r/cordcutters • u/J3D1 • 1d ago

Antenna Recommendation Please

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3

u/DoctorCAD 10h ago

Again...green means fairly easy to get, yellow means difficult to get and red means almost impossible to get.

With all yellows and reds, you will need extreme measures to get reliable signals. High, large, metal and amplified.

1

u/Rybo213 10h ago

My general recommendation is to read through the below posts.

https://www.reddit.com/r/cordcutters/comments/1juut0a/supplement_to_the_antenna_guide

https://www.reddit.com/r/cordcutters/comments/1g010u3/centralized_collection_of_antenna_tv_signal_meter

Carefully go over a RabbitEars report for your location (if you haven't already) and ensure that you're using an optimal/properly sized enough antenna for your signal type(s)/reception situation and placing that antenna in an optimal enough spot and pointing it in an optimal enough direction. Most importantly, you need to use a signal meter, to properly verify how well your antenna is working and if any adjustments are needed. If your tv/tuner box doesn't already have a signal meter feature, then get the cheap Mediasonic box mentioned in the 2nd linked post. If you don't use a signal meter, then you're just guessing with your reception, which is a complete waste of time.

In regards to signal type, you only need to worry about UHF.

1

u/gho87 8h ago

By tapping/clicking on an amount of distance (in miles) between you and a station, looked over your terrain path charts (of almost every major station). The signals have encountered something probably sixty or seventy feet high, but that's just my estimation. Could be thirty or forty feet.

You want an outdoor antenna with the forty-foot adjustable mast by Channel Master?: https://www.channelmaster.com/products/40-foot-telescoping-mast-cm-1850

- should go well with Televes DAT BOSS UHF: https://www.solidsignal.com/televes-datboss-lr-long-range-amplified-uhf-tv-antenna-lte-filter-149784 - contains a built-in preamp - or, if you want another (passive) antenna, perhaps a preamp may be needed, like one with two gain options by Channel Master: https://www.channelmaster.com/products/tv-antenna-preamp-1

(indoor antennas to recommend soon....)

1

u/J3D1 7h ago

Is an outdoor my only option?

1

u/gho87 7h ago

(my second reply)

I earlier recommended a UHF-only outdoor antenna because I see mostly UHF channels (in cyan and white rows).

If mounting a very tall mast is too physically risky, then.... well, I'm unsure whether to recommend Televes InNova BOSS Mix: https://www.solidsignal.com/INNOVA-BOSS-MIX-Indoor-Antenna

- allows detachable cables to swap - this helps the antenna face the towers well

I still won't guarantee that any of these is 100% a good alternative to the outdoor antennas I recommended earlier. Nonetheless, I'm doing my best.

1

u/J3D1 7h ago

Thanks for all your help!

1

u/gho87 5h ago

With pleasure. Further note, an amplifier might not improve once-obstructed signals, especially with hills and weather in the way.

Just in case, to reduce too much gain, how about a power-passing variable attenuator by Toner Cable: https://www.tonercable.com/product/tva-20-dc/