Outdoor TV Antennas for Over-the-Air HDTV Broadcasts

There is a great variety of outdoor hdtv antenna models to choose from. Winegard, Channelmaster and AntennasDirect have an excellent outdoor antennas product line for off-air TV reception from mid-range and to deep fringe. The antenna type you need depends on many different factors, such as frequency band, distance, and more. These issues are covered in the hdtv antenna selection guide. It is also desirable to make yourself familiar with the CEA color coding scheme. CEA color code labeling is an excellent guideline for choosing the right antenna for your needs.

Here is a list of outdoor HDTV antennas sorted by customer reviews rating from highest to lowest.

Antenna	Placement	Directivity	Amplifier	Band	Area	Total Reviews	Average Rating
RCA ANT751	Outdoor	Directional	No	VHF/UHF	Red	4124	4.5	Read reviews	Write a review	Compare prices
Winegard HD7694P	Outdoor	Directional	No	VHF/UHF	Red	1552	4.4	Read reviews	Write a review	Compare prices
Winegard HD8200U	Outdoor	Directional	No	VHF/UHF	Blue	1552	4.4	Read reviews	Write a review	Compare prices
ChannelMaster CM4220	Outdoor	Directional	No	UHF	Red	783	4.4	Read reviews	Write a review	Compare prices
ChannelMaster CM-4228HD	Outdoor	Multidirectional	No	VHF/UHF	Yellow, Green, Light Green, Red, Blue, Violet	780	4.4	Read reviews	Write a review	Compare prices
AntennasDirect C2-V-CJM	Indoor/Outdoor	Multidirectional	No	VHF/UHF		2103	4.3	Read reviews	Write a review	Compare prices
Winegard HD7697P	Outdoor	Directional	No	VHF/UHF	Blue	76	4.3	Read reviews	Write a review	Compare prices
AntennasDirect DB8	Outdoor	Directional	No	UHF		741	4	Read reviews	Write a review	Compare prices
AntennasDirect DB2	Indoor/Outdoor	Directional	No	UHF		598	3.9	Read reviews	Write a review	Compare prices
ChannelMaster CM3016	Outdoor	Directional	No	VHF/UHF	Light Green	257	3.9	Read reviews	Write a review	Compare prices
AntennasDirect C5	Outdoor	Multidirectional	No	VHF		209	3.9	Read reviews	Write a review	Compare prices
AntennasDirect V10	Outdoor	Directional	No	VHF/UHF		10	3.9	Read reviews	Write a review	Compare prices
AntennasDirect C1C	Indoor/Outdoor	Multidirectional	No	UHF		110	3.8	Read reviews	Write a review	Compare prices
RCA ANT3036X	Outdoor	Directional	No	VHF/UHF	Blue	128	3.7	Read reviews	Write a review	Compare prices
Winegard HD7698P	Outdoor	Directional	No	VHF/UHF	Blue	120	3.7	Read reviews	Write a review	Compare prices
AntennasDirect LacrosseA	Outdoor	Directional	Yes	UHF		12	3.3	Read reviews	Write a review	Compare prices
AntennaCraft HBU55	Outdoor	Directional	No	VHF/UHF	Blue	26	3.1	Read reviews	Write a review	Compare prices
AntennasDirect 43XG	Outdoor	Directional	No	UHF		13	2.9	Read reviews	Write a review	Compare prices
AntennaCraft 5MS921	Outdoor	Omni	Yes	VHF/UHF	Yellow	19	2.8	Read reviews	Write a review	Compare prices

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Outdoor hdtv antenna remarks

Rooftop vs attic installation

Roof is always the best place to put an antenna. Attic installation, however, can work pretty well unless there is a metal in the roofing material. A signal can not penetrate metal, it is reflected by it. If you have an alluminium roof, the only place to put an antenna is outside, not in the house.

Dual band UHF/VHF vs single band antenna

Very often dual UHF/VHF antenna is just a pair of antennas (UHF and VHF) stacked together on one antenna boom. VHF capabilities will make an antenna much larger and heavier. If you don't really need the VHF band (and in many areas in the US there are no VHF HDTV stations) go for a single UHF band antenna.

Stacking antennas

Very often we are asked how to build an antenna setup to receive two channels coming from different directions. If both TV stations are close enough, the simplest solution is an omnidirectional antenna. But what if the broadcasting towers are beyond an omni-directional antenna range? In this case, you have two choices:

1) Use a directional antenna with antenna rotator. Every time you switch channels the antenna will be rotated to point to the direction the signal is coming from.

2) Stack two directional antennas on the same mast pointing to different directions. One has to be careful with this setup, because under certain conditions two antennas may become coupled, i.e. the radiation pattern of the two-antenna structure may be quite different from the combined patterns of each one of the antennas used separately. The antennas "feel" each other and become a part of one large antenna structure. In the end, this structure may have poor directivity and F/B ratio. When one should be concerned about the antenna coupling and how to avoid it? It depends on the frequency band. Stacking UHF and VHF antennas is not a problem at all. In this case, two antennas resonate at different frequencies and their coupling is negligible. Stacking antennas of the same freequency band may be more tricky. The rule of thumb is to keep antennas separation at the order of wavelength. For UHF antennas this is simple to achieve - the separation should be above 50in. For VHF antenna, this requirement may pose a problem - it translates to 5-6 meters in the lower portion of the VHF band.

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