Help requested -- selecting an indoor antenna

My zip code is 75082

Hello there. I live in an apartment north of dallas and I am interested in purchasing an indoor antenna. An outdoor antenna is not an option.

I have been reading the posts on this site and I have also done research elsewhere. I have picked up some things but still am unclear on which antenna would be best for me.

First let me say that money is not too big of a deal for this project. I am willing to spend up to a 100 bucks(or more) to get something good.

I went to antenna web and ran a report. I did a screen shot and I was going to post it here but it did not really come out well.

According to antenna web, I get

16 yellow channels
6 light green channels
1 red channel
4 blue channels

** The red channel and 4 blue channels are stations which I would never watch. They are mostly spanish channels.

The broadcast stations in my area are a mix of UHF and VHF signals. I think that there are some HD and non-HD but I am not completely sure about that. The broadcast transmission towers are approximately 33 miles away from me. According to some of the info I found about those stations they are allowed by the FCC to broadcast at a stronger than normal signal in order to reach the entire Dallas-Fort Worth metro area(it is very spread out).

There are a few big buildings in my area but not too many(I do not live in a downtown area or anything like that). I am in an apartment though so I suppose that will be a factor.

My television set is a 42" Panasonic 1080p plasma HDTV. It was manufactured in March 2008 and the model number is TH-42PZ85U.

A couple of other things.......

Naturally I would like to buy an antenna which can receive the maximum number of channels possible. So something with a long range would be great.

I am fairly technically savvy. I do not mind cracking open a device and doing some minor tweaks. But I do not want to have to do any heavy duty doctoring nor do I want to solder anything.

I would prefer to get something which looks okay sitting on my entertainment center. I checked out the Terk HDTVa but it looked funny to me. However, if I could sit it behind my television where it would be out of site I would do that if it would not diminish the reception too badly.

So...... could anyone point me in the right direction here or give some suggestions?

Thank you so much.

TC

Welcome to the forum! Here is your generic tvfool report based on zipcode: http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d8ecdcba0a21acb Your actual results may be better, the same, or worse. A tvfool report based on your actual address is preferable... Based on the generic report, most of the broadcast towers are located in the a very narrow band, about 34 miles away, and are south/southwest of you.

Tell us a bit more about your situation.

Your apartment is on which floor? Higher is better for tv reception.

Do you have a window or balcony that faces south/southwest? Your odds of receiving signal are much greater if have a window/patio facing the broadcast towers.

Have you tried any indoor antennas at your location? If so, which ones? Were they amplified? Signal strengths are fairly high at your location. An amplified antenna is probably not a good idea in your situation.

To True Colors,

Just based on the generic TVfool report posted, you sound like you would be a poster child for one of those homebuilt antennas with 4 or more bow ties. All kinds of options there for the person who is handy.

As it is, except from one IND network and one ABC, everything is on UHF. And from my limited experience, I am really soured on commercial indoor antennas at distance greater than 15 miles because they seem to lack the collection area needed for good digital reception.

But still, IDRick asked the right questions, which leaves the ball in your court. Having that clear view to the South will be critical.

Thanks for the reply :hithere:

To answer your questions.....

I live on the 4th floor(the top floor).

I do not have any windows facing south or southwest. I have a big glass sliding door on my patio. It faces east.

I have never purchased nor used any type of antenna before.

TC

Hi TC,

Fourth floor helps! :) Where is your apartment relative to the south end of the building? If you're in the middle of the building, then the signal must go through several walls and living areas before getting to your apartment. The walls reduce the signal plus lead to potential issues with multiple signal pathways to your antenna.

Rick

TC,

My son uses this one:
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103077 He lives on the fourth floor (SE corner of the building) and the local towers are due north of his apartment. Radio Shack has a very easy return policy so I suggest trying that one first.

A friend of mine has been comparing indoor antennas and has summarized much of his testing. Go to google and search for EV's Best top rated indoor UHF antenna. The above antenna is on his favorites list as well as several others. Indoor antennas are much less predictable than outdoor antennas. Unfortunately, it ends up being considerable trial and error with varying antennas and trying many locations within the apartment.... Ask around, some of your friends/family may have found a good indoor solution for your area.

I brought my compass to my window patio this morning. My television is situated right next to my patio sliding door. The patio is a pretty good sized area. It ranges from due north to due east. So I guess you could say it is Northeast.

My apartment is situated in a hallway. Across the hall is another set of apartments, and then beyond that is the open air.

I would like to get all of the stations listed in yellow. I would especially like to receive the HD stations. There are plenty of radio shacks near me so I guess I can run down and purchase something. If it doesn't work then my girlfriend can try it at her place. If that doesn't work then I will return it and get my money back.

Just to be clear....... you guys are confident that a non-amplied product is best for me, correct?

TC

Hi TC,

You have strong signals in your area. It is worth a try to see if you can acquire your desired stations with an indoor antenna.

An amplifier basically covers any signal distribution losses between the antenna and the television. In the vast majority of cases, the cable run is less than 25 ft and causes only a small drop in signal (<1.5 dB). Given the sheer number of strong signals in your location, IMO, it's wise to start with a non-amplified antenna such as the aforementioned RS.

Multipath is likely to rear its ugly head in your situation since you are receiving signal through the apartment to your west, the hallway, your walls, etc. Tv tuners vary in how they handle multipath (more recent ones do a better job of rejecting multiple signals for the same channel). A very directional antenna also helps to reduce multipath. Unfortunately, we don't have know how directional the various indoor antennas are... It ends up being a game of trial and error.... Test many locations and varying heights.

HTH (at least some!)

Rick

To TC,

I for one am not 100% sure an amplified indoor antenna would be per say bad, but sad to say, it may be an academic question because an amp simply can't amplify a signal that is not there.
And an amp is often useful to make up for signal losses in long coax runs you are unlikely to need.

As I look at your problem more closely, I still remain convinced a flat bow tie antenna hung off the South side of your patio outside may be your best hope. Although I do not have a link to it handy, there is a variety of flat coax that would allow you to close a patio door. And if your landlord would allow you to mount on the roof, it might be totally problem solved.

Since one roof mounted antenna could feed multiple apartments, maybe you could sell it to your landlords as an
extra rent option. Such a roof mounted antenna could be put up cheaply and coax is inexpensive as well. Just tossing that out as an idea.

NMT,

As I read TC's comments, the patio is on the NE side of the building and the towers are to the south/southwest. An outdoor 4-bay would need to be aimed through the building to point at the towers.

An outdoor antenna is a good idea in general for the apartment building. But I'm thinking it would be expensive to send a good signal to each of the apartments (requiring new cable, wall fishes, and a front end to send out the signal).

TC,

If you want to try the shotgun approach (buy several and take back the poorer performing), then consider purchasing a terk HDTVa. It is very directional (helps with multipath) and it's amplified. The silver sensor also has received good recommendations on this forum and may be a good choice.

========
Add in. Scratch the silver sensor, it's UHF only and you have both VHF and UHF signals.

I brought my compass to my window patio this morning. My television is situated right next to my patio sliding door. The patio is a pretty good sized area. It ranges from due north to due east. So I guess you could say it is Northeast.

My apartment is situated in a hallway. Across the hall is another set of apartments, and then beyond that is the open air.

If I could stick my :2cents here :)...

So if I understand, your building is situated east-west, with apartments on the south side and the north side - yours, yes?

And your apartment is the first on the east end of the building, yes?
Does your patio go to the end of the building?

What I'm getting at, is could you mount an antenna to the railing on the east side of the patio, and with a short reach be seeing around the side of the building facing the antenna south?

Here's that flat coax for running thru doors/windows:
http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.asp?p=WRFC200

Just a thought...