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Hello Tyler I work for the cable company and definitely don't want customers to know about broadcast tv otherwise they will stop paying so much for pbs.
@@gotsm9959 Hello Antenna Man, if you want RCA ANT111E to have good VHF signal, you may need to modify the cable using RG6 quad shield cable and a 300 to 75 ohm impedance matching transformer (balun)
Thanks for reviewing the indoor antennas as many of us live in Apartment Complexes who do not have antennas wired on their buildings. Instead,🙄 we have cable! S o your reviews will help us mightily!😉
Happy 200K subscribers, Tyler! Hope there’s a special video soon! Also, love the new profile picture. The only thing I would do is zoom in a little more so we can see your face better.
I bought this model at a Burlington for $5 happily and I can't lie, it works pretty good. I set up the rabbit ears straight up and on the 2nd floor and most of the philly stations come in. -KC from NE PA
I have this type of antenna I mostly used it for my FM Stereo it does a good job, also on the UHF band. But outside works great especially with portable digital TV, and receives all FM channels.
@@luvdady I bought the antenna for outdoor use since I have a portable 12 Volt TV and has a very good reception outside, but inside sucks. On FM I have no problem, strong signal stations can be receive in stereo and medium signal in mono, outside it can receive both strong and medium signal in stereo.
Personally I would recommend indoor antennas if you live near a broadcasting tower or as a temporary solution . In most cases an outdoor antenna is the solution especially for permanent reception.
@@onometre It's actually illegal for HOAs to block your access to reasonably mount an outdoor antenna. Its against FCC guidelines. Even if its in the bylaws or whatever, if they right you up, you can take them to court for an easy win.
I have a indoor antenna, that I purchased from Radio Shack, years ago, it has the rabbit ears. And it gets all my state (Mississippi) channels (31) in fact, it has out shined some of the outdoors antenna I've tried. Sometimes, one get lucky.
Following you're channel 👍 😀 from 🇹🇳 Tunisia ( North Africa- South Mediterranean country) as abig source of information and how to do tutorials since we have a currently digital tv switch from analog in my home country ... using some of your advices I managed to convince a lot of my neighbors in countryside to "cut the cord" from pay to view satellite and iptv low broadband and bills ... also with your help i discovered the other day you collaboration with The Canadian gentleman who promoted the free to air satellite TV reception as big plus ➕ to my efforts to helpful... me and my folks think you for the all help and enthusiasm and wish you and your followers all the best 👍 with respect and friendship.
You should do a video about opening up this antenna, and replacing the cable with a better one which should not be that hard to do, and see if it works better.
My gf got two 70" ONN tv's for $298 usd each before Christmas. I am sure it's a deal they made with TCL. It's ok in 4k viewing, but I'm sure it's probably not as good as newer TCL sets.
While moving to a new home 9 years ago, I temporarily placed a 13" TV, Zenith DTT-900 CECB and this RCA ANT-111 next to the kitchen window. At that location, this antenna performed pretty well on nearly all local stations, with good strength and little signal breakup though the Zenith signal-strength meter did show some minor fluctuation even on the strongest stations. Placing the ANT-111 elsewhere in the house, reception was not as good. I tried other indoor antennas and still have a boxed-up collection of these: Mohu Leaf, Solid Signal (Winegard) flatwave, a couple of Radio Shack antennas, a Philips 850 powered antenna and a Philips Silver Sensor. For me, the ANT-111 was not the worst of the indoor antennas, though the the short 4-foot-long and uber-thin connecting cable is not a plus . Due to trees and some physical geography issues (a few stations come with 2-edge diffraction), we had an installer put up a Channel Master 4228HD on our roof. Thanks for the review.
From my experience the best tuner for testing/adjusting TV antennas is the Zinwell ZAT-970A because it has indicaters for signal strength and, more importantly, also single quality. There is a newer version with a small letter “b” on the bottom ID sticker but that one does not have the installation function for continuous indication with manual scan for selecting the RF channel.
The Zinwell works great restoring the VCR. The timer turns it on and turning off. I picked up several at thrift stores. They are really reliable, I have never had one fail.
I tried an onn rabbit ear antenna (100008783) from Walmart when it was on sale for $8. The elements are only 15 inches and it has trouble with most stations. I had a 40 inch element from an old antenna that broke and replaced the one pointing towards the window with it and it works well. I do have to move it from time to time though. I’ve had better luck with the flat antennas.
LoL I used a Clear TV flat Antenna. Hopefully Antenna man reviews that one at some with the other parts that don't come with the Antenna and it sucked. 😅
I like how in almost every video you say that there is no such thing as an HD or digital antenna and how they're just things antenna companies use to get you to buy their product.
Thanks for the emphasis on the COAX cable of the antenna. I had 2 indoor flat antennas set up in my bedroom, since I get the best reception there. I had hooked the antenna with the "amplifier" to my Tablo device, that transmits to my Living Room TV. I noticed that the COAX cable from the unamplified antenna was thicker. With a rescan with that antenna, I got the local PBS channel that I couldn't get before. AND I got better quality reception for other channels than with the flat antenna with the amplifier. Since I rarely watch the bedroom TV, I've attached the the amplified antenna to that TV. Thanks for the advice.
Thanks for the tip re: using quality coax with an in-door antenna. I attached professional coax I had from past cable internet installs on either side of my Antennas Direct Clearstream Eclipse indoor antenna and its booster. Haven't rescanned yet but the Toronto and Buffalo stations I receive in downtown T.O. that previously pixelated are now solid. Merci!
Congrats to me! I'm now officially a "cord cutter". Got rid of Comcast cable yesterday. Saving $70 a month and does that ever feel good. I'm now using a pair of rabbit ears sitting out on my front porch roof coupled to a Winegard HDA-200 24db amp. I get 10 channels with a 4/5 bar signal. The 4 networks and 3 PBS. That's all I need. I want to buy a digital recorder/signal meter that was reviewed here on the channel a while back. Got to do some searching to find it. Then I'm planning an getting 100 feet of RG11 coax to run downstairs to my TV in the living room. I will use an A/B switch upstairs instead of a splitter with signal loss. Wish I could get internet without Comcast, or AT&T. I noticed now that I can't watch TV shows anymore on the internet because I don't have cable. That's why I need the digital recorder. I also plan on getting a flat screen (been using 45 year old 25" tube set until it died) with ROKU.
Thanks for reviewing a rabbit ears antenna. I live in an apartment, and this is the only choice I have. I have the RCA rabbit ears you sell on your site. I get a lot of channels, but few come through clearly. I'm still searching for the best option.
The RCA amplified rabbit ears are probably the best for VHF which tend to be the hardest to pick up with indoor antennas. The Channel Master FLATenna is better for UHF.
I would enjoy seeing you doing something like I have seen, where people have been converting their Satellite Dish on their roof into a "tv antenna" for getting signals. My Mom's house still has one on her roof top but no idea where it connects to inside the home. The original box is no longer here when she purchased the home.
All I know is for best results place this antenna in a high place. The signal breaks up when I walk in front of mine. I rarely use it as I have an outdoor antenna.
This is off topic but have you heard of this? When we announced the Tablo ATSC 3.0 QUAD OTA DVR in January of this year, we felt confident that our stated spring 2022 delivery date was achievable. However, since that time, broadcast station ownership groups have indicated their intent to encrypt ATSC 3.0 signals using Digital Rights Management (DRM) beginning as early as this summer. To ensure that the Tablo ATSC 3.0 QUAD OTA DVR can display and record ATSC 3.0 content, even when broadcast signals are encrypted, we need to complete the development and certification of DRM software for the device. DRM decryption keys MUST be installed on the Tablo during manufacturing and cannot be added via later firmware updates.
It's honestly been a great Antenna for me I use this Antenna in my Upstairs Room mostly for watching NFL Games instead of splitting the Downstairs Antenna because the Downstairs Antenna already has two TV's on it so I didn't wanna split it anymore than twice. This Antenna gets all of the Channels I need it to get from Me TV to all of the Local Channels and then some more on top of those. They could've definitely made the Cable thicker and longer but luckily it doesn't have to be far from my Upstairs TV and my TV is right near a Window so I put the Antenna right near the Window but for people that need it farther away from their TV I'd recommend getting an Antenna with a longer Cable.
I always get spotty reception in the front range of Colorado, but that’s to be expected with the the amount of multi-path interference here in Denver lol. Lots of big buildings and mountains. I do live in the suburb, so I’m not as close to the broadcast towers lol. But yeah, cool vid, bro!!
If you don't mind my asking, which suburb are you in? Aurora, surprisingly, gets only a moderate signal from Denver TV, and Boulder + Castle Rock is really shielded by mountains. On the flip side though, most of Northern Colorado along I-25 can get a great signal, even up into Fort Collins, even indoors! Also, make use of a Longley-Rice map to determine a more accurate estimate of coverage at your house.
@@zgsrandomnesshub7561 I live in Centennial and I always get terrible reception from NBC and ABC, but I think that’s more an NBC and ABC thing. I live on the side of a hill, so that might be part of it as well. The other part of it is that my HOA doesn’t like antennas even thought he FCC says I can have an antenna. I think that they think that I’ll put up a giant ham antenna, but all I want is a more or less discrete antenna on my chimney. My HOA apparently doesn’t care about the FCC lol
@@ajrhodes3262 Oh yeah, Centennial is in between some hills and tall buildings for sure. It's too bad about that HOA situation. From the way you worded your post, I assume you might've already told them about the FCC, and they gave you the old "make me" response. Luckily, that ATSC 3.0 should be able to overcome those hills better than the 1.0 signal did. Right now, KWGN, KMGH, KUSA, KDVR, KXSP-LP, and KBRO-LD (actually, that last one is not worth watching, LOL) are all doing 3.0 broadcasts. I wish you the best of luck in your TV endeavors, though!
@@zgsrandomnesshub7561 thank you very much!! Yeah, my HOA doesn’t care lol. But yeah, this a hobby for me and I’m probably gonna pick up an ATSC 3.0 tuner box soon lol
It works in some places where there's no obstruction or you're not in a brick building but outside of that is not that good of an antenna 👎🏾📡📺. Good review 👍🏾👊🏾
I've seen better coax on RCA branded flat antennas (hey it only cost me the gallon of gas to haul it home back in 2020) than their rabbit ear style. Yes, the thin coax is a problem and acts a part of the antenna and needs adjusted as such. I have Philips rabbit ear style antenna that I retired due to what I suspected was LTE interference causing issues with the integrated amp. The nice thing was that it had coax connectors for both the output and an external input so you could use your own cables. Unfortunately, today, Phillips antennas of this style are UHF only as the rabbit ears are only 15 inches extended.
Rabbit ears needs at least RG59/U cable. I'm not sure if RG6/U would really matter that much with runs six feet and under, but if it's an outdoor antenna, you might as well use RG6/U all the way to get the most out of your investment. I wouldn't doubt that thing doesn't even have a 300-75 ohm balun in it. However, you can always hack that cheap RCA antenna with some some RG6/U cable and a 300-75 ohm, VHF/UHF combiner if it doesn't have one. A major problem with rabbit ears these days is that they are made for set tops like the old boxy CRT TVs. It would be nice if they came with clips or something for flat screens. Rabbit ears did typically work fine for NTSC, but ATSC isn't as forgiving. I don't know how well they would work for ATSC 3.0.
Time to put one up that you can recommend. I want to take it camping so looking for one on the smaller side and easier to pack up. Let's see what you can find. Thanks for good videos.
I have pair rabbit ears simpler to that and I wasn't able to positioned two bunny ears all the way down. So what I did was heated up piece of 1/4 all thread soild rod using blow torch getting it nice glow red and melted the plastic stand close to bunny ears making little hole on both sides and by doing that I was able to positioned bunny ears all the way down into both holes horizontally and Hi VHF reception was lot better after doing that.
I have a RCA ANT119 rabbit ear antenna. I only pick up WKMG, and WOGX and their sub-channels, which is ten channels. Once in a while I pick up channels as far as a 100 miles, but mostly just the 10 channels. These kind of antennas, you don't have to fully extend the rabbit ears to pick up any UHF channels that is within 30-50 miles ranges, you do if you want to pick up any VHF channels. But, that effect the UHF, causing the lost of channels. These antennas are temperature sensitiveness. They will pick up more channels if the outside temperature is between 60-70 degree. Best to have the antenna hanging on a wall near the window, that's what I do with my rabbit ears. You may not pick up all the channels, but you will pick up some channels.
Just an fyi.. rochester ny ota ch 31 is back up after 6 months of low signal, repair, etc ? Now only stations i can't get are nexstar ( of course, not at top of tower anymore) and wbgt ( ch 18/40/46 ? which is tin can budget , lower power than my lawn mower) ..still, no next gen ch yet.
I'll definitely be mentioning this in the one antenna I review that has low VHF capability. It actually picked up high VHF channels better with the dipoles only about 75% extended.
If it had longer elements and a connection to allow you to connect your own coax it would be good. I mean very long elements about 45" long because some people use this for FM and FM needs to be at leaset 36"
This RCA Antenna will work if you attach it to an old satellite dish reflected or something else that will reflect the signals. I got all 78 channels in Folsom California - @Antenna Man, I would love if you could make a video about this.
I used this trick for 4g internet and Wi-Fi long distance from the source, it's improved the signal, never thought about for digital tv 📺 😉 thinks i will try it
@@bottlerat2318 i just mount my 4g usb stick dongle ( the kind of dongle u plug on labtop you know from a gsm provider with a Sim card included in the Data plan ) monted by extension on satellite dish toward the far city as 4g coverage isn't good far from home as i live in a countryside so it's improving the signal reception by more than doubled when it was less than 20 per cent ... the satellite dish is not branded neither a professional just a casual one minted to use for FTA tv satellite reception ... 😉 ... it was a DYI project nothing fantasy nor Pro ... if you have questions about i will search again for the tutorials in UA-cam that i used and make pictures of the installation... 24km from the gsm tour of reception by the way... hard to get anything before... so good luck
Buen dia, aqui un comentario en español :D La antena no es mala realmente. No hace poco compre el mismo modelo (bajo otra marca) y si bien, al principio batallaba para tener buena señal, lo que hice fue comprar 1 metro de cable coaxial, las conexiones y un cople, con esto, pude crear un cable coaxial completo y uní dicho cable con el cable que tenía la antena, con esto, pude poner la antena a una distancia mas grande. Lo que pude ver, es que la señal mejoró no solo por la altura, sino que también depende mucho de la posición tanto de los dipolos u "orejas de conejo" de la antena como tambien el angulo en el que se encuentra girado el rectángulo. Después de encontrar la posición correcta de los dipolos y la rotación necesaria de la antena, pude obtener una excelente calidad de imagen y señal, además de captar dos canales extra, aunque claro, como se menciona en el vídeo, desconozco si el cable que hice ayudó a mejorar la calidad de la señal, ya que este es más grueso que el que incluye esta antena
As much as I want to replace the RG59 cable in my rabbit ears antenna with an RG6, to my knowledge there isn't such an antenna out on the market. If the antenna allows you to swap out the cable, 9 times out of 10 it's a flat antenna, which doesn't work as well in my case since some of the most important channels in my area (e.g. ABC and FOX) broadcast on VHF-Hi, which a flat antenna doesn't pick up that well. If I find a rabbit ears antenna from a reputable brand like Channel Master or Antennas Direct that allows you to change out the cable (if not come built in with a RG6 cable), I'd buy it in a heartbeat.
Hey Tyler, I know I may have mentioned this before, but, Ithink this was late 2016, maybe early 2017, my grandfather's friend and I had mounted an indoor/outdoor antenna on his house, it's been there ever since, and we recycled some decent coax cable (not that hair thin garbage that you mentioned in your video 😉). At the time (when we installed it), we only ran it to 2 tv's using some of the existing coax that my grandfather's friend had his TV provider install a TV box when my family (parents, sisters and I) moved in with him for a few months (that's a story that would make this comment longer then needed) and he (the friend) canceled the 2nd box after a year due to only needing for a few months. But, after he "upgraded" his satellite internet after some prodding from me, the 2nd of a dual coax cable run that they (the satellite internet company) ran when my dad had it installed, we (the friend and I) slightly modified the antenna hookup and recycled the 2nd cable run and he's got 3 TV locations that can utilize a over the air antenna feed. My grandfather's friend says he'll switch over to the antenna to watch one of the network TV channels (6, 10, 13, 17) at times of when he wants to or if his satellite TV service goes out either due to weather or because of the company itself. He's said he'd consider pull the plug on his service a number of times, but of course, the person that is victim of wanting to receive those channels that he can't pick up on the antenna, he refuses to cancel his service.
I bought that antenna for $8 on ebay. It blows the doors off those magical mystery plastic square antennas ( which ive bought and threw in the garbage).
It’s funny you talk about this “thin coax cable” I ordered the channel master signal amplifier and the “power adapter” had a thin coax cable like that. It just didn’t make sense to me, does that make sense to you that a amplifier from a well known name brand would use a thin coax for power lead?
While on the topic of indoor antennas, have you ever discussed the option of using a simple parabolic reflector behind the antenna to try to improve reception?? I found that reception can be improved by using a rounded piece of cardboard or some parabolic material coated with aluminum foil. Depending on the dimensions of the reflector, you might have to experiment with the distance from the antenna for the best improvement. What are your thoughts on this??
I am lucky enough that I fine reception using a mud flap indoor antenna in the window. But the TV is in the center of the room. Is there a thin or invisible cord I can run across the ceiling to the room center (instead of a thick ugly coaxial cable)?
What you should do is take this antenna apart and install a thick RG-6 cable to the elements. Then put it back together and mount it outside on your roof and see how many channels you get with it.
Tim Allen certainly approves of this, if ya know what TV show I'm talking about. More power! ;) Actually, this is an awesome idea. If they won't give you a good wire, put an RG6 in!
It would probably be more trouble than it's worth. The average person would probably mess it up anyway. It's better to just order an antenna that has a better coax cable built in.
You won't pick up any channels with a portable TV from the 80s as analog TV has been shut down. You need a digital TV. You can find some portable TVs below: www.amazon.com/shop/antennaman/list/196X5GLXJFFB1?ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ofs_mixed_d
Every time I see an indoor antenna I think of Mr Bean trying to receive TV channels with his antenna. Here is the episode: ua-cam.com/video/Sm3_qEMTdc4/v-deo.html The full epsiode: ua-cam.com/video/4S9-vDow2d0/v-deo.html
Iv got a question. Why do tv broadcasters use so much more power than radio. Wtww out of Tennessee uses 100kw for there short wave station and I can hear them super well in Kansas but our local news station has a erp of 1,000kw but can barely reach 20 miles.
I do have like a 30+-year-old RCA not unlike this, but as a backup/emergency. But its cable seems to be at least RG-58 quality (not that flimsy noodly crap)
Sounds like you need a better antenna setup. Consider an antenna recommendation from me at the link below. This can prevent you from spending hundreds of dollars and time wasted on setting up the wrong antenna for your area. antennamanpa.com/antenna-recommendations.html
They need to make rabbit ears antennas like they did back in the 60s and 70s,longer vhf elements and better loop for uhf they would work better,everything now is crap.
Yes older versions of the rabbit ears and loop antenna perform better than the current versions. Better build quality and longer VHF elements. They were made by RCA, Magnavox, Terk, Channel Master and Radioshack among others. Check on eBay for better versions made prior to 2010 or back in the 80s and 90s. I still have several saved from years go that work much better, including for FM radio.
These work better than any of those pieces of crap flat antennas. But they are only for people within 30 miles of a tower as you said in the video. These are no way long range antennas.
That antenna is too underpriced for the level of performance it gives out on my TV'S. They worked fine here in the Sacramento area being in a relatively flat suburban area.
I'm not Jim Carey. I work really hard to help the country cut the cord with an antenna. If you want a bubbly personality watch MTV. If you want information about antennas, watch me.
I tried it but was not able to get no channels. Amazon said don’t return it. We will refund you. I live in apartment complexes surrounded by other apartment buildings.
@@zgsrandomnesshub7561 I have a few rabbit ears he's shown on the channel I've picked up thrifting for dirt cheap as backups, so I might dig in the parts bin to see I have any thick RG6 cable laying, and see if they can be modded for better performance as most of them don't look like they would be too hard to open up.
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www.antennamanpa.com/index.html
Hello Tyler I work for the cable company and definitely don't want customers to know about broadcast tv otherwise they will stop paying so much for pbs.
@@gotsm9959 Hello Antenna Man, if you want RCA ANT111E to have good VHF signal, you may need to modify the cable using RG6 quad shield cable and a 300 to 75 ohm impedance matching transformer (balun)
Thanks for reviewing the indoor antennas as many of us live in Apartment Complexes who do not have antennas wired on their buildings. Instead,🙄 we have cable! S o your reviews will help us mightily!😉
I used that antenna in Tallahassee, and it worked very well down there!
Where would we be without you. Thank you so much.
Happy 200K subscribers, Tyler! Hope there’s a special video soon!
Also, love the new profile picture. The only thing I would do is zoom in a little more so we can see your face better.
That was a great suggestion. I zoomed in a bit on the picture.
I like how part of the thumbnail became his profile picture.
I bought this model at a Burlington for $5 happily and I can't lie, it works pretty good. I set up the rabbit ears straight up and on the 2nd floor and most of the philly stations come in.
-KC from NE PA
I have this type of antenna I mostly used it for my FM Stereo it does a good job, also on the UHF band. But outside works great especially with portable digital TV, and receives all FM channels.
Yeah and super cheap, I often try these before I shell out $$ for a a less adequate antenna
@@luvdady I bought the antenna for outdoor use since I have a portable 12 Volt TV and has a very good reception outside, but inside sucks. On FM I have no problem, strong signal stations can be receive in stereo and medium signal in mono, outside it can receive both strong and medium signal in stereo.
Personally I would recommend indoor antennas if you live near a broadcasting tower or as a temporary solution . In most cases an outdoor antenna is the solution especially for permanent reception.
I am no a millean!
A lot of hoas and rental agencies wouldn't allow outdoor ones though
@@onometre But somehow they're OK with satellite dishes.
Something tells me they're in bed with the cable/satellite companies.
@@onometre It's actually illegal for HOAs to block your access to reasonably mount an outdoor antenna. Its against FCC guidelines. Even if its in the bylaws or whatever, if they right you up, you can take them to court for an easy win.
I have a indoor antenna, that I purchased from Radio Shack, years ago, it has the rabbit ears. And it gets all my state (Mississippi) channels (31) in fact, it has out shined some of the outdoors antenna I've tried. Sometimes, one get lucky.
@Melanie , I live in Vicksburg, MS
Following you're channel 👍 😀 from 🇹🇳 Tunisia ( North Africa- South Mediterranean country) as abig source of information and how to do tutorials since we have a currently digital tv switch from analog in my home country ... using some of your advices I managed to convince a lot of my neighbors in countryside to "cut the cord" from pay to view satellite and iptv low broadband and bills ... also with your help i discovered the other day you collaboration with The Canadian gentleman who promoted the free to air satellite TV reception as big plus ➕ to my efforts to helpful... me and my folks think you for the all help and enthusiasm and wish you and your followers all the best 👍 with respect and friendship.
You should do a video about opening up this antenna, and replacing the cable with a better one which should not be that hard to do, and see if it works better.
Came here to say this. I mean, obviously, that's past reasonableness for a typical consumer, but it'd be interesting to see the differences.
I use and I am happy with RCA antennas. I get tons of channels and reception is good
I have the Onn branded version of this. It surprisingly picks up FM radio stations as low as 88.1! I fine-tuned my TV on channel 6 to get to them.
My gf got two 70" ONN tv's for $298 usd each before Christmas. I am sure it's a deal they made with TCL. It's ok in 4k viewing, but I'm sure it's probably not as good as newer TCL sets.
FM radio plays well with antenna lengths around 31 inches
Congratulations on 200,000 subscribers
While moving to a new home 9 years ago, I temporarily placed a 13" TV, Zenith DTT-900 CECB and this RCA ANT-111 next to the kitchen window. At that location, this antenna performed pretty well on nearly all local stations, with good strength and little signal breakup though the Zenith signal-strength meter did show some minor fluctuation even on the strongest stations. Placing the ANT-111 elsewhere in the house, reception was not as good. I tried other indoor antennas and still have a boxed-up collection of these: Mohu Leaf, Solid Signal (Winegard) flatwave, a couple of Radio Shack antennas, a Philips 850 powered antenna and a Philips Silver Sensor. For me, the ANT-111 was not the worst of the indoor antennas, though the the short 4-foot-long and uber-thin connecting cable is not a plus . Due to trees and some physical geography issues (a few stations come with 2-edge diffraction), we had an installer put up a Channel Master 4228HD on our roof. Thanks for the review.
From my experience the best tuner for testing/adjusting TV antennas is the Zinwell ZAT-970A because it has indicaters for signal strength and, more importantly, also single quality. There is a newer version with a small letter “b” on the bottom ID sticker but that one does not have the installation function for continuous indication with manual scan for selecting the RF channel.
Zinwell is good. I had one of their first converter boxes back in 2009 with the digital transition.
The Zinwell works great restoring the VCR. The timer turns it on and turning off. I picked up several at thrift stores. They are really reliable, I have never had one fail.
My first 13 inch B&W TV has rabbit ears, and I still remember having to mess with them to get certain channels as a child.
I tried an onn rabbit ear antenna (100008783) from Walmart when it was on sale for $8. The elements are only 15 inches and it has trouble with most stations. I had a 40 inch element from an old antenna that broke and replaced the one pointing towards the window with it and it works well. I do have to move it from time to time though. I’ve had better luck with the flat antennas.
LoL I used a Clear TV flat Antenna. Hopefully Antenna man reviews that one at some with the other parts that don't come with the Antenna and it sucked. 😅
I like how in almost every video you say that there is no such thing as an HD or digital antenna and how they're just things antenna companies use to get you to buy their product.
Congratulations on 200k!
I have the older model RCA with the longer Di Poles for lo VHF, it's a great little device to bring places and run channel scans.
Thanks for the emphasis on the COAX cable of the antenna. I had 2 indoor flat antennas set up in my bedroom, since I get the best reception there. I had hooked the antenna with the "amplifier" to my Tablo device, that transmits to my Living Room TV. I noticed that the COAX cable from the unamplified antenna was thicker. With a rescan with that antenna, I got the local PBS channel that I couldn't get before. AND I got better quality reception for other channels than with the flat antenna with the amplifier. Since I rarely watch the bedroom TV, I've attached the the amplified antenna to that TV. Thanks for the advice.
RCA is another brand that was purchased license rights by the company Funai, they also own Magnavox as well.
I use RCA indoor antennas and they work pretty good for me.
5:04 thank you!
I've been waiting for this.. I've seen the antenna everywhere lol
Back in the day I seem to remember the VHF elements being much longer than these.
Thanks for the tip re: using quality coax with an in-door antenna. I attached professional coax I had from past cable internet installs on either side of my Antennas Direct Clearstream Eclipse indoor antenna and its booster. Haven't rescanned yet but the Toronto and Buffalo stations I receive in downtown T.O. that previously pixelated are now solid. Merci!
Congrats to me! I'm now officially a "cord cutter". Got rid of Comcast cable yesterday. Saving $70 a month and does that ever feel good. I'm now using a pair of rabbit ears sitting out on my front porch roof coupled to a Winegard HDA-200 24db amp. I get 10 channels with a 4/5 bar signal. The 4 networks and 3 PBS. That's all I need. I want to buy a digital recorder/signal meter that was reviewed here on the channel a while back. Got to do some searching to find it. Then I'm planning an getting 100 feet of RG11 coax to run downstairs to my TV in the living room. I will use an A/B switch upstairs instead of a splitter with signal loss. Wish I could get internet without Comcast, or AT&T. I noticed now that I can't watch TV shows anymore on the internet because I don't have cable. That's why I need the digital recorder. I also plan on getting a flat screen (been using 45 year old 25" tube set until it died) with ROKU.
Thanks for reviewing a rabbit ears antenna. I live in an apartment, and this is the only choice I have.
I have the RCA rabbit ears you sell on your site. I get a lot of channels, but few come through clearly. I'm still searching for the best option.
The RCA amplified rabbit ears are probably the best for VHF which tend to be the hardest to pick up with indoor antennas. The Channel Master FLATenna is better for UHF.
Amazing thumbnail
I would enjoy seeing you doing something like I have seen, where people have been converting their Satellite Dish on their roof into a "tv antenna" for getting signals. My Mom's house still has one on her roof top but no idea where it connects to inside the home. The original box is no longer here when she purchased the home.
All I know is for best results place this antenna in a high place. The signal breaks up when I walk in front of mine. I rarely use it as I have an outdoor antenna.
Same here, I have to put my indoor antenna around the window, and even then it's finicky for some stations.
Good info here of which I will probably need as I get closer retirement. Subbed!
This is off topic but have you heard of this? When we announced the Tablo ATSC 3.0 QUAD OTA DVR in January of this year, we felt confident that our stated spring 2022 delivery date was achievable.
However, since that time, broadcast station ownership groups have indicated their intent to encrypt ATSC 3.0 signals using Digital Rights Management (DRM) beginning as early as this summer.
To ensure that the Tablo ATSC 3.0 QUAD OTA DVR can display and record ATSC 3.0 content, even when broadcast signals are encrypted, we need to complete the development and certification of DRM software for the device.
DRM decryption keys MUST be installed on the Tablo during manufacturing and cannot be added via later firmware updates.
I saw this - I will be making a video on it in the future. This may be the beginning of the end of free over the air TV.
It's honestly been a great Antenna for me I use this Antenna in my Upstairs Room mostly for watching NFL Games instead of splitting the Downstairs Antenna because the Downstairs Antenna already has two TV's on it so I didn't wanna split it anymore than twice. This Antenna gets all of the Channels I need it to get from Me TV to all of the Local Channels and then some more on top of those. They could've definitely made the Cable thicker and longer but luckily it doesn't have to be far from my Upstairs TV and my TV is right near a Window so I put the Antenna right near the Window but for people that need it farther away from their TV I'd recommend getting an Antenna with a longer Cable.
For FM radio in an urban area, these are the best non-amplified antennas you can buy for the price, and one of the best FM antennas period.
I always get spotty reception in the front range of Colorado, but that’s to be expected with the the amount of multi-path interference here in Denver lol. Lots of big buildings and mountains. I do live in the suburb, so I’m not as close to the broadcast towers lol. But yeah, cool vid, bro!!
If you don't mind my asking, which suburb are you in? Aurora, surprisingly, gets only a moderate signal from Denver TV, and Boulder + Castle Rock is really shielded by mountains. On the flip side though, most of Northern Colorado along I-25 can get a great signal, even up into Fort Collins, even indoors!
Also, make use of a Longley-Rice map to determine a more accurate estimate of coverage at your house.
@@zgsrandomnesshub7561 I live in Centennial and I always get terrible reception from NBC and ABC, but I think that’s more an NBC and ABC thing. I live on the side of a hill, so that might be part of it as well. The other part of it is that my HOA doesn’t like antennas even thought he FCC says I can have an antenna. I think that they think that I’ll put up a giant ham antenna, but all I want is a more or less discrete antenna on my chimney. My HOA apparently doesn’t care about the FCC lol
@@zgsrandomnesshub7561 also, thanks for the advice!! I’ll try it out once I get the chance
@@ajrhodes3262 Oh yeah, Centennial is in between some hills and tall buildings for sure. It's too bad about that HOA situation. From the way you worded your post, I assume you might've already told them about the FCC, and they gave you the old "make me" response. Luckily, that ATSC 3.0 should be able to overcome those hills better than the 1.0 signal did. Right now, KWGN, KMGH, KUSA, KDVR, KXSP-LP, and KBRO-LD (actually, that last one is not worth watching, LOL) are all doing 3.0 broadcasts. I wish you the best of luck in your TV endeavors, though!
@@zgsrandomnesshub7561 thank you very much!! Yeah, my HOA doesn’t care lol. But yeah, this a hobby for me and I’m probably gonna pick up an ATSC 3.0 tuner box soon lol
It works in some places where there's no obstruction or you're not in a brick building but outside of that is not that good of an antenna 👎🏾📡📺. Good review 👍🏾👊🏾
I've seen better coax on RCA branded flat antennas (hey it only cost me the gallon of gas to haul it home back in 2020) than their rabbit ear style. Yes, the thin coax is a problem and acts a part of the antenna and needs adjusted as such. I have Philips rabbit ear style antenna that I retired due to what I suspected was LTE interference causing issues with the integrated amp. The nice thing was that it had coax connectors for both the output and an external input so you could use your own cables. Unfortunately, today, Phillips antennas of this style are UHF only as the rabbit ears are only 15 inches extended.
Rabbit ears needs at least RG59/U cable. I'm not sure if RG6/U would really matter that much with runs six feet and under, but if it's an outdoor antenna, you might as well use RG6/U all the way to get the most out of your investment. I wouldn't doubt that thing doesn't even have a 300-75 ohm balun in it. However, you can always hack that cheap RCA antenna with some some RG6/U cable and a 300-75 ohm, VHF/UHF combiner if it doesn't have one. A major problem with rabbit ears these days is that they are made for set tops like the old boxy CRT TVs. It would be nice if they came with clips or something for flat screens. Rabbit ears did typically work fine for NTSC, but ATSC isn't as forgiving. I don't know how well they would work for ATSC 3.0.
Thanks for going over the basics. 📺
Time to put one up that you can recommend. I want to take it camping so looking for one on the smaller side and easier to pack up. Let's see what you can find. Thanks for good videos.
You can find a list of recommended antennas below: www.amazon.com/shop/antennaman/list/2LH365VAPDKLC
I have pair rabbit ears simpler to that and I wasn't able to positioned two bunny ears all the way down. So what I did was heated up piece of 1/4 all thread soild rod using blow torch getting it nice glow red and melted the plastic stand close to bunny ears making little hole on both sides and by doing that I was able to positioned bunny ears all the way down into both holes horizontally and Hi VHF reception was lot better after doing that.
I have a RCA ANT119 rabbit ear antenna. I only pick up WKMG, and WOGX and their sub-channels, which is ten channels. Once in a while I pick up channels as far as a 100 miles, but mostly just the 10 channels.
These kind of antennas, you don't have to fully extend the rabbit ears to pick up any UHF channels that is within 30-50 miles ranges, you do if you want to pick up any VHF channels. But, that effect the UHF, causing the lost of channels.
These antennas are temperature sensitiveness. They will pick up more channels if the outside temperature is between 60-70 degree.
Best to have the antenna hanging on a wall near the window, that's what I do with my rabbit ears. You may not pick up all the channels, but you will pick up some channels.
Always informative and entertaining
Just an fyi.. rochester ny ota ch 31 is back up after 6 months of low signal, repair, etc ? Now only stations i can't get are nexstar ( of course, not at top of tower anymore) and wbgt ( ch 18/40/46 ? which is tin can budget , lower power than my lawn mower) ..still, no next gen ch yet.
Again thanks for the videos...
What Can Use To Get Distance from a Digital TV
One thing you might want to demonstrate is how sliding the dipoles in and out can result in a stronger signal on VHF.
I'll definitely be mentioning this in the one antenna I review that has low VHF capability. It actually picked up high VHF channels better with the dipoles only about 75% extended.
If it had longer elements and a connection to allow you to connect your own coax it would be good. I mean very long elements about 45" long because some people use this for FM and FM needs to be at leaset 36"
This RCA Antenna will work if you attach it to an old satellite dish reflected or something else that will reflect the signals. I got all 78 channels in Folsom California - @Antenna Man, I would love if you could make a video about this.
I used this trick for 4g internet and Wi-Fi long distance from the source, it's improved the signal, never thought about for digital tv 📺 😉 thinks i will try it
How did you get 4g with an antenna? I been trying to do this for free internet but no luck
@@bottlerat2318 i just mount my 4g usb stick dongle ( the kind of dongle u plug on labtop you know from a gsm provider with a Sim card included in the Data plan ) monted by extension on satellite dish toward the far city as 4g coverage isn't good far from home as i live in a countryside so it's improving the signal reception by more than doubled when it was less than 20 per cent ... the satellite dish is not branded neither a professional just a casual one minted to use for FTA tv satellite reception ... 😉 ... it was a DYI project nothing fantasy nor Pro ... if you have questions about i will search again for the tutorials in UA-cam that i used and make pictures of the installation... 24km from the gsm tour of reception by the way... hard to get anything before... so good luck
Cool, thank you
Buen dia, aqui un comentario en español :D
La antena no es mala realmente. No hace poco compre el mismo modelo (bajo otra marca) y si bien, al principio batallaba para tener buena señal, lo que hice fue comprar 1 metro de cable coaxial, las conexiones y un cople, con esto, pude crear un cable coaxial completo y uní dicho cable con el cable que tenía la antena, con esto, pude poner la antena a una distancia mas grande. Lo que pude ver, es que la señal mejoró no solo por la altura, sino que también depende mucho de la posición tanto de los dipolos u "orejas de conejo" de la antena como tambien el angulo en el que se encuentra girado el rectángulo. Después de encontrar la posición correcta de los dipolos y la rotación necesaria de la antena, pude obtener una excelente calidad de imagen y señal, además de captar dos canales extra, aunque claro, como se menciona en el vídeo, desconozco si el cable que hice ayudó a mejorar la calidad de la señal, ya que este es más grueso que el que incluye esta antena
As much as I want to replace the RG59 cable in my rabbit ears antenna with an RG6, to my knowledge there isn't such an antenna out on the market. If the antenna allows you to swap out the cable, 9 times out of 10 it's a flat antenna, which doesn't work as well in my case since some of the most important channels in my area (e.g. ABC and FOX) broadcast on VHF-Hi, which a flat antenna doesn't pick up that well.
If I find a rabbit ears antenna from a reputable brand like Channel Master or Antennas Direct that allows you to change out the cable (if not come built in with a RG6 cable), I'd buy it in a heartbeat.
Nice
I don't know why, my dog, Victor, keeps staring at my RCA antenna.
Under-rated comment! I think he would take well to a "gramophone" ;)
@@zgsrandomnesshub7561
He will have to settle with grandma's phone.
Hey Tyler, I know I may have mentioned this before, but, Ithink this was late 2016, maybe early 2017, my grandfather's friend and I had mounted an indoor/outdoor antenna on his house, it's been there ever since, and we recycled some decent coax cable (not that hair thin garbage that you mentioned in your video 😉). At the time (when we installed it), we only ran it to 2 tv's using some of the existing coax that my grandfather's friend had his TV provider install a TV box when my family (parents, sisters and I) moved in with him for a few months (that's a story that would make this comment longer then needed) and he (the friend) canceled the 2nd box after a year due to only needing for a few months. But, after he "upgraded" his satellite internet after some prodding from me, the 2nd of a dual coax cable run that they (the satellite internet company) ran when my dad had it installed, we (the friend and I) slightly modified the antenna hookup and recycled the 2nd cable run and he's got 3 TV locations that can utilize a over the air antenna feed. My grandfather's friend says he'll switch over to the antenna to watch one of the network TV channels (6, 10, 13, 17) at times of when he wants to or if his satellite TV service goes out either due to weather or because of the company itself. He's said he'd consider pull the plug on his service a number of times, but of course, the person that is victim of wanting to receive those channels that he can't pick up on the antenna, he refuses to cancel his service.
I have a couple of these. I have picked up stations 25 and 28 miles away easily.
I bought that antenna for $8 on ebay. It blows the doors off those magical mystery plastic square antennas ( which ive bought and threw in the garbage).
Very good. Highly informative.
Do any antennas with an integrated cable use RG6? I always struggle to get the right length for the dipoles to receive VHF stations.
Not that I know of - although the one RCA antenna I reviewed below had a pretty thick cable. Not quite RG6 but almost there. amzn.to/3JEZ9i6
I'm looking for some DIY antenna ideas I saw your paper clip idea in your beer can idea what else do you have
My home made antenna made of coat hanger does better than rabbit ears I have some for my stereo does a good job getting more station in my area
Antennae is my business, and business is good
I didn't think it would be too effective.
It’s funny you talk about this “thin coax cable” I ordered the channel master signal amplifier and the “power adapter” had a thin coax cable like that. It just didn’t make sense to me, does that make sense to you that a amplifier from a well known name brand would use a thin coax for power lead?
While on the topic of indoor antennas, have you ever discussed the option of using a simple parabolic reflector behind the antenna to try to improve reception?? I found that reception can be improved by using a rounded piece of cardboard or some parabolic material coated with aluminum foil. Depending on the dimensions of the reflector, you might have to experiment with the distance from the antenna for the best improvement.
What are your thoughts on this??
I am lucky enough that I fine reception using a mud flap indoor antenna in the window. But the TV is in the center of the room. Is there a thin or invisible cord I can run across the ceiling to the room center (instead of a thick ugly coaxial cable)?
What you should do is take this antenna apart and install a thick RG-6 cable to the elements. Then put it back together and mount it outside on your roof and see how many channels you get with it.
Tim Allen certainly approves of this, if ya know what TV show I'm talking about. More power! ;)
Actually, this is an awesome idea. If they won't give you a good wire, put an RG6 in!
Is it possible to disassemble the antenna to replace the coax?
It would probably be more trouble than it's worth. The average person would probably mess it up anyway. It's better to just order an antenna that has a better coax cable built in.
Maybe he could to it to this one antenna and see what differences there are.
Thanks
Wow that is the antenna I actually have right now that I'm using lot of the times it's good Lotto times as bad
The one with the knob is a good antenna, been using it for 10 yrs
Change the cable to a better one and see if it performs better
Rip it off. LoL 😅😅
Unfortunately the cable is built into the antenna so it can't really be changed out.
What kind of antenna would be recommended for a RCA portable tv from the 80s?
You won't pick up any channels with a portable TV from the 80s as analog TV has been shut down. You need a digital TV. You can find some portable TVs below:
www.amazon.com/shop/antennaman/list/196X5GLXJFFB1?ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ofs_mixed_d
Every time I see an indoor antenna I think of Mr Bean trying to receive TV channels with his antenna. Here is the episode: ua-cam.com/video/Sm3_qEMTdc4/v-deo.html
The full epsiode: ua-cam.com/video/4S9-vDow2d0/v-deo.html
That was pretty funny. Tyler should strip like Mr. Bean did.
Iv got a question. Why do tv broadcasters use so much more power than radio. Wtww out of Tennessee uses 100kw for there short wave station and I can hear them super well in Kansas but our local news station has a erp of 1,000kw but can barely reach 20 miles.
They're on different frequencies. Higher frequencies require more power. 100 kW on RF channel 9 will go further than 1,000 kW on RF channel 32.
I do have like a 30+-year-old RCA not unlike this, but as a backup/emergency. But its cable seems to be at least RG-58 quality (not that flimsy noodly crap)
I have a indoor antenna. I can get uhf but no vhf channels come in for some reason
Sounds like you need a better antenna setup. Consider an antenna recommendation from me at the link below. This can prevent you from spending hundreds of dollars and time wasted on setting up the wrong antenna for your area. antennamanpa.com/antenna-recommendations.html
....Time to break out the tin foil....LOL
They need to make rabbit ears antennas like they did back in the 60s and 70s,longer vhf elements and better loop for uhf they would work better,everything now is crap.
Yes older versions of the rabbit ears and loop antenna perform better than the current versions. Better build quality and longer VHF elements. They were made by RCA, Magnavox, Terk, Channel Master and Radioshack among others. Check on eBay for better versions made prior to 2010 or back in the 80s and 90s. I still have several saved from years go that work much better, including for FM radio.
@@Mr.TylerSC Agreed . . . all my rabbit ears antennas are from the 70's and work flawlessly. Most channels in my town are at 4-5 bars on my meter.
Have you ever reviewed an antenna that works?
YES!
They probably should have done a traditional ribbon with balun as a cord.
These work better than any of those pieces of crap flat antennas. But they are only for people within 30 miles of a tower as you said in the video. These are no way long range antennas.
This is true
I have that antenna.
Les renseignements en français svp si possible merci
As long as it's got HD then it gets an okay from me!
@@AntennaExplorers yeah, but if it doesn't have HD then it's gonna be a no from me
Make sure it says "Color" too.
@@SpeedBuggy92 Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha
How can I make a one time donation with PayPal?
At the link below: www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=8L5UBJ7JX86PG
❤❤👍👍
It would have been better if the manufacture built the antenna with twin lead wire and added a 300 - 75 Ohm F connector.
Antenna man the RCA indoor Antenna are made in taiwan Antennas shold be made in the usa 🇺🇸 and a good cable rg 6 cable
That antenna is too underpriced for the level of performance it gives out on my TV'S. They worked fine here in the Sacramento area being in a relatively flat suburban area.
I notice your picture keeps changing. Gettin' sued by another company claiming you stole their logo again?
His profile picture looks funny though. 😅😅
Just fine tuning things!
Omg this guy has about as much personality as a brick wall.
I'm not Jim Carey. I work really hard to help the country cut the cord with an antenna. If you want a bubbly personality watch MTV. If you want information about antennas, watch me.
RCA has nothing to do with RCA of old, they used to make real things. It's just sad
I tried it but was not able to get no channels. Amazon said don’t return it. We will refund you. I live in apartment complexes surrounded by other apartment buildings.
the thumbnail is your pfp
This guy is so knowledgeable about antennas, but his disdain and utter revulsion for crappy antennas shines through and makes me laugh!!
Hard to believe that a rabbit ear antenna performed worse than the generic flat junk antenna.
Leave it to that thin cable that antenna had! Otherwise, it might've preformed better.
@@zgsrandomnesshub7561 I have a few rabbit ears he's shown on the channel I've picked up thrifting for dirt cheap as backups, so I might dig in the parts bin to see I have any thick RG6 cable laying, and see if they can be modded for better performance as most of them don't look like they would be too hard to open up.
@@CommodoreFan64 That's a great strategy!
Save your time and energy and get a 5 dollar IPTV service where you can watch anything you want!!!