This antennais big.Something like 12 feet long. And in case you’re having trouble thinking about what that looks like, think like about the length of a Chevy Suburban. On your roof.
But is bigger always better? Yes and no. Let’s take a look.
It’s about gain.
A bigger antenna, properly designed, will always have more gain than a smaller one. And it will be the best kind of gain, much better than using a small antenna and simply overamplifying it, because a small antenna just won’t pull in truly weak signals like this gigantic one will.
However, you need to understand how digital signals work. With a digital signal, it’s digital (I know, right?) and that means you either get it or you don’t. Sure there are cases where a signal goes in and out a bit but really that means there are very short periods where you’re not getting it. It’s not like an old analog signal where a weak signal was snowy and a strong signal wasn’t.
Think of it this way. If you’re thirsty, you take a drink. If it’s not enough, you’re still thirsty so you take another drink. But when you’re not thirsty anymore, having another drink isn’t going to make you any more satisfied. In fact, keep drinking after you should have stopped and you’ll just get overloaded. It’s the same thing with antennas. You’re either getting enough signal or you’re not, and once you have enough you don’t need more. Get too much signal and the TV gets overloaded. (That’s why people have problems with amplifiers. If they didn’t need them, they overload the TV.)
The dipole discrepancy
The general rule with antennas is that the antenna itself should be an even fraction of the wavelength it’s trying to receive. That sounds pretty technical. But what it means is, the lower the frequency, the bigger the antenna you need. It’s that simple. However there’s another wrinkle, and it has to do with the actual antenna size itself.
It’s generally agreed that you’ll get the best reception when the total antenna span is exactly half the size of the wave you’re trying to pull in. That’s why the wide end of that HD8200XL is so big. To get channel 2, you’re best served with an antenna that’s about 10 feet wide in total.
However, you’ll also get good (but not as good) results if your antenna is one-quarter or even one-eighth the size of the wave. This is how smaller antennas are able to receive at least some signal.
You also have to know what you need.
The gigantic antenna at the top of this article is one of the few made today that really excel at “VHF-Low.” VHF-Low is the term used for broadcasts on channels 2-6, which are fairly rare today. Low numbered channels used to be really desirable. They take less energy to transmit and in the days when TVs had dials they came first.
Unfortunately, those channels need a big antenna. The size of “the perfect antenna” depends on what frequencies you want to pull in, and low frequencies take bigger antennas. People don’t want bigger antennas. It’s as simple as that. The last time channels were shuffled around back in 2009, most VHF-low channels went away. Here’s a list I did in 2021 of the ones that remain. There are actually more broadcasts in the VHF-Low range than there were in the 2010s, because channels 36-51 were taken out of service. Those frequencies were reassigned to 5G cell phone service instead.
You just might not need an antenna that gets VHF-Low channels. If you don’t, then a large antenna like the one at the top of this article is sort of a waste. Solid Signal has a lot of antennas that are just as efficient as this big boy in higher frequencies.
Choose wisely
If a small antenna works for you, there’s no guarantee a bigger one will work better. It may be able to pull in more distant stations or it may not. Despite the claims of some infomercials, it’s practically impossible to get reception past 100 miles, and in most cases antenna reception can start to drop in 60-70 miles, sometimes less if there are trees or hills involved.
It’s not that I don’t want to sell you a huge, expensive antenna, it’s that I want you to feel like you’re getting the right antenna for the job. Sometimes, believe it or not, it’s not the biggest one.
When you’re ready to buy an antenna, call the folks at Solid Signal! We have real antenna techs on staff who will evaluate everything about your area and recommend the best antenna and accessories for you. Call us at 888-233-7563 during East Coast business hours. If it’s after hours, fill out the form below and we’ll get right back to you.
