What is the most powerful indoor antenna I can use in a rural area where the signal is week?

Question

I am looking for a good recommendation. Maybe a certain brand. I can only pick up two channels & those are not very good. I don't want to spend a whole lot of money, but I need something better. I am not ready to start paying for cable or dish.

Answer 1

The best you could do would be to get a good beam type antenna OUTSIDE. Indoor antennas are not suitable for rural areas. You can buy amplified antennas and spend a hundred dollars on something fancy but you most likely will still not be happy with the result. If you can place an outdoor TV antenna, beam type at least in your attic, it will be cheaper than the amplified indoor antenna gimmicks and will work 10 times better. The higher you get the antenna and the less obstructions around it, the better it will work. You keep it in the house then it is susceptible to interference from everything in it like your fridge, the microwave, your computer especially, the washer and dryer, any electrical especially motorized appliances will mess with your signal and amplifiers just amplify the noise as well. Signals bounce around indoors and will create shadows and multipath interference.

Still you should check with your local cable company for basic lifeline service. Here it's $8/mo and gets you the same stuff you'd get with an antenna except it all comes in good, plus you get a few extra channels like the FCC must carry stuff i.e. C-SPAN and your local cable access channels.

There are also channels on satellite which you don't have to pay for called FTA or Free To Air. You use a 30" dish or larger to pick them up and you can generally get most of the major networks and some other channels. It's not cable or Dish Network, but it's free and comes in as clear as day. The equipment would run you about $150 or so, though.

You can try this link to help you choose an antenna. I'd really not recommend an indoor antenna if the stations in your area are beyond the light green signal strength area:
http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx

Answer 2

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
What is the most powerful indoor antenna I can use in a rural area where the signal is week?
I am looking for a good recommendation. Maybe a certain brand. I can only pick up two channels & those are not very good. I don't want to spend a whole lot of money, but I need something better. I am not ready to start paying for cable or dish.

Answer 3

Most Powerful Tv Antenna

Answer 4

You are looking at VERY serious commercial equipment to do that, as the legal safety limits of power on normal wifi would totally prevent this. He would need a mast many metres above the ground to put the higher power radiations out of reach or there are serious risks of cancers and blood diseases. Then a commercial access point, costing in the tens of thousands of dollars, this to be secured in an inaccessible enclosed area in normal use. He might also need to acquire a special transmitting licence for this and show competence to manage it and maintain it due the the high risk to health of poorly maintained equipment.