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New member Username: MwilsPost Number: 1 Registered: Jan-07 | Hi, I just moved out in the country about 1/2 way between Dallas and Houston. I am about 120 miles from where most HD signals are broadcast from Dallas. I just had satellite based internet access installed at my home. The installer told me that he can get me over air HD signals from Dallas and Houston because where I live is high ground for all this area of Texas and because my house already has a 50' tower installed. He said he could only do this because of the high ground I am on and the tower. He said he would use "the best HD antenna on the market" and it would cost around me around $600.00 for him to install it. A new rotor would be extra. antennaweb.org does not show I can get either Dallas or Houston signals, only Waco, Bryan & Temple. Does what he is telling me sound valid? Any idea what kind of antenna he would/should be installing? Any and all feedback greatly appreciated! |
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Bronze Member Username: MvanmeterKY USA Post Number: 77 Registered: Jan-06 | is this installer going to give you a "quality of service" guarantee before you pay the bill ?? 70 to 80 miles is usually the limit of good quality reception for VHF and UHF signals. They are line-of-sight transmissions and limited by curvature of the earth. Now, that said, 120 miles is possible if the transmitter tower is very tall and your 50' tower is high enough to peep over the horizon and "see" the transmitting towers. There is no such thing as an "HD" antenna. All TV antennas can receive digital television broadcasts, SD and HD. You will need to check www.antennaweb.org and sort the results for digital channels to see what is available. In picking a high gain antenna you need to know if the stations you want to receive are in the VHF or UHF range. If antennaweb.org does not give you the information, check with the stations directly and ask what "digital channel" they are broadcasting on (it will most likely be different from their current analog channel - it's very confusing at first) Channels 2-13 are VHF, 14-69 are UHF - each requires a different kind of antenna, or an antenna to receive both. try this web site http://www.highdefforum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=9 give your ZIP code in your first post and several very knowledgable folks will help you out. |