What kind of range can I get with an HD antenna? Is there a long-range HD antenna?

Question

I would like to eliminate my DISH service, and just get my local stations off-air. I live 54 miles from my ABC affiliate, and 100 miles from NBC and CBS stations. Should I be able to pick-up HD signals with an HD antenna? If so, can anyone recommend a good long-range model? I live in north Florida - reasonably flat terrain with no tall buildings.

Note: I would really prefer people to answer this question who have some expertise, or have similar experiences. Some people on Yahoo Answers just "guess" - I guess to earn points - but I need some real advice.

Answer 1

I agree with RT, 100 miles would be pushing things. But 54 miles should work if the terrain cooperates. You basically need to have a clear line of sight between you and the transmission towers. Living on top of a hill helps.

I live in the Sierra Nevada foothills, 65 miles from the Sacramento, CA towers and I get great reception with a medium-sized directional antenna.

If all your stations are UHF (channels 14-69), you may be able to use a big Yagi or one of the Bow-Tie screen antennas like the Channel Master 4228. These are narrow angle antennas, so you'll need to steer them with a motorized antenna rotator if the stations are at various angles.

If your stations are both UHF and VHF (2-13), you'll need the biggest directional antenna you can get, Winegard makes excellent antennas and I believe they make a huge one with a 180 inch long boom.

Answer 2

Not all areas are broadcasting in digital yet, next year they will be.  The range on the station depends on it broadcasting power, a big antenna will help get weaker signals.  All TVs are similar in their receiver technology, some TVs just get a better picture even if they are the same model.

Digital just might bring back antennas, the picture really looks good.  No snow like on analog TVs.

Answer 3

True,but some times I switch the digital box off and use analog during heavy rain or other atmospheric conditions because I prefer a slightly snowy picture to those annoying signal drop offs in digital.

Answer 4

Any good rooftop antenna (HD or even an old-fashioned UHF) will work. If they worked good with analog TV, they'll work great with digital.

http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/info.aspx?p...

http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-11249_7-626...

Answer 5

I don't know.  100 miles is a pretty long haul.  I would seriously doubt that one.  The 54 mile one might be doable, but I would consider that marginal.  You are going to need a very large antenna mounted quite high.  There are a lot of variables here.  You are far enough away, the curve of the earth may be a factor, too.

We are in Texas and our station does about 60 miles over the air.

There really isn't any such thing as a HD antenna; that is marketing hype.  There are people on this board that will give me a thumbs down for saying that, however an antenna cares about frequency; it doesn't know what signal it's receiving.  You need a good quality, properly installed, VHF/UHF antenna.  You can try adding amplifiers, but I fear that the signal will already be noisey so, the amplifier would amplify the noise as well as the signal and the receiver still may not be able to get a lock.

http://www.antennaweb.org is a good resource.  Check that for info.

To avoid the "guessers" as you put it, please come back and pick an answer from all of those submitted..