Clark, according to YouTube’s Tyler the Antenna Man, there is no such thing as a digital or HD specific antenna.
Robert, you are right! My antenna on a 30 ft pole looks just like the one my Dad used 50 years ago. Companies add the word “digital” to make it sound cooler.
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Right! Someone might think they need to go out and buy a special antenna to get digital channels. I am using a large, mast-mounted antenna I purchased at Radio Shack about 30 years ago.
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The little metal tubes (elements) that stick out from the sides of the horizontal bar of TV antennas pick up electromagnetic energy from high-frequency radio waves which carry a signal that can be either digital or analog. The elements are of different lengths to match the different frequencies of the different channels. It’s similar to the different sizes of the bars on a xylophone, each size bar emits a different musical note.
A wire coat hanger will pick up an analog or digital broadcast TV signal, but it may not be strong enough to get a useable sound and picture.
If you live in a rural area, do not expect to receive many channels using an antenna. The antennas advertised for today’s televisions will typically work well in an urban area.
It’s kind of funny in a way. I had a friend who used a coffee can as an antenna and it worked fine for him. Back in 2008 while living in an apartment I made a 6 piece coat hanger antenna from a you tube post and it actually worked better than any indoor antenna I bought and then returned. since our TV channels went to UHF it is much easier to watch local broadcast for free again. Just sharing my thoughts and experience.
If you want to know the chances of picking up a usable DTV over-the-air signal where you live here’s a good resource:
An antenna is just a single or combination of metal items to transmit or receive electromagnetic waves which are arrying information. The length of any particular wire determines the frequency it will best work on. That is why TV antennas have multiple elements of varying sizes. Longer wires work better with lower frequencies.
In 1956 my Uncle was a Ham Radio Operator who was famous for a radio contact of 2600 miles (Hawaii to California) just above FM radio and the old police transmission frequencies. This was exciting because generally these frequencies do not travel more than line of sight. This record distance was finally beaten in 1999 by another Ham in Hawaii. AM radio station reception is a lot easier and it is not all that difficult to hear those frequencies 2600 miles away.
Hams often do strange transmissions. Uncle Ralph used to bounce radio signals off the moon to fellow Hams. Why? Because he could!
Here in Hawaii I am so far south on the Big Island, I cannot receive TV signals from anywhere and barely receive any radio stations. However, if I lived higher up the volcano or a bit further north, I could use an antenna to receive TV signals from repeater stations on Maui. I set up an couple of antennas for neighbors who now receive 10 or so stations over the air. They are line of sight to Maui.