My old amplified antenna in the attic has failed, and I don't think I can fix it.
I would buy a new amplified antenna, but so far, the ones I see are advertised iiuc like the digital age has not arrived. Maybe I should wait until they are selling antennas that are really designed for digital???
Two say, "Has FM trap so strong FM signals won't interfere with channels 2 to 13. But iiuc, there's either no or no special likelihood that channels 2 to 13 are anywhere near the FM frequencies anymore, right?
The outdoor non-amp antennas have lots of elements and look just like they used to, but aren't those elements tuned to old VHF channels, whose frequencies aren't in use anymore?
Or am I confused and what they are selling now is as good as it will get any time soon?
(I don't have HD or large screen tvs and don't plan to get them.
Right now, not counting the array of weather channels, I'm getting 10 stations in Baltimore and DC with just a 7 foot single strand of wire stuck into the coax connector on back of the DVDR-with-hard-drive, and that would be enough if there weren't at least 6 others I think I could get just by having a better antenna.)
In your area, channels 7, 8, 12, and 13 are indeed still transmitting near the FM frequencies. These channels chose to put their digital signals on their old analog frequencies, rather than moving up into the UHF band.
In some areas of the country, digital TV is entirely in the UHF band.
In quite a few areas, digital TV also uses the VHF high-band frequencies (the same frequencies formerly used for analog channels 7 through 13). You're in one such area.
In a few areas of the country, there are still some digital TV stations operating in the VHF low-band (the frequencies formerly used for analog channels 2 through 6).
You'll tend to find the VHF bands in use in urban areas (especially the east coast) where there are a lot of channels operating, in relatively close proximity, and there isn't enough spacing between transmitters to allow everyone to operate in the UHF part of the band.
Before The Big Day, all of the digital TV channels were operating in the UHF band (on the "transition" frequencies), and a UHF-only antenna was sufficient to get all of the digital channels in any given area. The multi-bay bowtie-and-reflector "digital TV" antennas were sold for this sort of operting environment.
On The Big Day, some stations moved their digital signals down to the VHF bands - typically, to the frequency on which they had previously run their analog signal.
This meant that some people who had previously been getting channels (on their "digital TV" UHF-only antennas) lost one or more channels, because the signals had moved to lower frequencies on which the small UHF antennas don't work very well.
Well, what sort of antenna you want / need will depend on the channel plan in your area. In some areas, you still need a full-sized VHF/UHF antenna (e.g. a log-periodic) to get all local channels well. In other areas, a UHF bowtie-and-reflector antenna has all the frequency coverage you need.
The page at
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will give you a list of all of the full-power stations in your area. The "virtual" channel number is the one you see on the screen and in the guide. The "digital" channel number is the actual frequency on which the transmission is taking place. If any "digital" channel numbers for stations you want to receive are 13 or below, you'll need at least some VHF sensitivity in your antenna. If they're 6 or below you'll need VHF low-band (i.e. a traditional full-aized antenna).
On a quick look, it appears that you'll want VHF high-band (one Baltimore station and three DC stations are in the channels 7-13 range) but I don't see any VHF low-band.
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There aint no digital antennas. The received signal might be used for digital purposes, but that does not make it digital. So just get an antenna for the required frequency band. That should solve it.
Sjouke Burry wrote in news:4b12a57c$0$14127$ snipped-for-privacy@textnews.kpn.nl:
Uh,the FM channels are -between- TV Ch.6 and Ch.7. there's still TV stations broadcasting in the VHF band. and a too-strong(overamplified) FM station can cause intermodulation products in/near the freqs you want.
google for the homemade DTV antenna(UHF) from makezine; coathanger wires,screws,washers,a small board,and a balun. simple to make,works well.
I know that the antenna doesn't care if the signal is analog or digital, but it does acar about frequencies. But I was mistaken about VHS not being used anymore, so than you for clearing that up.
here was also a third thing in some of the ads that seemed to me to be irrelevant now, and yet they mentioned it, but I wasn't making a list when I saw it and I forget now.
But if I can't get my current amplified antenna, or another one working again, I'll buy another one soon, since no new improvement is on the horizon. The semicicular ring one I took off a trashed sateliite dish seemed to be working a little bit since I got channel 9 for the first time, but I have to reconnect it.
Like I say, I'm getting ten stations now, and of the six I might get in the future, 3 are DC's version of NBC, CBS, and Fox, and one is another verions of MPT. Most of the time they play the same programs as stations I get now, but not always. I lengthened my wire last night from 7 feet to 13 feet but it didn't bring in anything new.
Go here to find out what is recommended for your area.
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I can tell you we live 35 miles from Mt Wilson (LA with line of sight) and use a Winegard SquareShooter for the UHF atations as there are still VHFs in LA 7, 9, 11 and 13. The UHF antenna only has 4.5dB gain, over a dipole, no preamp AND split to 3 receivers. Signal strength is more than sufficient with no breakup of the video.The VHF stations use a Winegard all channel in the attic but with a UHF/VHF splitter backwards to use only the VHF from the attic and UHF from the roof. All the stations listed for 90274 work correctly.
Most installations do not require a preamp and it can overload and make matters worse. The exception would be an extremely long cable run (150+ ft) with the preamp at the antenna, not downstream after the cable losses. Good cable with good connectors properly installed will last a long time.
The thing is that when I bought my first amplified antenna, I got all the stations in DC that I hadn't been able to get before. I live in NW Baltimore. No need to borrow a ladder or risk my neck on the roof.
The first and second ones have broken, so I can't help thinking that a new amplifed antenna in same place in the attic will also bring in all the DC stations.
Does anyone want to recommend any attic-mountable amplified antenna? There is plenty of room up there.
Omni-Directionality isn't important because DC is 35 miles from here and everything is approximately the same direction.
I"m 35 miles from DC but I'm in a valley. I don't think I have line of sight to DC, but I still get channel 7.1,2,3 now and got channel 9 for the first time yesterday.
Even with digital, a preamp can cause overload??
I did have that before on some stations, so I had a switch next to the tuner (the vcr) to disconnect the antenna and leave only a foot of co-ax. Any station that would overload worked fine with only the co-ax.
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