Are There Amplified TV Antennas That Work?

[Gary Brown]

Hi,

Is there an amplified antenna that is both small and likely
to give good reception?

I have been shopping for an amplified TV antenna. So far,
the reviews have been contradictory.

We have a small set in the kitchen currently connected to
a passive antenna, a pair of rabbit ears with a tuning knob.
Reception is poor just 40 miles from Boston. Cable or an
external antenna are not practical.

Thanks,
Gary

 

[Jerry G.]

The problem with amplified antennas for TV sets, is that they will also
amplify the noise and reflections that are part of a weak signal. In some
cases but not all, they can improve reception. It is hard to predict the
results without trying it out.

As for rabbit ears, I found the simple ones with no adjustable traps, and
etc are the best to use. Just get a simple one that the rod lengths can be
adjusted, and also the angles are adjustable.

If the signal is too weak to begin with, an outdoor antenna may be the
answer. Cable would be the best solution.

--

Jerry G.
=====


Hi,

Is there an amplified antenna that is both small and likely
to give good reception?

I have been shopping for an amplified TV antenna. So far,
the reviews have been contradictory.

We have a small set in the kitchen currently connected to
a passive antenna, a pair of rabbit ears with a tuning knob.
Reception is poor just 40 miles from Boston. Cable or an
external antenna are not practical.

Thanks,
Gary

 

[Dave Platt]

Hi,

Is there an amplified antenna that is both small and likely
to give good reception?

Not really, no.

I have been shopping for an amplified TV antenna. So far,
the reviews have been contradictory.

We have a small set in the kitchen currently connected to
a passive antenna, a pair of rabbit ears with a tuning knob.
Reception is poor just 40 miles from Boston. Cable or an
external antenna are not practical.

The problem is this: your TV set's tuner probably has plenty of RF
gain. It's probably already boosting up the incoming signal as far as
makes any sense. The quality of your reception is limited by
multipath (multiple reflections of the signal, creating ghosts) and by
random RF noise. If you stick an amplifier in between your antenna
and your TV, the amplifier will boost the multipath and random noise
just as much as it does the desired signal... and it'll add a bit of
additional noise of its own. The net result is that the picture
probably won't get appreciably better.

I'm sorry to say that there's just no good magic substitute for a good
antenna, having some amount of directional gain, mounted up as high as
possible so that it has a reasonably clear line-of-sight to the
transmitter.

You _might_ get better signal quality if you take a small directional
outdoor antenna (or an "attic antenna" as they're sometimes sold),
mount it so that it hangs down from your kitchen ceiling, and rotate
it until it points towards the transmitter.

 

[Watson A.Name \Watt Sun - the Dark Remover\]

Hi,

Is there an amplified antenna that is both small and likely
to give good reception?

No. You cannot amplify a signal that isn't there to begin with; all you
will get is noise. In order to get a decent signal, you have to have a
decent antenna. You can't make an antenna small and expect it to get a
good signal, because the area of the antenna is what captures the
signal. The smaller the area, the smaller the signal. TAANSTAFL.

I have been shopping for an amplified TV antenna. So far,
the reviews have been contradictory.

We have a small set in the kitchen currently connected to
a passive antenna, a pair of rabbit ears with a tuning knob.
Reception is poor just 40 miles from Boston. Cable or an
external antenna are not practical.

The 40 mile distance is considered 'fringe area' and isn't within the
primary service area of the TV stations. Expect to get less than
optimum performance from even a decent antenna.

 

[Michael A. Covington]

Amplified antennas will work wonders if you happen to have a TV whose tuner
lacks gain. Relatively few modern TVs have that problem (although I'm told
some do, now that cable TV is so common).

 

[Glenn Gundlach]

Hi,

Is there an amplified antenna that is both small and likely
to give good reception?

I have been shopping for an amplified TV antenna. So far,
the reviews have been contradictory.

We have a small set in the kitchen currently connected to
a passive antenna, a pair of rabbit ears with a tuning knob.
Reception is poor just 40 miles from Boston. Cable or an
external antenna are not practical.

Thanks,
Gary

I saw one of these at the electronics store yesterday. Mainly UHF only
(some (high band VHF) intended for off air DTV though it would do well
for analog UHF as well.

http://www.winegard.com/offair/pdf/ss1000.pdf

GG