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Post by caseyrook AKA Mechelle on Jun 6, 2018 23:32:35 GMT
Anyone have any advice on getting a good TV signal in a low valley when the towers are up on high hills?
The TV in my room can get a good signal for all of 30 seconds if you hold it up in the corner and face both antennas towards the nearest tower.
I'd rather not have to deal with an outside antenna (because the house is owned by my friend's parents and i'd have to have someone install it for me) but I will if I have too.
Can any of you recommend any hardware or devices that can help me out?
Cable and satellite are out of the question and HULU TV or other TV streaming services are not compatible with my monthly budget.
Thank in advance.
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Post by backroadjunkie on Jun 7, 2018 4:45:49 GMT
You don't say what kind of antenna you have now. Rabbit ear type antennas (i.e. VHF antennas) won't work. ATSC HDTV is UHF. I bought one like this for OTA broadcasts: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073ZDZ4L8/All these are, are glorified UHF amplified antennas. They have to be plugged in, and the signal is boosted. The nice thing about this type of antenna is they're light and flat. I had to move mine around to find the best signal, then used a couple of 3M command strips to hold the antenna on the wall. Anyway, with today's all-or-nothing digital signals, you need some type of amplifier. It actually gets me some 40 channels. (Haven't counted lately, they've reconfigured the air-space here a couple of months ago.) Once I remove the unwanted channels (i.e. duplicate channels, languages I don't understand, and channels that want to save my soul), I still get some 25 usable channels. But this is a major metro area. I'm about 10 miles from the broadcast source. So long as you're not a return abuser, if it doesn't work for you, you can always return it to Amazon. They should even pay for return shipping...
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Post by beren44 on Jun 7, 2018 5:39:29 GMT
Anyone have any advice on getting a good TV signal in a low valley when the towers are up on high hills? The TV in my room can get a good signal for all of 30 seconds if you hold it up in the corner and face both antennas towards the nearest tower. I'd rather not have to deal with an outside antenna (because the house is owned by my friend's parents and i'd have to have someone install it for me) but I will if I have too. Can any of you recommend any hardware or devices that can help me out? Cable and satellite are out of the question and HULU TV or other TV streaming services are not compatible with my monthly budget. Thank in advance. Hold it up in the corner and point both antennae correctly every 30 seconds. Should work fine. (teehee) xoxo |
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Post by caseyrook AKA Mechelle on Jun 7, 2018 6:51:55 GMT
You don't say what kind of antenna you have now. Rabbit ear type antennas (i.e. VHF antennas) won't work. ATSC HDTV is UHF. I bought one like this for OTA broadcasts: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073ZDZ4L8/All these are, are glorified UHF amplified antennas. They have to be plugged in, and the signal is boosted. The nice thing about this type of antenna is they're light and flat. I had to move mine around to find the best signal, then used a couple of 3M command strips to hold the antenna on the wall. Anyway, with today's all-or-nothing digital signals, you need some type of amplifier. It actually gets me some 40 channels. (Haven't counted lately, they've reconfigured the air-space here a couple of months ago.) Once I remove the unwanted channels (i.e. duplicate channels, languages I don't understand, and channels that want to save my soul), I still get some 25 usable channels. But this is a major metro area. I'm about 10 miles from the broadcast source. So long as you're not a return abuser, if it doesn't work for you, you can always return it to Amazon. They should even pay for return shipping...
I've seen those kinds of antennas available in stores but I don't personally know anyone who uses them so thank you for recommending one, otherwise I would not consider buying one. When I could get a signal back at my parents' house, I probably got 20 channels with a regular bunny ears antenna and a TV with a built in converter box (only 6 of those channels I'd actually watch). My parents' house is only 6 minutes away from my new house but is at a higher elevation so it's weird to see how much elevation matters because my new house is actually closer to the nearest broadcast tower. Funny how these things work, isn't it? |
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Post by caseyrook AKA Mechelle on Jun 7, 2018 6:54:40 GMT
Anyone have any advice on getting a good TV signal in a low valley when the towers are up on high hills? The TV in my room can get a good signal for all of 30 seconds if you hold it up in the corner and face both antennas towards the nearest tower. I'd rather not have to deal with an outside antenna (because the house is owned by my friend's parents and i'd have to have someone install it for me) but I will if I have too. Can any of you recommend any hardware or devices that can help me out? Cable and satellite are out of the question and HULU TV or other TV streaming services are not compatible with my monthly budget. Thank in advance. Hold it up in the corner and point both antennae correctly every 30 seconds. Should work fine. (teehee) xoxo Hey, Beren, QUIT SMOKING!!! Sorry, had to be done.  |
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Post by beren44 on Jun 7, 2018 7:14:42 GMT
Hold it up in the corner and point both antennae correctly every 30 seconds. Should work fine. (teehee) xoxo Hey, Beren, QUIT SMOKING!!! Sorry, had to be done. I love you too 
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Post by backroadjunkie on Jun 7, 2018 8:08:25 GMT
I've seen those kinds of antennas available in stores but I don't personally know anyone who uses them so thank you for recommending one, otherwise I would not consider buying one. To tell the truth, I didn't think it'd work either. I think they sell a transparent one, and it shows the antenna elements that are sandwiched into the plastic... If you're close enough to the source, you can dangle a wire out of the antenna port and get a picture. Digital is very fickle. To get a consistent signal for the stations I watch, I literally had to place the antenna in a different room, on the other side of a wall. (It comes with a long antenna->TV cord.) Either there was something in the wall, or I moved the antenna laterally enough to get a better signal. (The power connection is located at the TV end of the cable, so you can move the antenna quite a distance away from the TV...) I know in Chicago, the taller buildings were creating a "shadow" of poor signal behind it. Some stations were reassigned to a different frequency, and (iirc) some got an exemption to boost their signal strength. So you could very well be sitting in some sort of signal "shadow", which is why the signal amp would help. I suspect a lot of the negative reviews on Amazon are from those who just can't get a decent signal at all... |
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Post by caseyrook AKA Mechelle on Jun 7, 2018 13:20:29 GMT
I've seen those kinds of antennas available in stores but I don't personally know anyone who uses them so thank you for recommending one, otherwise I would not consider buying one. To tell the truth, I didn't think it'd work either. I think they sell a transparent one, and it shows the antenna elements that are sandwiched into the plastic... If you're close enough to the source, you can dangle a wire out of the antenna port and get a picture. Digital is very fickle. To get a consistent signal for the stations I watch, I literally had to place the antenna in a different room, on the other side of a wall. (It comes with a long antenna->TV cord.) Either there was something in the wall, or I moved the antenna laterally enough to get a better signal. (The power connection is located at the TV end of the cable, so you can move the antenna quite a distance away from the TV...) I know in Chicago, the taller buildings were creating a "shadow" of poor signal behind it. Some stations were reassigned to a different frequency, and (iirc) some got an exemption to boost their signal strength. So you could very well be sitting in some sort of signal "shadow", which is why the signal amp would help. I suspect a lot of the negative reviews on Amazon are from those who just can't get a decent signal at all... I need cable. |
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Post by Hari Seldon on Jun 9, 2018 2:38:56 GMT
You don't say what kind of antenna you have now. Rabbit ear type antennas (i.e. VHF antennas) won't work. ATSC HDTV is UHF. I bought one like this for OTA broadcasts: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073ZDZ4L8/All these are, are glorified UHF amplified antennas. They have to be plugged in, and the signal is boosted. The nice thing about this type of antenna is they're light and flat. I had to move mine around to find the best signal, then used a couple of 3M command strips to hold the antenna on the wall. Anyway, with today's all-or-nothing digital signals, you need some type of amplifier. It actually gets me some 40 channels. (Haven't counted lately, they've reconfigured the air-space here a couple of months ago.) Once I remove the unwanted channels (i.e. duplicate channels, languages I don't understand, and channels that want to save my soul), I still get some 25 usable channels. But this is a major metro area. I'm about 10 miles from the broadcast source. So long as you're not a return abuser, if it doesn't work for you, you can always return it to Amazon. They should even pay for return shipping...
I've seen those kinds of antennas available in stores but I don't personally know anyone who uses them so thank you for recommending one, otherwise I would not consider buying one. When I could get a signal back at my parents' house, I probably got 20 channels with a regular bunny ears antenna and a TV with a built in converter box (only 6 of those channels I'd actually watch). My parents' house is only 6 minutes away from my new house but is at a higher elevation so it's weird to see how much elevation matters because my new house is actually closer to the nearest broadcast tower. Funny how these things work, isn't it? Elevation does matter a lot. BRJ mentioned antennas with built-in amplifiers, and it's possible an external amplifier could help. Menards is also very good with returns and i looked and saw they have a good number around your area. Just $10, so if it does work it's likely the cheapest option.
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Post by caseyrook AKA Mechelle on Jun 9, 2018 15:42:06 GMT
I've seen those kinds of antennas available in stores but I don't personally know anyone who uses them so thank you for recommending one, otherwise I would not consider buying one. When I could get a signal back at my parents' house, I probably got 20 channels with a regular bunny ears antenna and a TV with a built in converter box (only 6 of those channels I'd actually watch). My parents' house is only 6 minutes away from my new house but is at a higher elevation so it's weird to see how much elevation matters because my new house is actually closer to the nearest broadcast tower. Funny how these things work, isn't it? Elevation does matter a lot. BRJ mentioned antennas with built-in amplifiers, and it's possible an external amplifier could help. Menards is also very good with returns and i looked and saw they have a good number around your area. Just $10, so if it does work it's likely the cheapest option.
Ooh, i've seen a few houses with one of those. I'd always wondered what they were. The nearest Menards is 40 minutes away but I think I could get my mom to take me up there (if I went alone, I wouldn't make it because anxiety sucks). |
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Post by backroadjunkie on Jun 9, 2018 16:37:06 GMT
Here's an article to explain things a bit better...
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Post by caseyrook AKA Mechelle on Jun 10, 2018 18:09:50 GMT
Here's an article to explain things a bit better...
I knew most of this but where I get lost is the different types of signals, UHF and VHF. For some reason, I have a hard time keeping those all straight. Ever since I was a baby, i've had a fascination with towers. I was a baby who almost always cried but I would at least go quiet if my mom set me by a window and I happened to see one. Growing up, I've played around on the internet seeing what types of towers I have around my area. I can see 7 from my parents' house, but only three from my new house. ... Anyway, I've learned how to identify what a tower does just by seeing the instruments. Most of the towers by me (4 of those 7) are cellphone towers (from different carriers). If I ever get desperate enough, I would seriously consider a job climbing towers. It's a job that is in high demand and yet not often sought after. I could do it. |
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Post by haxemon on Jun 12, 2018 17:25:35 GMT
It's a job that is in high demand and yet not often sought after. Can it be both? |
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Post by caseyrook AKA Mechelle on Jun 12, 2018 18:19:37 GMT
It's a job that is in high demand and yet not often sought after. Can it be both? The people who own the towers have a high demand for people to do the job, however there are not that many people who train to do it. That's what I meant. |
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Post by backroadjunkie on Jun 13, 2018 3:29:52 GMT
Climb towers? Gah.
I admit, I got a thing about heights, and had a hard time watching this video...
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