Is it possible to use a tv antenna that was designed for analog signal with today's digital tvs? Will a Shakesphere or Interceptor model made for UHF-VHF signal still work?
Old TV Antenna
- Thread starter RichLan
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YES However some former VHF stations may now be located at UHF frequencies and possibly at a lower power. Multipath no longer appears to be a problem. Studio quality pictures(by eye) even from rabbit ears for local channels(line of sight). You must have a digital TV and program its channel setup for digital reception. Non-digital TVs will require a digital to analog converter connected between the antenna and TV.
Multipath is absolutly a problem, even more so since it now results in picture dropouts rather than the ghosting we saw on the old analog sets. If you are in an area with tall buildings, towers or even frequent aircraft movements then you need to spend a bit more thought on your antenna to eliminate this problem.
One must also consider the actual frequencies that are used by stations in your area. Although stations are still referenced by their former Analog channel assignment, they will actually transmit on different frequencies, mostly in the UHF band. What does this mean to me? Typically, it means smaller antennas can be used to cover reception in a particular area as UHF transmissions don't require the large antennas we all know from the pre-cable analog days. This also makes the use of multiple antennas with a combiner easier in areas where one would normally need to rotate the antenna to pick up different stations.
It's a bit tougher when stations in your area continue to transmit in the VHF band. Using http://www.fcc.gov/mb/engineering/maps/, one can see that, in my area, WFAA transmits in the VHF band rather than the UHF band which puts me in this position:
- I can't get by with a simple and small UHF antenna because I need to cover the high VHF band (thanks a lot, *^#$% WFAA!)
- Due to the proximity of buildings, I must pay special attention to multipath
So, at my house, I have an amplified panel UHF antenna selected for it's sensitivity in the high VHF band. I also rotate it 45 degrees in the Z direction to eliminate multipath problems. At my marina, good VHF reception is still required without the multipath problems (wait, we're in the DFW flight path. Oh, well...)
Yes, perhaps a set of rabbit ears will work if the stars line up properly (as they do for many). I would use the link above, however, for additional information.
"Multipath" signals is a figment of the angles at which signals arrive at the antenna. Having an antenna designed for a specific set of frequencies changes nothing about their arrival angle(s). The only method to minimize the effect of multipath is to have multiple antennas which isn't practical on a boat. In other words, as others have said from practical experience, the antenna type is irrelevant.
Actually, there are several methods short of utilizing seperate antennas. My company utilizes several propriatery methods but, as I noted, simple antenna rotation is also effective.
Practical experiance is a funny thing as it seldom covers all conditions!
Rich, To try and answer your question without a lot of technical speak, your old antenna will work just fine as long as it will receive UHF signals and VHF in some instances. Most older antennas would receive both. That is all you really need as as long as it is omni-directional, it should be fine on the boat, and remember, the higher the better. Chuck
Yes, your old antenna will work with the digital converter boxes or TVs. The difference you may encounter is that before if a station came in weak the picture would be snowy and now you will probably not see it at all. So a good antenna with a signal amplifier will help pull in more stations. Through the transition I kept my mast mounted omnidirectional and my TV gets a much better picture.
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