A friend of mine was bragging about the number of channels (~14) he was getting with the new antenna for HD TV's. it cost about $40 at Best Buy. Has anyone tried it on an RV? Im thinking it may work great in a metropolitan are but what about a campground that's a bit remote?

There are many HD antenna's. I have tried about 6 of them.The worst was a mount on the wall flat panel antenna. The best was one that I strapped to my roof while parked long term, with a booster and was about 3' long with large loops that picked up a fairly good signal - even though I was in a canyon valley. I was able to use a set top box antenna without the booster at my cousin's house in San Diego and pick up many more stations, even some from LA - about 100 miles north of there. Yet he was on top of a hill, to get better reception. Let us know the model numbers. No I am not near my RV, so can not get the model numbers of what I have. I think the booster was a G3, and google G3 antenna booster will bring up results showing my antenna and it's booster that runs on 12 VDC.http://www.homeantenna.org/outdoor-hdtv-antenna.htmlFred.

I have one of these set up in a back room at home. The signal has to go through three walls and the tower is at least 15 miles away. I get great reception, cost $17.

There are many antennas out there which bear the HD label, Of course when they slap those two letters on the box the price goes up.. NOW in one case. I know of a store that sells two identical APPEARING antennas one of which says HD on it and costs more... However the antennas are quite a bit different.. NOTE they have sold these same two antennas (just without the HD label) for several decades, and the better one has always cost more.But here are facts:AN outdoor antenna will generally outperform indoor antennas, and a designed antenna will generally outperform a pair of rabbit ears or a single monopole. (Even with a tin-foil flag on it).Next, the higher the frequency the more the following statement applies: HEIGHT IS MIGHT.. I prove this often..Most mornings I check into the Breakfast Club net or Before Breakfast Club Net, these are on 75 meters (That is a long wavelength).. Now with a 100 watt transmitter and around 82 feet of wire I talk to a good portion of the US. I'm in SC and routinely hear and am heard by stations in Michigan, NYC, Idho, Texas, and many states in between. Fun sitting here in teh 40's listening to the temps in Madison, WISC I can tell you. No line of sight of course, the long wavelengths bounce around a lot.I also operate on 2 meters (Between TV channels six and 7) NO way am I getting that kind of range.. But on 2 meters one day I had a new (At the time) radio, it put out 1 watt in hand held mode into a very poor antenna, I'd say about a quarter watt effective radiated power. Well, I tuned around (it was the first tuneable handheld) and found a repeater in Adrian, MI (I was in Detroit) and some hams in Toledo OH chatting.. A Ham from Windsor (I could actually see his house from where I was standing) tried to join in and .. did not make it.. I was able to relay... He was running about 40 watts effective at 30 feet as I recall.. I'm running 1/4 watt hand held......250 feet up in a skyscraper's tower.HEIGHT IS MIGHT.ANd the outside antenna is higher.Finally... Though many stations did change frequency.. The new transmission freqauency is still in the old television band.. (Many VHF stations now transmit on UHF, but not all) For example.. Chan 7 Detroit is, I believe using Chan 41.. Chan 2 Detroit is now using Chan 7 as their carrier frequency.Chan 7 where I am for the winter.. Really is chan 7,, But Chan 4 is thirty something. NOTE that the carrier frequency is one of the old channel frequencies, those did not change.. So the same VHF/UHF antenna that worked for ANALOG, still works for DIGITAL. The only major difference ....IF I was designing today I would likely not include VHF-Low band (2-6) In my design, I'd design for 7 and above.. There are very few TV transmission on VHF-Low any more. (Still a few, but dang few)

wa8yxm wrote:There are many antennas out there which bear the HD label, Of course when they slap those two letters on the box the price goes up.. NOW in one case. I know of a store that sells two identical APPEARING antennas one of which says HD on it and costs more... However the antennas are quite a bit different.. NOTE they have sold these same two antennas (just without the HD label) for several decades, and the better one has always cost more.But here are facts:AN outdoor antenna will generally outperform indoor antennas, and a designed antenna will generally outperform a pair of rabbit ears or a single monopole. (Even with a tin-foil flag on it).Next, the higher the frequency the more the following statement applies: HEIGHT IS MIGHT.. I prove this often..Most mornings I check into the Breakfast Club net or Before Breakfast Club Net, these are on 75 meters (That is a long wavelength).. Now with a 100 watt transmitter and around 82 feet of wire I talk to a good portion of the US. I'm in SC and routinely hear and am heard by stations in Michigan, NYC, Idho, Texas, and many states in between. Fun sitting here in teh 40's listening to the temps in Madison, WISC I can tell you. No line of sight of course, the long wavelengths bounce around a lot.I also operate on 2 meters (Between TV channels six and 7) NO way am I getting that kind of range.. But on 2 meters one day I had a new (At the time) radio, it put out 1 watt in hand held mode into a very poor antenna, I'd say about a quarter watt effective radiated power. Well, I tuned around (it was the first tuneable handheld) and found a repeater in Adrian, MI (I was in Detroit) and some hams in Toledo OH chatting.. A Ham from Windsor (I could actually see his house from where I was standing) tried to join in and .. did not make it.. I was able to relay... He was running about 40 watts effective at 30 feet as I recall.. I'm running 1/4 watt hand held......250 feet up in a skyscraper's tower.HEIGHT IS MIGHT.ANd the outside antenna is higher.Finally... Though many stations did change frequency.. The new transmission freqauency is still in the old television band.. (Many VHF stations now transmit on UHF, but not all) For example.. Chan 7 Detroit is, I believe using Chan 41.. Chan 2 Detroit is now using Chan 7 as their carrier frequency.Chan 7 where I am for the winter.. Really is chan 7,, But Chan 4 is thirty something. NOTE that the carrier frequency is one of the old channel frequencies, those did not change.. So the same VHF/UHF antenna that worked for ANALOG, still works for DIGITAL. The only major difference ....IF I was designing today I would likely not include VHF-Low band (2-6) In my design, I'd design for 7 and above.. There are very few TV transmission on VHF-Low any more. (Still a few, but dang few)I echo your words. The antenna makers rely on the "ignorance is bliss" theory by selling "HD" antennas to uninformed customers. The same thing happened when color TV came on, "color" TV antennas were sold.

We've talked about this to death on this forum, but I'm using the stock batwing antenna that came with my 2004 motorhome and get well over 30 HD channels in the DC area. You don't need a special HD antenna.

HD antenna | Good Sam Community

Fizz
Explorer
Jan 13, 2014
I have one of these set up in a back room at home. The signal has to go through three walls and the tower is at least 15 miles away. I get great reception, cost $17.
Golden_HVAC
Explorer
Jan 13, 2014
There are many HD antenna's. I have tried about 6 of them.

The worst was a mount on the wall flat panel antenna. The best was one that I strapped to my roof while parked long term, with a booster and was about 3' long with large loops that picked up a fairly good signal - even though I was in a canyon valley.

I was able to use a set top box antenna without the booster at my cousin's house in San Diego and pick up many more stations, even some from LA - about 100 miles north of there. Yet he was on top of a hill, to get better reception.

Let us know the model numbers. No I am not near my RV, so can not get the model numbers of what I have. I think the booster was a G3, and google G3 antenna booster will bring up results showing my antenna and it's booster that runs on 12 VDC.

http://www.homeantenna.org/outdoor-hdtv-antenna.html

Fred.

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