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What's the Best HDTV Antenna ? The one that works !


TV Antenna, HDTV Antenna or Digital TV Antenna. It doesn't matter what you call it, It's still a TV antenna and you better choose the right one.


   In the past couple of years a flood of new TV antennas have hit the market place, claiming to be HDTV antennas, digital TV antennas Etc... These small compact antennas look high tech in design and are very appealing to the consumer, but the fact is HDTV antennas don't even exist.

1. But do these new little so called HDTV antennas really work?

2. Which TV antenna is best for you?

3. What's really going on with this whole digital transition?

4. What do I have to do to be prepared?

5. Do I need a digital/HDTV to continue to receive my free over the air TV?


FACT: All analog TV signals, the ones we have been using for years to receive over the air TV, will be turned of on February 17th  2009.

    The final DTV channel table released by the FCC, shows after the February 2009 deadline there will be 1324 stations on UHF channels (channels 14 through 51), 450 stations on high VHF channels (channels 7 through 13) and 37 stations on low VHF channels (channels 2 through 6). Nearly 1/3 of the digital broadcast in the U.S. will be on the VHF frequency.


Getting the Best TV Antenna for HDTV/digital reception

This is the tricky part, where consumer's have and will make the most mistakes.

VHF channels 2 - 13     UHF channels 14 - 69
 

FACT: Not all digital/HDTV stations will be broadcast on the UHF frequency band, channels 14 through 69, many will broadcast on the VHF frequency band channels 2 through 13.

   Many TV markets across the United States currently have VHF digital/HDTV stations and even more stations will broadcast on the VHF band after the analog shutdown in February of 2009. The VHF broadcast band is channels 2 through 13 and the UHF band is channels 14 through 69. 

What is the best HDTV antenna ?  is the question most asked by our visitors 

   If your looking for the best performing digital/HDTV antenna system for weak signal areas then that's simple. The Winegard HD 7698P antenna, along with the Channel Master 7777 preamplifier and solid copper RG 6 quad shield coax cable. This equipment will provide the best possible digital/HDTV reception for weak signal areas.

   Most of the new compact antennas claiming to be digital/HDTV antennas are UHF antennas or at least they perform very poorly on VHF and should only be used in areas where the VHF digital/HD signals are very strong and where the UHF signals are reasonably strong. The best performing antenna I have found for its size is the miniMAX. Quote: "I found your miniMAX antenna to be the best HDTV antenna I have tried" This antenna covers the entire frequency spectrum very well. It is also one of the best built antennas I have ever seen. 

   VHF channel signals are lower frequencies and UHF channel frequencies are higher frequencies. The lower the channel number the lower the frequency. The wave length of the VHF band is much longer then the UHF band, the waves are much farther apart, less frequent. To maximize the reception of these longer wave length of the VHF channels will require a larger TV antenna, the longer wave lengths of the VHF band goes right by compact antennas, with very little signal captured.

   This is where many of the problems will begin. The consumer goes to their favorite Internet search engine and types in the words HDTV Antenna or Digital TV antenna. The search engine does its job and brings up the results of the web pages that use the terms HDTV antenna or digital TV antenna within the page and are relevant to the search you requested. I know and you know, that there is no difference between a TV antenna and an HDTV or digital TV antenna but the search engine doesn't. Ethical retailers who know the difference won't call their antennas HDTV or digital TV antennas, so the search engine ignores them because HDTV or digital TV antenna is not used on their pages frequently, and only brings up those retailers who do use these terms. 

FACT: Small compact antennas, no matter what kind, can't perform as well as larger antennas do, especially on the VHF channels "not even close" no matter what marketing hype is used to convince you, the physics of TV reception won't allow for it.

   Everyone wants the smallest, most inconspicuous TV antenna they can get, the antenna that's the easiest to install and all TV antenna manufactures and retailers know this, but some take advantage of this by misleading the consumer. Currently about 85% of all digital/HDTV signals are being broadcast on the UHF band across the United States. Remember, UHF antennas can be much smaller and still perform reasonable well on the UHF band because of the shorter wave length of UHF. With this in mind some manufactured simply designed small UHF antennas, gave them a futuristic looking design, called them HDTV antennas or digital TV antennas, added some well written marketing hype and put them on the market. Now we all know these manufactures won't have any trouble finding retailers to carry and market these so called digital/HD TV antennas as long as there's a buck to be made. 

   Don't get me wrong, there are some locations where a small compact TV antenna will provide good quality digital/HD reception. You better make sure you are in one of those areas, here's why. Unlike our departing analog TV reception, where the viewer could watch TV even when the TV antenna wasn't producing the best possible picture, HDTV/digital reception is different. In the past you could purchase a TV antenna for analog TV reception, install it and if some of the pictures were snowy because you bought the wrong antenna, you could say good enough, it's better then what we had. HDTV/digital reception requires that you get the TV signals strong enough so the digital tuner can lock onto it. In other words, there's no such thing is a snowy or poor picture when you are using a HD/digital tuner for your reception. You either get a picture perfect picture or you get nothing at all. There is a small area of signal strength where the picture will be there for a moment disappear and come back again, very annoying. The new term for this interruption in the picture and sound is called pixellation.

   Pixellation occurs when the TV signal is not strong enough or some kind of interference is present preventing the digital tuner from locking onto the signal. As you probably know, reception conditions vary from good to poor, in accordance with atmosphere conditions. A TV antenna that can work well in good conditions may cause the TV picture to pixellate or not come in at all during poor reception conditions. It's very important that you choose a

   Indoor antennas are much more susceptible to pixellation and complete loss of signal then outdoor antennas. Smaller, compact designed antennas are much more susceptible then larger antennas. When I recommend a TV antenna for one of our visitors, I make certain it is capable of providing quality reception even during poor reception conditions. If an error is to be made, I make sure it's because I  recommended an antenna that's a little to large/powerful versus one that's too small. No one has ever contacted me and said, "Denny I get great reception from the antenna you recommended but I'm really upset, I think it's a little to big and powerful", it doesn't happen.


How to Choose the Best TV Antenna for Digital/HDTV Reception

   Choosing the proper TV antenna can be time consuming, confusing and frustrating for some. If you would like me to provide you with a recommendation using TV reception data gathered from your particular location. Click-on the following link Get My TV Antenna Recommendation

Please provide the following information: 
1. The street address, including the zip code of where the TV antenna is to be installed.
2. The number of TV locations that will receive TV signals from the antenna.
3. Will you be using the antenna for analog reception until the analog signals are turned off or just   
--.digital/HD reception ?
4. Do you intend to use the TV antenna outside or in your attic Etc... 
5. Also include any additional information that you feel pertains to your particular reception
--.conditions. 

   The first thing you need to know is what channels are available in your area. You can find this out by visiting the Consumers Electronics Association site called antennaweb. This will require that you submit you street address and zip code. This site is consumer friendly and will provide a station listing for your area, the direction the TV transmitting towers are in from your location, the channel number of each channel available. At the top of this chart you can choose to display all channels, analog channels only, or digital channels only. The actual channel number of the stations digital broadcast can be found on the right hand side of the page under frequency assignment. The color that a particular channel appears in is also important. Stations appearing in Yellow have strong signals at your location, dark Green stations are slightly weaker, light Green weaker yet, followed by Red, Blue, and Violet being the weakest signals.

   Next go to the FCC site called Tentative Final Channel Destination. Find the State and City or cities that your local TV stations are located in. You will find three columns of channel listings. Listed in the first column is the channel number that the station is currently broadcasting their digital/HD signal on. Listed in the second column is the channel number the station is broadcasting their analog signal on. Listed in the third column is the the tentative channel number that the stations intends to broadcast their digital signal on after the analog turn-off in February of 2009. 

Remember, VHF channels are 2 through 13 and UHF channels are 14 through 69.

Do you need a VHF/UHF TV antenna or just a UHF TV antenna to receive digital/HD TV reception?

According to Antennaweb, how strong or weak are the signals of each station available in your area?

   Generally compact antennas mounted outdoors above your roof line provide good reception on stations listed in the Yellow, light Green and Dark Green and sometimes Red. Stations that appear in the Red usually require a larger but small directional TV antenna, Stations that appear in Blue and Violet almost always require large directional TV antenna to insure consistent quality reception.

   Remember, compact antennas perform poorly on the VHF band, especially channels 2 through 6. These lower band VHF channels must appear in the Yellow color on antennaweb or at minimum dark Green, and then dark Green is a risk.

 FACT: Just because someone claims a compact modern looking TV antenna is an HDTV antenna or a Digital TV antenna doesn't mean it works any better then any other TV antenna for digital/HD reception.  As a matter of fact, the best performing antennas available are still the large directional style TV antennas and probably always will be.


Do I Need an HDTV  to get Over the Air Digital Reception with a TV Antenna ?

Fact: You don't need a HDTV to get over the air digital reception after the analog shutdown in February 2009

   Contrary to what some would have you believe, you don't need an HDTV to get digital signals with a TV antenna. High Definition TV is a format, it provides somewhat of a more vivid picture then standard definition pictures and it's wider in size, but that's it. What really determines whether you can receive over the air digital signals with a TV antenna is the TV tuner itself. If you walk into an appliance store and tell the salesperson you want to buy a new TV, most sales people will lead you directly to the more expensive HDTV's. They may even tell you that HDTV's are the only way to get TV reception with an TV antenna after February 2009, they couldn't be more wrong. Although HDTV's are nice, the fact that they are HDTV's has nothing to do with receiving over the air digital TV signals. More then likely setting off to the side in the showroom are digital TV's - DTV's. These TV's are the same shape and size of current analog TV's but they have a built-in digital tuner, designed to receive over the air digital broadcast, the same broadcast the HDTV can receive, best of all the price for a DTV is about the same as an analog TV. The picture quality of these TV's will be better then analog reception but not as good as an HDTV set.

   The second way you can receive over the air digital TV with a TV antenna is with a digital set top tuner. These tuners receives over the air digital signals and converts them to an analog signal, one that your current analog TV can receive.

   If you want an HDTV that's great, but don't let anyone tell you that you have to have one to get over the air digital TV with a TV antenna, it's simply not true.


HDTV Antenna or Digital TV Antenna Summary

FACT: All analog TV signals, the ones we have been using for years to receive over the air TV, will be turned of on February 17th  2009.
FACT: Not all digital/HDTV stations will be broadcast on the UHF frequency band, channels 14 through 69, many will broadcast on the VHF frequency band channels 2 through 13.

FACT: Small compact antennas, no matter what kind, can't perform as well as larger antennas, especially on the VHF channels "not even close" no matter what marketing hype is used to convince you, the physics of TV reception won't allow for it.

FACT: Just because someone claims a compact modern looking TV antenna is an HDTV antenna or a Digital TV antenna doesn't mean it works any better then any other TV antenna for digital/HD reception.  As a matter of fact, the best performing antennas available are still the large directional style TV antennas and probably always will be.

FACT: You don't need an HDTV to receive free over the air TV after the analog shutdown in 2009. A TV with a built-in digital tuner or a digital set top tuner can be used to receive TV after the shutdown,

   Choose your antenna carefully, be sure to choose one that can provide quality digital/HD reception even during poor reception conditions. A TV antenna that's a little to large/powerful is always better then one that is too small/weak.

   If your current TV antenna gets good analog TV reception then it's very likely that the same antenna will provide good digital/HD reception.

   Purchase a TV by February 17th 2009 with a built-in digital tuner. It doesn't matter if it's an HDTV or a standard digital TV as long as it has a digital tuner, or purchase a set top digital tuner for your current analog TV.

   Don't wait until the last minute, the analog shutdown is coming and if you depend on a TV antenna for reception, you could be watching a blank screen on February 17th 2009.

   If you have any questions pertaining to over the air TV reception using a TV antenna please don't hesitate to contact me at Mail:TV Antenna Source


HDTV Antenna or Digital TV Antenna

U.S. Television markets where all network TV stations are available on the UHF band after February 17th, 2009

*States listed as none indicates that there are no locations where one of each major network can be received with a UHF only TV Antenna. A combination VHF/UHF TV antenna is required in these states.

*Cities listed are locations where a UHF TV antenna can be used to receive one of each of the major networks.


Alabama
Huntsville
TV Antenna digital-HDTV-UHF

Alaska
None
TV Antenna digital-HDTV- VHF/UHF

Arizona
None
TV Antenna digital-HDTV- VHF/UHF

Arkansas
None
TV Antenna digital-HDTV- VHF/UHF

California
None
TV Antenna digital-HDTV- VHF/UHF

Colorado
None
TV Antenna digital-HDTV- VHF/UHF

Connecticut
None
TV Antenna digital-HDTV- VHF/UHF

Delaware
None
TV Antenna digital-HDTV- VHF/UHF

District of Columbia
None
TV Antenna digital-HDTV- VHF/UHF

Florida
None
 TV Antenna digital-HDTV- VHF/UHF
Orlando - NBC must come from
Daytona Beach on VHF 11 

Georgia
None
TV Antenna digital-HDTV- VHF/UHF

Hawaii
None
TV Antenna digital-HDTV- VHF/UHF

Idaho
None
TV Antenna digital-HDTV- VHF/UHF

Illinois
None
TV Antenna digital-HDTV- VHF/UHF

Indiana
Fort Wayne
TV Antenna digital-HDTV-UHF

South Bend
TV Antenna digital-HDTV-UHF
 Note: ABC is low power, a high gain
outdoor antenna will be required, unless
the TV antenna location is very near to
the transmitting tower.

Iowa
None
TV Antenna digital-HDTV- VHF/UHF

 Kansas
None
TV Antenna digital-HDTV- VHF/UHF

Kentucky
None
TV Antenna digital-HDTV- VHF/UHF

Louisiana
None
TV Antenna digital-HDTV- VHF/UHF

Maine
None
TV Antenna digital-HDTV- VHF/UHF

Maryland
None
TV Antenna digital-HDTV- VHF/UHF

Massachusetts
None
TV Antenna digital-HDTV- VHF/UHF

Michigan
None
TV Antenna digital-HDTV- VHF/UHF

Minneapolis
None
TV Antenna digital-HDTV- VHF/UHF

Mississippi
None
TV Antenna digital-HDTV- VHF/UHF

Missouri
St. Louis
TV Antenna digital-HDTV-UHF

Montana
None
TV Antenna digital-HDTV- VHF/UHF

Nebraska
Omaha
TV Antenna digital-HDTV-UHF

Nevada
None
TV Antenna digital-HDTV- VHF/UHF

New Hampshire
None
TV Antenna digital-HDTV- VHF/UHF

New Jersey
None
TV Antenna digital-HDTV- VHF/UHF

New Mexico
None
TV Antenna digital-HDTV- VHF/UHF

New York
Buffalo
TV Antenna digital-HDTV-UHF
Syracuse
TV Antenna digital-HDTV -UHF

North Carolina
None
TV Antenna digital-HDTV -VHF/UHF

North Dakota
None
TV Antenna digital-HDTV- VHF/UHF

Ohio
Dayton
TV Antenna digital-HDTV-UHF

Oklahoma
None
TV Antenna digital-HDTV- VHF/UHF

Oregon
None
TV Antenna digital-HDTV- VHF/UHF

Pennsylvania
None
TV Antenna digital-HDTV- VHF/UHF

Rhode Island
None
TV Antenna digital-HDTV- VHF/UHF

South Carolina
None
TV Antenna digital-HDTV- VHF/UHF

South Dakota
None
TV Antenna digital-HDTV- VHF/UHF

Tennessee
None
TV Antenna digital-HDTV- VHF/UHF

Texas
None
TV Antenna digital-HDTV- VHF/UHF

Utah
None
TV Antenna digital-HDTV- VHF/UHF

Vermont
None
TV Antenna digital-HDTV- VHF/UHF

Virginia
None
TV Antenna digital-HDTV- VHF/UHF

Washington
None
TV Antenna digital-HDTV- VHF/UHF

West Virginia
None
TV Antenna digital-HDTV- VHF/UHF

Wisconsin
None
TV Antenna digital-HDTV- VHF/UHF

Wyoming
None
TV Antenna digital-HDTV- VHF/UHF