• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

HD antennea for HD signals?

tyler811

tyler811

Diamond Member
I was reading an article at PCstats.com and they were saying that all you need is a pair of old rabbit ears to pick up the digital signal fron television stations for HD tvs.

I was under the impression that you needed a HD antennea for this.
 
Originally posted by: tyler811
I was reading an article at PCstats.com and they were saying that all you need is a pair of old rabbit ears to pick up the digital signal fron television stations for HD tvs.

I was under the impression that you needed a HD antennea for this.
Click to expand...

They are the same thing.

Antenna is an antenna...
 
depends on where you are.I am looking at the wineguard 7084p.I am 27miles from the furthest transmitter.The cons to this antennea for me is the size of the thing(11'x9' !)its like welcome to 1950 all over . Anyway if you are closer there are many smaller units that do the trick.Here is a site that will walk you thru your antennea needs by your zip code.Just look for it.I am red/blue/violet station wise so I will need a large one,but I think I will try the 1 meter unit this guy built/sells first.He has a very liberal return policy it seems,but I will call him first to see if its even worth fooling with.The smaller unit is $59 or $100 with a kit.The giant is $120+.Anyway I got my cox bill for the month,I get basic from them for local stuff,its $13.72 per.That big antennea getsnearly 20 channels by antennea.org.We have directtv also for movies.
 
Originally posted by: squirrel dog
depends on where you are.I am looking at the wineguard 7084p.I am 27miles from the furthest transmitter.The cons to this antennea for me is the size of the thing(11'x9' !)its like welcome to 1950 all over . Anyway if you are closer there are many smaller units that do the trick.Here is a site that will walk you thru your antennea needs by your zip code.Just look for it.I am red/blue/violet station wise so I will need a large one,but I think I will try the 1 meter unit this guy built/sells first.He has a very liberal return policy it seems,but I will call him first to see if its even worth fooling with.The smaller unit is $59 or $100 with a kit.The giant is $120+.Anyway I got my cox bill for the month,I get basic from them for local stuff,its $13.72 per.That big antennea getsnearly 20 channels by antennea.org.We have directtv also for movies.
Click to expand...

I have a huge 8x5 on a mast 30 feet in the air that was here when I bought the house six years ago.

 
Originally posted by: Shadowknight
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWQhlmJTMzw
Click to expand...

Interesting, but I'll stick with my outdoor antenna I paid $7 shipped for. Plus the guy lied when he said that 'all local stations must provide HDTV by....'

No requirement for HDTV, just digital....if you are going to say something at least get your facts straight.

On the other hand would plastic hangers work? 😉
 
Go to tvfool.com, enter your address and you can see what stations you are likely to be able to receive at your location. You can save your results at tvfool as a PNG file and post it here. Based on your results, we can give you an idea of what type of antenna would be best for you. Btw, I've found tvfool to be more accurate than antennaweb.
 
Originally posted by: squirrel dog
Mine.
Click to expand...


Do you currently have an indoor or outdoor antenna? I noticed that you put in an antenna height of 12ft, which leads me to believe that you are using an indoor antenna. I believe TVfool uses a default height of 25ft if the user does not enter one. With an elevation of 25ft, tvfool shows that you have pretty strong signals at your location. If you could get away with putting up a small to medium sized outdoor antenna, say something like a Channel Master 3016 or 3018 you should pull in most of your digital stations nicely.

If you don't already have an antenna, I would suggest getting a cheap rabbit ear set from somewhere like Walmart that will let you return it if your results are less than satisfactory. This is the least costly option, especially if it works. You can always get a refund and add an outdoor antenna at a later time.

Your CBS affilliate WAFB is currently broadcasting on UHF channel 46, but it looks like post-transition it is moving to VHF channel 9. Your ABC station (WBRZ) will be staying on VHF channel 13. After June, you will need an antenna that has some gain on Hi-VHF. The coat-hanger antennas that you can make yourself (as seen on Youtube) are made specifically for UHF, and are pretty lousy with VHF reception, unless you are within a few miles of the transmitters.
 
I have no antennea at present.I have a 5lnb dtv dish,and locals on cox cable.I am researching the antenneas to eliminate the cox bill.I feel sure a wineguard 7084p would work,but I will try something smaller first.I put in a height of 12' out of ingnorance,I don't know how high I would go.I don't think my wife would go for a large antennea outside,but a small one would fly.
 
Okay I have an outdoor antenna that sits about 30 feet in the air with a rotary motor. I finally plugged it in last night and picked up 26 stations with 17 being digital. If I turn it North then I get 6 completely different digital channels.


My lcd tv gives the Signal strength and program info which I never knew. I have my cable box plugged into to the tv by component and it does not do that. The antenna is hooked by the old cable wire. I still get High Def thru it though. 1920x1080I though not P. To get P don't you need an HDMI hookup?

Anyway if the Detroit Tigers were on regular tv, I would throw out my cable box and bill.
 
Originally posted by: tyler811
Okay I have an outdoor antenna that sits about 30 feet in the air with a rotary motor. I finally plugged it in last night and picked up 26 stations with 17 being digital. If I turn it North then I get 6 completely different digital channels.


My lcd tv gives the Signal strength and program info which I never knew. I have my cable box plugged into to the tv by component and it does not do that. The antenna is hooked by the old cable wire. I still get High Def thru it though. 1920x1080I though not P. To get P don't you need an HDMI hookup?

Anyway if the Detroit Tigers were on regular tv, I would throw out my cable box and bill.
Click to expand...

No broadcasts are done in 1080p

There are 720p or 1080i broadcasts
 
Originally posted by: BassBomb
Originally posted by: tyler811
Okay I have an outdoor antenna that sits about 30 feet in the air with a rotary motor. I finally plugged it in last night and picked up 26 stations with 17 being digital. If I turn it North then I get 6 completely different digital channels.


My lcd tv gives the Signal strength and program info which I never knew. I have my cable box plugged into to the tv by component and it does not do that. The antenna is hooked by the old cable wire. I still get High Def thru it though. 1920x1080I though not P. To get P don't you need an HDMI hookup?

Anyway if the Detroit Tigers were on regular tv, I would throw out my cable box and bill.
Click to expand...

No broadcasts are done in 1080p

There are 720p or 1080i broadcasts
Click to expand...

Thanks Bass

 
Originally posted by: squirrel dog
I have no antennea at present.I have a 5lnb dtv dish,and locals on cox cable.I am researching the antenneas to eliminate the cox bill.I feel sure a wineguard 7084p would work,but I will try something smaller first.I put in a height of 12' out of ingnorance,I don't know how high I would go.I don't think my wife would go for a large antennea outside,but a small one would fly.[q/]

Sure enough, the 7084 is one of the best of the UHF/VHF combo antennas, but it can be a bear to put up on a roof or pole mount. Just last week I replaced my 7080, which is a bit smaller, with a 7084. I was alone and hauling the 7084 up the ladder to place on top of my pole mount was a major PITA. The extra long elements at the back of combo antennas like the 7084 are for low-VHF (channels 2-6) and FM radio reception. The longest elements are usually 110" wide from tip to tip.

However, looking at your results, you will not have any low VHF digital channels to worry about. If you are not looking for FM radio reception, you might want to look at Winegard's newer antennas designed for channels 7-69. The HD7697P is the equivalent to the 7084, with the low-VHF elements removed so that at its widest its only about 52" or so. That can make installing it on a roof or pole/eave mount quite a bit simpler.
Click to expand...
 
Originally posted by: BassBomb
Originally posted by: tyler811
Okay I have an outdoor antenna that sits about 30 feet in the air with a rotary motor. I finally plugged it in last night and picked up 26 stations with 17 being digital. If I turn it North then I get 6 completely different digital channels.


My lcd tv gives the Signal strength and program info which I never knew. I have my cable box plugged into to the tv by component and it does not do that. The antenna is hooked by the old cable wire. I still get High Def thru it though. 1920x1080I though not P. To get P don't you need an HDMI hookup?

Anyway if the Detroit Tigers were on regular tv, I would throw out my cable box and bill.
Click to expand...

No broadcasts are done in 1080p

There are 720p or 1080i broadcasts
Click to expand...

...or 480i...several sub-channels in my area broadcast in that format.
 
Originally posted by: sivart
Originally posted by: BassBomb
Originally posted by: tyler811
Okay I have an outdoor antenna that sits about 30 feet in the air with a rotary motor. I finally plugged it in last night and picked up 26 stations with 17 being digital. If I turn it North then I get 6 completely different digital channels.


My lcd tv gives the Signal strength and program info which I never knew. I have my cable box plugged into to the tv by component and it does not do that. The antenna is hooked by the old cable wire. I still get High Def thru it though. 1920x1080I though not P. To get P don't you need an HDMI hookup?

Anyway if the Detroit Tigers were on regular tv, I would throw out my cable box and bill.
Click to expand...

No broadcasts are done in 1080p

There are 720p or 1080i broadcasts
Click to expand...

...or 480i...several sub-channels in my area broadcast in that format.
Click to expand...

Which isn't HD
 
I built an antenna using cat5 cable and a paperclip at work so we could watch the superbowl. Signal was excellent... but then again the towers are line of sight in the mountains about 30 miles away from us
 
Originally posted by: tyler811

I have a huge 8x5 on a mast 30 feet in the air that was here when I bought the house six years ago.
Click to expand...

Lucky sum beech :laugh: ..... with a rotor no less

Make sure you have a good ground wire from the antenna tied into the ground rod for your home.

and Go, Tigers!

 
Meh, I'm going to have to do some trouble-shooting on my antenna system. My signal levels have dropped considerably since a wet weather system came in two days ago. Bad weather usually has no affect at all. I may have gotten some water either in my coax or perhaps my preamp is giving out after 3 years or so of use. 🙁
 
Originally posted by: heyheybooboo
Originally posted by: tyler811

I have a huge 8x5 on a mast 30 feet in the air that was here when I bought the house six years ago.
Click to expand...

Lucky sum beech :laugh: ..... with a rotor no less

Make sure you have a good ground wire from the antenna tied into the ground rod for your home.

and Go, Tigers!
Click to expand...

Yes I can sit and spin all night 😀. As far as the cable goes, beats the shit out me. It was up when I bought house 6 years ago. 😕
 
Originally posted by: tyler811
I was reading an article at PCstats.com and they were saying that all you need is a pair of old rabbit ears to pick up the digital signal fron television stations for HD tvs.

I was under the impression that you needed a HD antennea for this.
Click to expand...

Hi have an HD TV (Samsung LN46A650) and don't have cable or satalite atm. I did buy a fancy HD type rabbit ear unit and hooked it up (about $40). I returned it and took the old old Rabbit Ears off an old Sony 13-inch (sold years ago but still had the rabbit ears).

Seriously, the old rabbit ears on a coax, to place it near the window, and I get a signal and picture nearly the same as the fancy $40 HD antennea. Thats all I'm using until I move and get re-established in a new place and city.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top