB

49-1 PAX
49-2 (sub)
49-3 (sub)
49-4 (sub)

54-1 UPN

The RCA signal amp has dual outputs, one for Voom & Samsung STB (two way splitter) and one for analog to SD TV's (3 way splitter)

The analog signals are all crystal clear on the SD TV's, except for Ch 6 NBC (but still watchable)

1) make sure you place the ANT in a spot with the clearest LOS to towers.

2) adjust height to find best reception.

See here for some tips on antenna placement.

 

[StingyScotsman]

Thanks, Everyone!

Well, it's hard to top Silly Rabbit at 65 miles from the tower and 85-100% signal.

(Then again, my neighbors would storm my house with torches and pitchforks if I mounted a monster antenna like that 10 feet above the roofline.)

It does prove, though, that you can "make-it-happen" if you've got the cojones to install a really big antenna and amp it up. That isn't going to help those of us in suburbia, but it's a great benchmarck for what-is-possible.

...And that was the whole point of the thread. Thanks to all of you who contributed. I hope this helps somebody in the forum who is struggling with underpowered OTAs.

 

[barth2k]

Redondo Beach, south of L.A. 33 miles from towers. Bought the cheapest (and smallest) outdoor UHF/VHF antenna I found at Radio Shack and mounted on 6' mast atop my terrace. I get all the channels I care to get -- all the networks, plus 3 PBS stations including the HD one, plus a bunch of Spanish stations I don't care about.

 

[bobj2004]

But I do 65 Miles with a small in home Silver Sensor $35 at Sears.com with Coupon in my Atic and a Channel Master 7777 Pre-Amp


Go to the Tivo Community.com for more details on OTA HD. HD Tivos are know for not being the best in OTA, so you the Silver Sensor must be good.