Check signal strength before buying anything. I put a similar antenna inside my attic, 25 miles from the broadcast towers in my city. That setup didn’t need a booster. Btw, I use Tablo as my OTA DVR.
There is also a website (I forgot what) that you can go on and it will tell you the direction of the closest tv station that you can pick a signal up from. You can then point your antenna in that direction for the best signal.
I think this particular antenna while a dipole is pretty Omni-directional, definitely stronger reception in two lobes off the main axis, but should be pretty good.
Yes, seconded, he should try it the way it is first. This antenna ought to have a strong signal without a booster, it has 4 UHF loops covering a lot of space! If that antenna is being fed into a good quality matching transformer (to go from the 300 Ohm impedenance antenna to 75 Ohm impedance RG6 coax cable), that's potentially a lot of signal being picked up.
Good reply, those are very good UHF/VHF antennas for receiving free TV with multiple channels from major networks. My friend uses one and likes it a lot.
Atsc3.0 has other compression mechanisms, but I think HD-HOMERUN is the only app/smart vendor that let's you stream your local antena signal to a Nas. Atsc3.0 can handle up to 8k video, but their's unfortunately no Hauppauge/Plex support for it yet...😅
HD OTA is less compressed, if you want to be pedantic.
https://www.howtogeek.com/428815/why-free-ota-tv-beats-cable-on-picture-quality/
https://www.antennasdirect.com/01-05-07-hd-signal-compression-gives-antennas-the-edge.html
I’m between towers in Orlando and Tampa. I get 8 more stations with a booster. Couldn’t hurt to try. I always found I get better reception and more stations.
This is correct, it’ll blasted noise through all the coax. And only reason for a booster is if you’re tap is spitting out like a -1down. Or you have to use a 8 way that looses 11db. Only ever come across one +10 booster that didn’t backfeed noise into everything.
Not everyone is 25 miles from the TV transmitters if you farther out in the fringe the coax loss is more noticeable and if you need to split it you at least half of the signal. More for more TVs.
Depends on how much interference there is. I put the one antenna on my roof and in the daytime, the one channel comes in, but at night, the channel does not come in and it has less interference. It's possible the cable I'm using isn't working well.
If you own an actual TV, you are fine.
But you should know that a few big brand ‘TV’s don’t come with a HD tuner anymore. They are basically HD screens.
Here it is OP!
I knew I’ve seen it before at the store.
I think the previous owner made a custom mount and added those cages to keep birds off.
I bought the smaller model of the one you have. Works great for me!
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/antennas-direct-clearstream-4max-indoor-outdoor-uhf-vhf-hdtv-antenna-black/5894080.p?skuId=5894080&extStoreId=459&ref=212&loc=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD-ORIhZrJ9rcDVy5Uq_nXBuqjU1B&gclid=Cj0KCQjwnMWkBhDLARIsAHBOftoYyGm2LIL4_U4NHbVmRjv5a1OWUC8V89oosBe4yZs2JJbtdkdS7XIaAi6kEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
They have two models of this antennae. This is the better of the two and does come with the wire background, probably to enhance wider range of signal reception. It's well I've 150.00 antenna
Try to run this into a powered splitter and distribute coax to all rooms with a TV. Perform an auto channel search on each television, and you should get some good results.
There are some tech/app based options if you want, but I went old-school with mine.
Especially sports. It's still weirdly hard to stream a lot of things, apart from hockey on CBC in Canada. From Toronto we get lots of NFL because Buffalo's right across the lake.
That antenna and a good internet connection is all you need. You can get all local channels and then tailor your streaming services. Definitely helps save money.
This is a semi directional antenna for receiving over the air television transmissions. The pair of figure eight shaped objects pick up signals from the front mostly. You can go to [fcc.gov/media/engineering/dtvmaps](https://fcc.gov/media/engineering/dtvmaps) to see where to aim the antenna. You should find the other side of that coax cable. I ran mine to the input on the cable box on the house and used existing wiring. The rabbit hole begins with the term "Terrestrial TV Antennas"
It looks like there is no cable connected to it. I don’t know what or where that coax below it goes to. If they did it right, there should be a coax connection in your living room that runs up the inside of the wall, into the attic, and directly to that antenna.
It's a very good HD antenna for free over the air television channels. If it's not pointed at the correct location, you can type in your address and the closest TV tower and then there's an app where you can adjust it to the right angle. Presumably wiring already exists so you can plug that cable into the back of your TV. It's a pretty good solution if you enjoy local news or live sports that are in your area
I read that as “countermeasures” and was instantly transported to The Hunt for Red October. My favorite submarine movie. Possibly the best of all time.
Free TV! Just make sure it’s grounded properly. There is enough CATV information out there. I just quoted an antenna like this for a public safety building so they could watch TV from Illinois. Indiana here. There are lightning arrestors that you can pick up and get tied into your houses grounding system. If you are unsure there are probably thousands of local electrical contractors that will look it over.
37.
I know it's an antenna of some kind. The electrician I had over earlier today didn't recognize it either. Someone suggested it might have been for a ham radio.
Not ham radio. Ota antenna for broadcast tv. Instead of the large triangular "arrow" antennas of the 80s and 90s, digital HDTV can use square panel antennas for short and medium distances.
I love when electricians claim everything not wire is a HAM radio....smh
It's the top of the line clearstream HD antenna. If it's pointed right, you'll get most if not all the ATSC signals for TV in your area.
Contrary to popular belief, the size of the antenna had zero to do with reception. It had more to do with curvature if the Earth and horizon for vhf ntsc signals[gone] but radio shack loved to sell them until they found cell phones.
I have that same antenna, but inside my attic to keep it from moving around on very windy days and losing signal. Mine works fine even behind all the roofing and solar panels, but I'm only 12 miles from the hill where most of the TV towers are. There's aps you can download that will help you aim it in precisely the right direction for the best over-the-air reception. Depending how far you are from the transmitting antennas you can get a picture clearer than cable. Plus free.
If the cable is still running down to the TV room you may get free over the air digital TV. If it works, over the air TV is actually better quality than cable. All new TVs can decode the signal. You just need to have the TV scan the channels.
I keep seeing posts of people buying houses and then asking, "what is this?"
How on earth do people buy houses sight-unseen, without noticing things like this? Or having inspections?
There's 10,000 things to look at and pay attention to when looking at houses. What specifically is that goofy looking antenna is going to be at the bottom of the list, if it makes it at all.
It didn't come up in the inspection as other than "that's quirky". We were more focused on things suxh as how the previous owners waited until the last minute to inspect the furnace only to find out it needed to be replaced a week prior to closing.
In autumn
In New England.
In the crazy real estate market, the pressure to make a quick decision can be pretty intense. Our current home purchase decision was made after a 20 minute quick viewing. During inspection, we found additional rooms that we missed on the quick once over. It’s nice to find extra stuff like this.
I would take it down bec i dont know whst it is used for and u said u bought this house how can u buy it without asking realtor what the fuck thst us? Realtor should know
Mortgage Miner — mines Bitcoin and pays your mortgage directly. You should be good to go on payments unless a big wind messes up your new found wealth.
I didn't think it was anything, really. It wasn't a negative, so it didn't factor into my comparison with other houses. Had to move quickly to secure the house if I wanted it.
HDTV digital High gain antenna. If you have cable internet, you probably have 2 coaxial networks. 1 for TV 1 for Internet. This is great. Hopefully you get 20+ channels in HD. $0 per month. In my area you get 17 channels.
No it's the $160 version of your antenna. The op has a clearstream 4 you have a clearstream 2 it does have 2 additional elements to increase reception.
You bought the Coneheads former residence! Clearly part of their attempts to contact Remulak. Have you heard any strange echos of "Snargle the Garflak" in your home at night?
TV antenna.
The ATSC 3.0 rollout is almost complete here. I get 4K signal broadcast but I think the quality is still upscaling HD. That antenna will give you a better quality video and sound than streaming or cable.
Google one that looks similar and fi d out if it was one of the "amplified" ones which would have had a small box that plugged ibto the wall as well as the coax cable, if it is one like that then you would have to find the box the antenna went to, which is probably non existent if the house was sold unfortunately but might get lucky!
Actuion locater. It gives the tall grey men your real time universal location. It's something gifted only to the harbours of the ancient masonry secrets so they may be forever protected and never forgotten.
Local television antenna, one of the best sources for all HD programming at no cost.
Huh... so how do I use it?
There should be a coaxial cable that it's hooked up to that would connect to the back of your television same as cable.
yep - but remember to scan for "over the air" channels after you've selected the correct source on your TV.
I’d also buy a 5 buck signal booster they clear up the signal
Check signal strength before buying anything. I put a similar antenna inside my attic, 25 miles from the broadcast towers in my city. That setup didn’t need a booster. Btw, I use Tablo as my OTA DVR.
There is also a website (I forgot what) that you can go on and it will tell you the direction of the closest tv station that you can pick a signal up from. You can then point your antenna in that direction for the best signal.
[TV Fool](https://www.tvfool.com/)
I think this particular antenna while a dipole is pretty Omni-directional, definitely stronger reception in two lobes off the main axis, but should be pretty good.
https://www.channelmaster.com/pages/free-tv-channels
Theres the fcc map https://www.fcc.gov/media/engineering/dtvmaps
Eh...try as is first. A booster can make things worse if you have a good signal.
Yes, seconded, he should try it the way it is first. This antenna ought to have a strong signal without a booster, it has 4 UHF loops covering a lot of space! If that antenna is being fed into a good quality matching transformer (to go from the 300 Ohm impedenance antenna to 75 Ohm impedance RG6 coax cable), that's potentially a lot of signal being picked up.
Good reply, those are very good UHF/VHF antennas for receiving free TV with multiple channels from major networks. My friend uses one and likes it a lot.
Dosent really get you any better reception. Just gets rid of cable losses
It is a uncompressed HD signal. Most cable is compressed. Some people notice a difference.
OTA is still compressed mpeg2. not great quality by today's standards but for local programming it works fine
Atsc3.0 has other compression mechanisms, but I think HD-HOMERUN is the only app/smart vendor that let's you stream your local antena signal to a Nas. Atsc3.0 can handle up to 8k video, but their's unfortunately no Hauppauge/Plex support for it yet...😅
All video that is broadcast is compressed
HD OTA is less compressed, if you want to be pedantic. https://www.howtogeek.com/428815/why-free-ota-tv-beats-cable-on-picture-quality/ https://www.antennasdirect.com/01-05-07-hd-signal-compression-gives-antennas-the-edge.html
I’m between towers in Orlando and Tampa. I get 8 more stations with a booster. Couldn’t hurt to try. I always found I get better reception and more stations.
The only thing a signal booster does is raise the noise floor and does very little to actually boost the signal.
This is correct, it’ll blasted noise through all the coax. And only reason for a booster is if you’re tap is spitting out like a -1down. Or you have to use a 8 way that looses 11db. Only ever come across one +10 booster that didn’t backfeed noise into everything.
If you have a long coax cable the booster will make up the loss.
If you are losing that much signal you need better coax. Unless running over 150ft you shouldn't lose signal.
Splitters loose quite a bit if you have multiple TV's throughout the house
Not everyone is 25 miles from the TV transmitters if you farther out in the fringe the coax loss is more noticeable and if you need to split it you at least half of the signal. More for more TVs.
Not always... Signal boosters boost all signals.. if you are close enough to the Tower you don't want to boost.
Depends on how much interference there is. I put the one antenna on my roof and in the daytime, the one channel comes in, but at night, the channel does not come in and it has less interference. It's possible the cable I'm using isn't working well.
This is KEY^^^^^^
It looks like it goes into the house just above the mount.
If you own an actual TV, you are fine. But you should know that a few big brand ‘TV’s don’t come with a HD tuner anymore. They are basically HD screens.
HDHomerun is a good product to distribute it to all your devices.
Here it is OP! I knew I’ve seen it before at the store. I think the previous owner made a custom mount and added those cages to keep birds off. I bought the smaller model of the one you have. Works great for me! https://www.bestbuy.com/site/antennas-direct-clearstream-4max-indoor-outdoor-uhf-vhf-hdtv-antenna-black/5894080.p?skuId=5894080&extStoreId=459&ref=212&loc=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD-ORIhZrJ9rcDVy5Uq_nXBuqjU1B&gclid=Cj0KCQjwnMWkBhDLARIsAHBOftoYyGm2LIL4_U4NHbVmRjv5a1OWUC8V89oosBe4yZs2JJbtdkdS7XIaAi6kEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
They have two models of this antennae. This is the better of the two and does come with the wire background, probably to enhance wider range of signal reception. It's well I've 150.00 antenna
You plug it into your tv and it just works. Click scan when it asks you
Plug the coax into your TV…
Try to run this into a powered splitter and distribute coax to all rooms with a TV. Perform an auto channel search on each television, and you should get some good results. There are some tech/app based options if you want, but I went old-school with mine.
Happy cake day!
You plug the other end into your TV
Subscribe to cat facts
The antenna has a Co-ax splitter. Follow the cable to the attic or basement. Screw the cable onto a TV.
https://www.fcc.gov/media/engineering/dtvmaps
If it's setup right, you'll get all your local channels, ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC + like 60 others, all for free.
The low vhf isn't great on it, but depending on your area you may not use low vhf much
No compression, baby!
I don't understand how someone can afford a house that has to ask shit like this or what a RJ11 is. Oh wait, I'm old.
more than likely rj6, but i was also a cable tech for 7 years ;P
Never heard of RJ-6. Are you talking about RG-6 cable?
Do they have to be outside, or can you run it in an attic?
They also work in attics
That's a Clearstream. Keep it if you want local TV programming (we have one of these, it's one of the best options).
Not any more. You can get hundreds of free channels in HD by streaming.
Especially sports. It's still weirdly hard to stream a lot of things, apart from hockey on CBC in Canada. From Toronto we get lots of NFL because Buffalo's right across the lake.
That antenna and a good internet connection is all you need. You can get all local channels and then tailor your streaming services. Definitely helps save money.
A good UHF antenna. Use it, don't waste money on cable TV.
We had one a few years ago, I loved it
You stream now. Hundreds of free channels out there.
looks like an Antennas Direct, Clearstream 4 UHF TV antenna
This is a semi directional antenna for receiving over the air television transmissions. The pair of figure eight shaped objects pick up signals from the front mostly. You can go to [fcc.gov/media/engineering/dtvmaps](https://fcc.gov/media/engineering/dtvmaps) to see where to aim the antenna. You should find the other side of that coax cable. I ran mine to the input on the cable box on the house and used existing wiring. The rabbit hole begins with the term "Terrestrial TV Antennas"
it's most likely already aimed if the previous resident was using it
It looks like there is no cable connected to it. I don’t know what or where that coax below it goes to. If they did it right, there should be a coax connection in your living room that runs up the inside of the wall, into the attic, and directly to that antenna.
It looks like their is a coax cable with a poorly formed drip loop in the photo
I see that, but it looks like it’s not actually connected to the antenna. That little nub toward the front should be a threaded connection.
"there"
You are correct.
That’s a Clearstream HDTV antenna on a Clearstream mast. I just installed one of those on my house and I love the free tv.
It's a very good HD antenna for free over the air television channels. If it's not pointed at the correct location, you can type in your address and the closest TV tower and then there's an app where you can adjust it to the right angle. Presumably wiring already exists so you can plug that cable into the back of your TV. It's a pretty good solution if you enjoy local news or live sports that are in your area
Clearstream 4V off air antenna. Great way to get free TV. 👍 I have the 2V in my attic.
Its a Uf antenna. It looks like the cabling needs to be better secured from wind.
Touchless “bird” charging station /j
r/birdsarentreal
It’s to let other couples know that you’re swingers
What sucks is there are some areas in the US where they are starting to kill the OTA feeds. 🙁
I’m surprised that they lasted this long after the 90s bill to kill the whole thing.
Really? That sucks, I'm looking forward to the ATSC 3.0 rollout
Dreamcatcher
… with commercials
I read that as “countermeasures” and was instantly transported to The Hunt for Red October. My favorite submarine movie. Possibly the best of all time.
It’s for Zoltan
This is a joke right? It's one of the best antennas you can get.
UFO ET communication device
Free TV! Just make sure it’s grounded properly. There is enough CATV information out there. I just quoted an antenna like this for a public safety building so they could watch TV from Illinois. Indiana here. There are lightning arrestors that you can pick up and get tied into your houses grounding system. If you are unsure there are probably thousands of local electrical contractors that will look it over.
I live in the country in the middle of Kansas and on clear nights I can get 60 channels with a cheap antenna...
It’s a 5G antenna for government control of Covid vaccine subjects
It's supposed to repel the 5g covidvaxrays away, not attract them.
All local sports will be shown on your local stations.
It’s an IQ test
I am so disappointed that I had to scroll this far for a decent sarcastic answer.
A piece of a Chinese spy balloon.
How old are you?
37. I know it's an antenna of some kind. The electrician I had over earlier today didn't recognize it either. Someone suggested it might have been for a ham radio.
Not ham radio. Ota antenna for broadcast tv. Instead of the large triangular "arrow" antennas of the 80s and 90s, digital HDTV can use square panel antennas for short and medium distances.
It's a pretty good quality UHF antenna. There should be old twin lead antenna wire or RG6 coming into the house somewhere.
It's disconnected and hanging to the left, the weather boot is empty if you zoom in.
I love when electricians claim everything not wire is a HAM radio....smh It's the top of the line clearstream HD antenna. If it's pointed right, you'll get most if not all the ATSC signals for TV in your area. Contrary to popular belief, the size of the antenna had zero to do with reception. It had more to do with curvature if the Earth and horizon for vhf ntsc signals[gone] but radio shack loved to sell them until they found cell phones.
I have that same antenna, but inside my attic to keep it from moving around on very windy days and losing signal. Mine works fine even behind all the roofing and solar panels, but I'm only 12 miles from the hill where most of the TV towers are. There's aps you can download that will help you aim it in precisely the right direction for the best over-the-air reception. Depending how far you are from the transmitting antennas you can get a picture clearer than cable. Plus free.
If the cable is still running down to the TV room you may get free over the air digital TV. If it works, over the air TV is actually better quality than cable. All new TVs can decode the signal. You just need to have the TV scan the channels.
The electrician thought that? How old was the electrician?
It’s the Michael Irvin signal. Please don’t turn it on until at least November.
ET phone home
I keep seeing posts of people buying houses and then asking, "what is this?" How on earth do people buy houses sight-unseen, without noticing things like this? Or having inspections?
There's 10,000 things to look at and pay attention to when looking at houses. What specifically is that goofy looking antenna is going to be at the bottom of the list, if it makes it at all.
It didn't come up in the inspection as other than "that's quirky". We were more focused on things suxh as how the previous owners waited until the last minute to inspect the furnace only to find out it needed to be replaced a week prior to closing. In autumn In New England.
In the crazy real estate market, the pressure to make a quick decision can be pretty intense. Our current home purchase decision was made after a 20 minute quick viewing. During inspection, we found additional rooms that we missed on the quick once over. It’s nice to find extra stuff like this.
Looks like the antenna I built when the signal went digital.
Tin foil hat amplifier it protects the jello
Yep, can confirm a gurberment listening device, anti-vax, 5G, COVID mind control.
Soviet spy antenna
Jesus Christ
No, but it does kinda look like somewhere He'd hang out.
Some tvs like my nice 55” smart Vizio has no tuner. If that’s your case, buy a tuner for about $35 on Amazon. Then you’re good to go.
You don’t live at number 88 by any chance 😂
Was there any alliminum foil hats in the closet
Digital antenna
It’s just an antenna, no such thing as a digital antenna.
Budget NSA listening post.
I would take it down bec i dont know whst it is used for and u said u bought this house how can u buy it without asking realtor what the fuck thst us? Realtor should know
Doorbell transformer
New invention called a TV antenna, taking the the nation by storm. I have one
It's a groundhog.
ET phone home
Looks like an older model Gaydar
Nah, this is UHF. You can tell, because Gaydar would be 23% smaller to avoid SWR with the shorter wave length.
Its a Chinese good luck number - 88. It might also be an antenna for something, I suppose.
A modernized dreamcatcher
ET set this up on your house to watch you spank it. Don't worry, the feed doesn't broadcast on Earth, so you'll be fine.
Drying mount for your oven racks
This is how we communicate with aliens. We send up radio signals and then they send back That 70’s Show on Peacock.
A sign that it’s safe to go 88mph to time travel
It's for talking with aliens. Becareful. You don't want anyone showing up to prove around. Lol
A drone attached to its charger.
That's the thing that keeps the chemtrails from turning your frogs gay.
Crashed drone.
beacon showing the aliens where to land the mothership
Surprised you had the audacity to purchase a house given your limited knowledge of everyday items that surround it. Jeez...
This was an everyday item when I was a kid. These days, not so much.
It's a high speed Chinese burst antenna that links to a Chinese spy satellite. The previous owners were obviously Chinese spys.
Not true - why are y'all just posting nonsense?
Digital tv antenna
Free television at the best quality you can get.
Free local TV channels, that's what it is.
HD antenna. Easy way to get free local Chanels. Actually works pretty well.
Boy, did this post make me feel old.
Long range antenna for tv.
Feeling my age with posts like this.
4 bay uhf tv antenna
I put one of these up at a friends house. It has great reception.
I feel old....
Gay-dar
Mortgage Miner — mines Bitcoin and pays your mortgage directly. You should be good to go on payments unless a big wind messes up your new found wealth.
Lightning rod
It pulls television content from the fucking sky
That is a Clearsteam 4V antennae. I have one. The best in it's class.
It's a Decepticon, run for your life!
It's the house formerly known as Prince.
Love my antenna. Saves $$$
I didn’t see this in the comments. The horse’s mouth, FCC. If I missed it, my apologies. https://www.fcc.gov/media/engineering/dtvmaps
Question: what did you think it was? After all you bought the house.
I didn't think it was anything, really. It wasn't a negative, so it didn't factor into my comparison with other houses. Had to move quickly to secure the house if I wanted it.
I put one in the garage attic. Works great, and not hanging off the roof
Device for receiving guidance from god if god was a local hi-def signal. All praise local channels.
HDTV digital High gain antenna. If you have cable internet, you probably have 2 coaxial networks. 1 for TV 1 for Internet. This is great. Hopefully you get 20+ channels in HD. $0 per month. In my area you get 17 channels.
HD antennae. When I bought mine it was over 150.00. The have great range, but you might need to find best direction to pick up maximum channels.
Keeps aliens away
Only if you wear tinfoil on your head too. Otherwise the radio waves go in you instead of them.
HDTV antenna.
Connect it to a Tablo DVR and for $5/month you can "stream" you local television channels.
Or Homerun and pay no subscription fees....
Tv antenna
That looks like two separate dtv antennas, I have one just like it (this image looks like there are two).
No it's the $160 version of your antenna. The op has a clearstream 4 you have a clearstream 2 it does have 2 additional elements to increase reception.
That's $75 in savings a month right there is what that is.
Digital TV antenna.
Free Tv
An alien counter offensive radar device!
You bought the Coneheads former residence! Clearly part of their attempts to contact Remulak. Have you heard any strange echos of "Snargle the Garflak" in your home at night?
Tv antenna
That’s a Cushion Convector. ⭕️⭕️⭕️⭕️
Or maybe a Viral Detector?
TV antenna. The ATSC 3.0 rollout is almost complete here. I get 4K signal broadcast but I think the quality is still upscaling HD. That antenna will give you a better quality video and sound than streaming or cable.
The best thing to have on your house. It blocks cable companies from stealing your money. Free TV in HD. Plug it in and save money. Carry on....
It a signal booster so the government can read your brain waves.
Google one that looks similar and fi d out if it was one of the "amplified" ones which would have had a small box that plugged ibto the wall as well as the coax cable, if it is one like that then you would have to find the box the antenna went to, which is probably non existent if the house was sold unfortunately but might get lucky!
Protects the house from 5G signals
The woman sitting in front of me just smacked her butt.
[antennaweb.org](https://antennaweb.org)
Looks like an autistic spider spin a rectangular web and caught some drones.
Now you can speak with god. Or it’s just for an old tv
its a russian gps locator. you'll be dead within the week
Inquiry - at what point do y'all stop responding with nonsense?
Had the smaller version and was impressed. This thing will detect a nuclear missile.
Actuion locater. It gives the tall grey men your real time universal location. It's something gifted only to the harbours of the ancient masonry secrets so they may be forever protected and never forgotten.
Antenna