TV-38 Terrestrial VHF/UHF/FM Outdoor Antenna
Terrestrial
antennas are still alive and well thanks to local HDTV transmissions.
While the vast majority of households now have cable or DSS providing
local service, many of us have opted to rely on a good old fashioned roof-top
antenna. Terk has introduced a new line of terrestrial antennas particularly
for today's HDTV consumers. The TV-38 and TV-36 antennas are designed
to receive UHF/VHF/FM signals, while the TV-32 is a UHF-only design and
is considerably smaller than its bigger brothers. We installed the new
Terk TV-38 outdoor antenna with a clear line-of-sight to Mount Wilson,
the location where all the major transmitters are located in the Los Angeles
area. We mounted the antenna on our existing rotor which allowed us to
fine tune the signal for each channel. Installation was simple and all
of the hardware needed to mount the antenna was included. As always, we
recommend anchoring down the mast using guy wire to prevent the wind from
knocking it over during bad weather.
The TV-38 is constructed of high-tensile aluminum, making it ideal in extreme weather conditions where wind, ice and snow might otherwise cause problems. The antenna elements are protected with a high-quality polymer finish to minimize oxidation on the aluminum surface.
The antenna ships in an eight foot long box which is only two-thirds the length of the fully assembled structure. The antenna is very simple to assemble and only requires a screw driver and an adjustable wrench. The package includes pre-assembled segments that need to be bolted together. The elements snap into place creating the large span. The end result is a 9 foot wide by 12 foot long antenna. The package includes the antenna, chimney mount, wall mount, universal mount, 5-foot mast, matching transformer (300 ohm to 75 ohm) and instructions. This rather large 43 element antenna only weighs about 10 pounds.
Performance
We took signal measurements using our Sencore SL754D Signal Level Meter.
Measurements were taken directly from the RG-6 cable connected to the
antenna 100 feet away. Once the data was recorded we fed the antenna signal
directly to a distribution unit which then routed the signal to all three
of our set-top boxes and our HTPC. We also ran it to our JVC HM-HD30000U
and Mitsubishi HS-HD2000U D-VHS VCRs. All of the analog and digital tuners
had absolutely no problem displaying a strong signal. High definition
images looked excellent with no signal dropouts.
Conclusion
The performance of the TV-38 exceeded our current 13 foot terrestrial
antenna we had purchased from Radio Shack several years ago. We saw the
largest increase in the UHF band where all of the current HDTV channels
are being broadcasted in the Los Angeles area. The TV-38 installation
was easy and included all the necessary parts. When you look at the fact
that HDTV signals are free, the antenna pays for itself in no time.
-
Kevin Nakano