I am one of those people that don't watch much TV , so downgrading to basic cable a few years back was an easy decision . The basic cable gave me major networks for about a 20 dollars a month, and it seemed like a good deal until my tech savvy cousin started talking about HDTV indoor antennas pulling in a very good over the air signals from the local towers.
We finally got an HD TV set this winter so I figured it's time to test out some of these indoor antennas. My goal was to get major networks ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC and maybe some public TV stations. Aside from this, I wanted an indoor antenna that can be easily concealed (outdoor was out of question for me).
I live on NW side of Rochester MN and towers are about 30 to 35 miles away from my house. So since most indoor antennas claim about 35 miles range I am on the outer edge of their reception.
I live on NW side of Rochester MN and towers are about 30 to 35 miles away from my house. So since most indoor antennas claim about 35 miles range I am on the outer edge of their reception.
My quest for a perfect indoor antenna started at the local stores. I ended up buying the first one from Best buy.
1. RCA - Amplified Indoor Off-Air HDTV Antenna
This RCA amplified antenna costs $40 at best buy. Info at the link below.
1. RCA - Amplified Indoor Off-Air HDTV Antenna
This RCA amplified antenna costs $40 at best buy. Info at the link below.
It was able to pick up ABC, and FOX crystal clear but its rabbit ears were hard to conceal and it wasn't able to pick up KTTC/NBC station and CBS was not as reliable either. So my search continued.
2. RCA ANT1650R Flat Digital Amplified Indoor TV Antenna
My next antenna was RCA flat amplified from Walmart for about 30 dollars.click here for details
It was easy to hide on my entertainment center but otherwise the results were the same, I still wasn't able to get the KTTC station.
3. Direct ClearStream Micron-R Indoor HDTV Antenna
My third try was a $80 clear Stream Micron antenna from Walmart. It was another one that was harder to hide , it got some extra public channels that previous 2 weren't able to get but KTTC was still not there. So it went back to Walmart.
After testing these I went to a couple of sites that help you find out what stations you can receive from your exact address. www.antennaweb.org and www.tvfool.com
I finally found out that KTTC broadcasts on VHF signal and other local stations are on UHF. Apparently to get that VHF station at 35 miles you need to have an outdoor antenna. But I kept looking around. I emailed KTTC and contacted Mohu (another popular maker of indoor antennas). Mohu told me that their Mohu amplified Leaf antenna would probably give me the same results as ones I tried so I never tested that one.
John W, a very helpful guy from KTTC suggested various outdoor antennas and exchanged some emails with me trying to help me out. He told me that KTTC Engineering Department does not recommend using an indoor antenna to receive KTTC/KXLT stations unless you are very close to our broadcast towers
Still he suggested a couple of Winegard products that he used in the past, so I went to their web site and contacted their sales manager Grant Whipple. I explained my situation and asked if they can recommend any of their products. I got a very quick response from Grant saying that they are just about to release a new amplified indoor antenna that is showing some awesome results and that I would be able to get my VHF station. I gotta be honest, I was a bit skeptical but decided to give it a shot, and two days later I can say that this one is a keeper. Grant was a great source of information about this product and we exchanged many very informative e mails.
So here is my review of the antenna that I picked in the end.
FlatWave® Amped Indoor HDTV Antenna
2. RCA ANT1650R Flat Digital Amplified Indoor TV Antenna
My next antenna was RCA flat amplified from Walmart for about 30 dollars.click here for details
It was easy to hide on my entertainment center but otherwise the results were the same, I still wasn't able to get the KTTC station.
3. Direct ClearStream Micron-R Indoor HDTV Antenna
My third try was a $80 clear Stream Micron antenna from Walmart. It was another one that was harder to hide , it got some extra public channels that previous 2 weren't able to get but KTTC was still not there. So it went back to Walmart.
After testing these I went to a couple of sites that help you find out what stations you can receive from your exact address. www.antennaweb.org and www.tvfool.com
I finally found out that KTTC broadcasts on VHF signal and other local stations are on UHF. Apparently to get that VHF station at 35 miles you need to have an outdoor antenna. But I kept looking around. I emailed KTTC and contacted Mohu (another popular maker of indoor antennas). Mohu told me that their Mohu amplified Leaf antenna would probably give me the same results as ones I tried so I never tested that one.
John W, a very helpful guy from KTTC suggested various outdoor antennas and exchanged some emails with me trying to help me out. He told me that KTTC Engineering Department does not recommend using an indoor antenna to receive KTTC/KXLT stations unless you are very close to our broadcast towers
Still he suggested a couple of Winegard products that he used in the past, so I went to their web site and contacted their sales manager Grant Whipple. I explained my situation and asked if they can recommend any of their products. I got a very quick response from Grant saying that they are just about to release a new amplified indoor antenna that is showing some awesome results and that I would be able to get my VHF station. I gotta be honest, I was a bit skeptical but decided to give it a shot, and two days later I can say that this one is a keeper. Grant was a great source of information about this product and we exchanged many very informative e mails.
So here is my review of the antenna that I picked in the end.
FlatWave® Amped Indoor HDTV Antenna
FlatWave Amped Indor HDTV antenna just came out in February 2013, it's coming Amazon in a few days. I received this antenna yesterday, and tested it right away. I hooked it up and BINGO I finally got the KTTC station along with ABC, CBS, FOX, CW (this one I wasn't able to get before as well), PBS and some more public channels. This antenna is paper thin, and it looks like a laminated piece of plastic. It comes with 18 feet long coaxial cable, and an amplifier. One I got is transparent but it also comes in white/black combination to blend in your decor. It can be put horizontally but for better results I recommend attaching it to the wall using couple of 3M stickers that come with it. My entertainment center is about 6 feet tall and my TV is on the upper level so I put the antenna on the wall behind the entertainment center about 6 feet up from the floor. So this way it stays hidden but its in a good position to receive signals.It helps to move the antenna around a little bit to find out where it gets the most channels before you attach it for good, but this unit is so light and easy to move around. It can be attached to windows as well. FlatWave Amped Indor HDTV lets you connect the amplifier to the usb port on your TV so your amplifier turns off when the TV is off .
I am very satisfied with this unit and would highly recommend it. The thing that impressed me the most was its ability to get a VHF station at about 35 miles distance. As noted above none of the other antennas I tested was able to do this. Your investment in this antenna will pay off in 3-4 months depending how much you are paying for cable.
With this antenna I am able to get all the major stations (NBC,ABC,FOX,CBS,CW) available in my area (Rochester MN) and finally cut the cable for good. Portion of the money I save will go towards Netflix service - $7.99 a month.
You can view some pictures and technical specifications about this antenna on the bottom of this post. As of now you can purchase it on Winegard site Click here for $89.99, and Amazon will start selling it soon. As you can see, that one is white on one side and black on the other. The transparent version of this antenna will be sold at Costco stores for $48.99 and that is the one I tested. On the box it says that range is up to 35 miles. Black/White on the Winegard site claims 50 miles range. These antennas should have the same performance and aside from their appearance there is nothing different about them. Costco just wanted to be more conservative with their claim and felt that they should put 35 miles as the appropriate range .
So again I highly recommend this product if you are looking to pick up over the air HDTV signal. Your reception will depend on landscape between you and the towers but this amplified unit worked great for me at about 35-40 miles away from the towers. Over the air signal is even better than cable, since cable has to compress it. I hope you found this post informative. You can leave comments on the bottom of this post. Please check my posts and links below for some other great FREE services and products that I used.
FREE LISTINGS OF HOMES FOR SALE IN ROCHESTER AND SE MINNESOTA
FREE LISTINGS OF FORECLOSED HOMES IN ROCHESTER AND SE MINNESOTA
BUILD A WEB SITE FOR FREE USING MOONFRUIT , CLICK AND DRAG WEB BUILDER
FREE HOME PHONE BY OOMA, CUT THE LOCAL PHONE BILL
With this antenna I am able to get all the major stations (NBC,ABC,FOX,CBS,CW) available in my area (Rochester MN) and finally cut the cable for good. Portion of the money I save will go towards Netflix service - $7.99 a month.
You can view some pictures and technical specifications about this antenna on the bottom of this post. As of now you can purchase it on Winegard site Click here for $89.99, and Amazon will start selling it soon. As you can see, that one is white on one side and black on the other. The transparent version of this antenna will be sold at Costco stores for $48.99 and that is the one I tested. On the box it says that range is up to 35 miles. Black/White on the Winegard site claims 50 miles range. These antennas should have the same performance and aside from their appearance there is nothing different about them. Costco just wanted to be more conservative with their claim and felt that they should put 35 miles as the appropriate range .
So again I highly recommend this product if you are looking to pick up over the air HDTV signal. Your reception will depend on landscape between you and the towers but this amplified unit worked great for me at about 35-40 miles away from the towers. Over the air signal is even better than cable, since cable has to compress it. I hope you found this post informative. You can leave comments on the bottom of this post. Please check my posts and links below for some other great FREE services and products that I used.
FREE LISTINGS OF HOMES FOR SALE IN ROCHESTER AND SE MINNESOTA
FREE LISTINGS OF FORECLOSED HOMES IN ROCHESTER AND SE MINNESOTA
BUILD A WEB SITE FOR FREE USING MOONFRUIT , CLICK AND DRAG WEB BUILDER
FREE HOME PHONE BY OOMA, CUT THE LOCAL PHONE BILL
Enhanced dual band antenna features state of the art ultra low noise preamplifier embeddeddirectly at the elements, where 100% of the signal is amplified. Innovative USB power supply provides energy savings by only consuming power while the TV is powered on.
- Amplified HDTV reception up to 50 miles
- Revolutionary Clear Circuit Technology™ provides ultra low noise figure – 1.0 dB
- Receives more channels
- Minimizes pixilation and dropouts
- Extra long mini coax makes finding the ideal location easy
- Dual band reception means you don’t miss out channels that UHF only antennas do
Technical Specifications
- 50 mile range
- High definition dual band VHF / UHF
- Dimensions: 13″ x 12″
- Weight: 0.34 lbs
- Multi-directional
- Embedded ultra low noise (1db) digital amplifier for the best antenna performance
- 18.5’ mini 59 coaxial cable (attached to antenna for better quality)
- 3’ USB power cable with 110V adapter
What’s in the box?
- Antenna with embedded low noise digital amplifier
- 18.5′ mini 59 coaxial cable (attached to antenna)
- 3′ USB power cable with 110V adapter
- Two 3M™ Command™ Brand Strips
Do you get WCCO using this antenna? I realize it's an outside shot, but my wife insists on watching WCCO news and that is currently the only thing keeping us from cutting the cord. I also live in NW Rochester.
ReplyDeleteDo you get WCCO using this antenna? I realize it's an outside shot, but my wife insists on watching WCCO news and that is currently the only thing keeping us from cutting the cord. I also live in NW Rochester.
ReplyDeleteHi Richt sorry for a late reply, I haven't been keeping eye on this site. I have friends that can get WCCO with this antenna but they live in Byron and they placed the antenna in their attic.. My antenna is just a few inches above my TV and in NW rochester I am unable to get WCCO
ReplyDeleteMost HD cable or satellite boxes use a compressed signal that may cause some visual noise to the programming content. Secondly, if you have a standard definition cable or satellite box, having the HD antenna will allow you to watch major network programming without paying the high extra fees. indoor antennas
ReplyDeleteKeep on good working guys; you have done the great job! blocked toilet
ReplyDeletelooking for someone to "cut the cable" for but cannot find anyone. if you know of a company please let me know. Jim
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment on cutting the cord. I went into amazon site and I have wikibuy discount that I can get it for $35 instead of $48 plus free shipping. Going to try that see how it works before cutting the basters.
ReplyDelete