The Rabbit Test
The digital TV signal is a pretty robust format, but like I said in my last post, multipath is a big problem for it to overcome. I want to stay on the antenna topic for a little longer, because it is going to be the most important part of successfully receiving DTV. Rabbit ears will be the first choice many of us will try. It may be perfect for you, and that beats going into the attic or on the roof in 100 plus degree temperatures. Personally, I’d suggest trying the cheapest bow-tie design you can find first. One may still be in the plastic bag attached to the rear of that 25-year-old Zenith console in the garage. The reason I like the bow-tie design is because it is somewhat directional, and yes, there are no such things as digital antennas. Antennas are made the same way as in the Forties and are cut for the wavelength, not the type of signal. The other UHF type is a circle called a UHF loop. This type is not very directional, and will pick up signals from several different directions, which is what multipath is. Most VHF/UHF combo rabbit ears will have the loop along with the familiar longer VHF elements with adjustable length telescopic “ears” which work for VHF, but not for UHF. We can have a detailed lesson of the differences between VHF and UHF later, but for now consider wavelength for VHF signals can be several feet long, and UHF signals are only a few inches long. Pulling the ears all the way out, wrapping them in aluminum foil and duct tape will not help UHF at all. The length of the antenna is matched to the length of the frequency it is designed for. So keep in mind that the higher the channel number, the shorter its’ wavelength, and matching element on the antenna.
This wavelength thing is important because few stations are on their final DTV channel right now. Every TV station in America has added a second transmitter and antenna to simulcast analog and DTV at the same time, or virtually two separate TV stations running on air. NBC 17 digital is on UHF channel 55, and will move to channel 17 in February when we shut down the analog transmitter. Your digital TV or converter box is designed to seamlessly tune in the station using the PSIP information I mentioned in an earlier post, and you will not have to make any changes. It will still display us as channel 17-1. The higher channels are more difficult to receive, and if you can get acceptable reception on channel 55 now, you should not have any problem after February 18 and beyond.
I have a 65″ HD set in my studio right now picking up our signal with a piece of wire stuck in the center terminal of the RF connector. Special super duper digital amplified antennas are not always the best purchase. Go cheap first, then see if you need a more sophisticated antenna. Just don’t get duped by price and claims on the box. I can’t recommend any certain brand since I have not tried them, but if you have had success with rabbit ears, please email me and we’ll share the information with everyone.
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Comments
True, but depends on your distance from the transmitter and obstacles in-between. It is always worth a shot to try them first.
I think a lot of people when first buy and hitch up the new dtv set top box and antenna they may be disappointed in the reception and the number of channels they will receive using the set top box, the thing they should be taking into consideration is the fact that not all TV broadcasters have not yet implemented the digital broadcasting equipment yet in their broadcasting services and this means in February there may be an abundance of channels not yet receivable by the new set top box. The other matter to consider is the fact that the advertising community is going to be bidding highly on commercial advertising time on these stations because the channels received by the public will be very limited compared to paid cable TV, thus meaning that the commercials provided to the public will be focused on local residence and their shopping availability related to their region and location in relation to the local shopping centers and other important facilities such as TV news and emergency weather forecast. When using a set top box people should also keep in mind that other factors may be effecting their reception, not so much of the box, but by the antenna used with the set top box. A pair of rabbit ears is a convenient way to connect to the set top box but may limit the reception and those finding few stations after February may want to consider a roof top antenna with a rotary box. Jim P.0ct, 02 2008
BE AWARE. I and several others have obtained the converter boxes, and could not tune in major channels (NBC the biggest problem. We decided to be proactive. We called networks. WE HAVE FOUND, AFTER SPEAKING TO ENGINEERS AT NETWORKS, THAT ONCE DIGITAL CHANGED IN FEB, YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO GET NBC, CBS, FOX,ION, AND SEVERAL OTHERS ON YOUR RABBIT EARS. YOU WILL LOSE ALL YOUR LOCAL NETWORK STATIONS, AND THE NEW TRANSFERS WILL NOT WORK ON A RABBIT EARS. WE’VE BEEN HAD, FOLKS. SO, THE POOR, ELDERLY, THOSE WHO LIVE IN APT. COMPLEXES, WHO CANNOT AFFORD OR CANNOT INSTALL AN OUTSIDE ANTENNA ARE OUT OF BROADCAST POSSIBILITIES. All you’ll end up getting is bizarre religious networks (I have 3 so far) and whatever junk may come through. Very disturbing.
The engineer was saying you won’t get any of the Analog signals, and the new digital channels are UHF, Rabbit ear antenna are those 2 long poles, you will need a UHF loop to get the new digital channels. Check either http://www.antennaweb.org or http://tvfool.com to find which window to place your antenna in so it gets an unobstructed view of the TV Transmission towers.
If you have plaster lathe walls or aluminum siding, really best to have an outdoor antenna if you don’t have a window aiming to the towers. The DTV works fine. You just need help!
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so any cheap rabbit ears on the back of the tv…no need to install anything outside? Is this correct?