Radio Shack Powered Ant vs Silver Sensor

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

Detroit Michigan
15 miles from downtown (downriver)
XBR 960, ISF calibrated.
Comcast Cable & OTA
I bought Radio Shack powered HDTV ant. when I bought set just to have
"choices". After 4 months I bought A Zenith Silver Sensor
(unpowered)from Sears.

What a difference. OTA is now a real choice. I don't have to get up and
play with gain or direction. Seamless, high quality OTA reception on all
channels.

Watched ABC, WB and NBC OTA last night and it was flawless. This shows
what a boon to reception digital TV is.

Silver Sensor Wins by Large Margin
Terry Joyce

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

The Rat Shack powered antennas are relabelled TERKs. Like a wolf in
sheep's clothing, avoid them.

If you simply must use an indoor antenna (for UHF HD reception) you
absolutely cannot do any better than the Silver Sensor. If the Silver
Sensor doesn't work for you, then all you can do is go to an outside
antenna.

In article <Tqrsd.27212$fC4.23295@newssvr11.news.prodigy.com> "GaryH"
<dontyouspamme@nospam.org> writes:

>Yea, I have both and the Silver Sensor seems better to me too.
>
>"Terry Joyce" <terrynospamjoyce@comcast.net> wrote in message
>news6WdnVH-WvcvUSzcRVn-jQ@comcast.com...
>> Detroit Michigan
>> 15 miles from downtown (downriver)
>> XBR 960, ISF calibrated.
>> Comcast Cable & OTA
>> I bought Radio Shack powered HDTV ant. when I bought set just to have
>> "choices". After 4 months I bought A Zenith Silver Sensor (unpowered)from
>> Sears.
>>
>> What a difference. OTA is now a real choice. I don't have to get up and
>> play with gain or direction. Seamless, high quality OTA reception on all
>> channels.
>>
>> Watched ABC, WB and NBC OTA last night and it was flawless. This shows
>> what a boon to reception digital TV is.
>>
>> Silver Sensor Wins by Large Margin
>> Terry Joyce
>

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

Last I heard the double bow-tie antenna had been discontinued. If you can
still find one it would be a good choice, although it is designed for
outside installations.

In article <hVrsd.693$gF5.181@trndny01> "Verizon User"
<anonymous@anon.com> writes:

>What about the double bowtie $15 antenna from RadioShack which everyone says
>is one of the best UHF antennas for HD?
>
>
>"Mr Fixit" <MrFixit@msn.com> wrote in message
>news:lhh4r05985ao1fpd1h1o03o09skar5e8go@4ax.com...
>> The Rat Shack powered antennas are relabelled TERKs. Like a wolf in
>> sheep's clothing, avoid them.
>>
>> If you simply must use an indoor antenna (for UHF HD reception) you
>> absolutely cannot do any better than the Silver Sensor. If the Silver
>> Sensor doesn't work for you, then all you can do is go to an outside
>> antenna.
>>
>> In article <Tqrsd.27212$fC4.23295@newssvr11.news.prodigy.com> "GaryH"
>> <dontyouspamme@nospam.org> writes:
>>
>> >Yea, I have both and the Silver Sensor seems better to me too.
>> >
>> >"Terry Joyce" <terrynospamjoyce@comcast.net> wrote in message
>> >news6WdnVH-WvcvUSzcRVn-jQ@comcast.com...
>> >> Detroit Michigan
>> >> 15 miles from downtown (downriver)
>> >> XBR 960, ISF calibrated.
>> >> Comcast Cable & OTA
>> >> I bought Radio Shack powered HDTV ant. when I bought set just to have
>> >> "choices". After 4 months I bought A Zenith Silver Sensor
>(unpowered)from
>> >> Sears.
>> >>
>> >> What a difference. OTA is now a real choice. I don't have to get up and
>> >> play with gain or direction. Seamless, high quality OTA reception on
>all
>> >> channels.
>> >>
>> >> Watched ABC, WB and NBC OTA last night and it was flawless. This shows
>> >> what a boon to reception digital TV is.
>> >>
>> >> Silver Sensor Wins by Large Margin
>> >> Terry Joyce
>> >
>>
>

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

"Verizon User" <anonymous@anon.com> wrote in message news:<6Jvsd.8864$ZK6.220@trndny07>...

> > In article <hVrsd.693$gF5.181@trndny01> "Verizon User"
> > <anonymous@anon.com> writes:
> >
> > >What about the double bowtie $15 antenna from RadioShack which everyone
> > >says is one of the best UHF antennas for HD?

> The double bowtie is special order from Radio Shack. It is like 10 inches
> tall, so it is an indoor antenna.

I ordered one. It hasn't shown up yet. I'll let yall know how it works.

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

"Terry Joyce" <terrynospamjoyce@comcast.net> wrote in message
news6WdnVH-WvcvUSzcRVn-jQ@comcast.com...
> Detroit Michigan
> 15 miles from downtown (downriver)
> XBR 960, ISF calibrated.
> Comcast Cable & OTA
> I bought Radio Shack powered HDTV ant. when I bought set just to have
> "choices". After 4 months I bought A Zenith Silver Sensor (unpowered)from
> Sears.
> What a difference. OTA is now a real choice. I don't have to get up and
> play with gain or direction. Seamless, high quality OTA reception on all
> channels.
> Watched ABC, WB and NBC OTA last night and it was flawless. This shows
> what a boon to reception digital TV is.
> Silver Sensor Wins by Large Margin
> Terry Joyce


The Silver Sensor is a great little indoor HDTV antenna, most of the 60
reviewers from Amazon agree:


http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ [...] 3?v=glance

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

Have your tried an array ? Take two antenna's and face them opposite of
each other then combine them , or buy a dedicated uhf antenna and vhf
antenna then use a vhf/uhf split , this way you can aim one without
effecting the other, if properly done you can recieve both without
multipath.



On 2004-12-10 01:00:54 -0500, paul-NOZPAM@paulkienitz.net said:

> Paul Kienitz wrote:
>
>> "Verizon User" <anonymous@anon.com> wrote in message
> news:<6Jvsd.8864$ZK6.220@trndny07>...
>>
>>> The double bowtie is special order from Radio Shack. It is like 10
> inches
>>> tall, so it is an indoor antenna.
>>
>> I ordered one. It hasn't shown up yet. I'll let yall know how it
> works.
>
> Dang, I replied to this like two days ago, and somehow it went into the
> bit bucket.
>
> I got the rat shack bowtie, and it's like fifteen inches tall, and
> mechanically rather flimsy. The first place I randomly plunked it down
> next to the TV, on a short leash with a balun right at the TV input
> jack, it picked up half of the digital stations I tested. Which was
> encouraging compared to previous antennas. But when I put a balun on
> the antenna end and gave it a length of cable so I could move it around
> looking for a good spot, I never really improved much on that first
> random attempt. Either I happened to hit good conditions which aren't
> there any more when I try to go back to that first spot, or maybe the
> balun isn't impedance-matching as well as it ought... in fact, maybe my
> cardboard mockup bowtie antenna was better impedance-matched than the
> Rat Shack one is. After all, it kept the distance between the
> conductors more consistent.
>
> All in all, the real antenna appears to do no better than the carcboard
> mockup. Which means my dream of finding a spot where the antenna won't
> have to be moved when I change channels is pretty much dead. At least
> until I move -- which is why I'm not going to invest any further in
> antennage at this time. But it's definitely improved over the
> amplified Terk, which I gave to a friend who's got nothing but rabbit
> ears.

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

In article <yrGdnXG2K6SU9yHcRVn-rA@comcast.com>,
dk@dont_bother_me.com says...
> "JH" <JH@nospam.net> wrote in message news:2004121112533275249%JH@nospamnet...
> > Have your tried an array ? Take two antenna's and face them opposite of
> > each other then combine them , or buy a dedicated uhf antenna and vhf
> > antenna then use a vhf/uhf split , this way you can aim one without
> > effecting the other, if properly done you can recieve both without
> > multipath.
>
> The drawback of combining antennas pointed in different directions
> is that it lowers the signal-to-noise ratio. That is, you will have
> the same signal strength as from one antenna, but with twice the
> background noise.

Not only that, but simply combining two ants like this practically
guarnatees multipath problems. Both antennas will receive some
signal on each channel. Front-to-back discrimination on most TV ants
is not perfect, it is not usually even very good - perhaps 15 dB.
This means the signal off the back is about 1/8 that off the front.
Also, the antenna pointed away from the station will likely pick up a
reflection, which is delayed in time from the direct signal, hence
multipath.

Use a coupler that accepts only the desired signal from each antenna.

/Chris, AA6SQ