Can you have "Too Much Antenna" to pick up local channels 45-50 miles away?

Question

Here's my situation... we switched to directv to pinch pennies over cable... i am really missing my locals! We can't get them in my area. Rabbit ears aren't enough, and it has been recommended i get an outdoor antenna to receive them. we are in a suburb-like area and the nearest local stations are 45-50 miles away. I was thinking a Large Directional Antenna would do it. Do I need to get a pre-amp or any of that other stuff to go on it? And If i buy one that covers a 60+ mile range is it overkill? I want to be sure i can get a good clear signal, so do i just stick to the 40-60 mile range ones, or is bigger better?

Answer 1

A 60 mile antenna is not too much for a 40 - 50 mile away station.  There is so much to consider like are you on a hill or behind it.  Height matters alot, unless you are already on a hill.  Amplifiers help get a signal through longer runs of cable, or splitters, but they cannot make something out of nothing.

Antennaweb, below, may help in deciding what you need

The other thing to consider if you get way too much antenna is other cities and transmitters in the same direction but farther away as your local city using the same channels may cause interference in some weather conditions.  This is less likely;y to happen in digital channels.

  

If you get a pre-amp, which has an amplifier by the antenna and the power supply in the house, you cannot have any splitters between the amp and the power supply.

Don't forget it all goes digital next spring.  Your TVs must be ready by February