What type of antenna do I need to pick up an HDTV signal 65 miles from the broadcast tower?

Factual Questions
1

Simple rabbit ears don’t do the job.

Thanks.

2

Go to http://antennaweb.org and enter your address or zip code. it will tell you how good of an antenna you need for the various channels you can get.

In the mean time, try making your rabbit ears shorter. The low VHF channels need them long, but you probably don’t have any channels that are really on low VHF any more. UHF channels are higher frequency/shorter wavelength, so making them shorter will work better.

3

a big one.

goto

http://www.tvfool.com/

click on

Check Your Address for Free TV

click on

>> Click HERE <<

and enter your data

the antenna type you want is for the real channel numbers in the data table, likely mostly UHF or VHF HI.

if the antenna is indoors then add 25 miles to the distance needed.

indoors (in the attic) i have used an outdoor antenna that is good for 90 miles for that distance.

i have also made tv antennas that get that distance (much smaller than a commercial antenna). i’ve also made an antenna for a friend that was 4 bow tie antennas combined, for a closer distance maybe 30 miles, and i could get some signals some of the time from some of the stations that was 80 miles away with the antenna indoors.

so much depends on your location and that of the stations. if your antenna is indoors or out and at what height. to get the stations all the time the antenna would have to be outside or in the attic (my smaller homemade one for all the time use is the size of a screen door).

4

I used to hit towers approximately 40 miles away with a highly-directional amplified indoor antenna that was placed against the exterior wall. However, this was desert with little tree cover.

5

I hadn’t considered just how far away you were trying to receive from. In addition to needing a high gain antenna, that antenna will also need to be high off the ground to not be blocked by the Earth’s curvature.

6

Just off the top of my head, your antenna is going to have to be mounted fairly high off the ground. Mounting it to your chimney isn’t going to do it.

7

Is it possible to pick up signals 100+ miles away? I don’t pick up all the channels I should with my indoor antenna. Any bigger antenna is going to be directional, and there are a few towers north of me, a few to the west, one in my town, and a couple to the south. However, Boston is ~110 miles to the south and has many TV towers.

8

to get signals from 100+ miles you need Tropospheric scatter or double edge diffraction which are rare or weak. so no.