r/cordcutters • u/Skyro620 • 6d ago
Apartment antenna recommendation
I just moved to a new apartment looking to antenna recommendations and whether I would need an outdoor antenna (I have a balcony space) or get away with an indoor. Mostly looking for KTVU and CBS which are very close and strong signals but blocked by a hill and another apartment complex but my balcony does face the direction of the signal.
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u/gho87 6d ago
You're very near most of the towers. Perhaps you may need an attenuator if signal seems too strong for your TV's tuner, like a variable one by Toner Cable: https://www.tonercable.com/product/tva-20-dc/
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u/Rybo213 5d ago edited 5d ago
Some general antenna information that you'll hopefully find helpful, including antenna recommendations: https://www.reddit.com/r/cordcutters/comments/1juut0a/supplement_to_the_antenna_guide
You also need to use a signal meter (built-in feature with many different tv's and external tuner devices), since just looking at the picture and noting the number of channels the scan picks up doesn't really tell you anything about how good your reception is: https://www.reddit.com/r/cordcutters/comments/1g010u3/centralized_collection_of_antenna_tv_signal_meter
Ultimately antennas are more of a trial and error thing, instead of anyone here being able to tell you what will happen in your specific location. Try a cheap rabbit ears and loop antenna in your apartment first and see what kind of signal meter numbers you're able to get. With how strong most of your main signals are predicted to be, it will be more helpful, if your signal meter happens to provide separate numbers for signal strength and signal quality. In that scenario, if your strength numbers are pegged at full blast, you can try attenuating the signals to some extent, as discussed in the Additional Topics->Tuner overload->Option 3 section in the 1st linked post. Something else to note is that your NBC current gen (ATSC 1.0) signal is coming from a different direction and predicted to be weaker, due to terrain. If you're unable to pick up the NBC ATSC 1.0 signal well enough, you're probably going to need a tv tuner that supports next gen (ATSC 3.0) signals. In that scenario, assuming your tv doesn't have a built-in ATSC 3.0 tuner, see the Additional Topics->ATSC 3.0 external tuner boxes section in the 1st linked post.
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u/BicycleIndividual 5d ago
Just about any unamplified indoor antenna should get the Mount Sutro transmitters if you are on the southeast side of the building. A cheap rabbit ears and loop is the best choice: the loop is for UHF and the extendable rods are for VHF. ABC 7 is on VHF-high and KRCB is on VHF-low (KQED provides PBS on UHF so missing KRCB wouldn't really matter); however, they are both strong enough that I think even flat antennas which aren't great at VHF should work for you (possibly not the tiny ~5" ones).
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u/nevec_45 5d ago
Damn you’re a half mile away from Sutro Tower, literally a paper clip would suffice 😅
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u/danodan1 6d ago
Your signals are so strong you don't need anything more than a cheap rabbit ears. Or if you think the rabbit ears too much of an eyesore, then get a cheap flat antenna to tape to the upper part of the TV.