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TV For Free!

By David Ward

 

Want TV For Free? Choose an Antenna based on CEA Antenna Ratings

Selecting the proper antenna for your location is easy with the proper information and tools. The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) have jointly created a tool to help the consumer select the best TV antenna for their location. Factors such as the distance you are from the TV station transmitter, the transmitting power of the TV station, and the terrain between you and the TV station transmitter are all taken into consideration in determining the antenna needed. They have developed a color coding system that gives an excellent guide to antenna selection. All of this information is on the antennaweb.org web site. Once all the requested information is submitted to the web site, it will provide a list of all of the available TV stations at your location, the direction and distance to those stations, and the color code for the antenna needed to receive those TV stations. You can find the corresponding color codes to each Channel Master antenna when viewing the individual product pages, or by viewing the antenna specification chart at the end of this article. In general, TV antennas rated for Yellow, Green, or Light Green are good for receiving signals from TV stations up to about 30 miles from your house. TV antennas rated for Red and Blue are designed for homes up to about 45 miles from the TV station, and TV antennas rated for Violet are good for up to about 60 miles. It is possible to receive signals over greater distances, but many factors will impact the quality of the received signals. 

The following chart provides descriptions of the different color codes for TV antennas: 

Color Code	Antenna Description
Yellow	A Small Multi-Directional Antenna is recommended in Yellow color code areas. Signal strength is highest, so small antennas that receive signals equally well in all directions work very well. Indoor antennas work very well in Yellow color code areas, which are usually 10 to 15 miles from the TV station transmitter.
Green	A Medium Multi-Directional Antenna is recommended in Green color code areas. Signal strength is still good, but weaker than in yellow areas. An amplified indoor antenna may also work in Green color code areas, which can be up to 30 miles from the TV station transmitter.
Light Green	A Large Multi-Directional or Small Directional Antenna is recommended for Light Green color code areas. Signal levels are weaker, so a larger omnidirectional antenna or a directional antenna is needed to receive signals effectively, which can be up to 30 miles from the TV station transmitter.
Red	A Medium Directional Antenna is recommended in Red color code areas. Signal strength is weaker, and directional antennas are needed to pick up signals. These are the most popular antenna types due to their modest size and effectiveness 30 to 45 miles from the TV transmitter site.
Blue	A Medium Directional Antenna with an Antenna Preamplifier or a Large Directional Antenna is recommended for Blue color code areas. Signals are weaker, so larger antennas or antennas with amplification are needed to receive TV signals effectively. TV antennas in the blue color code area may also need to be installed on a tower or high rooftop to pick up distant channels, which can be 45 to 60 miles from the TV station transmitter.
Violet	A Large Directional Antenna with an Antenna Preamplifier is recommended for Violet color code areas. These are areas farthest from the TV station transmitting towers, and need the largest antennas and best preamplifiers to pick up TV signals effectively, which can be 60 miles or more from the TV station transmitter. TV antennas in the Violet color code area may also need to be installed on a tower or high rooftop to pick up distant channels.

 

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) also has a tool on their web site to help you select an antenna. They do not use the CEA/NAB color code system, but instead list each station by Strong, Moderate, Weak, or No Signal. These will roughly correspond to the color code system with Strong being Yellow/Green/Light Green, Moderate being Red and Blue, and Weak being Violet.

Follow the steps below to determine which antenna will work best for your area. 

Visit www.antennaweb.org and enter your Address to find out which local TV stations are available in your immediate area. Take note of the following items from the antennaweb.org results 

1) Color Codes - Each available local channel will be given a color code, which indicates the expected signal strength for that TV station at your location. To watch that channel, you will need to select a Channel Master antenna that corresponds with that color code. In order to pick up the most stations possible, you need to make sure that the selected antenna has the color codes for all channels you wish to view. For example, if most TV channels in the list for your address are Green or Light Green, but one is Red, you would need to select an antenna that is able to receive red color coded channels. Antennas designed for TV stations at longer distances will also perform fine with TV stations that are closer to you. 

2) Signal Range - Look at the "Miles From" column. The TV antenna's signal range capabilities will need to be equal to or greater than the distance of the broadcast tower from your location. This is taken into consideration when the color code requirements are determined for your location, but becomes critical when the distance to the TV station transmitter is over 45 to 60 miles. At this range, the largest antennas are needed to effectively receive the TV stations. 

3) RF Channel -The RF Channel column will list the actual RF channel of the TV station you are trying to receive. RF channels are frequently different than the display channel on your TV set. For example, channel 2.1 on your TV set may actually be RF channel 50, which is in the UHF band. Make sure the antenna you are selecting can pick up the actual RF channels that you wish to view. 
They will range from 2 to 69.

• RF channels 2-6 are in the Low VHF band. FM signals are also in this band.

• RF channels 7-13 are in the High VHF band.

• RF channels 14 - 69 are in the UHF band.