I live in a 7-story small condo bldg in downtown SF and have generic rabbit-ear antennas that aren't worth squat! Where should I go to purchase a workable replacement? Anything I can do and/or attach to what I have now to even slightly improve reception. I get 3-4 channels almost clear, every else with snow. Help!
2007-02-09 11:27:04 · 7 answers · asked by andy g 1 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
Radio shack or Walmart either one will sell you a VHF/UHF signal amplifier. Plug this into the antenna line between your antenna and your TV. It plugs into the wall and uses about 2 watts of electricity and will boost your antenna signal by 10 to 20 dB. That should help your problem.
2007-02-09 22:31:11 · answer #1 · answered by B Scott 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You need a match between your TV set and the Antenna in terms of resistance in the wires that run from the antena to the TV. Look in your manual and see if you can find what Restistance is required for the Antenna. It should tell you in there what OHMS wire to use when you purchase the antena.
A second thing to look at is the adjustability of the Rabbit Ears. An antenna must act like a WAVE TRAP so for some frequencies you need one short and one very long as adjusted, that is for the VHF channels. So pick out an antenna with the longest and shortest range possible in the two stems.
On the UHF or round loop. You will need a loop diameter to match also your TV as a match. Look in the manual and see if they list a diameter.
Then finally if you use a combo cable to your TV, that is where the UHF and VHF are brought thru a coupler, make sure that coupler is of proper ohm resistance for it to work well.
You can buy a power booster Rabbit ears also. That has capability to amplify the signal into the TV. Those at best require a good signal to amplify. So I Dont think those are worth much
And finally, its the capability of your TV to operate off even a bad TV signal with its filters and so on So a higher quality TV set will, in your case be much better antenna wise than a cheaper TV which doesnt have the filters for TV signal receiving.
2007-02-09 22:34:29 · answer #2 · answered by James M 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Rabbit ears with a built-in amplifier work best. The passive ones are not that great.
You could also try various configurations of tin foil on or spread between the ears.
You can also try different locations for the rabbit ears. I find higher is better, depending on cable length.
Appliances/electronics nearby can also cause interference.
2007-02-09 20:30:01 · answer #3 · answered by the_one_and_only_bax 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You could try breaking one of the rabbit ears off and then jam a bent up wire hanger in there to get a longer antennae. you could also try wrapping the ends of the ears with some tin foil or something like tha
Be sure the tv is off before you do this. and probably unplugged.
2007-02-09 19:35:53 · answer #4 · answered by frippy green 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In the 1950s and 60s people wrapped the poles of their indoor antenna with foil. see the following URL to see hwo it worke dofr someone ins a similar situation as yours.
http://tv.about.com/b/a/257319.htm
2007-02-09 20:16:03 · answer #5 · answered by richardwelchcolumbus 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
use a cable cord attached to the back of the tv and to the metal window frame. this for some reason gave me 6 channels when i didnt have cable but why wouldnt you just get cable or a satellite dish?
2007-02-09 19:32:04 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
look into another way! in 2008, All TV signals will be digital (federal mandate)
2007-02-09 19:33:21 · answer #7 · answered by axenboots 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋