The switch to digital TV

[truck]

For 30 something years where I'm located now, I've been watching TV using a roof top antenna and sometimes it had a little interference.
Now digital comes along and the picture is perfect, BUT at times the picture disappears due to a low signal!
Now I may be forced to hook up to cable or satellite for about $ 50.00 a month so that I can watch TV.
Is there a way I can still use a roof top antenna to view TV without interruption of signal?
All the stations I watch have their transmission antennas located at the same location in Roxboro PA which is about 51 air miles away.
What can I do to the antenna to watch TV without losing the signal?

[low_rider1979]

If you don't have a digital antenna get one, if you do have one, that's about as good as it's going to get.  You must have a digital TV I take it?

[JamLazyAss]

Truck,
We tried to tell ya that there wasn't going to be good reception in "the shed".   

[truck]

Yes I do have digital TV. I tried the converter box and it was a big disappointment, very slow channel changes.
I got a free Samsung 32" digital tv from a bank when I when I purchased a certificate of deposit and channel changes are faster now.
What is a digital antenna and where can I get one?
My wife's cousin has a TV shop and he doesn't know anything about a digital antenna.

[truck]

Truck,
We tried to tell ya that there wasn't going to be good reception in "the shed".   

I don't spend time in the shed.

[gOOseman]

Yes I do have digital TV. I tried the converter box and it was a big disappointment, very slow channel changes.
I got a free Samsung 32" digital tv from a bank when I when I purchased a certificate of deposit and channel changes are faster now.
What is a digital antenna and where can I get one?
My wife's cousin has a TV shop and he doesn't know anything about a digital antenna.

Truck........a local TV station news broadcast( Fox WGHP) had a snippet of a person that had fabricated his own digital TV antenna. Its been awhile back. I'll see if I can find the link. Maybe Google it.
gOOseman

[low_rider1979]

Truck
These are the ones I know of, the Omni directional isn't too popular here, but one guy has one on a 6o foot tower say's it's great.  At 60 feet a coat hanger would work I think.  Anyway, the other is what we are seeing here in KS.  I dunno how good they really are.
jim
http://www.dennysantennaservice.com/

[truck]

I don't see anything special about those antennas and in fact they state that there is no magic bullet antenna.
they say that if your current antenna receives analog TV it should be good for digital.
Digital is too fussy, with digital it is all or nothing unlike analog where there might be a little interference, when that happens with digital, you lose the picture and sound.

[Panzer]

Truck, move closer to Rox Borough, problem solved.  

Jam, Administrator's aren't sent to the shed.
I think they have a country club they're sent to.
To be sure ask HV, Grieg, or (I hate to say this) even Coyote.

[MrClean]

According to this article there seems to be a difference in antenna's.

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-MCH9Lahoo6Z/learn/learningcenter/home/antenna.html

[CraigArizona85248]

Truck, move closer to Rox Borough, problem solved.  

Jam, Administrator's aren't sent to the shed.
I think they have a country club they're sent to.
To be sure ask HV, Grieg, or (I hate to say this) even Coyote.

Yes... we go to a country club... where there is cable w/ all the HD channels... and a 52" flat panel LCD TV... and Blu-ray... and 7.1 Surround Sound... and then I woke up. 

-Craig

[JamLazyAss]

Truck, move closer to Rox Borough, problem solved.  

Jam, Administrator's aren't sent to the shed.
I think they have a country club they're sent to.
To be sure ask HV, Grieg, or (I hate to say this) even Coyote.

Yes... we go to a country club... where there is cable w/ all the HD channels... and a 52" flat panel LCD TV... and Blu-ray... and 7.1 Surround Sound... and then I woke up. 

-Craig

Craig,
When you "woke up", were you in the wood shed? 

PS:
I have a gear question in the Panhead section. Maybe you can take a look when you get out I mean a minute.

[Coyote]

Folks, there is no such thing as a digital or analog antenna. Just more marketing hype to take your money. AFAIK, the digital TV broadcasts have stayed in the same frequency range. If I had to guess, I'd say when you pay for a $25 DTV tuner, that's what you get. Don't get something for nothing. JMO

[Bigs]

I have a 29 year old 110" Channel Master antenna with a Channel Master amplifier and rotor and it can easily pick up 50 mile broadcasts in HD.
  Bigs

[Slammers]

Check out this link. You can make one yourself for about $5

http://uhfhdtvantenna.blogspot.com/

[Richard Till]

for vhf reception a channel master quantum antenna is the best. channel master used to make an antenna called a crossfire and is a good antenna but the quantum beat it. both of these are darn big antennas and very directional. i live 110 miles east of memphis and my father was a television repairman up until 1990. 110 miles away from the station is on the fringe area so without the best we could expect a snowy picture. for uhf an 8 bay antenna is hard to beat. get your antenna as high in the air as you can and install a vhf/uhf booster for even better reception. the only drawback to the booster is a nearby lighting strike will kill it.

[Ultrashovel]

I have Dish Network. I just added the standard local channels for another $5.00 a month. I didn't want to screw around with black boxes. I have four tvs in the house and four boxes would be around $300 versus $5.00 a month. It's all good.

Reception is always perfect on Dish. It only goes out when there is a really bad storm.

[wingie]

There is an outfit called  Antenna Direct. With your address they tell you what antenna will work the best.  The antenna I purchased because of their advice works great.
It also came with a warning. I'm not kidding. the warning said.

Do not attempt to install if drunk, pregnant, or both. Do not throw at spouse.

wingie

[sundog1258]

"What can I do to the antenna to watch TV without losing the signal? "
Your current outside antenna is probably going to be just fine for digital reception. However you do need to replace the antenna coax with digital coax, it is a little thicker and it is shielded to cut down on interference. The old coax lets the signal degrade.
You may need a signal booster, but not if you're as close to the towers as you say you are. Most of the outdoor HDTV antennas that look like the old antennas did ARE the old antennas with HDTV stamped on the boxes now.

Bet it works for you
Phil

[cheetah]

I have the same problem with DTV. As the stations move to ALL DTV, they will necessarally increase their output power. The local Public Broadcasting station in our area has already gone to only digital, and their reception is much better. However, with the stormy weather we are currently having in the south, Today, I get the "NO SIGNAL" message.  DTV is not what it is cracked up to be.
I have already contacted FCC and complained. Lot of good that has done.
Oh well........ we'l see.
C

[Hybredhog]

   I think the whole damn DTV thing was a scam by the TV manufacturers, cable & satilite companies to get people to switch over. I personal won't get cable because I DO love TV, and I can get cought up in mith busters & old movies to easily. Its my form of drug addiction, and I'd never get anything done.
    Whats happening here in Montana is that half of the stations have swtched & the other half not. So I have to commute back & forth from the living room to the bedroom to watch whatever, It not a very pretty picture eating spareribs on the bed, LOL!
    MY problem now is that I can't get Any signal at all in my steel sided garage. So I'm wundering if I can put up one of those "razzo" anttenas off the garage & back feed it to the house (I did buried a coax cable on constuction)....Jeff

[northbrun]

i don't claim to be any "expert" here, but i do have some basic understanding (least i think i do) of radio waves.
Receiving, and more importantly transmitting RF is all about wavelength. the wavelength is determined by the frequency. wavelength is measured in metiers. to get the best transmition/reception possable, the antenna should match the wavelength, or a fraction there of. IE: if the frequency has a 2 metier wavelength, than the best antenna would be 2 metiers long, 2nd best would be 1 metier long, 3rd best would be 1/2 metier long....

just a little trivia that may (or may not) help.

[harleyjt]

Might find some information here that would help.  You can put in your address or zip code, and it will give you the locations in degrees and miles of the transmitter antennae in your area.
jt

http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/Welcome.aspx

[truck]

  The transmission towers are actually 35.7 miles away and they are all located on the same plot of ground yet one station has a very strong signal and two have a weak signal.
I believe they will increase power when they switch to a digital but I'm not sure.
I looked up phone numbers and will call them to ask if they will increase power, and I'll go from there, I really don't want to pay for TV, but if I need a bigger antenna I'll do that.

[panhead_dan]

I was visiting a good friend last night and he has an interesting set up.
It's basicly the satelite set up like dish or direct tv only there is no monthly charge ever. That and ppv is free.
Very interesting. The way he explained it is you use your old satelite ant (or the one the neighbor doesn't want anymore), aim it to the south (ok ya gotta aim it exactly but that's another story), hook the wire to this box he got from some company on the www and hook it to your equipment. (tv, surround, whatever). There is also some kind of a programable remote control too. His cost $75. The box was $140. That's it. He's got like 500 channels!
Only 2 downsides-
1. About twice a month you need to download something from the internet and load it into the box. It's free too.
2. There still aint nothing on.