TV Antennas

[Arian]

Is anyone here knowledgeable about how TV antennas work and how to get specific feeds, etc.?

 

Here's the story. For various reasons, I'm looking to gain Over the Air Television feeds of CBS, PBS, etc. out of Miami, Florida. Now how can I properly calibrate a simple antenna to reach the feeds in Miami from here in Ottawa?

 

Any input is greatly appreciated.

 

 

[ezikialrage]

Is anyone here knowledgeable about how TV antennas work and how to get specific feeds, etc.?

 

Here's the story. For various reasons, I'm looking to gain Over the Air Television feeds of CBS, PBS, etc. out of Miami, Florida. Now how can I properly calibrate a simple antenna to reach the feeds in Miami from here in Ottawa?

 

Any input is greatly appreciated.

You can't. TV antennas don't reach that far.

 

 

Here is why

http://www.dennysantennaservice.com/1496626.html

 

Range in miles is the claimed ability of a particular television antenna to receive a signal from a particular distance. Many antenna manufacturers do this stating range in miles. This however can be very misleading. Here's why, antennas can receive TV signal from a much greater distance over flat open terrain, versus hilly or densely wooded terrain. Some manufactures may exaggerate their claims, by using the words up to ____ miles. Most manufacturer range in mile claims are based on fairly good reception conditions, some claims are totally exaggerated but never are the claims made under the worst conditions. For an example, one manufacturer claims their antenna can receive TV signals to 150 miles away. Claiming an antenna range of 150 miles is nothing more than marketing hype.

 I think Ken Nist says it best on his website at hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/comparing.html He says "Antenna marketing is a racket in that the less honest you are, the more antennas you sell.  (Nobody goes to court over a TV antenna.)  Gain figures published by antenna makers are mostly useless, except maybe for comparing antennas by the same maker". 

So be aware of claims that seem to good to be true.The fact is no matter what antenna is in use don't expect range in reception of more then 60 to 80 miles under normal conditions..

Edited September 16, 2014 by ezikialrage

[ZeroPenguins]

Most TV antennas are directional gain antenna. So you would receive a lot more dB if you put it in the direction of the broadcast station (usually there should be a repeater station every city or town, check a website or whatever).

 

But since you're planning on getting channels from afar, you probably need a really high gain TV antenna and probably better off using a satellite dish if those broadcasting stations supports them.

 

What really determines the siginal quality is antenna height, fresnel zone, frequency of signal, obstruction between antennas and Earth's curvature at long distances. There are ways you can work out whether the link would work or not using Link Budget + Free Space Lost equations with a 10dB headroom as a rule of thumb.

Edited September 16, 2014 by Get Rekt

[Arian]

Since you're planning on getting channels from afar, you probably need a really high gain TV antenna and probably better off using a satellite dish if those broadcasting stations supports them.

 

Oh, so you mean I can also use a dish? Would the TV hookup be the same to recieve the channels or would I still need a reciever? And how can you choose where to recieve the signal from?

Edited September 17, 2014 by Arian

[undertehker]

I don't think a dish would work, but I have been wrong before.

 

The best thing to do is to purchase a omni-directional or multi-directional antenna. This way, you don't have to adjust the antenna every time you change the channel. They cost a little more but the convenience is worth it.

 

Another thing to consider is if your tv is digital. Years ago, over-the-air reception changed from analog to digital. If your tv is analog then you have to purchase a digital-to-analog converter box. However, if you got a plasma, lcd, or led tv then you should be fine.

[Blitzepidemic]

I have internet, satellite and antenna. I can tell you there is no way possible for you to use an antenna to get a station that far away, I can get stations nearly 150 miles away but i'm sure i'm getting feed from a relay station and not the actual main station.

Your best bet in getting Local Miami stations is from satellite (buying a local channels package should get you the local channels from lots of metropolitan areas, including Miami) or finding an online site that airs a Miami area tv station.

[ZeroPenguins]

I believe dish are different as they take use of satellites and @undertehker omni-directional sucks when it comes to distance, as I stated on my previous post.

[Badguys]

If you're gonna attempt to get US feeds from Ottawa, Canada, My best advice would be to invest in a C-band Free-To-Air setup.  http://www.lyngsat.com is always a great resource to know what birds to look for.

[Jean0987654321]

Yeah, you're gonna have a hard time getting an antenna to reach those signals. Take a look through TV Fool. I'd say invest in a dish or other means if you're that desperate