What is the best outdoor TV antenna? Choose a model that allows for blocking electronic interference from other devices and home appliances so that you could watch your channels without issues. Also, the number of channels you can access partially depends on the device, not just on how high it is mounted and how far the broadcasting tower is located. With an outdoor antenna, you can watch more channels than using an indoor one. Another dilemma is whether to buy a rooftop model or the one that is designed to be installed in the attic. Except in the case of the metal roof surface, the former is more is the best choice.

An advanced model should become an optimal solution for those who live far away from a TV tower with multiple obstacles on a signal path. Such antennas can manage these challenges thanks to the design peculiarities. In this regard, they come in a bigger design in comparison with indoor options, featuring more driven and parasitic elements. They help to receive more signals in different frequency bands, and enhance them, to get more channels in a clear-crystal Full HD 1080p, or even 4K quality.

An active TV antenna has an integrated signal amplifier which allows boosting signals and compensating for cable losses. Such devices are preferable if a broadcasting tower is located within a long-distance range or in case of considerable obstructions such as buildings, woodlands, lowlands, or power lines that attenuate the signal. Active antennas are capable of transmitting the signal for several TVs.

Yagi–Uda antenna consists of multiple symmetrical vibrators, which include driven and parasitic elements. Such antennas are mostly preferable for installations at a long-distance from a TV broadcasting station to provide higher gain within 10-20 dBi and a unidirectional orientation. This type is deemed as one of the most common directional antennas compatible with HF, VHF, and UHF signals.

Indoor vs. Outdoor

It would be reasonable to connect an indoor antenna to a TV set at your house if the nearest transmitting device is not too far away. That is, proximity to a town or a big village with a repeater available allows considering this option for receiving an adequate TV signal. A weak signal requires an amplifier. The latter will also depend on a type of broadcasting signal. Overall, indoor units are more suitable for a city. On the contrary, their use in a rural area would hardly be the best solution.

If a television tower is located far away from a receiving end, the signal is fading. Broadcasting quality is decreasing, the sound and image are distorted. Outdoor antenna installation is the only appropriate solution, especially for rural areas. Such antenna can be arranged at the front of a building, on the roof, wall, or on a separate mast.

The outdoor antennas are offered in a directional or Yagi-type design and in an Omni range one. The latter will pick up a signal in case of its appropriate set up in any direction independently from the signal source.

Testing & Customers Reviews

We found reviews from real YouTube bloggers about the products from our article.

RVProject: "1ByOne Outdoor HDTV Antenna is not designed specifically for RVs but it certainly does have application in RVs and it is designed for mobile use. This is an omnidirectional antenna which means that you don't have to point it in any specific direction. Omnidirectional just means it's non directional. This is all tooless which means you don't need any tools to do any adjustment. Everything is done with thumb screws which makes it really handy for a mobile application especially in the camping environment. Many campers especially pop-ups or even if you're in the tent they don't have any provision for an antenna so the 1ByOne then becomes a viable option. And if you use a ratcheting strap you can even attach it to a tree. So this might be handy if you have a tent or no other method to support the antenna. Just find the closest tree.

And if your RV has such a thing another option may be to simply attach the antenna to your roof ladder. I have the 1byone antenna mounted on a 20-foot Harbor Freight flagpole. Although it's only 15 foot high, I don't have all four sections deployed, so it's about the same height as the antenna on the roof of my coach. And then the coax is feed into my system from the antenna. And the amplifier is hooked up. This thing has found 48 channels, 5 channels more than what the onboard antenna did. You can check on the weather, you can see if there's any storms coming and that alone is probably worthwhile having a TV. Now, yes, if you have a smartphone you can get radar and stuff, weather and stuff like that but we've been in places where you can't get cell phone coverage. I think 1ByOne antenna works really good for mobile use, for camping use simply because it's tooless and it gives you just another option to have and also you can use it as a backup TV antenna."

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