Anyone using 'over the air' TV antenna?

IslandRadio · 01-20-2014, 10:32 AM

Mostly, what you need will depend on where you live. I don't just mean in what town, but how high above average terrain you are.

Most DTV content is delivered over UHF, although I believe NHPTV (ch. 11) and *possibly* channel 9 are using their old VHF allocations. Check this to be sure.

But, the fact remains that the #1 factor, all other things being equal (distance, etc), is your height above (or below) physical obstructions such as hills and mountains. So, are you high up and/or are you shielded in certain directions by hills or mountains?

An outdoor antenna mounted as high as possible is always superior to anything else. A rotator is really almost required.

Use a mast-mounted preamp, located right at the antenna itself. Use coax cable to bring the signal from the preamp to your in-home distribution system (if you have more than 1 TV receiver).

We do NOT have cable or any other paid TV delivery services here. Everything is off the air. The house is located about 45 miles West-North-West of Boston, so definitely in a "fringe" area. But, we're on a hilltop and that makes all the difference.

01-20-2014, 10:32 AM	#6
IslandRadio Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Mirror Lake - Full time resident Posts: 398 Thanks: 70 Thanked 156 Times in 61 Posts	It depends on where you live... Mostly, what you need will depend on where you live. I don't just mean in what town, but how high above average terrain you are. Most DTV content is delivered over UHF, although I believe NHPTV (ch. 11) and possibly channel 9 are using their old VHF allocations. Check this to be sure. But, the fact remains that the #1 factor, all other things being equal (distance, etc), is your height above (or below) physical obstructions such as hills and mountains. So, are you high up and/or are you shielded in certain directions by hills or mountains? An outdoor antenna mounted as high as possible is always superior to anything else. A rotator is really almost required. Use a mast-mounted preamp, located right at the antenna itself. Use coax cable to bring the signal from the preamp to your in-home distribution system (if you have more than 1 TV receiver). We do NOT have cable or any other paid TV delivery services here. Everything is off the air. The house is located about 45 miles West-North-West of Boston, so definitely in a "fringe" area. But, we're on a hilltop and that makes all the difference.