Answer Outdoor antennas always offer the potential for better reception than indoor or attic-mounted antennas. Three manufacturers of quality, high performance High Band (channels 7 through 13, 174 - 216 MHz) and Low Band (channels 2 through 4, 54 - 72 MHz and channels 5 through 6, 76 - 88 MHz) VHF antennas that foremost come to mind are Wade/Delhi, Winegard and Antennacraft. (For a more complete list of TV antenna manufacturers please use my DTV Antenna Resources Google Docs resource listed below.)
When shopping for a quality antenna for DTV reception you should try to choose an antenna that has a reasonably low VSWR spec, preferably no higher than 1.6:1 or so. Typically manufacturers of lower quality, lower performance antennas will often omit published VSWR specs for such antennas. Itâs also important to be aware that directional, narrow beamwidth antennas (or omnidirectional, CEA-909-compliant âSmart Antennasâ for shorter TX-to-RX distances,) can provide the best reception performance in an environment where strong multipath and adjacent-channel interference may be present. Just remember that the more directional the antenna the more important it becomes to accurately aim the antenna, often toward each TV stationâs transmitter if you have a good RF line-of-sight, whenever you want to view programming from that particular TV station. For outdoor antennas this often necessitatesâor is best performed byâthe use of an appropriate, high quality rotator if you have TV transmitters spread across your horizon.
One alternative to purchasing a turnkey off-air TV antenna is constructing the very popular, do-it-yourself high performance Gray-Hoverman antenna. (Please see the Digital Home Forum resources listed below if you would like more information.)
I highly encourage you to take the time to carefully and thoroughly read through the âOTA FAQ & Knowledge Baseâ of the Canadian Over-the-Air (OTA) Television Forums on the Digital Home Website; you will not find a better compendium of over-the-air TV reception and television antenna information anywhere. (Note: the information and resources apply in large part to everyone who relies upon an off-air antenna for television reception, but it will be the most helpful to those who reside within North America.)
Another excellent source of information on the subject of TV antennas is Ken Nistâs HDTV Primer Website. I highly recommend you read through the HDTV Primer resources to which Iâve provided links below.
I also recommend reading through the articles on DTV reception, esp. those under the section titled THE DIGITAL TV TRANSITION, as well as the antenna reviews on Peter Putmanâs HDTVexpert Website.
Ideally, if youâre able to use an outdoor antenna you should mount the antenna at least 20 feet (~ 6 meters) to 30 feet (~ 9 meters) above the ground or no less than 10 feet (~ 3 meters) above any nearby surrounding horizontal surfaces and/or structures.
If the terrestrial TV signals you receive at your site are too weak for your antenna, for example signals from distant TV transmitters, and you need or would like to amplify your RF signals, (providing that youâre not exposed to significant levels of RF interference and noise at your site,) I recommend using one of the following high performance mast-mounted units: either the CM-7777 Titan 2 preamplifier from Channel Master or one of the ultra low-noise HDTV preamplifiers from Research Communications in England. (Note: for U.S. residents the latter, even though superior to almost all other RF preamplifiers including Channel Masterâs CM-7777, will cost approximately US$150 shipped - or roughly three times the cost of the Channel Master unit.) Also, be very careful when choosing RF amplifiers for terrestrial TV applications; VHF antennas are much more susceptible to RF noise, which in turn can be easily exacerbated by amplification. In general itâs best to choose an appropriate (VHF) TV antenna with a sufficiently high passive gain rather than relying upon a lower-gain antenna and amplifier combo.
One last item: when it comes to the highest performance, high quality coaxial cable for your antenna downlead I highly recommend spending a little extra in order to use Beldenâs nonpareil RG-6/U or RG-11/U Tri-Shield coaxial cable. Please use my Google Docs resource titled âDTV Antenna Resourcesâ if you would like more information.
######################## RESOURCES ########################
Digital Home Forum
â OTA FAQ & Knowledge Base
http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=41102&pp=30
HDTV Primer (an excellent source of information on antennas)
â Antenna Basics
http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/basics.html
â Choosing an Antenna
http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/choosing.html
â Common TV Antenna Types
http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/types.html
â How Big Should the Antenna Be?
http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/sizing.html
â Comparing Some Commercially Available Antennas
http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/comparing.html
â Choosing a Mounting Site
http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/siting.html
â It doesnât work! Now what?
http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/fixes.html
â Erecting a TV Antenna (Main Page and Index)
http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ISSUES/erecting_antenna.html
A/V Science (AVS) Forum
â HDTV Technical
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=25
â The Official AVS Antenna Topic!
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=381623&pp=60
DTV Antenna Resources
http://docs.google.com/View?id=dhpmqnbb_15f5t9j3gb
(Periodically updated and revised as needed)
________________________
âHey Kids, Time For A Game Of
musical Chairs!â
http://www.hdtvexpert.com/pages_b/MusicalChairs.html
As Analog Shutdown Nears, Antenna Reality Emerges
http://www.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?action=cpt&urlID=29040747&url=http://broadcastengineering.com/RF/analog-shutdown-nears-antenna-reality-emerges-0609/index.html&showBibliography=Y
About TV and FM Antennas
http://kyes.info/antenna/antennadex.html
TVTechnology
â Low-Band VHF DTV Revisited
http://www.tvtechnology.com/article/11506
â Antennas for DTV Reception
http://www.tvtechnology.com/article/11584
â Solving VHF DTV Reception Problems
http://www.tvtechnology.com/article/79862
â DTV Transition Survival Guide
http://www.tvtechnology.com/article/72376
Help with finding a good HDTV antenna?
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090219121841AA75gR9
Is there any downside to mounting an antenna on a chimney�
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081126104936AAmFvOr
[PDF] Thin Air: ATSC Reception Isnât Always Easy
http://www.edn.com/contents/images/6656302.pdf
Brian Dipertâs âThin-Air ATSC (And NTSC)â Articles
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&num=100&aq=f&lr=lang_en&as_occt=title&q=site:edn.com+%22Thin-Air+ATSC+(And+NTSC)%22
________________________
[PDF] SBGH NAROD Antenna
http://www.wuala.com/300ohm/Documents/SBGH%20NAROD%20ANTENNA.PDF
MecEng Drawing Notes
http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showpost.php?p=926298
[ZIP] Double-Bay Gray-Hoverman High-VHF DBGH Antenna CAD Drawing
http://www.user.dccnet.com/jonleblanc/Canada_TV_Stations/Gray-Hoverman/DBGH_VHF_hi_Antenna_LT.zip
Gray-Hoverman Antennas
http://imageevent.com/holl_ands/grayhoverman
Digital Home Forum
â The Gray-Hoverman Antenna for UHF Television Reception
http://www.digitalhome.ca/ota/superantenna/
â Which Gray-Hoverman TV Antenna Should I Build?
http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=81982&pp=15
â (Gray-Hoverman) GH with NARODs for VHF-HI & UHF
http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=99907&pp=15
â Gray-Hoverman Fractal & VHF R&D
http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=95684&pp=15
(Applying Fractal mathematics to antennas is helpful to reduce the size of VHF / High-Band VHF antennas such as the Gray-Hoverman designs with a minimal hit to gain.)
â Co-linear High-VHF DBGH Plans
http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/album.php?albumid=133
http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showpost.php?p=891066
How to make a fractal antenna for HDTV / DTV plus more on the cheap
http://ruckman.net/blog/print.php?news.21
DTV / HDTV Fractal Antenna Showdown!
http://ruckman.net/blog/print.php?news.22
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