There are nearly 1, full-power TV stations across the U. Mainly size. Antenna elements are based on the size of the waves they're designed to receive, and VHF frequencies are lower so the waves are longer, requiring a larger antenna surface to receive them.
Antennas described as "directional" are designed to receive signals from one direction. Directional HD antennas are able to pull in signals from greater distances, and because they "see" in only one direction they are resistant to noise and "multipath distortion" a problem created when an antenna receives reflections of the desired signal.
Because multidirectional antennas "see" in many directions they are more likely to pick up noise, interference, and multipath distortion. When TV signals bounce off objects on their way from the transmitter to your HDTV antenna they create reflections, which your HD antenna also picks up.
These reflections can cause "multipath distortion. If you used the TV Fool website to locate your desired stations, you should have an accurate picture of their direction in relation to your home.
As an alternative to a multi-directional antenna, you might consider combining a directional antenna with a rotor, which lets you remotely rotate the antenna to pick up stations in multiple directions. The popular Mohu Leaf 30 indoor antenna is small and paper-thin, so it mounts easily to a wall, a window, or almost anywhere.
Indoor antennas are generally small, lightweight, and simple to connect to your TV. While many people place this type of HD antenna on or near the TV for convenience, you'll generally get the best reception if you place it fairly high on a wall or close to a window. Outdoor antennas tend to be significantly larger and are intended for roof- or attic-mounting. In general, the larger an HDTV antenna's surface area is, the stronger the signal it will provide.
The relative strength of the signal an antenna can deliver to a tuner is referred to as "gain" and is measured in decibels dB. The higher the dB rating, the greater the gain. One way to help HDTV antennas overcome size or height disadvantages, or otherwise improve reception, is by amplifying the signal.
The amplifier can be built in, as it is in many indoor antennas, or it can be a separate device. The potential drawbacks of amplifiers are that they amplify noise along with the signal, and they can be overdriven by strong signals, which can make reception worse.
You could also try calling local TV stations with your antenna questions. It's definitely in their interest to help their viewers improve reception. The AVS Forum's local HDTV message boards are also an excellent source for info on digital TV reception; they're loaded with great suggestions and solutions to particular reception problems in locations ranging from big cities to small towns and rural communities.
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Thank you,! Your Advisor,. Order number. Billing zip code. Billing last name. Virtual agent:. For each round of tests, I did a channel scan with the connected TV to see how many channels I could pick up.
Note that many of these channels use multicast technology, broadcasting several channels in the space of one. For antennas that incorporated a signal-level meter, I first tested them in the same aesthetically convenient positions I used for the other antennas, after which I tried using their signal-level meters to see if that would help me find a better antenna position that would pull in more channels.
As mentioned above, we put more emphasis on VHF reception in our latest round of tests, as the longer wavelengths of those frequencies are difficult for small antennas to receive. For example, optimum reception of the lowest TV-signal frequency, channel 2, demands a 4. The lowest active TV channel in Los Angeles is channel 4 which TVs pick up as virtual channels 22 and 63 , so I used the Channel Master signal meter to measure the sensitivity of the antennas to this channel as a way to gauge low-VHF sensitivity.
All of our recommendations produce signals that, with a clear transmission in good conditions, are typically 25 to 30 dB or to 1, times stronger than the noise. Although the performance of the antennas we tested was sometimes inconsistent and thus difficult to gauge, all of our picks excelled in certain tests and at least placed in the middle of the pack in every other test.
Of all the antennas in our latest round of testing, the Antennas Direct ClearStream Flex was the most consistent performer. It always ranked at or near the top in the number of channels received, and in our technical tests it produced a strong signal with relatively low noise. The ClearStream Flex did the best overall in my in-home tests, pulling in the most channels 90 out of in the first room and the fourth-most channels in the second room.
In our tests in the Oceanside, California, area, it was one of several models that tied for second best, pulling in 21 channels. Without the amp, the numbers were a little lower: 81 and 87 in my home, and 19 in Oceanside. A supplied Sure Grip adhesive strip attaches the ClearStream Flex to the wall, and you can reposition the antenna by gently peeling it off the wall and resticking it elsewhere.
You can even wipe the strip off with a damp cloth if it gets dirty, thus restoring its stickiness. The cable attaches to the antenna with a threaded connector, so you can substitute a longer, shorter, or different-colored cable if you desire. The amplifier accompanying the antenna we received was a 3-inch-long rectangle, different from the amp shown on the Amazon page. The ClearStream Flex is one of the larger flat models we tested. The new model retains the signal-level meter that lets you fine-tune the positioning of the antenna for the best reception, and in our tests, a subtle change in the size of the new antenna dramatically improved its performance even before we used the meter.
In addition, it currently has limited distribution and represents a big step up in price over the original ANT3ME. The meter incorporates five LEDs: two red, one yellow, and two green. As you move the antenna to different places in a room, more LEDs illuminate as the signal strength increases.
You could use your TV to do a channel scan in each location, but with many TVs, each scan takes a long time—in the case of my Vizio PG1 TV, it took more than 13 minutes per scan, which might mean an hour or two of trial and error versus a minute or two with the ANT3ME1. In my living room, where TV signals are fairly weak, getting even one extra LED to light up on the meter made a huge difference.
When I mounted the ANT3ME1 in the same aesthetically convenient place I used for the other antennas, three LEDs illuminated on the meter and the antenna picked up 51 channels out of , 11 more than the older model achieved in the same position a few minutes earlier.
Moving the antenna to an adjacent wall caused an extra LED to illuminate and bumped the channel count up to , tying the Antennas Direct ClearStream Flex and improving on the 92 channels I got with the previous model. That means your TV will have an easier time tuning in channels 2 through 6, if those are used in your area.
Although the Amped Pro is a very respectable performer even before you use the app, we found that using the app let us get dramatically better results in problematic locations. Using the meter requires downloading the Winegard Connected app for iOS or Android and pairing your mobile device through Bluetooth.
It provides a count of strong, moderate, and weak stations that it updates every six seconds. In my living room, the Flatwave Amped Pro pulled in 57 stations from the aesthetically convenient position where I also tested all the other antennas; using the meter, I quickly found a position where I could get channels exactly what the app promised.
In my other room, where the five-step LED meter of the RCA ANT3ME1 proved to be no help, the detailed data in the Connected app allowed me to go from 82 channels in my original testing position to channels three more than the app promised. In our Oceanside, California, test spot, the channel count rose from 18 to 21 channels when I optimized the position.
So the meter and the app definitely produced an improvement in every situation. Again, I could have accomplished the same thing doing channel scans with the TVs, but that would have taken hours rather than three or four minutes. The Flatwave Amped Pro measures 13 by It comes with two small, easily removable adhesive patches for mounting; these worked for us, but you might need more.
Fun-Tak adhesive putty will work in a pinch. Unlike another brand antenna, the Five Star antenna has innovation on the construction and effective reception. Bigger elements also stabilize the sign. Durable reflectors design prevents from wind damage. The premium quality copper cable inside the engine provides protected and much more stable signal transmission.
Easy for you to put it to find the best reception on your residence. Weather Resistant— miles antenna is for outdoor use. The antenna is lightning secure, durable design with grounding completed -do not get struck out by bad weather.
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