Antennaweb.org (Just how accurate is it?)

HTNut · 05-18-2009, 07:41 PM

Just how accurate is antennaweb.org? I did a scan for the first time this evening on their site and they recommended a yellow UHF antenna for me. I'm fine for digital reception but I've seen antennaweb mentioned a few times before. What is the national broadcaster association's involvement with it?

1inxs · 05-18-2009, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HTNut

Just how accurate is antennaweb.org? I did a scan for the first time this evening on their site and they recommended a yellow UHF antenna for me. I'm fine for digital reception but I've seen antennaweb mentioned a few times before. What is the national broadcaster association's involvement with it?

It's only as accurate as the information received from the FCC. Try entering my zip code 84036 into any or all of these sites and see what it comes up with. Contrary to what is posted on their site I receive approximately 23 DTV stations. It shows my recommended tower 47 miles away in the Salt Lake valley. I live in a mountain valley and couldn't do anything to pick up the signal from there.

Trip · 05-18-2009, 08:39 PM

I've found AntennaWeb to be very conservative in their estimates. I generally do not recommend it and instead refer people to TVFool.com and then have people with good knowledge of antennas look at the plot and look at the specific location and then recommend something based on that.

AntennaWeb likes to tell me I only receive 2 channels. TVFool says I receive 9. I actually receive 6 stations reliably, and there are good excuses for the remaining three (low power until June, low-VHF signal sucks, and poor signal quality from the transmitter) which always show me signal even if they don't decode.

I generally do not point people at AntennaWeb for that reason. The FCC database is generally pretty accurate (though it likes to keep outdated records active), their formula is just very conservative.

- Trip

staticMHZ · 05-18-2009, 11:11 PM

tvfool is better

HTNut · 05-19-2009, 08:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1inxs

It's only as accurate as the information received from the FCC. Try entering my zip code 84036 into any or all of these sites and see what it comes up with. Contrary to what is posted on their site I receive approximately 23 DTV stations. It shows my recommended tower 47 miles away in the Salt Lake valley. I live in a mountain valley and couldn't do anything to pick up the signal from there.

2 of my channels are shown in the red zone even though I do pick everything up here at my house pretty well.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trip

I've found AntennaWeb to be very conservative in their estimates.

I generally do not point people at AntennaWeb for that reason. The FCC database is generally pretty accurate (though it likes to keep outdated records active), their formula is just very conservative.

- Trip

I would think that their conservative estimates are causing people to spend more on antennas. Not sure if I like their color codes lumping everyone into a category based on such a broad scale either. I know that TVFool does the same but it doesn't specify a "Medium" sized antenna or "large" like antennaweb.org...just seems like there are many other variables that need to be known before such such a recommendation can be made.

Quote:

Originally Posted by staticMHZ

tvfool is better

Agreed.