What kind of indoor antenna do i need

Help, please, I'm confused on which direction to go, and don't want to waste money needlessly! That station is pretty far away and is Hi-V, which means it's more difficult to receive. It's impossible to know without trying whether you can pick it up using an indoor antenna or not; You might be able to, but there's a good chance you won't. Here's what I suggest: before buying ANYTHING, talk to your neighbors, or people on Facebook who live near you, or people on Nextdoor to see what channels people in your neighborhood are able to pick up and what kind of antennas they are using.

That will give you a better idea of whether an antenna will pick up CBS. Regarding a Roku, that won't help you with antenna reception. Rather, it allows you to get paid and free streaming TV services through your internet connection. That is a free service that gives you local broadcast TV for free using a Roku or other streaming device.

However, it's not available in all markets. Regarding the Geosbyte antenna, I have not tried that model, but I'm very skeptical about about the claimed mile range. The coax cable looks very thin and cheap; the amplifier is in the wrong place it should be at the antenna end of the cable, not at the TV end , and it's got no VHF elements.

It's an outdoor antenna, but it's small; you can mount it on a patio or under your eaves; you don't necessarily have to put it on the roof.

Brian, I'm going to get my converter for my old tv now and have a question about the aerials. When I click on the Amazon ads you've linked, I notice that they all say that it won't work if the tv is older than I was assuming that the converter would correct that situation so that it WOULD work with a tv older than Am I right, or is there some other reason that the tv has to be newer than that?

Also, new TV's are pretty inexpensive these days; you might want to save up to buy a new TV which has much better picture, uses less power, etc.

I actually do want the old tv a "round" tv, my year-old calls it, because of the convex screen , and the two people who have offered me free flat screens are shaking their heads in disbelief. If you have astigmatism, it's just so much easier to see the picture on the older tv.

I did check the stations, which gives me more than I need, and I got the converter today through Best Buy's Black Friday sale. Now to order the antenna! Hi, I was all set to order Mohu Leaf 30, then saw that many of the channels I want are over 50 miles. Many thanks! You would get the most channels with an attic or rooftop antenna. You can try some of the indoor models which claim longer range, but they may or may not give you more channels.

Bottom line, try one out yes, the longer range one , but be prepared to return it if you can't get the channels you want. Well I am in zipcode in new apartment complex but my apartment windows face north and the tv towers are degrees south east I was getting all of the vhf stations until the apartment complex started building new addition due east across street.

I also have new rg-6 coaxial cable. I can get abc, and quest at night only, once sun comes up I lose them. I have the lg digital Flat screen Tv 48 " with all the latest technology built into it.

My email for replies is bluemcgoo protonmail. I don't think the Aerowave antenna will outperform your Clearstream 2V. I would stick with the setup you have and tweak antenna location and direction. I was getting about 20 channels with my indoor HD antenna, but a few days ago, I lost all of them and haven't been able to get them back. Not sure what steps to take next. On October 18th we had to rescan our digital tv for the new frequencies for TV statins in Chicago.

Every since then we've had trouble consistently getting all the channels. First remedy I tried was an Onn amplifier and after hooking it up we rescanned again and were getting 70 channels, a combination of channels from both Chicago and Milwaukee even with the antenna pointed toward Chicago we're about 45 miles NW of Chicago.

But then a day or two later we had nothing. Then occasionally one or 2 would come back ones out of Chicago , then nothing again in a day or 2. Any suggestions? Brian I use the Mohu Indoor Antenna as well. I found that if I mounted it high on the wall that was facing the direction where the towers are I could get NBC.

One weekend a friend was over and we accidentally unplugged the power supple to the antenna. When I plugged it back in and did a rescan, multiple times.

I haven't been able to get NBC. I tried moving it around, adding foil and making sure the cables were all plugged in. I really miss not having NBC. ANY suggestions? Help Teresa. A good number of readers have complained about similar problems after re-scans. The FCC did move a bunch of channels around in the spectrum, but I'm not sure why this is happening only after a rescan. Most TVs give you the ability to re-add a channel manually. Can you try that? Let me know what happens.

When channels were changed and we had to re-scan we got a lot of "No Information" stations and a ton of stupid stations at the bottom of the list. We lost some good stations. Then we had to re-scan again on the 28th of October for another change of channels. Now we have more "No Information" no channel, on a gray screen. We also have many of the same channels with the same show on the headings but only one number will work.

The rest are the gray screens. They took the channel "THIS" off completely. I watched that one a lot. They replace it with a channel that has three other number locations and it is not a good program at all. We have a very expensive and big antenna on top of the house.

This should give us more channels. Thank you for any advice you may give. The loss of certain channels might be a temporary thing as they offload channels to different antenna towers while they upgrade the main ones.

Hi, Brian! The station is about 30 miles away n the indoor antenna didn't work. I have a outdoor antenna on my roof that was here when I moved in, I recently realized there is a cable wire connected to it that leads into my basement. Would I be able to pick up stations with it even though it's definitely an old one?

Hi, Brian. It's worth noting that some of these antennas -- the 1byOne and the Channel Master Smartenna Plus -- include gain-boosting amplifiers. While the 1byOne will also work without the amp attached, the Channel Master won't. Based on our experiences in a number of locations, however, amplifiers offer a wildly unpredictable signal strength benefit. If you can't get TV reception with an indoor antenna, a gain amp may not actually help you, and in other cases, it could make your reception worse by overloading channels that already have a strong signal.

Several antennas in our list include a powered amplifier, but use thoughtfully, as these may actually make a strong signal worse. Unlike when we reviewed indoor antennas in , most contemporary antennas include some form of adhesive to attach them to your wall or window.

If for some reason they lack this option you could try packing tape or poster putty instead. When you install it, you will definitely need to experiment with the placement. A wall may actually be better than a window, depending on the orientation of your living area. Also, if possible keep the antenna away from magnetic metals such as security bars or the like since they can interfere with your signal strength.

If you buy a model with a short, captive lead like the 1byOne, be aware that you may need to buy a male-female extension lead, and more coaxial cable , to get it to reach your equipment.

Finally, if you live in a poor coverage area, with weak signals, an indoor antenna may not be for you. We tried using the antennas at a location in the Hudson Valley and none of them worked at all, even the signal-boosting Smartenna.

That's why it's best to test the signal strength waters with a cheap antenna first, instead of spending a hundred bucks on something that might not work in your location due to a lack of a broadcast tower. Be respectful, keep it civil and stay on topic. We delete comments that violate our policy , which we encourage you to read.

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When you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Ty Pendlebury , Joshua Goldman. Jump to details. Delivered Wednesdays. Best TV antenna overall. Detachable coaxial cable? Yes Number of channels: 50 in Manhattan, 61 in New Jersey Number of watchable channels: 9 out of 13 checked, both locations The Flatenna 35 has been upgraded with a removable antenna since our original test.

An antenna picks up broadcast signals from local channels, such as local news — or national programming from local broadcasting stations. Anything you get over your TV antenna in the US is free, too, so if you don't want to cough up for a Netflix subscription — or if your internet connection isn't super reliable — it may be a good shout.

There's technically no such thing as an HD or 4K antenna — so you don't necessarily need an upgraded model to make the most of improved broadcast quality over the past few years. For this piece, we tested indoor antennas that remain near your TV, both standard antennas that connect solely via coaxial cable, and amplified ones that add a USB connection or must be plugged into a wall outlet for a powered-up range boost.

We tested several current indoor TV antennas from the top makers in the business, watching to see how many channels each antenna could find, how easy it was to set up, how crisp the signal looked, the style and size of the device, and the price and overall value.

Our testing environment was a two-story house just outside of Chicago, less than 15 miles from downtown. Each antenna was tested on two televisions: one on the first floor, and another upstairs on the second floor. Even if modern antennas are more reliable than the old versions, they can still be fickle: your distance from broadcast towers is important, but so too is where you place the antenna, where you are in your home, and what's around it.

Your experience may vary to ours, as a result, and you may need to experiment with location to yield the most channels to watch. These are the best indoor TV antennas that we've tested so far, and we'll be adding more to the list once we try more models. North America. Included in this guide: 1. The best indoor TV antennas are absolutely essential for anyone planning on cutting the cord. Antennas Direct ClearStream Eclipse 2. Amplified: Yes. Dimensions: Cable length: 15ft.

Reasons to avoid - It's a pricier option. Specifications Range: 80 miles. Dimensions: 30 x 8. Reasons to avoid - Bulky and hard to hide - Most expensive.

Specifications Range: 70 miles. Cable length: 10ft. Reasons to avoid - Still pretty expensive. Specifications Range: 50 miles.