Find HDTV broadcasts in your area and the required HD antenna type
Naturally, the HD antenna type you need depends on the distance from the broadcasting towers and on the environment the antenna will be installed in. In close proximity to the towers you can get away with an indoor HD antenna. If you want to pick up signals from more distant tv stations an outdoor HD antenna is required. The larger the distance is, the more powerful antenna is needed. In general, more powerful antenna means bigger size and/or higher directivity (or antenna gain). Omni- or multi-directional antennas can be used at small to medium distances from the towers provided that there are no big reflective "ghost" producing structures near your location. In remote areas, even big multi-directional antennas can not provide adequate performance. In those areas, directional tv antennas should be used. If big reflective structures (tall buildings, mountains in rural area, etc.) are present in your area, using directional HD antenna is a good idea due to its ability to suppress "ghosts", no matter what the distance is. Last, if you are very far from the broadcasting towers and the signal is really weak, you may have no choice but to complement your outdoor HD antenna with a pre-amplifier.
So, the question you should ask yourself is what broadcasts are available in your area and what are reception conditions with respect to each one of the broadcasts you are interested in. We are going to answer that question shortly. But first, we need a terminology to qualitatively describe the reception conditions of a particular broadcast in your area. Reception conditions are specified by a color code. The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) defined seven color zones - Yellow, Green, Light Green, Red, Blue, Violet and Pink. Yellow zone is the one where reception quality is the best, pink zone is the toughest. Each color zone has an associated HD antenna type that the CEA recommends to use in this zone. CEA classification applies to outdoor tv antennas only.
What we are going to do now is to check what OTA broadcasts you can expect to pull in your location and what is your zone color with respect to the available broadcasts. AntennaWeb is a wonderful resource to do that. Just go to AntennaWeb, enter your ZIP code, address (not necessary) and submit the form. Here is an example of what I have got searching for the zip code 78703, Austin, TX.
Put attention to the following data (in red circles):
- DTV
DTV broadcasts are designated by asterisk. Keep in mind that not all DTVs are HDTV! There are digital broadcasts at lower resolution such as SDTV and EDTV. - Color zone
This is the color code specifying your reception conditions. Each color zone has a corresponding HD antenna type and HDTv Antenna Labs engine has a capability to search the tv antennas market for a suitable antenna model for every color area. - Band (UHF/VHF)
Do you need an UHF antenna, VHF antenna or a dual-band VHF/UHF TV antenna? Directional outdoor VHF antennas tend to be quite large, much bigger than UHF antennas. For that reason supporting VHF bands also makes directional outdoor antenna much more expensive. An additional problem with directional VHF antenna is that VHF frequency band is not continuous. You need two separate antennas: one to watch channels 2-6 and the other one to watch 7-13. Of course, in the particular example above all this is not relevant becasue no outdoor antenna is needed. The only VHF transmitting network I see there is FOX and it is in a yellow zone only 2 miles away from our hypothetic location. I believe that a simple indoor rabbit ears antenna will do very well here. - Channel number
UHF tv antennas typically support all channels within the UHF band. This is not always the case with VHF antennas. VHF frequency band is not continuous, it is divided into low VHF (59-88 Mhz) and high VHF (175-216 Mhz). Channels 2-6 are allocated in the low VHF, and channels 7-13 in the high VHF. There are tv antennas in the market that support only low or only high portions of the VHF band. This is especially common for large directional antennas. When buying a VHF (or VHF/UHF) antenna make sure it covers the channels you need. - HD antenna orientation
Compass orientation column tells you which direction to aim your directional antenna in. This information is not relevant for indoor or omni-directional tv antennas. If you are in the area that requires directional antenna (light green and up) the ideal situation is when all broadcasts are coming from the same direction. Then you can catch them all with a single directional antenna. If the broadcasts are greater than 30 degrees apart consider installing an antenna rotator or an additional antenna. The latter option is usually cheaper.
So what antenna would you choose in 78703, Austin, TX? Life is easy there. Many broadcasts are yellow, others are green or light green. Small omni(multi) directional antenna is what I would choose. If I didn't want union network (UNI) in light green area, I would even go for an amplified indoor antenna.
Well, that was a piece of cake... Let's see a more difficult case. Suppose you are in Collinwood, Tennessee. That's what you've got
With anything less than a large directional HD antenna all you can hope for is UPN. One network only. With a large directional antenna you can pick up signals in the blue area. Cool. You may watch ABC, NBC, CBS, IND and PBS. But there is a problem. We see in the compass orientation column that ABC, NBC and CBS towers are located in a different direction from your locatoin than IND and PBS towers. Bad news. You can't aim your directional HD antenna at both sites at the same time. You need two directional antennas if you want to watch all broadcasts.
Few additional tips:
- It is a good idea to upgrade AntennaWeb recommendation by one level up. Antenna performance is hard to predict, there are may be specific reception difficulties with your location that AntennaWeb doesn't take into account. If AntennaWeb suggests small HD antenna go for a medium size, if it suggests medium directional antenna go for a large directional one. Price differences are usually very small and it is better to be on a safe side.
- Color area coding apply to outdoor tv antennas only. And the recommendation you get from AntennaWeb is always for an outdoor antenna. However, if you are located in a yellow or green area, there is a good chance an indoor HD antenna, or better, an amplified indoor HD antenna will work well for you. Give it a try if you have one.
Once you know the broadcasts, the color zones and have an idea which type of HD antenna you need, you can proceed to HDTv Antenna Labs search and compare prices engine in order to find a suitable antenna model, read product reviews and find the best deal on the net. However, if you have a bit patience you may find it is useful to follow our guide step-by-step.