Over the Air antenna recommendations

[cyinne]

I am in the market for an OTA antenna. We are about 70 miles from Sioux City, 100 miles from Omaha, and 130 miles from Des Moines. Im going to guess that we will need an amplified antenna because of the distance from the cities with the stations. I would also like to mount it behind the tv because the tv is hanging on the wall and there is no access to put the antenna elsewhere and fish wires through the wall. Any recommendations would be great. Thanks!

 

[jbhtexas]

Hang behind the TV??? At those distances, you are going to need an outdoor antenna, and you will struggle with that...

Also, you need to figure out the actual frequencies that the stations you want to watch are broadcasting on. If any of them are broadcasting on the low VHF channels (2-6), you will need an antenna with the long radials (the second one below) to get those channels. After the FCC "repacking" of the TV channels, some stations have ended up back down on the low VHF channels.

HD7698P Platinum HD Series Antenna

Unlock a world of high-definition entertainment with the Winegard HD7698P Platinum HD Series Antenna. This powerful antenna delivers exceptional reception and crystal-clear picture quality, allowing you to enjoy your favorite TV shows and channels with unparalleled clarity. Designed for...

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HD8200U Platinum HD Series Antenna

Experience crystal-clear HDTV reception with the Winegard HD8200U Platinum HD Series Antenna. Designed for superior performance and durability, this high-gain antenna delivers exceptional signal strength for capturing free over-the-air broadcast channels. Unlock a wide range of HD programming...

winegard.com

 

[JP4CY]

I have an outdoor one that then taps into the existing cable lines. That way I can hook up TVs all thru the house into coax outlets and not need individual antennas.

 

[ISUCyclones2015]

I chose Odebolt since that seemed like a close enough to where you were saying and you mentioned O-Town in your profile.

Closest tower is 53 miles away... not very likely you'll catch it with an indoor mounted antenna that's not even on a window.

It looks like your best bet is to get a 100-mile outdoor antenna mounted on the roof and pointed towards Des Moines (112-113 degrees from North) to get the most channels.

 

[CyCloned]

I have an outdoor one that then taps into the existing cable lines. That way I can hook up TVs all thru the house into coax outlets and not need individual antennas.

Be aware that if you split a signal to several TVs. the signal will lose it's strength. I had add a signal booster to my outside antenna because it was split so many times.

 

[jdcyclone19]

I am in the market for an OTA antenna. We are about 70 miles from Sioux City, 100 miles from Omaha, and 130 miles from Des Moines. Im going to guess that we will need an amplified antenna because of the distance from the cities with the stations. I would also like to mount it behind the tv because the tv is hanging on the wall and there is no access to put the antenna elsewhere and fish wires through the wall. Any recommendations would be great. Thanks!

My parent's farm, not far from Odebolt, has an outdoor antenna mounted on the top of a 20' old powerline pole on the top of a hill, even then they have trouble periodically. An outdoor antenna with an indoor amplifier works the best so far. KCAU seemed to be the biggest problem. KTIV, 14, and 44 come in good.

 

[Cyclonesrule91]

I live in Clive so not very far from the Alleman towers and it's hard to me to get signal and the hang on the wall behind your TV doesn't work if the TV is between the tower and the antenna. I'm going up to the attic with mine soon.

 

[jbhtexas]

I chose Odebolt since that seemed like a close enough to where you were saying and you mentioned O-Town in your profile.

Closest tower is 53 miles away... not very likely you'll catch it with an indoor mounted antenna that's not even on a window.

It looks like your best bet is to get a 100-mile outdoor antenna mounted on the roof and pointed towards Des Moines (112-113 degrees from North) to get the most channels.

View attachment 79024

Good point here...outdoor antennas are generally directional, so if you want to watch stations from those different cities you are also going to need a rotator...

 

[JP4CY]

Be aware that if you split a signal to several TVs. the signal will lose it's strength. I had add a signal booster to my outside antenna because it was split so many times.

Yep I do that as well. Just so convenient doing it that way.

 

[Isualum13]

If you have metal siding on your house it makes it very difficult to get a signal. I am not far from any of the towers and can't get reception unless I put the antenna facing out a window. And even then any time a car drives by the signal cuts out. Also, when they put up a windfarm near town a couple years ago, that also cut into the reception. Things to keep in mind.

 

[CyCloned]

Yep I do that as well. Just so convenient doing it that way.

No, that is exactly what I did, but we have probably too many TVs. Some of which rarely get used, like the one in the workout area.

 

[qwerty]

My setup works pretty well for me. I bought a large outdoor 'V' antenna, installed it in my attic (that was a b*tch) and then bought one of these and wired them together.

RCA Outdoor and/or Attic Compact HD Antenna ANT705 with up to 70-mile Range - Walmart.com

Buy RCA Outdoor and/or Attic Compact HD Antenna ANT705 with up to 70-mile Range at Walmart.com

www.walmart.com

The large antenna I couldn't QUITE get angled to best position due to roof slope/rafters but in conjunction with the smaller one, I get good signal 98% of the time. My house is 3/4 down a slope with hills between it and the signal tower so it is tough to get a good signal unless you put up a high tower to mount the antenna on. I didn't want an antenna on my new roof either.

 

[kcbob79clone]

Good point here...outdoor antennas are generally directional, so if you want to watch stations from those different cities you are also going to need a rotator...

I grew up in that area and I was the rotator, standing outside the window in 20 below weather getting signals on how far to rotate the antenna manually.

 

[jbhtexas]

I grew up in that area and I was the rotator, standing outside the window in 20 below weather getting signals on how far to rotate the antenna manually.

Well, at least you had a rotator...I lived in a fringe area growing up...antenna pointed in one direction...2 channels...NBC and CBS/ABC. Three when PBS came along...

 

[jsb]

I grew up in that area and I was the rotator, standing outside the window in 20 below weather getting signals on how far to rotate the antenna manually.

I grew up north of Waterloo and we had a rotator to get Iowa State basketball games on TV.

 

[cyinne]

Wow! Good work everyone! Looks like I will have my work cut out for me..... I will get something rigged up!

 

[mkadl]

I chose Odebolt since that seemed like a close enough to where you were saying and you mentioned O-Town in your profile.

Closest tower is 53 miles away... not very likely you'll catch it with an indoor mounted antenna that's not even on a window.

It looks like your best bet is to get a 100-mile outdoor antenna mounted on the roof and pointed towards Des Moines (112-113 degrees from North) to get the most channels.

View attachment 79024

I am impressed. That is a neat find. In the farmhouse I grew up in My father had a pipe bolted to an attic ceiling joist just inside of the attic door, mounted inside the pipe was a smaller one with a antenna mounted to it. At state basketball tournament time we would yell to him when he would rotate the attic antenna and pick up the Sioux City station or channel 5 whichever came in the clearest. Channel 5 had ISU basketball on Saturdays and Sioux city carried the boys and girls state tournaments.

 

[cstrunk]

My setup works pretty well for me. I bought a large outdoor 'V' antenna, installed it in my attic (that was a b*tch) and then bought one of these and wired them together.

RCA Outdoor and/or Attic Compact HD Antenna ANT705 with up to 70-mile Range - Walmart.com

Buy RCA Outdoor and/or Attic Compact HD Antenna ANT705 with up to 70-mile Range at Walmart.com

www.walmart.com

The large antenna I couldn't QUITE get angled to best position due to roof slope/rafters but in conjunction with the smaller one, I get good signal 98% of the time. My house is 3/4 down a slope with hills between it and the signal tower so it is tough to get a good signal unless you put up a high tower to mount the antenna on. I didn't want an antenna on my new roof either.

I did something like this and it works pretty well for most of the stations. It has trouble getting NBC in very well in my area, so I have a small indoor antenna that I figured out how to position exactly on my mantle to get it to work pretty well 98% of the time. Unsightly and kind of a pain, but it works.

Make sure all of your coaxial cables are separated from any other electrical cables as best as possible to minimize interference.

 

[qwerty]

I did something like this and it works pretty well for most of the stations. It has trouble getting NBC in very well in my area, so I have a small indoor antenna that I figured out how to position exactly on my mantle to get it to work pretty well 98% of the time. Unsightly and kind of a pain, but it works.

Make sure all of your coaxial cables are separated from any other electrical cables as best as possible to minimize interference.

Like someone else, I just tagged the coax into the old cable feed to route throughout the house. I already had a pair of these on my various lines so I just left them. It is supposed to give a +7 dB boost to the signal downstream.

Amazon.com

 

[isucy86]

I live in Clive so not very far from the Alleman towers and it's hard to me to get signal and the hang on the wall behind your TV doesn't work if the TV is between the tower and the antenna. I'm going up to the attic with mine soon.

Used to live in Clive and found out if I put the antennae in front of a window on a table or hung the antennae in the window I was able to pull in the DSM local stations. It also helps to have the antennae pointing out on a higher floor.