Should i get an amplified antenna

When TV signals bounce off objects on their way from the transmitter to your HDTV antenna they create reflections, which your HD antenna also picks up. These reflections can cause "multipath distortion. If you used the TV Fool website to locate your desired stations, you should have an accurate picture of their direction in relation to your home.

As an alternative to a multi-directional antenna, you might consider combining a directional antenna with a rotor, which lets you remotely rotate the antenna to pick up stations in multiple directions. The popular Mohu Leaf 30 indoor antenna is small and paper-thin, so it mounts easily to a wall, a window, or almost anywhere.

Indoor antennas are generally small, lightweight, and simple to connect to your TV. While many people place this type of HD antenna on or near the TV for convenience, you'll generally get the best reception if you place it fairly high on a wall or close to a window. Outdoor antennas tend to be significantly larger and are intended for roof- or attic-mounting. In general, the larger an HDTV antenna's surface area is, the stronger the signal it will provide.

The relative strength of the signal an antenna can deliver to a tuner is referred to as "gain" and is measured in decibels dB. The higher the dB rating, the greater the gain. One way to help HDTV antennas overcome size or height disadvantages, or otherwise improve reception, is by amplifying the signal. The amplifier can be built in, as it is in many indoor antennas, or it can be a separate device.

The potential drawbacks of amplifiers are that they amplify noise along with the signal, and they can be overdriven by strong signals, which can make reception worse. You could also try calling local TV stations with your antenna questions. It's definitely in their interest to help their viewers improve reception. The AVS Forum's local HDTV message boards are also an excellent source for info on digital TV reception; they're loaded with great suggestions and solutions to particular reception problems in locations ranging from big cities to small towns and rural communities.

To learn more about ATSC 3. ATSC 3. Learn about when, where, and how you can get it. Which kind of wall mount should you buy for your flat-panel TV?

Our expert covers the different types of mounts that are available so you can make the right choice for your setup. This article will explain everything about the convenient connection. Find out why we like them, and read our buying tips to better understand what to look for when shopping.

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Our advisors cannot see anything that is on your computer. They only have the ability to "serve" a page from our site and put items in your cart. All finished with your chat session? Continue chat Close. Our contact center is currently closed. Why is this required? However, ATSC 3. Incidentally, all of these antennas should also work reasonably well for FM radio, which resides in a frequency band just above TV channel 6. We skipped them for this guide. However, the Federal Communications Commission recently auctioned off the radio frequency spectrum above MHz formerly TV channels 35 and higher to wireless broadband services, which forced many TV channels to shift to lower frequencies in the VHF range.

Some people may have been disappointed to discover that their formerly reliable antenna could no longer pull in channels that had moved from UHF to VHF. To find out whether you need to worry about VHF reception, visit the RabbitEars Signal Search Map and enter your zip code to see which stations in your area are broadcasting on which channels. The map also shows where the broadcast antennas are relative to your location. Note that these changes do not affect the channel number listed in your TV-channel guide.

TV reception is unpredictable. But in the hope of finding the antennas that would work most consistently under the greatest variety of conditions, we used them in five different locations for our latest round of testing. For each round of tests, I did a channel scan with the connected TV to see how many channels I could pick up.

Note that many of these channels use multicast technology, broadcasting several channels in the space of one. For antennas that incorporated a signal-level meter, I first tested them in the same aesthetically convenient positions I used for the other antennas, after which I tried using their signal-level meters to see if that would help me find a better antenna position that would pull in more channels.

As mentioned above, we put more emphasis on VHF reception in our latest round of tests, as the longer wavelengths of those frequencies are difficult for small antennas to receive. For example, optimum reception of the lowest TV-signal frequency, channel 2, demands a 4. The lowest active TV channel in Los Angeles is channel 4 which TVs pick up as virtual channels 22 and 63 , so I used the Channel Master signal meter to measure the sensitivity of the antennas to this channel as a way to gauge low-VHF sensitivity.

All of our recommendations produce signals that, with a clear transmission in good conditions, are typically 25 to 30 dB or to 1, times stronger than the noise. Although the performance of the antennas we tested was sometimes inconsistent and thus difficult to gauge, all of our picks excelled in certain tests and at least placed in the middle of the pack in every other test.

Of all the antennas in our latest round of testing, the Antennas Direct ClearStream Flex was the most consistent performer. It always ranked at or near the top in the number of channels received, and in our technical tests it produced a strong signal with relatively low noise. The ClearStream Flex did the best overall in my in-home tests, pulling in the most channels 90 out of in the first room and the fourth-most channels in the second room.

In our tests in the Oceanside, California, area, it was one of several models that tied for second best, pulling in 21 channels. Without the amp, the numbers were a little lower: 81 and 87 in my home, and 19 in Oceanside.

A supplied Sure Grip adhesive strip attaches the ClearStream Flex to the wall, and you can reposition the antenna by gently peeling it off the wall and resticking it elsewhere. You can even wipe the strip off with a damp cloth if it gets dirty, thus restoring its stickiness. The cable attaches to the antenna with a threaded connector, so you can substitute a longer, shorter, or different-colored cable if you desire.

The amplifier accompanying the antenna we received was a 3-inch-long rectangle, different from the amp shown on the Amazon page. The ClearStream Flex is one of the larger flat models we tested. In fact, a weak TV signal can still show up clear but then cut in and out.

Unfortunately, no. An amplifier works to correct weak signals in your antenna. Sort of like an audio amplifier that can take a small noise and make it much louder, an antenna amplifier can take a weak signal and make it strong enough to broadcast channels, pictures, and sound on your digital TV. Back before digital TV, you could usually get fuzzy reception when you had a weaker signal. But the good news is that if you can increase the signal enough with an amplifier, you should be able to enjoy the full TV experience, with a clear picture and sound.

Pros Good reception of weak signals Directional to help avoid interference Sturdy construction to stand up to the weather. Cons Roof mounting is more complicated than indoor mounting Might require a rotator is the broadcast towers you're tuning into are far apart Designed only to receive UHF stations.

Channel Master Flatenna 35 model No. Pros Very low price Well made U. Cons No coax cable included see review regarding limited-time offer. Cons Not the best-looking thing to have on your wall or window Excess cable can get messy quick. Antennas Direct Clearstream Flex. Pros Flat design makes it easy to mount inside your house Inline amplifier helps boost signals.

Cons Won't work well in an area with medium strength or weaker signals Indoor use means it's more susceptible to interference. Antennas Direct Clearstream 4 Max. Pros Good reception of strong to medium level signals on UHF and VHF-High Multidirectional reception for areas with transmitters in different locations Sturdy mount with mounting hardware for attic or outdoor installation. Cons No built-in amplifier so you might need one for weaker channels. Pros Automatic tuning to receive the greatest number of channels Push-on antenna connector Sturdy design and build quality.

Cons Requires a power outlet Bulkier than other amplified antennas. Mohu Blade. Cons Unsuitable for weak signal areas Cannot be window mounted. Winegard Elite Cons Plastic mounting bracket feels a little cheap. Pros Good reception of strong, local channels Built-in amplifier and cellular filter.