Well, Comcast has pissed me off for the last time, and I am ready to cut the cable. Most of my electronics knowledge is digital, and I don't know much about antennas, so I am looking for advice. My house is 38 miles from The Sears Tower, and at a relatively high elevation (key word: relatively; this is Illinois we're talking about!). I was hoping to put an antenna in my attic, but I'm not sure if this is feasible. Obviously the roof will block the signal somewhat, but how much would this actually amount to in dB? Would a higher gain antenna make up for the attenuation from the roof? I have quite a lot of room up there, so I could get a huge one if necessary. Any brand recommendations? Thanks in advance.

 

Here's some info on mounting an antenna in the actic.
It says you lose about 10-15 miles of reception distance due to losses through the roof (what type of roof is it?).
This is perhaps about a 40-50% (-3dB) loss.
A higher gain antenna will help make up for that loss (as possibly also a low-noise antenna amplifier).

I would look for an antenna rated for at least 75 miles.

 

Run a test cable first with a cheap passive antenna from the desired location to the TV. If you can get a few stations with that then a 'real' antenna in the spot is a possibility. Metal flashing will block the signal but normal roof building materials like wood and regular shingles won't cause excessive signal loss.


I currently use the Channel Master CM-5020 outdoors but something similar should work inside an attic.

https://forum.allaboutcircuits.com/...oshack-vu-190-tv-antenna.161631/#post-1414588

 

I use an amplified "blade" antenna (about 1' square plastic) indoors connected directly to the TV. It works very well in normal weather but can get finicky at times. The amplifier is crucial where I am.

These sites may be helpful. There are more. They map out what you should be able to receive with various antenna types.

https://antennaweb.org/results
https://www.fcc.gov/media/engineering/dtvmaps
http://www.receptionmaps.com
https://nocable.org
https://antopusa.com/signalmaps/

 

Here's some info on mounting an antenna in the actic.
It says you lose about 10-15 miles of reception distance due to losses through the roof (what type of roof is it?).
This is perhaps about a 40-50% (-3dB) loss.
A higher gain antenna will help make up for that loss (as possibly also a low-noise antenna amplifier).

I would look for an antenna rated for at least 75 miles.

Excellent, thank you for this information! I have a wooden roof with asphalt shingles, which seems to be not too bad.

 

Run a test cable first with a cheap passive antenna from the desired location to the TV. If you can get a few stations with that then a 'real' antenna in the spot is a possibility. Metal flashing will block the signal but normal roof building materials like wood and regular shingles won't cause excessive signal loss.

This is a great idea. I'll do the cable runs and splitter first, so I can see what I'm starting with.

 

This is a great idea. I'll do the cable runs and splitter first, so I can see what I'm starting with.

You might find the best physical mount location is not the best for reception due to reflection nulls so leave sufficient cable in the attic.

 

and often the easiest way to get relevant experimental results on TV reception is to ask the neighbours.

 

I played this game a few years ago as the cable company argued with a local FOX affiliate station. I started by just hanging a wire clipped to a needle shoved into the back of my set. Let the set auto search and found 25 channels here in the greater Cleveland, Ohio suburbs. Problem was the station I was after was actually VHF and all I was finding were UHF. You may want to search and see what is available in your area. You may want a VHF and UHF antenna. Keep this in mind:
" In the US and Canada, the VHF television band occupies frequencies between 54 and 216 MHz and the UHF band between 470 and 890 MHz. In general, VHF channels are numbered 2 to 13 and UHF channels 14 to 51".

The term DTV (Digital Tele Vision) is merely the signal, it's still on the RF carrier. A DTV antenna is merely a selling point.

I suggest you give this a read before buying anything. It covers what I mentioned and a bunch more.

Ron

 

Where I live there are no VHF channels.
I like this particular tool for finding what's available:
http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id=9038e2fc38a796
This one is similar and very good also
https://antopusa.com/signalmaps/

 

Where I live there are no VHF channels.
I like this particular tool for finding what's available:
http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id=9038e2fc38a796
This one is similar and very good also
https://antopusa.com/signalmaps/

Yes, and it figures the one channel I was after Fox 8 was:
WJW, virtual and VHF digital channel 8, is a Fox-affiliated television station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, United States. Its second digital subchannel serves as an owned-and-operated station of the classic TV network Antenna TV.

The only VHF channel of all of them.

Good link to see what is around.

Ron

 

The term DTV (Digital Tele Vision) is merely the signal, it's still on the RF carrier. A DTV antenna is merely a selling point.

And it's strictly advertising hype.
Both analog and digital TV signals modulate an RF carrier
The modulation spectrum is different (the analog modulation has distinct frequencies as shown by a spectrum analyzer, while the digital modulation looks more like white noise), but there is absolutely no difference in the antennas that receive either signal.

 

And it's strictly advertising hype.
Both analog and digital TV signals modulate an RF carrier
The modulation spectrum is different (the analog modulation has distinct frequencies as shown by a spectrum analyzer, while the digital modulation looks more like white noise), but there is absolutely no difference in the antennas that receive either signal.

That covers it so a DTV antenna is just an antenna.

Ron

 

That covers it so a DTV antenna is just an antenna.

Ron

 

The term DTV (Digital Tele Vision) is merely the signal, it's still on the RF carrier. A DTV antenna is merely a selling point.

I was looking at some of the outdoor ones on the Channel Master website. Interestingly, their "digital" antennae (LOL) cost $30 less than the regular ones, and they seem to have less VHF gain and a little more of the UHF. They also have a "Stealth50", which for $30 total might be worth a try. I think I have a fairly good receiving situation, with all on my stations in the same direction, and nothing at all behind me.

 

A caveat if you are thinking of putting a high gain antenna in the attic (or elsewhere for that matter). Gain is produced by making the antenna more directional - the higher the gain, the smaller the useful beamwidth. If all the stations you want to receive are in the same direction from your locaion that is not a problem. But if some are on a heading of 30°, other at 90° and still others at 330°, you would need to be able to rotate the antenna. Look at that TVFool site mentioned above and see where all your receivable station are located.

 

All my strong stations come from either John Hancock at 125 degrees, or Sears Tower at 127. Milwaukee is 110 degrees to the left, and 20 miles farther.

 

My Samsung "Smart TV" doesn;t know how to handle an antenna rotator.
Options:
Erase all and add
i think you can delete them.

Scan and add is MISSING.
Tune by physical channel # is missing too.

 

they seem to have less VHF gain and a little more of the UHF

That may be because more of the digital channels are on UHF than the analog channels were.

 

That may be because more of the digital channels are on UHF than the analog channels were.

Yes, you want to spend the money on UHF performance. I don't even have a VHF station to choose.