Terk tv44 vs Terk tv55 antenna ?

Archived from groups: alt.tv.tech.hdtv (More info?)

Any thoughts on these 2 antenna's ? I think either one will work for my
locals,but I'd like to pull in some Toronto stations about 90 miles away.I
have Dish network 500 and use an HD811 high def receiver Thanks

Archived from groups: alt.tv.tech.hdtv (More info?)

only a jerk will sell you a terk RUN from terk over priced junk
"bearman" <noyb@home.com> wrote in message
news:EY-dnVAIaJpQsjHdRVn-vA@comcast.com...
>
> "Apothecon" <sailerph@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:8670836f7426b6eaae6d33390310ef42@news.teranews.com...
> > Any thoughts on these 2 antenna's ? I think either one will work for my
> > locals,but I'd like to pull in some Toronto stations about 90 miles
away.I
> > have Dish network 500 and use an HD811 high def receiver Thanks
> >
> >
> >
> Wait for a ton of answers about Terk antennas. I don't have any
experience
> with them (I use Radio Shack) but many of the people on this newsgroup
have.
> And it's not good.
>
> Bearman
>
>

Archived from groups: alt.tv.tech.hdtv (More info?)

"Apothecon" <sailerph@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:8670836f7426b6eaae6d33390310ef42@news.teranews.com...
> Any thoughts on these 2 antenna's ? I think either one will work for my
> locals,but I'd like to pull in some Toronto stations about 90 miles away.I
> have Dish network 500 and use an HD811 high def receiver Thanks
>
>
Apothecon,
In the past there have been many comments here (mostly negative) regarding
these Terk antennas; perhaps we are getting tired of seeing and responding
to the same questions over and over again. Newsgroups are not the best
repositories of historical information regarding various products. But
Digital TV continues to grow, we get newcomers to the world of HDTV seeking
information, and the discount stores continue to advertise and sell these
products. So, the questiosn continue. Here is something that I started
yesterday but did not finish until now. Sorry it ran so long.

From what I know, neither of those Terk models provide a suitable receive
antenna solution for most users. Rather, it appears they are designed more
with aesthetics in mind rather than physics. So while they may work for
some, their price/performance ratios are well below most other traditional
designs... you can get much better performance for less money. If you
really want to try one go ahead; just be prepared to return it.

Some details: the Terk model TV44 is a clip-on that attaches to
a dbs antenna and thus the curved elements essentially point in whatever
direction the dish is pointing.... and that direction is not necessarily in
the direction of your digital television broadcast towers. The TV55 on the
other hand is a largish tube like antenna that mounts against a wall or
eave. It "points" in a direction that is also not necessarily optimal for
your particular signals (you mount it where the long axis is perpendicular
to the line of sight to whatever tower you are trying to get).

In many areas digital viewers have broadcast towers located in multiple
directions from their house and neither of these Terk models are designed to
be easily turned (tweaked) towards a given tower. I have read that Terk has
some more traditional antennas for sale now; in kits that include mounting
hardware... but suggest you check their pricing compared to the brands
mentioned below.

I have read few favorable comments about Terk off-air antennas here and on
forums (including my favorite, AVSFORUM). Do note though that the
percentage of satisfied owners of Terk products appears to be much less that
of other traditional antennas. I personally have not tried a Terk Product
though I have experience with several other brands (Channel Master,
Winegard, Radio Shack, Magnavox and the Zenith branded Silver Sensor). Some
other information if I may...

- all antennas do is receive RF signals. That's it. The antennas don't care
if the information encoded is analog or digital. But manufacturers have
started labeling their antennas as "HDTV" to catch your eye. Beware the
hype. Just get one that is UHF or UHF/VHF depending on your local digital
channels and appropriate for your particular location.

- digital signals are generally received best by a fairly directional
antenna that do a decent job of eliminating reflected signals. While these
cause ghosts on analog TV they can cause a total loss of signal with digital
TV. Omni-directional antennas generally don't work well for digital TV.

- Most digital stations are Ch 14 and above meaning they are UHF. A few are
VHF and those are usually high band VHF (Ch 7-13). Standard reception of
UHF signals are limited pretty much to around 60-65 miles due to curvature
of the earth limitation. These signals bend little; i.e. they are line of
sight from tower to antenna. (FWIW, VHF signals bend a bit but not much).

- Reception of TV signals from long distances can occur at times due to
weather conditions. The signals may bounce off the layers of the atmosphere
and thus can at times go further. This bounce (or skip) usually occurs at
night and cannot be relied upon.

- Standard "old fashioned" antennas generally work best because physics has
not changed over time. Thus these standard models may look "ugly" at first
glance but realistically most folks don't notice or care about them after a
while. Some folks do get by with an indoor antenna (I generally use an
outdoor antenna but can get most of my channels up to 24 miles away using an
indoor RS Double Bow-tie).

- Mast mounted amplifiers (or pre-amps) can help boost a weak signal and
send it down the coax to your TV. They can also induce noise so are not a
panacea for all. CM is generally deemed best with Winegard second. Other
brands are probably best avoided. For those with towers scattered all over
creation, one can get a rotator that allows one to turn the antenna for best
reception.

What to buy then? For indoor use, one might try a UHF Double Bow-tie from
Radio Shack (Catalog #930-0998, mail order only) or the Zenith Silver Sensor
if your channels are all UHF. For outdoor use, Channel Master and Winegard
are good. Radio Shack also makes some decent UHF or UHF/VHF models.
Bow-ties designs work well for UHF and in my situation does a decent job on
high-band VHF too. Bow-ties have a relatively low profile and some folks
hide theirs near chimneys. Yagi antennas work well for UHF as well; Log
Periodic usually works for VHF. Combo antennas in fact usually have both a
Yagi and a Log Periodic sections and many "old fashioned" antennas are
indeed these combo units.

Winegard has a new antenna out called the Square Shooter. It blends some
new thinking and design. I tried one; it worked but not as well as my
Four-bay Bow-tie from Channel Master (CM3021). Its cost was double that of
my CM (which was less than $50 including delivery; mounting hardware was
extra, about $25 in my case). The Square Shooter did come with its own
mounting hardware that might work for some (but not me).

www.starkelectronics.com is one web retailer that has a lot of info on
antennas; warrenelectronics is another. Radio Shack has some decent models
and hardware; just be advised that the reception distances for their
antennas are not realistic and do not take into account real world factors
(earth's curvature). Another source may be your local hardware store(s)
including the big chains. To read comments on antennas from other users,
check out the HDTV/Hardware forum at www.avsforum.com. (check the local area
forum too for experiences in your locale as well).

Late breaking information. This came to my attention late yesterday: Peter
Putnam; an industry expert and author recently tested the Square Shooter
along with several other antennas including the Terk TV55:
http://www.hdtvexpert.com/Pages/squareshot.htm .

Hope this helps,
Bruce