DTV Antennas

WFXS, FOX55 - Digital TV Reception Advice for those who don't have cable or satellite.

Over the past few months, there have been several TV markets across the country, including Wausau, that have made the switch to Digital TV only by shutting off their analog transmitters. As one would expect these stations and the FCC have taken thousands of calls and complaints from people not ready or able to see the new digital signals. At this point in time there is clearly one problem that is the top source of irritation for viewers and that is the good old TV antenna issue.

TV antennas have not changed much in the last 50 years. There are VHF antennas and UHF antennas and combo antennas that come in various shapes and sizes to help meet your distance requirements. The one big problem though is people always blame the TV station if a signal doesn’t come in as clearly as they want, and with digital signals, the picture is either perfect or non existent. What this means is that if your antenna has brought in some stations with a little fuzz or a little grainyness, then you might just need a better antenna for digital or risk losing those stations completely. And forget about those set top rabbit ears or supposed combos or powered hybrids. Indoor antennas are severely affected by things like aluminum siding, electrical wiring, foil backed insulation, interior walls and even peoples bodies as they walk through the house.

You see, the antenna is really the most important part of your TV reception, but is usually overlooked. People think nothing of paying $1,000 for that new widescreen TV, but we whine, cry and simply refuse to invest any money in that silly antenna. People usually buy that $50 special one size fits all combo sold at the major chain stores. The single component that has the most impact on whether or not you get a signal is seen as a mere nuisance or extra expense. If we find that the signal doesn’t come in we immediately determine it is the fault of that darn TV station. “If they only put out more power”. As captain Kirk of Star Trek would say, More Power Scotty, More Power.

Well the fact of the matter is more power does not mean better reception at most homes. More antenna does.

Antennas are generally directional, meaning they need to be pointed towards the signal you want, and they will reject the signals from the side that you generally do not want. Unfortunately all TV stations do not transmit from the same tower locations so many people actually need multiple antennas pointed in multiple directions, or one of those dreaded rotors. Just two quick notes here, do not try to use an old-fashioned rotor with a digital TV set. It will drive you crazy trying to tune in the best direction because by the time the digital picture appears and locks, you have already spun the antenna past the correct point. It’s called the digital delay and Trust me, it’s not fun. The second note is that TV stations do not get to choose tower locations. All the technical details are controlled by the government in the licensing process and transmitters are located at whatever point meets the FCC’s coverage criteria.

The good news is that there are solutions. The most common solution is to just install one or two fixed roof top antennas pointing in the correct directions for your TV market. In the Wausau/Rhinelander market, that would be one towards Rib Mountain and one towards the intersection of Hwy 52 East and “J” north, east of Wausau. The 12 mile distance between those two tower locations makes it sometimes impossible to get good signals from both locations with one antenna pointed in the middle. It is simple physics and you can’t change that.

On a brighter note for those that live within about 25 miles of all the TV stations towers there is new technology coming to the market that is know as the Smart Antenna. (Beware similar names but different products). The true smart antenna has a built in electronic tuning system that is controlled by some brands of TV or Converter boxes. The system automatically tunes the antenna to the optimum settings for each channel and stores or remembers that configuration so that each time you flip the channel, the antenna adjusts itself for that channel. Now obviously if you are the type to watch parts of all four broadcast networks during a 30 second commercial break, your antenna may have trouble keeping up, but for many close-in antenna dependant households, this item may be very helpful.

Now that the Wausau-Rhinelander market has transitioned to the new Digital TV age, any time you find yourself wishing that darn TV station would put out more power, think immediately of your own antenna. That antenna will be the key to a painless and enjoyable future of TV viewing.

To purchase a good antenna, look for one made by either Channelmaster or Winegard. Forget those Chinese or korean made products at some discount stores. Think of the antenna as an extension of the TV set. A good signal into the set makes a good picture while a weak signal into the TV set makes no picture at all.  Click below for more information.

• TV Reception Guide
• HDTV Q&A
• Digital Transition