Digital TV

[gamegetter]

Reading this article:

are Analog Cable Channels Still Available | Television Services SuperTips

About midway it says "antennas, which only pick up analog signals and not digital ones"

I find this to be inaccurate as far as my experience has been. I am still using an old wire loop antenna to receive the new digital uhf signal, but you do have to have a box or digital ready tv to convert it.

 

[hookedon6]

Reading this article:

are Analog Cable Channels Still Available | Television Services SuperTips

About midway it says "antennas, which only pick up analog signals and not digital ones"

I find this to be inaccurate ...

in a way it is, and also in a way, it is not.

the old analog signals were VHF and the digital signals are now UHF, so, the 54 MHz yagi VHF tv antennas are not the best for the present UHF digital signals.

however, after reading the article, I agree, the author doesn't have a clue about OTA tv and settop boxes.

 

[gamegetter]

very good, thanks hookedon6...i have no vhf tv signals where I am at, so i have not been able to experience that side of it.

 

[RADIOOMAN]

Before Digital Tv, Analog Tv was both VHF and UHF.
There are still some analog television broadcasts available.
I have 2 or 3 that I am still able to receive and they are in the UHF band of frequencies.
They appear to be religous based broadcasts.
Apparently they were exempted from the FCC mandate regarding Broadcast Television.

An antenna that was designed to function well across the UHF band will receive both digital and analog signals as the antenna does not differentiate between the two different types of signals provided that the antenna in question offers the same performance at different frequencies without regard to the format of the signal.
The loop antenna that you speak of should be suited for the DTV signals provided that it was well suited for reception of the previous analog broadcasts.
If you experienced marginal signal reception with the previous analog broadcasts with this loop antenna, you might not be satisfied with the performance of the antenna for use with the DTV broadcasts.
It has been my experience that a small indoor antenna is not a good performer unless you are suitably close to the transmitter.

In your post you stated: "I am still using an old wire loop antenna to receive the new digital uhf signal, but you do have to have a box or digital ready tv to convert it."
If you are already receiving it then you already have what you need.

 

[gamegetter]

greetings radiooman,

you are correct, that article i posted said I needed a "digital antenna" which i took to mean i needed a new special antenna, but hookedon6 helped me realize and recognize that the switch from analog to digital also largely involved a switch from vhf to uhf, except for the exempted stations, one type of which you mentioned-religion.
And so there fore why i was still able to receive my local station broadcast, which isn't so local, really, it is a little over 46 miles to the tower.

when my local station first went digital uhf, i lost the signal, then the tv station upgraded and added power and i am able to receive it (still sort of on the fringe) with the old small loop indoor antenna! no fancy antenna needed yet, buy i may try an out door one someday and see what I get, but it is not very good chance, because i am looking at 90 to 110 miles for some of these larger city broad casts. as i live out in the country.