One of the most common questions that we get at Antennas Direct is “What is the best HDTV
antenna
for my location?”
The answer is not always that easy to answer since there are serveral variables to consider such as the broadcast
output power and distance of the TV station your trying to receive and the location and height that you will place your antenna
. Lucky there are some resources that will help you determine what should work for you. If all else fails you can always leave our sales department an email and we would gladly help you determine what antenna
would be best.
1. Go to the antenna
selector page of www.antennaweb.org and fill in your address and other relevant information.
Check the button that says "Show Digital
Stations Only" and this will bring up a list like the one to the right assuming you live in close enough proximity to any transmitters.
The CEA site provides this excellent information, but there is one issue that people have with it. For one city, it will often recommend a variety of antennas one should get to receive HDTV
signals. Obviously, most people do not want to outfit their home with numerous antennas, so some trade offs are typically made.
From this chart you can determine the type (UHF or VHF), power, and style antenna
that should work best.
2. Check to see if all of the digital
channels in your area broadcast
on the UHF band.
Look under the columns titled "Antenna
Type" and "Frequency
Assignment" or refer to our list of digital
stations broadcast
on the VHF band. If you need to receive low frequency
VHF stations (Channels 2-8) you may need a VHF antenna
.
3. Determine how far will your antenna
be from the transmitters?
Look at the "Miles From" column on the far right side of the chart and then choose from the following:
- Indoor: 0-15 Miles
- Short Range: 0-25 Miles
- Medium Range: 10-55 Miles
- Long Range: 50-70+ Miles
4. Determine whether you need a uni-directional or multi-directional antenna
?
In some cities like New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, all stations are broadcast
from one central area, the Empire State and GE Buildings in New York, the Sears Tower or Hancock Building in downtown Chicago, and Mt. Wilson in Los Angeles. In other cities like St. Louis, the transmitters are scattered around the city.
Check the "Compass Orientation" and if all of your desired stations are transmitting from the same area or within 20° of each other you can use a uni-directional antenna
. If the transmitters are positioned more than 20° apart, it is best to use a multi-directional antenna
. It is important to note that most multi-directional antennas will work in place of uni-directional antennas, but you may pick up some multi-path distortion.
By clicking on the "View Street Level Map", you can get a graphical representation of your compass orientation.
