Recently I wanted to get my father a TV antenna for Father’s Day. He lives in a rural area and I wasn’t sure exactly what to get him, so I did some research on the topic and here’s what I found.
I looked at about a dozen different TV antennas, before deciding with was best for him. I did a ton of research and found the best outdoor TV antenna for rural areas is ClearStream 4V indoor/outdoor HDTV Antenna with Mount –
Choose the right antenna for your location
In order to select just the right TV antenna, you do have to take into consideration where you live. You have to consider any possible obstructions. Do you live near tall buildings tall trees large towers mountains wooded areas all of these are considered possible obstructions and can possibly have an effect on your signal and how many channels you may receive?
Indoor vs Outdoor antennas
There are two types of TV antennas. Simply put there are antennas that you will Mount inside your home typically on a wall typically high and nature. Then you have
One exception to this rule is it is possible to purchase an outdoor TV HD antenna and actually mounted in the Attic. In fact, often this is a great thing to do because it allows for easy super easy installation and you can control it often better because it’s easier to access rather than bolted to the top of your roof with much less access.
Determine your distance from local towers
it is very important to understand how far away the broadcast towers are. In order to understand where the stations are, use this link and enter your address to find out exactly what towers and stations are in your area how far away they are and it will also give a gauge on How likely you may be to receive these signals. Also, they will give a gauge on how strong the signal will be.
Station Finder
https://www.fcc.gov/media/engineering/dtvmaps
Will this antenna work in the mountains?
The answer to this question is: it depends. Each home is situated in a different place with different possible obstructions and different in various regions of the world. No one knows your location but you.
It is important to note that obstructions come in many forms including building materials, towers, tall buildings, rural areas have their own set of considerations including wooded areas.
One thing you can do to ensure that obstructions are kept to a minimum is to install your HD TV antenna in a location in a high place and elevated as high as possible. This will eliminate as many obstructions as is feasible for your area.
What is an amplified signal? Will I need one?
A TV amplifier is an electronic device that you attach to your TV antenna that will use power to boost the signal very often increasing the range and the quality of the picture for the antenna.
What are multi-directional antennas?
Multi-directional antennas are very much what they sound like. A multi-directional antenna can receive signals from many different directions. Ones that are not multi-directional simply receive a signal from one direction only.
Can I get an outdoor TV antenna and mount it in my attic?
Yes. In fact, I recommend it if you can or if you can give it a try it’s certainly worth it.
PRO TIP
If you are replacing your DirecTv, you can attach your new HD antenna to the Directv satellite dish. They don’t want it back, and it will likely be very securely mounted to your house. If you’re dropping Comcast, check out our guide here.
Conclusion
It is very important you select an appropriate TV antenna for your location. In order to get a great signal in a rural area, I recommend this unit, as it gets signals from as far as 70 miles away.
After all the research I did, it was clear the ClearStream 4V indoor/outdoor HDTV antenna with Mount (70-mile range) will do the trick. It has great performance great range, comes with all of its hardware and mounting brackets, and with luck, we’ll be an amazing a Father’s Day gift. (Click here for pricing on Amazon.)
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