HTDV over-the-air. At what range?

[Gunn]

I would like to consider purchasing an antenna to view HDTV signals over the air with BTV. But...I haven't been able find out the 'general' range on HDTV signals. My local stations are all in Washington D.C....which is 62 miles from me and only able to get rough reception with a standard antenna. I now have DirecTV and get my locals through them.

How far could I expect to capture an HDTV signal? Is it on par or better/worse than old analog antenna stations? Do different HDTV antennas help?

Thanks,

[gbranche]

The best way I've found to evaluate your antenna needs is to go to AntennaWeb.org, enter your address, and let their software provide a suggestion as to which antenna to use. It will also provide directions, distances, etc.

[Rich A]

62 miles is going to be tough to get. Are the signals you currently get VHF or UHF or both? Digital over the air can be either type. Also the farther away the stations are the more chance you have of interferring objects (mountains, hills, buildings etc.) between you. Plus even if all the stations are in the "general" same direction, the farther away, the more critical the aiming of the antenna will be.

I think Antennaweb.org is going to tell you that you will need a large antenna plus some preamp. Of course if you are a little off in your mileage estimate and they are closer than you think that would be better. Antennaweb.org will tell you what you need to know.

When you say you have a "standard" antenna, what exactly is it? There's really no difference between most digital and analog TV antennas. If your antenna is capable of receiving both VHF and UHF TV, it should be able to do as well with digital signals if you are close enough to those stations. The only difference is that you need a stronger signal for digital rf than analog. So if your existing antenna is marginal on analog, it would be the same on digital with the possibility of it being worse.

62 miles is in the "fringe" area for digital TV.

[wxboy]

I live about 20 miles north of all the stations in DC and gettting some is a stretch sometimes. You might be able to do (though I doubt it) with a VERY STRONG DIRECTIONAL outdoor antenna

[Gunn]

Thanks for the responses. I thought you needed a special digital antenna to received digital stations. I guess there's more to learn than I thought I already didn't know about!

So are you (Rich) saying that with my current antenna, I could be getting these digital signals? How would I view them? Do I need some sort of special decoder box to run the signal through before the TV?

I've lived in this house for 3 years and it has an antenna with a rotor attached, but...I've never used it since I immediately hooked up the DirecTV dish that was also already installed. In my previous house the antenna I used was marginal; on some days you'd get some stations OK...but then I moved to DirecTV then too; that was 8-9years ago.



Thanks for the link to AntennaWeb.org .

[nanook105]

I can vouch for the "any" antenna. I bought my house over 15 years ago, and the antenna was already on the roof. I currently use that antenna and most of my HD stations come in fine. I'm going to replace it once the weather breaks, but more because of wind damage and the desire to get UHF and VHF.

I would start by using your existing rooftop antenna and getting an HD tuner card to validate the signal

[btvfreak]

This antenna FAQ might be of some help:
http://htpcnews.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=19610

[Rich A]

Originally Posted by Gunn

Thanks for the responses. I thought you needed a special digital antenna to received digital stations. I guess there's more to learn than I thought I already didn't know about!

So are you (Rich) saying that with my current antenna, I could be getting these digital signals? How would I view them? Do I need some sort of special decoder box to run the signal through before the TV?

I've lived in this house for 3 years and it has an antenna with a rotor attached, but...I've never used it since I immediately hooked up the DirecTV dish that was also already installed. In my previous house the antenna I used was marginal; on some days you'd get some stations OK...but then I moved to DirecTV then too; that was 8-9years ago.

Thanks for the link to AntennaWeb.org .

The key word in your response is "could". Whether or not it will work to receive your OTA digital is really dependant on the condition of the antenna, and your coaxial feed But given a "standard" TV antenna in good condition it would be no worse then any "so-called" digital antenna of the same size and type also in good condition.

You are receiving "radio waves" at various frequencies. Doen't matter if the signal is digital or analog. What matters is the frequency.

The problem a lot of people have when trying to use their existing antenna, is that in a lot of cases that antenna is like 20 years old and 1. not as well designed as today's antennas. 2. usually rusted, with broken, bent and missing elements. 3. lastly you DO need an antenna with lots of gain which the old one may not be. For example a particular antenna might have been able to pull in an analog TV station from 60 miles away. But it would have to have more gain to get error free a digital station from 60 miles away.

Of course if your old antenna was getting analog stations from 60 miles away fine, and your digital stations were only 30 miles away, then that would work most likely work fine.