HADNM: Getting more help
I’ve been doing some homework on indoor antennas for HADNM (Help A Digital Newbie Month). Since many viewers live in apartments, hanging an ugly antenna out the balcony is not an option. I was talking with Matt at WRAL last week, (yes, engineers have friends) and we were discussing companies that install antennas, and to be honest, we have not been able to find many companies that install antennas these days. I am also hesitant to tell you to get on the roof as it can be dangerous for the average person with slipping hazards, power lines, rusted bolts, and the list goes on.
But I also have not been able to find any good local antenna stores. Not a single Antennas-R-Us is listed for Raleigh. I did run across some websites you should check out. They seemed to get what antennas are about, and one I liked a lot had tested several brands, and had user feedback. http://www.hdtvantennalabs.com/ has some great articles that explain them in simple terms. Particularly interesting to me was the page on rabbit ears http://www.hdtvantennalabs.com/indoor.php
Check them out and shop around. You might be able to pick up a better antenna than most local stores carry. Back in the days when I worked in a TV Repair Shop, we stocked a special 7, 9 & 12 antenna Winegard built that was perfect for Eastern North Carolina. We also had the super big Channel Master crossfire antenna for those that wanted a little more distance. But local stores don’t always stock what’s good for reception in a particular area anymore, and they may only offer a “almost good enough for some but not for all local stations” model. Make that “digital antenna model”.
Keep plugging away at this antenna thing. It will work, but if you buy a new flat panel HD display to hang on the wall, where do you put rabbit ears? There’s not much top surface to TV’s anymore, so remember to look for something you can hide behind the screen, or will set on a 2″ ledge. Happy HADNM!
Read more on antennas at http://www.antennaweb.org/ and check http://www.antennasdirect.com/
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Hey Russell:
1 – Great blog! How come you couldn’t give me an education like this on the tech equipment when I was learning the fixed assets? (not like I didn’t ask, y’know.)
2 – What are you going to call September, and the succeeding months until February? The digital newbies will still be needing help then, too! (I think you should have declared it Help A Digital Newbie Year.)
3 – Behave yourself.