TERK 1080i Indoor Antenna

[anthonykrmzyan]

will this still work on my digital converter box?

[georgef551]

@anthonykrmzyan

Yes.

It will pick up anything TV-related, analog as well (low-powered stations).

[valdarmort]

at 8.30 you can see frank burns cowering in fear after the hd antenna fell down

[georgef551]

@valdarmort

Got to love understructured floor systems, and an antenna balanced on a not-so-flat TV top.

[Fermion5]

"The Jesus channel... I don't really care for that station."

lmao.

[georgef551]

@Fermion5

Neither do I, unless I want a good laugh.

[Fermion5]

@georgef551

I was quoting your comment in the video. I agree completely. =)

[georgef551]

@Fermion5

It's been a long time since I last watched it. :)

[Keedeeg]

Downside is this product falls over constantly. I just found mine on the floor with both rabbit ears broken. Works okay when it works. **shrugs**

[georgef551]

@Keedeeg

You got to REALLY be sure that coax cable is tucked into it's groove, which is very hard to fully acomplish. It does fall easilly if you can't do it, or it pops out.

Like you, mine fell, and busted a VHF dipole, fortunately, the stations here are UHF.

[Ariful4305]

Could you please give me the channel names that come with this antenna thank you very much may god bless you!

[georgef551]

@Ariful4305

Whereabouts are you from?

(Best to PM me, since the list is a bit long for a video reply.)

[gmcjetpilot]

That is a F connector not a RCA, which is typically audio or some times called a phono plug, which just push on. F connectors screw on.

[georgef551]

@gmcjetpilot

Oops. Somehow, I was thinking F-connector, but looking at all the pretty RCA's back there, made me think it. :)

[KolerikRocks]

if u wanna get alot of channels place your antenna outside on the roof bud!

[georgef551]

@KolerikRocks

Actually, my primary TV does have a roof antenna.

[samindian2004]

@KolerikRocks

sure that what i did , but some construction work broke it recently LOL ha ha

u know what im so depressed n when i listened to him that he doesn't care about jesus channel it made me so loudly laugh and after he dropped again , already his displaying all broken lol wonder if he could still use after all demonstration n broken antenna

can u please seriously suggest me as said mine is broken now, which u suggest to buy, complete code may be store too

thanks a lot

[micro1087]

how much did that cost

[georgef551]

@micro1087

$5, but that was back about a year before I shot this. They were cheaper last time I saw them, but can't remember what. These are high-end units, though.

[micro1087]

@georgef551 I checked now on the internet and it cost $25 with no shipping, but the amplified one cost $48 on the internet Also with no shipping. The price got so high.

[georgef551]

@micro1087

The unamped ones were $45 when I bought it, and $65 for the amped one (used at work).

It's quite the drop. Well worth the money.

[Thing07]

Will this function in a basement in a room with a small window?

[georgef551]

@Thing07

Depends what a standard set of bunny ears can do, if you have any.

If most of your stations are pulling in at least 40%, these should make a difference, but some stations may still not be satisfactory. It's kind of a crap shoot sometimes.

[Thing07]

@georgef551 Isee. Thank you, good sir.

[georgef551]

@Thing07

No problem.



[you2306]

@georgef551 is that without no out door antenna support what so ever. if so, the quality are real good. I want to get tv upstairs also. and dont want to hav to get some antenna and place in the loft or on the roof. shud i get an indoor antenna. i dont know if they sell that antenna over here in u.k. it looks quite big too.

[georgef551]

@you2306

The antenna was run right on top of the TV. It was hard to prove that fact, because any movement of the antenna's cable would make it fall, which it did.

[glk001]

@you2306 George, there is one gentleman who has vids on the tube that shows you how to build your own Tv Antenna,,,"A Better HDTV Antenna" and it works very well, I've built to his specs and used 14 gauge elctrical wire for the elements...It's a stand up quad bowtie arangement on the elements, there's a name for it but can't remember it right now...The elements resonate well across the band and you can build some knd of base for it and be placed where reception would be best...It works well.....

[georgef551]

@glk001

Here's the problem with the design:

What they don't tell you is that they're only about 15 miles from the station, and they're getting satisfactory (70% signal strength) results, at least in the videos I've seen of the same design. This antenna I'm demo-ing, is 35 miles line-of-sight from transmitters, getting 80% strength.

While the homemade versions are good for close-range reception, I have not seen any homemade ones that work well long-distance.

Whatever works, works. :)

[glk001]

@georgef551 I will agree with whatever works...In my location according to the antenna web, I should get one station...I get many more and a 91% from 25 miles away...Rabbit ears can be lengthen for each transmitters frequency, so you in get it to resonante properly to each...NO indoor antenna is going to give ya a great preformance...Here's the deal...The antenna's I've built to specs I've found here, cost me only the price of the screws and washers I used...The rest I had hanging around...LOL..

[georgef551]

@glk001

At 25 miles, maybe a homebrew outdoor antenna will help a little bit (not sure). The plus side with the multi-element design is it's more wind-resistant, in terms of reception, versus plain rabbit-ears.

[glk001]

@georgef551 All the antenna's I've built are indoor and I'm good up to 30 miles away...Digitally transmitted Tv signals don't exactly have to be pointed towards the tower to still get a workable signal...If you can get enough of a signal to decode, it will...Although directed toward the tower is best...Trouble is the transmission power is down from analog signals. which I understand they are discussing...If you ahve the formula with transmission frequencies, you can built a multi element easily

[georgef551]

@glk001

Odd. Signals in the Boston area are either equal or greater than the analog counterparts, in terms of signal strength, because they want the fringe areas with analog, to receive digital. There are some exceptions towards weaker signals, too. Another issue is, analog is good to as low as 5% strength on a good set, versus 33% digital on average to function. Some better TV's can work with a clean 25% or less, and decode, but that's very rare.

[glk001]

@georgef551 Not sure where I read the problem with signal strength, nor can I quote the particulars right now...I do know that the talk was to either add repeaters or be allowed to boost signal strength because of so many loosing channels...Used to live in Boston, Peterbourgh Street... Went to school on Commonwealth Avenue...Dated a girl from Malden and worked at Beth Isreal Hospital...Lived all over New England and Pennsylvania, now in Connecticut...I don't know of any Tv transmissions greater-

[glk001]

@georgef551 than previous analog signals..Sorry for two parter, kinda enjoy the subject...But if ya research it, I'm sure you'll find thru FCC or somewhere, the discussions going on...The bugs simply aren't worked out of the system yet...I've two Tv's on my antennas and cable for the others...But place an antenna in one spot and a certain station gets a 15%...Move that antenna a foot the to the rear and I get a 50 to 60% signal, yet loose another station...Signal prapogation, not sure of yet...

[georgef551]

@glk001

The slight antenna movement giving different results is nothing new. Analog suffered quite a bit the same way. When I watched TV in the analog day, I would move a UHF antenna maybe 3 to 6 inches, and get a world of difference in reception.

As for flies in the ointment in digital signals, that is true, because in other countries, DTV actually can work in moving vehicles, where it simply won't here, unless you're super close to the signal.

[glk001]

@georgef551 In North America the digital transmission system used is called ATSC...This is very subject to what is called dynamic multipathing, which limits mobile reception...Europe and Russia use a system called DVB-T...All of Central and most of South America use ISDB-T, and China uses DMB-T/H...It is what it is George and we're stuck with it...N.Y. stations I once received very well are now history, yet the quality of picture from those I still receive are of the same quality across the band

[georgef551]

@glk001

Stations in Rhode Island reduced power when analog went away, as I used to pick up all 3 major stations, now, I get none.

Two increased after the transition. The FOX station doubled it's strength, but still sub-par compared to it's analog station, and a religious channel that barely worked in analog, is quite strong in digital. Everything else is farily equivenant to it's analog strength.

[glk001]

@georgef551 You can go to tvfool.com and they have one of the best area coverage sites I think on the web...It has been fun to share ideas with ya...All and all, I'm torn between the good of the ole analog and that of the new digital...I think that any switch should have taken into consideration the known areas of the country that lost totally the ability to receive any TV transmissions...Parts of the ole Soviet Union and Africa have not made the switch to digital...I don't think we were ready..

[glk001]

@georgef551 In analog, what the camera saw, we saw on our T'v's...With Digital, what the camera sees is assemebled into digital information, then that information is transmitted to a digital tuner, our Tv...Not being an engineer, all I can say is that something gets lost in the shuffle...I like multi casting, but would rather deal with a ghost picture than deal with, hip-do-da-toot-ge-mi and pixelation...Then there was the unique times when the unskippable signal would do just that...Good Luck..

[georgef551]

@glk001

Most of the stations in Boston made sure that those who can get their stations in analog, get the digital ones as well. Most of them did a good job, as even the barely usable analog stations, also work in digital. Of course, some are weaker, and some went a lot stronger. The instruction/data sets get garbaged up when 0's and 1's look too much alike, from ghosting (0's and 1's in the worng places), to low signal (0's and 1's look too much alike to diferenciate).

[UnhappyDreamer]

I do not know if you have tried "Supersonic SC-602 Digital Indoor Antenna" yet or not... I own a Terk, but, it's put my Terk 1080i to shame... I bought it recently for $8.95 but I'm shocked at how superior it is to expensive antennas like Terk...

[georgef551]

@UnhappyDreamer

Powered, or not?

The powered version (1080a) does a lot better (vs 1080i), even though it's only a 10dB gain.

[magicman6505]

can you use this to get local channels if you just have the antenna you have and a tv only. or do you need rabbit ears or cable or a roof top satellite to use it. b/c i want to just get this antenna and not spend a lot of money cause all i wont is local channels????

[georgef551]

@magicman6505

You use this to get your over-the-air stations. This set comes with rabbit ears built in, so all you need is this, and a TV (obviously), to enjoy your local stations. Just be sure a regular set of rabbit ears gets most of the stations first, that way, you don't waste money on this antenna set.

[Axcelaration]

Wait... so if i have an HDTV in my room and i have no analog TV Tuner from my roof antenna, i can just use this as a solution?

[georgef551]

@Axcelaration

You could just use the roof antenna.

This is for those who don't have that luxury, or don't want to splice the roof antenna, since that can degrade it's performance.

[Axcelaration]

@georgef551 ohh okayy, i'm just making sure that i can use this instead of using a roof antenna

[georgef551]

@Axcelaration

It depends on your reception. This antenna is good, but if the roof antenna is doing fair to okay, it's best to stick with the roof one. If you're getting 80%+ on the roof, you may be able to use this antenna.

[asianninja343]

Does this antenna have like an ac adapter to get electricity from an outlet? Is it powered by anything where does it get its power?

[georgef551]

@asianninja343

The 1080a has an AC Adapter, which HAS to be plugged in to work, even if the amp is not used.

The 1080i is just the antenna: no power needed.

[gtorres1719]

Dose this antenna need a digital converter box.

[georgef551]

@gtorres1719

Any TV nowadays needs to be digital. If you have an older TV, yes. If the TV is newer (3 years or so), no need. (Check manual otherwise.)

If you live where there's low-power stations, those may be analog, and will get those as well.

[EsotericDesi]

Hey! just a little update on Terk 1080i antenna... I brought the antenna inside the apartment again and it's now only missing local PBS and Warner Brothers stations... it's now catching 1 addtional HD channel, ABC, as well as all of its subchannels... since antenna have to be placed on the floor in our apartment, I made it work by facing antenna toward the ceiling instead of facing windows. But, the HD quality is VERY superior to even cable/satellite services.

[georgef551]

@EsotericDesi

Glad to see you've got better results! Will it do better, elevated, face up?

Of course OTA is superior, because you're getting the exact output the station's broadcast, whereas Cable/Sattelite has to reprocess the signal twice, at least, losing data along the way, especially to compress it to fit in their poorly antiquated bandwidth.

[EsotericDesi]

on our 52" HDTV, it's hard for some people to believe we're getting over-the-air HD stations for free... quality actually is far superior to cable/satellite service which I've tried... but, I'm still missing 3 local HD stations... I'm wondering whether I should try changing face... Our terrace where we placed antenna is facing Southeastern Queens, New York... I'm wondering whether it's one of the reason why we're not getting clear reception on those 3 channels.

[georgef551]

@EsotericDesi

Is it facing towards the stations? Maybe all you have to do is move it left or right slightly. It literally can make a world of difference.

[sniper4usmc]

I setup this antenna in my parent house,and picked up more then 40+ local channels. but When I tired in my apartment in Costa Mesa,CA,only picked up 3 channels,,WTF

[georgef551]

@sniper4usmc

DTV is weird like that. I pick up triple the stations as seen here, but on another TV, it got LESS than a simple set of bunny ears.

DTV is tempromental. If you have big hills outside a nearby window, lots of metal, where you sit possibly being where signals come in, or obstructions between the antenna and signal, makes the world of difference.

[proct0r]

Put that antenna up on your roof outside and you'll get like 100% on all of those channels and new channels.

[georgef551]

@proct0r

No doubt, but it's not made for the outdoors. The plastic will fail over time, faster than one made for outdoor use.

[EsotericDesi]

We have this antenna... this antenna really catches full HD signals...

[georgef551]

@EsotericDesi

Not only that, but because of the multi-element design, it perfoms very well on windy days. Granted, not as well as an outdoor antenna (larger spread of it's elements), but doesn't lose stations like a simpler set can.

[Aliendear]

I only get five digital channels. ; (

And I have a high powered Phillips indoor antenna. I thought I would get way more.

[georgef551]

@Aliendear

If I remember right, the Phillips one looked similar to this. If so, that antenna sucked. I only got half of what I get with this. It performed no better than bunny-ears strength-wise, but it was stable. Stations I get 82% on with TERK, I only got about 42% on the Phillips.

[Aliendear]

@georgef551 No, this is a Phillips SDV2940/27 indoor/outdoor antenna, it works no better than the amplified RCA antenna I bought for $10.00. I get a 100% signal on both antennas. But thought I would get stations in and around the new england and canada. It just amazes me what a scam this digital tv signal thing is. Antenna web lists the stations I have as the only ones available, no matter what antenna I have. A @#$%^&! drag!

[georgef551]

@Aliendear

Okay, there is a cheaper version Phillips makes like this, but it's crap.

DTV is weird. Hills, trees, even objects outside, hinder reception. FUN TIMES!!

Sorry to hear about your trouble.

[aldimiola5]

DO U KNOW ANYWEBSITE THAT i CAN CHECK OUT TO SEE THE OVRALL TV SIGNALS HERE IN sAN fRANCISCO i THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR RESPONSE

[georgef551]

@aldimiola5

antennaweb |dot| org

Can't enter an actual address, or this won't post.

It will give you a CONSERVATIVE list of what you can get. Yellows and Reds are very good. Top of the Blues are decent, bottom a bit weak. Violets are roof antenna material. You'll know what I mean, if you go there.

[aldimiola5]

Is the Terk HDTVa better that HDTVi? will I be able to pick up NBC to watch SNL?

[georgef551]

@aldimiola5

The 1080a is amplified, which does pick up stations better, if the amp is turned on. It MUST be plugged in to work, amp on or off.

The 1080i is the antenna itself. It does a hare better than the 1080a with the amp turned off. Depending on your signal strength, depends on what you get. If you can get stations, even dropping out, with regualr UHF loop, bow-tie, or collapse bunny-ears, these antennas will work for you.

[EsotericDesi]

I am considering buy one, Terk HDTVa, so you recommend I set it up to amplified mode when I get it for superior picture? our TV is 52", I wonder how well it's going to work... LOL! whether picture will be blurry or what... But, loved your detailed review, it was very informative.

[georgef551]

Try with a simple pair of rabbit ears first, collpsed for UHF (physical) channels.

If you can get a decent amount of stations at threshhold or better, you probably can get away with the 1080i. 1080a will give you the best results, but it has to always be plugged in to work, and doesn't seem to be as strong as the 1080i with the amp turned off.

[TheSecondRandomGuy]

lol, "JESUS CHANNEL!"

[georgef551]

There is one Ultra Right-Wing wacko religious channel that did work before, but not this time. Granted, there's religious programming, which is fine, bit I'm talking WAAAAAY over the top, as in fanatics. Then there's "Channel 68" (Ion), which is a lot more level-headed, even their Worship Channel is far more down-to-Earth.  The other station (Channel "48", Worcester, Ma) I look at occasionally, if I need a good laugh.

[Fraevo10]

I cannot believe the "engineers" at Terk didn't design a proper base on this antenna to account for it's top-heaviness! It's ridiculous how easily it topples over! I bought a satellite speaker stand and rigged it to hold this antenna securely and now I can turn any which way without it falling over.

[georgef551]

The base could've been a bit wider, but as for it falling over in the video, there's two reasons it did:

(1) the channel for the antenna cable isn't deep enough, so the antenna sits on the cable sometimes.

(2) the TV is only 3" deep where I placed it, so even with a bigger stand, it would likely fall if bumped.

[georgef551]

Glad you enjoyed it, and I'm glad this video migrated to where you could download it. YouTube is a little too sparce on the downloading option.

[Firebirrd85]

channel 62 is licensed to lawrence but the transmitter is around boston somewhere

[georgef551]

18's transmitter is west of Boston. Not quite in-line with the Needham stations from Northern Worcester County's POV.

[Firebirrd85]

You're in the boston area too? How many channels you get?

[Delaypat]

Ahh man, No wifi around your place?!? Thats how we connect!

[georgef551]

I chose wired, to keep important information from being leeched from nearly PC/MAC users. There is a piece that'll allow me to direct-connect, I just don't know what it is called, and where to get it.

[Delaypat]

Good stuff man...Lisa and I are looking for a new one because our signal isnt that great. I see you have a Wii...You have Mario Kart!?!? We should play sometime if you do!!

[georgef551]

I do have Mario Kart, but I don't have (nor can find) the add-on piece I need to connect the thing to the 'net.

Oh, if you can't find that antenna near you, check out that store's site, at the end of the description.