I used the $40 coupon to purchase a RCA Digital TV Converter box. Model
DTA800. In the back of the box, there is a "Smart Antenna" connector socket.
This socket is very much similar to a Ethernet connector plug socket - 6
pins RJ11 phone plug. But there is a notch at the top side of the socket.
Can you tell me more about this Smart Antenna connector and how to find out
more about this type of antenna? Where to buy it and how much it costs?
The boxes that qualify for the NTIA converter coupon program have
about the best receivers on the market as of today, even if they do
not support HD quality images per se. The demodulators are very good,
though, and capable of withstanding very strong ghosts in the incoming
signal.
The consequence of this happy state of affairs is that the benefits of
an electronically steerable antenna should be diminished now.
The real advantage of steerable antennas is that one can reduce ghost
energy by carefully aiming the antenna. As anyone who ever used rabbit
ears with analog TV knows very well.
But in an ideal world, the receiver would simply capture that ghost
energy and make use of it, reconstructing a stronger signal by
combining the energy from the main signal path with the energy from
the delayed ghost paths.
Although these new boxes aren't perfect, they do work toward that
ideal. You should notice that antenna aiming becomes much less
critical than it was with older receivers, especially in strong signal
settings. Certainly, people living in fringe areas still need a high
gain antenna. But typically in these cases, the distant transmit
antennas appear to be clustered together, in one direction, so aiming
should be a one-time thing.
I'd try first with the simpler indoor antennas.
Bert
I still have to aim the antenna fairly accurately at the Empire state building, and thats only 25mi.
But I do get the local channel 21 broadside, and 68 off the back side very well.
Thats wit 50' of coax and a mast mounted preamp.
Cheers