HD antenna

[GFNER]

I bought a HD antenna for my tv to receive the local free channels, it has to be re-adjusted on nearly every channel. Is this the norm or is there an antenna that will receive all channels without having to constantly adjust?

[Jim Almquist]

A standard UHF/VHF antenna is all you really need because there is no "special" HD antenna. Most of the stations are broadcast in UHF but I thought the was 1 or 2 that were moving to the upper part of the VHF. I am guessing that you have a small antenna on your TV set and it might not have enough "power" to pull in the stations with out some sort of adjustment. You might need a roof top model to make it work without any adjustments.

[LMITOUT]

Andover is practically on top of the antenna farm at Shoreview where all the metro stations broadcast from so it should be fairly easy to get all the channels with a little fine tuning and experimenting with your antenna placement.

The signal is directional so try to point your antenna towards the antenna farm at Shoreview and see if that helps.

Make sure there is little blockage between your antenna and the broadcast tower at Shoreview. Not sure if you have a tall building blocking your view or not.. It's a line of sight deal, so the less obstructions the better.

FOX9 and KARE11 are in the VHF band but the rest of the stations are broadcasting UHF. If you're that close to their antennas a UHF might be all you need since they're on the upper end of the VHF band.

[solbes]

I'm in Ramsey just west of you and I get all of the channels broadcast from Shoreview with no adjustments. I mounted a cheap & large directional antenna up in the attic of my garage. I think I bought it for $26 at Mendards, so a good deal. You should be able to get at least as good of reception given the fact that you are closer.

Do make sure you have no blockages if possible. Even if you do an amplified antenna should easily pick them up.

[Ed Carlson]

I think for antenna quality, you definitely get what you pay for. I tried a supposedly excellent low priced "Local Channel" type from Radio Shack....and it ticked me off so badly I finally trashed it.....JUNK! I have 3 digital broadcasting stations in about 7 miles or less, and they were constantly dropping out and digitized and/or loosing signal completely.

I had to go up, get my antenna back up on the roof. I went with an Omnidirectional type, not too expensive really, and it is pulling in stations well from several directions now and at a surprisingly long distance. The model I recommend you take a look at is the "Winegard MS2000 Metrostar" Omnidirectional Amplified TV Antenna.

The roof top and line of sight deal is of high importance and can not be understated. Getting up above the trees/buildings as much as you can, in the clear, will help dramatically. A simple amplified antenna inside the home will not cut it, you need a window in the sky to get the signal through to you.

Google it up...there is a lot of excellent advice on how to best install a system and what type of antenna will do well for your needs. They show where the stations are in proximity to your address, so you can evaluate what range antenna is best and what type. If you have Digital broadcasting stations in many directions from you, the Omnidirectional will do better and you will not need a antenna tuner to adjust it's roof top position in order to lock in weak stations.

Here is a very well informed breakdown on types and applications of many top antenna systems.

Top Rated antenna systems.

[GFNER]

Thanks just the info I was looking for.