I'm at ANOTHER fork-in-the road regarding HDTV. Now, I'm trying to decide on an off-air antenna for HDTV. I'm 40 miles from Chicago and will be placing the antenna on the rooftop of my 2-story home. My choices are: 1) a 190" boom, directional, with pre-amp, 2) a new Radio Shack product, a HD Antenna that looks like the 'stealth bomber', multi-directional, pre-amp within, or 3) a Turk TV44 that clips to my satellite dish w/ pre-amp.

Anyone from Chicago burbs with an off-air antenna for HD TV ? good & bad experiences welcome. Preferably, good recommendations, so I can make a decision.

40 miles is probably too far for options 2 and 3. The largest part of option 1 is a VHF antenna that is probably not going to get channel 3 at 40 miles. What is your zip code?

Have you looked into the CHANNEL MASTER 4228? It's good for at least 60 miles.

Doug

I would expect that your 190" boom VHF/UHF on top of a two story house 40 miles from the transmitter should pull in both VHF and UHF signals. Even a 120" boom antenna (Channel Master 3022) would probably work as well. I use the 3022 to pull in VHF and UHF signals from a city about 60 miles away (with hilly terrain between me and the city) with no problem. You may need to add an amplifier, but try the antenna first and then you can always add the amp if necessary. I would not recommend the other two options.

On one installation I did just off I-55 in Joliet I used a Low band Vhf Yagi antenna. This aerial works well but it is large in size. I did use a Winegard pre-amp on it and the gain was too high . The set top box sirt 150 locked up with a black screen and no functions would work. I removed the pre-amp and the stb worked fine. A seperate 4228 uhf antenna is used for the digital uhf channels. A RCA combo u/v antenna was taken down. This was the better TDP made blue coated antenna. I have used them for many years on the analog stations. The UHF section was a yagi corner reflector style and had good gain. The last thing I would try is stacking two low band Yagi vhf antennas and hope for the best. The E.R.P. level of digital 3 is 3.7 KW . That signal at a distance is very hard to keep on a steady level especially with atmospheric noise, airplane traffic flutter ,and electrical interference from transforners and ignition noise.In some cities low band Vhf digital runs at 46KW and 26KW.I think what WBBM did to digital television and channel allocation is a disgrace. They could of beat down the doors of the FCC> just as WANE tv did here in Ft. Wayne. They had digital vhf 4 allocated to them . They bitched and moaned and channel 31 was granted.Best to all of you in the Chicago area.