My wife and I are trying to avoid cable tv, at our apartment complex they will not allow satellite tv. Our only option is time warner which we feel is a rip off.
We have been using a rabbit ear ant. with a digital converter.
My Sansui crt tv will get digital or analog by itself but the picture goes in and out sometimes. With the converter it holds the signal just fine.
I did try an amplified (Philips) ant. but it performed horribly.
Can anyone suggest a way to improve performance?
I forget the website name but I found one(mentioned here) that shows I should get more than just local (Lima, Ohio) stations.
I would try putting an ant. in the attic but am not sure if I am wasting my time.

You might want to look at this FCC rule about antennas. Boiled down it means you can install an antenna in an "exclusive area" which means an area the landlord does not have access to or control of. If your lease allows the landlord unfettered access to your apartment, you do not have exclusive control. If he/she does not have access without your permission then you win. But the dish would have to be in a window or patio or such under your control. And a big ol' double bow-tie antenna should get you going if you need an antenna.

http://www.fcc.gov/guides/installing-consumer-owned-antennas-and-satellite-dishes

Well I do not have a window or patio that faces the correct direction.
What stinks is the fact that my complex seems to be kind of a signal dead zone!
I have bought the small camping TV's at a flee market that hold a perfect picture before just to get them to the apartment and pick up a barely visible snowy image!

right now just using rabbit ears hooked to digital converter. I "assume" it amplifies the signal before processing it. I did try a Philips amplified indoor ant but it had short rabbit ears and performed worse than just the tv with standard length rabbit ears!

dont worry your not missing anything worth watching , we dump cable 2 months ago truth is im watching more air tv than i did cable ,probley because there running the older programs .

dont worry your not missing anything worth watching , we dump cable 2 months ago truth is im watching more air tv than i did cable ,probley because there running the older programs .

For the most part....... I agree.
There are certain shows My wife and I do enjoy that we can't currently watch unless at a friends house.

antennaweb.org

http://www.antennaweb.org/Stations.aspx?Address=&City=Lima&State=OH&ZIP=45801&Housing=S&Accuracy=4&Height=6&Obstructed=False&StationList=&Lat=40.786903&Lon=-84.0801613

Edit: in general, there is no substitute for height, so an antenna in the attic may be a good idea. You will have a problem with the PBS station being in the opposite direction from the others, so you will need to experiment.

I have cable and all the channels for free and stuff, simply because I work for the cable company.

Hey for free I can't complain.

But I don't watch much of the channels either. I usually stick with Netflix.

Most DTV stations (even 2-13) are actually transmitted on UHF so one of those indoor UHF loop antennas will work better than rabbit ears(which are meant for VHF).

antennaweb.org

http://www.antennaweb.org/Stations.aspx?Address=&City=Lima&State=OH&ZIP=45801&Housing=S&Accuracy=4&Height=6&Obstructed=False&StationList=&Lat=40.786903&Lon=-84.0801613

Edit: in general, there is no substitute for height, so an antenna in the attic may be a good idea. You will have a problem with the PBS station being in the opposite direction from the others, so you will need to experiment.
I picked up a Terk model HDTVA, amplified set-top antenna at a thrift, for three bucks. I'll buy any amplified inside antenna, if it's reasonably priced and in good condition. Then, I compare the performance of same.
The Terk, didn't seem to be that great, but once I set it on the top closet shelf, it made a world of difference. Just four feet higher than the top of the set. Weather changes affect reception, only occasionally, but not on all channels.
My home is 41 miles north of the Milwaukee antenna farm. :yes:

One thing an amplified antenna is not immune to is an overly strong FM station.
The only way around this is to place an FM trap at the input to the amplifier, not the output of it.
This is difficult when using an integrated amplified antenna.

DTV converters and HDTVs with ATSC tuners do not have the selectivity to filter image frequencies, generated by overloaded amps, very well.

While ATSC tuners are designed with high sensitivity for weaker signals, it is also easy to overload them with "bad" or interfering signals.

A small UHF-only antenna I have heard works well indoors is the Zenith "silver sensor", without a built-in amp.
You could also build a 4 bay bowtie for indoor concealed use.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlShMxSCZJ0

As Dieseljeep says, location is everything. If you can go outdoor as Dave A says, antennasdirect DB-8 or similar 4/8 bay bowtie would work.
Can I assume you are in a bad location mostly for the Ft. Wayne channels?

I feel your pain. We went from getting 5 New England states,
all the VHF & countless UHF to 1 station and a second
sometimes. Tried 3 HD sets & 2 boxes no joy. Also antennas.
Got satellite & now only watch locals for the weather.
Most the time watch B&W movies on TMC back when
girls were girls, men were men & cars were cars.
So HD cost me my life long job & $50 a month for life.

73 Zeno:smoke:

You need to approach the problem logically.... First you need to figure out where the stations are that you are interested in.... Determine what you will need to do to get them....

http://www.tvfool.com/modeling/

TVFool has a neat tool that shows the direction stations are.... and the effects height may have on your attempt. The finished data for your location shows a basic look at the quality of signal you should be receiving.... But take it with a grain of salt, The VHF channels I get here travel much better than UHF, and as a result, there are VHF chennels showing up on the data as being of porrer signal than UHF ones, but I get the V's, but not the U's....

From that, you can determine what type of setup you are looking at... Bowtie, VHF only, or Combo, Deep Fringe, or just a local smaller antenna...

With rabbitears.info http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php You can see from coverage maps also what level of signal you are likely to get.....

If you have found you need some type of booster, get a good one, with lowest noise figure, this is the biggest problem with digital reception. Do you need a boost on UHF but not VHF, chose well, or get seperate boosters, combiners and maybe an attenuator....

Attenuating stations that are too strong can be as easy as how you point the antanna. We have 2 overpowering stations in the area, but luckily I get them as they are 90 degrees away from the City, so with a deep fringe directional antenna pointed where I get the best of the city, and away from those super-strong stations, I still use a preamp, and distribution amp, and nothing is overpowered.

Since you will be using the attic, you can if you need to, put up signal blocker in the form of foil if you need it....

Pick the best antenna and do seperate antennas if needed, use combiners if you need 2 fixed antennas pointing in 2 different directions.... Or use a antenna pointer, and turn it as necessary.

Even if it costs you $400. It will be a one time investment, not monthly. I think I spent that much over a few months, and that was it, back in 2009....

And now that most of the DTV conversion os over, antenna prices are coming back to earth....

You will need to do some learning.... Pay attention to Antenna Fool's report, especially where it says something like "Real channel" not Virtual channel, the actual channel frequency will tell you the band its on, Vhf, or UHF, and from that make your antenna decision...

Good luck.

PS, when I was at college I used a distribution amp with rebbit ears in a closet down the hall from my dorm room and got all the city stations fine, in what others called "the dead half of the dorm" because it was metal, and blocked almost all tv signals.... (70 miles from the city, Analog days) So if you get some tv with minimal entenna, then put a minimal antenna in the attic, and use a low noise distribution amp to feed your tv's Could be quite inexpensive...

Alright, I have a few things to think about. and It would be nice to get the Ft. Wayne stations but I can't even get bowling green........
Thank you for the ideas everybody!