Q. I need to put some "rabbit ears" on my TV because my new apartment doesn't have an external antenna. Does it matter what I buy, or will anything pick up the digital signals when the switch happens in February. I'm waiting on my coupon to buy the DTV converter box, but I want to hook up an antenna now. What should I buy?
A. You'll need a UHF antenna (commonly marketed to consumers as an overpriced 'hdtv antenna'). Sales people at Best Buy and similar electronics stores have a high turnover rate. Ask them how long they've worked there before taking any advice they give seriously.
I've tried them and I know that the ones at Radio Shack weren't good enough to pick up signals from my local stations. If you're on the first floor apt surrounded by other buildings or hilly terrain, a packaged antenna like that won't work. If you're on the 3rd floor apt and you live in the midwest or somewhere flat...then you might get away with it. The closer to the TV station, the less of an antenna you'll need.
This is a rooftop antenna, but you can put it on your deck or hang it on the side of the house like the satellite dish guys do. http://www.antennasdirect.com/DB4_HDTV_antenna.html
You can get this type of antenna (DB4) from many different sources, and it works really well for most situations. I got mine for like half the price listed there. Check out antennaweb.org to figure out what type of antenna you need for your area.
What retailers carry the Insignia digital converter box in Los Angeles area?
Q. Best Buy recently stopped carrying them in my area. I had seen a list somewhere online that gave reviews, tech info, and retailer info for the converter boxes but I seemed to have lost the link.
A. The online resource you may have been thinking of sounds like the EZ Digital TV Website, to which I’ve provided a link below.
The Insignia NS-DXA1-APT Digital-to-Analog Converter is essentially identical—at least in terms of the internal electronics—to the Zenith DTT901 Digital TV Tuner Converter Box so you may want to consider purchasing the very popular Zenith DTT901 as an alternative. You will likely have a much easier time finding the Zenith unit as the Insignia converter box appears to have been discontinued. For more information please read through the following resources, particularly the converter box resources listed within my answer to the first Y!A question listed below.
EZ Digital TV
http://www.ezdigitaltv.com
Which is the best digital antenna?
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090209141100AAZSR5n
Help with finding a good hdtv antenna?
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090219121841AA75gR9
AVS Forum: Zenith DTT901
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1032622&pp=60
How close can DTV rooftop antennas be, when one is for receiving from one direction, & the other from another?
Q. We live in a fringe area (in between the two sources of signals),
and would like to have the option of listening to either / both, on the same set.
Is it possible to have them both on the same pole?
If so, what are the dos & don'ts of placement in relation one to the other?
Links to webpages that discuss this subject will be very much appreciated as well . . .
Thank You.
A. All RF receive antennas re-radiate a small percentage of the RF energy they receive. In order to avoid the potential for signal degradation when using two or more off-air TV antennas mounted near each other, including antennas mounted on the same antenna mast (for example as an alternative to using a rotator,) the general rule of thumb is to space the antennas not less than one (1) wavelength apart relative to the lower cut-off frequency of the frequency band for the lowest TV channel capable of being received. For example, with few exceptions, in the United States the lowest terrestrial TV channel used for digital broadcasting is typically channel 7, which uses the frequency band of 174 – 180 MHz within the High Band VHF portion if the radio spectrum. The lower cut-off frequency for TV channel 7 is 174 MHz, which results in a wavelength of approximately 67 inches.
######################## RESOURCES ########################
KYES-TV Anchorage
– Stacking TV Antennas
http://www.kyes.com/antenna/stackluge.html
– Attic, Stacking and Combining TV-FM Antennas
http://www.kyes.com/antenna/stacking.html
– About TV and FM Antennas
http://kyes.info/antenna/antennadex.html
Combining Two TV Antennas
http://www.tvantenna.com/support/tutorials/combining.html
HDTV Antennas and Reception Systems
http://www.tvtower.com/hdtv_antenna_and_reception.html
HDTV Primer
– Ganging Antennas
http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/ganging.html
– Merging Feedlines
http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/merging.html
– Antenna Basics
http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/basics.html
– Common TV Antenna Types
http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/types.html
– Choosing an Antenna
http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/choosing.html
– How Big Should the Antenna Be?
http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/sizing.html
– Comparing Some Commercially Available Antennas
http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/comparing.html
– Choosing a Mounting Site
http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/siting.html
– It doesn’t work! Now what?
http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/fixes.html
– Erecting a TV Antenna (Main Page and Index)
http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ISSUES/erecting_antenna.html
Digital Home Forum
– OTA FAQ & Knowledge Base
http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=41102&pp=30
– Table of Minimum Distances Between TV Antennas?
http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=107048&pp=30
– Signal Amplifiers (Amps, Preamps, Distro Amps)
http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=42426&pp=30
Can I Use Multiple TV Antennas?
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=46675
hdtv.forsandiego.com
– Comments re: Lindsay Splitter/Combiners
http://hdtv.forsandiego.com/cgi-bin/show.cgi?tpc=4364&post=15877#POST15877
– General over-the-air (OTA)
http://hdtv.forsandiego.com/messages/1/1.html
A/V Science (AVS) Forum
– HDTV Technical
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=25
– The Official AVS Antenna Topic!
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=381623&pp=60
– Antennas, rotators, boosters/preamps... for wide-band VHF/UHF
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=546066&pp=60
[PDF] Antenna Spacing (for tandem electromagnetically-coupled TV antennas)
http://www.tonercable.com/pdf/antenna.pdf
(Note: these guidelines apply to ganged electromagnetically-coupled antennas used to receive common TV channels rather than multiple TV receive antennas used to independently receive different TV channels.)
Federal Communications Commission - Find Values (Conversions)
TV Channel to Frequency Band
http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/bickel/findvalues.html#TVFREQUENCY
Wiki: Wavelength
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wavelength
________________________
A-Tech Fabrication - Antennas and Reception Solutions
http://www.atechfabrication.com/reception_solutions.htm
The Truckee FreeTV Consortium
http://www.hdtvtruckee.com
[PDF] Channel Master Off-Air Antenna Installation Guide
http://www.channelmasterintl.com/documentation/manuals/guide_AntennaInstallation.pdf
http://www.channelmasterintl.com/documentation/manuals.html
[PDF] Solving TV Reception Problems
http://rapidshare.com/files/201366511/TVRECEPE_-_Solving_TV_Reception_Problems.pdf
[PDF] Thin Air: ATSC Reception Isn't Always Easy
http://www.edn.com/contents/images/6656302.pdf
Brian Dipert’s “Thin-Air ATSC (And NTSC)” 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
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