Anyone Use a HDTV Antenna For There TV's?

[Trekking]

I have heard some folks have had luck with the HDTV Antenna's.
Has anyone else? Be great for dry camping, if it worked.

 

[Oberneldon]

I use this HDTV antenna on a TV and on my Laptop with the USB TV - as with all TV broadcasts UHF signals are very directional and when at some distance from station getting the antenna facing the station antenna is very important - I use an application on my iPad to find face the antenna correctly. This antenna works good in a van window for stealth and it is amplified with USB plug. http://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-...426673&sr=8-1&keywords=Thin+amplified+antenna

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Here is the TV Tower app that I use - https://appsto.re/us/My7Nx.i

 

[Trekking]

I use this HDTV antenna on a TV and on my Laptop with the USB TV - as with all TV broadcasts UHF signals are very directional and when at some distance from station getting the antenna facing the station antenna is very important - I use an application on my iPad to find face the antenna correctly. This antenna works good in a van window for stealth and it is amplified with USB plug. http://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-...426673&sr=8-1&keywords=Thin+amplified+antenna

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Here is the TV Tower app that I use - https://appsto.re/us/My7Nx.i

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Thank you very much, I have been wondering between amplified and non amplified.

This one has over 8000 reviews on this product.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004QK7HI8/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

 

[Oberneldon]

Don't buy this one as it is not amplified - when the FCC went to only UHF/Digital TV the signal is very line of sight and unless you are very close to the tower non amplified will not work much at all - the non amplified are for city dwellers. The amplified flat antenna are stated as 50 miles and if there is a hill in the way amplified may not work. Pay the extra for amplified.

 

[jimindenver]

Believe it or not this is what we use here ate the house 50 miles from the Denver antennas and much farther away from the Colorado springs and Fort Collins stations that I pick up with them.

They get pretty good reception even though most of the TVs are on the wrong side of the house. I picked up the idea off of you tube looking up home made antennas.

The trailers antenna is not amplified and we never get reception in the mountains, so I tried this.

Funny looking huh. Here in Denver it instantly improved the reception in the trailer, unfortunately we are not the only ones to not get reception where we camp with any antenna. I gave up and bought a Tailgater dish for the trailer. We still use the little antennas here in town though.

 

[Trekking]

How many miles are you getting when out in the country?

 

[jimindenver]

Denver's antennas are on lookout mountain in the foot hills, I live a good hour east on the plains. Colorado Springs antennas are 70 miles or more south of here and I get those just fine too.

 

[Spirituallifetime]

I also use the flat HDTV antenna with amplifier and it works good most of the time. If you live in a metal box like an rv travel trailer or van it has to be in the window to get a signal. I live in an area that is to far to get tv from the stations so the local are has towers to broadcast stations from Salt Lake UT and Reno NV. I'm about 20 miles from Wells NV that is where the local towers are broadcasting to.

 

[jimindenver]

I wanted to add that there is no such thing as a "HDTV" antenna. That is advertising. Any decent VHF/UHF mast antenna made when I was a kid and pointed in the right direction is good for 100 miles. Then again they are huge and go up high on a roof. The 1080 is brilliant with the jewel case antennas, we watch football OTA even though we have cable on the big TV.

This is part 1 of the you tube video on them.

 

[David]

I have one from Walmart for a 19 inch hd TV which I use in my Van. It's amplified and a non directional model (it's a flat plastic square) and it works ok. I think it's rage is 40 miles which is more than enough when I'm around cities.

 

[RVTravel]

Jimindenver, your binder clip antenna looks modified from the youtube video? What did you do different?

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The mods look like duct tape to the sides for better holding by binder clips and spreading of transformer wires to each side instead of using the small paper clip.

 

[jimindenver]

Actually the duck tape is metallic.I forgot to mention it and it's not something everyone has. It replaces the paper clips in connecting all the clips to the transformer. I have them both ways and with both, no real difference.

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Does anyone know if there is a way to add a amplifier to an existing antenna like these?

 

[Oberneldon]

Here is an example of an in-line amplifier. I would check some out and read the reviews as I have not tried this one. http://www.amazon.com/Line-Antenna-Signal-Amplifier-15-369/dp/B007Z7ZHCW

 

[jimindenver]

Cool, Thank you.