Having trouble receiving channel 2 CBS in Chicago? Your not alone? It's not the stations fault it's likely the result of the antenna in use. Many of the today's antennas are designed to ignore the broadcast channel frequency of WBBM 2.1 CBS. Most TV station broadcast ultra high frequency (UHF) TV signals. However, nearly every TV market has at least one very high frequency (VHF) broadcast station. The Chicago CBS channel 2.1 is a VHF signal broadcast TV station.
Here's the problem. Small antennas look better than big antennas. The ease and simplicity of indoor antennas over outdoor antennas is appealing. However, antennas too small won't work for CBS 2.1 VHF signal reception. Most indoor antennas won't receive VHF signal nearly as good as they will UHF signals.
If your TV antenna doesn't receive the CBS 2.1 WBBM signal
but it receives most all other Chicago stations you likely have the wrong antenna.
Many of today's antennas are designed to ignore the reception of VHF signals and focus primarily on the reception of UHF signals. Antennas that ignore VHF signal reception can be smaller, cheaper, more appealing and in some cases be used indoors.
If the antenna you are using for CBS channel 2 reception is located inside you'll probably need to get an outdoor antenna. If the outdoor antenna is smaller than the EZ HD antenna it probably won't work well for CBS. If the antenna location is more than 40 miles from the transmitters you may need an even larger antenna such the HD Stacker. There are several good antennas for VHF and UHF reception available. Antennas designed to receive both VHF and UHF signals equally well can be found at Winegard, Channel Master and Antennacraft.
Get educated before you buy that antenna. Just because an antenna claims VHF and UHF reception capabilities doesn't mean the VHF and UHF reception of the antenna is equally good. Below are a few antennas that will receive VHF and UHF signals equally well. Unfortunately they're not flat, in a small plastic box or razor thin. They're kind of ugly but they work best for equally good reception of both VHF and UHF TV signals which includes CBS 2.1.
