Digital TV Antenna Recommendation

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I have an ANTOP tower for a digital TV antenna. It was doing well, except sometimes channels do not come in as well and I have to move the wires just like an old-fashioned antenna.

Any recommendations for a digital TV antenna or suggestions on how to place the wires so that I don’t have to keep moving them to get the lower end of the channels?

They just upgraded the cell tower, which is not far from my property, could this be interfering with the signal?

Thanks.

Win 10 Home 22H2

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When buying an antenna for digital OTA TV, buy the biggest beast you can afford and get it in the air as high as you can.  Wilson makes good ones. but they’re only good for local.  If you’re 30+ miles from the transmitter site(s), go for a ChannelMaster.  Pricey, but you won’t see the annoying pixelation when the wind blows or it rains too hard.

 

 

"War is the remedy our enemies have chosen. And I say let us give them all they want" ----- William T. Sherman

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windbg, Win7and10

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You don’t say where you are, but I’ll assume in the US.

I doubt you’re getting any interference from the nearby cell tower — the frequencies are way too far apart. OTA TV (both VHF and UHF) are well below 1GHz, while cell phones are typically 2.4/5/6 GHz. If it’s a multi-purpose tower, though, it may also have antennas (or be adding new antennas) for other services (such as police or emergency services), some of which might use frequencies closer to the OTA-TV range.

As for antenna choice, there are a lot of variables to consider — such as indoor or outdoor? Condo or single-family home? VHF or UHF channels? City, suburbs, or rural? How far away are you from the TV transmitters (this can have an impact on signal strength and directional vs omnidirectional needs)? What type of surrounding terrain/environment (hills, tall buildings, etc)?

Try looking at AntennaWeb or Antennas Direct to help with your research. Both of these sites let you enter an address or zipcode and will tell you how far away the TV stations are, and in which direction, and give you recommendations. Don’t rely on it too literally because you have to make adjustments for your own local environment, but it’s a good starting point.

 

 

 

 

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windbg, Win7and10

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Hi all, thanks for all the suggestions.

The cell phone tower mentioned was worked on last week and an extra piece installed the second level down. I am presuming this is Verizon doing Starlink or another vendor buying time on the cell phone tower. I also read that as the sun changes position after the equinox twice a year and this could affect reception. Maybe even solar flares.

So last night I moved the antenna tower about an inch closer to the window as far as I could go for it to stand stationary and about an inch higher because I don’t have it mounted on the wall. It has a lot of wire which is the antenna wire, so that wire is perched high above my dresser as the TV sits on the dresser. I know this sounds primitive; however, the room is a spare bedroom and convenient to relax in.

After repositioning and thinking about my father as he used to be a TV repairman in the day and learning from him, it’s all about the airwaves, so I scanned the TV again. The stations I wanted to come back in were the stations farthest away from my house and still within range according to the antenna reception website in my area. I’m not sure what I did or if my Father’s spirit created some sort of portal (getting presumptuous here…HAHA) however, the channels are now back perfectly. It seems though that you can rescan and receive other channels that come in and out just like the rabbit ears and antenna on the roof days. I’m showing my generation here, but I can remember trying to get UHF back in the day.

I’ll continue to leave the wires and antenna in the position I have them. Electronic waves are variable and since I had scanned numerous times over the past several days without any storms or wind, it was unusual not to have the stations in place.

Thanks for the antenna websites and I will keep in touch here.

 

Thanks all!

Win 10 Home 22H2

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