I have a Mohu 50 mile antenna.
Often times channels won't come in. The Sony Bravia (sp?) TV reports unable to decode signal. Often times the signal is pixelated. PBS will not be viewable for days on end.
Also to note whenever a plane goes overhead, I lose signal.
https://www.rabbitears.info/s/584903
Any suggestions as to what antenna I should be using to get a clear signal?
Posted Jul 26, 2022, 3:00 AM UTC
Those flat antennas aren't very good. They might pick up UHF stations, but they do poorly on VHF stations like your CBS, ABC and PBS.
For a relatively compact design you could hang a Clearstream 5C on an outside wall if you have an outside wall facing that direction. I have one perched on some totes in an upstairs bedroom, but my stations are only 15 miles away.
I just checked MY location compared to yours in RabbitEars.info. In regards to the VHF stations mentioned above, your VHF stations are just slightly stronger than mine at twice the distance. Mine show 83-87 dBuV/m while yours are 87-89.
If you have not yet tried regular unamplified rabbit ears, you should do so. Check for interference by turning off all your digital electronics, including LED and CFL lights.
Higher performance VHF-high band (PBS, ABC, CBS) capable antennas are quite large and normally have to go up on the roof.
Regular old-school un-amplified rabbit ear dipole rods+loop antenna. Around 10 bucks. If that doesn't work, you probably need something outdoor, but certainly not amplified.
I tried a Mohu Arc 40 mile antenna, and got very few stations. Went back to a 1 By One amplified antenna, much better results. Still not satisfied but not ready for an outdoor or attic antenna.
Sounds like you need a better antenna, one that will do better with VHF stations, for one thing. Have a ClearStream 2MAX here that does really well. The other thing is that the 2MAX comes with a stand that allows you to orient the antenna independent of the dirrection of your walls. That's very useful, you can easily move it around, and rotate until you get the strongest signal. Starting with the rabbitears.info orientation information, of course. We have our antenna at attic height in a two-story house, but indoors. Airplanes going over have no noticeable effect, probably because the signals are strong enough to overwhelm any problems with aircraft.
By using an OTA DVR like the Tablo, you can locate your antenna where it works best, and use it on all your TV's via your home network. That's the other half of the solution, having your antenna be where it works best, and be able to use it with all your TV's. If you have only one TV, it still has value to be able to have the antenna wherever is best for your signal.
Oh, one other thing, here the ClearStream 2MAX works best without an amplifier or pre-amplifier. I've played around quite a bit over time and was surprised how much better it works without any amplification.
+1