What is the best indoor antenna I can buy? (1 Viewer)

[George Monroy]

My antenna no longer gets good reception. I have cable and sometimes I need to use the antenna for local channels. What do you recommend?

 

[VinhT]

There are two main choices, powered and nonpowered antennas. Powered antennas amplify whatever signal they receive, and usually have a "volume" knob to adjust the gain. Unpowered antennas provide passive reception, and usually have a switch to optimize between UHF or VHF signals.
About a year ago, I wanted to get a bit better reception across the spectrum of channels. My Radio Shack passive antenna was great, but I wanted to try out some amplified antennas. Afterall, if a passive antenna could do so well, imagine what an amplified one could do.
I went to Best Buy and bought a low-profile Jensen TV-920 for about $40. The reception was most unimpressive. To top it off, there were no controls except the gain dial, and to teak the reception, the whole unit had to be moved. I returned it and got Jensen's top unit, the TV-930, which is a traditional rabbit ears model. It offered some flexibility, but was still lacking. After that, I just decided to get the most expensive antenna I could find, the Terk TV-25 for $70. Once again, disappointment. As it turns out, amplified antennas seem to be very sensitive to their surroundings, especially where the viewer(s) sit.
Oops, enough rambling. Anyways, basically I'd recommend not wasting your time with amplified antennas for regular TV reception, and instead try out some good old fashioned Radio Shack passive ones(I stuck with mine in the end). Set it once, and it's done. Good luck.

 

[George Monroy]

Thanks. I'll try the radioshack passive antennas.

 

[FredS]

FYI - the Silver Sensor indoor antenna has gotten good reports on www.avsforum.com

 

[Mike LS]

This option depends on your housing situation (and if you have attic space), but if you own your house (or have a good relationship with your landlord) put a regular rooftop antenna in your attic and run the wires down the wall behind your TV.

I bought several set-top antennas (amplified and unamplified) and didn't care for the results at all, so I finally just bough one of the smaller roof setups and hung it in the attic....you can hang if from the trusses or you could mount a pole on one of the rafters so it's easily adjustable.

I put mine over my carport (no insulation to hinder reception) and ran the wire down the wall the main floor tv, then continued the run downstairs.

I put an inline amplifier on the downstairs line and it picks up pretty well. Some of the higher channels don't come in that well, but the major networks look better than cable.