Viewing Digital Television: Antenna Reviews

Hello everyone.

First I want to address a "problem" several of our viewers have expressed to me. There were many of you receiving our digital programming, but now have lost it, after our upgrade in December. Actually, it did not have anything to do with our upgrade, it was a coincidence that Insight also did an upgrade during this same period. I have learned that some viewers had been receiving our signal through there cable, even though they did not subscribe to the Insight HDTV package, because of the way Insight received our signal. In December, Insight changed how they received us to a feed directly from our studio, instead of over the air as in the past, so to provide a better signal to their customers. This also will allow us to provide CBS-HD to Insight cable, which will not be available over-the-air, due to channel capacity on our transmitter. When this happened, the signal on cable "disappeared" unless you paid them for the HDTV service.

This entry I will review two antennas I have tested, so you may receive WNKY's (and other) digital transmissions. I know this has been a problem for some of you. Both antennas are relatively inexpensive and provide excellent reception. Both antennas were tested indoors at my first floor apartment near Greenwood Mall, mounted to a floor lamp (my apartment complex does not permit me to mount an outdoor antenna.) I have not found a set top antenna that will work well as of this writing.

The following digital broadcast signals are available in the Bowling Green area:

*WNKY-DT* operates on *UHF channel 16*. WNKY-NBCDT, 40.1, WNKY-CBS, 40.2

*WBKO-DT* operates on *UHF channel 33*. WBKO-ABC, 13.1, WBKO-FOX, 13.2, WBKO 13.3

*WKYU-DT* operates on *UHF channel 18*

*KET *operates on WKGB-DT *UHF channel 53*

The first I tested was the *Phillips model MANT950, VHF/UHF Digital Outdoor antenna*. This unit costs can be found for $70-100. It is what is called a batwing antenna, measuring about 6 feet across. The unit was easy to install and performed very well in my tests. I received broadcasts from all DTV sources available in the Bowling Green market. Phillips does say it can be used as an indoor antenna, but I would not suggest it, due to it's size, unless you mount it in your attic. Overall, I feel this is a superior antenna over the other I reviewed as I feel it will provide a steady signal in adverse weather, provided you have a good place to mount it outdoors.

Phillips MANT950

Philips Indoor/Outdoor HDTV Antenna (MANT950)

*Weather-resistant:* This weather-resistant antenna is lightweight and easy to mount for the best possible HDTV, UHF and VHF reception up to 40 miles.

*Indoor/outdoor antenna:* This antenna can be placed indoors or outdoors. It can be mounted on a wall, in the attic, along a railing or to a mast. When used on a mast, it can be mounted with a rotator. When mounted outdoors, the surface can be painted for "camouflage" installation.

*Built-in amplifier:* The built-in amplifier has 18dB VHF - 15dB UHF boosting with low-noise circuitry (under 3.5dB) for the best possible HDTV performance.

*Includes hardware:* This antenna includes hardware and a 20' cable

The second unit I tested was the *Phillips MANT940 Indoor.Outdoor UHF DTV Antenna *which can be found at Walmart for $39.92. I was pleasantly surprised at how well it performed, actually performing a little better that the *Phillips MANT950*. Its small size allows it to be mounted indoors, should you live in a setting that will not allow you to have an outdoor antenna. However, it is limited to UHF signals only. This is no problem at this time, unless you are trying to get out-of-market television, such as Paducah or Nashville. I have heard a rumor that after the *February 11, 2009* cut-off date for the old analog television transmitters, WBKO will change to VHF broadcast channel 13, but this has not been confirmed.

Philips MANT940 Indoor/Outdoor HDTV Antenna

*The Philips MANT940 Indoor/Outdoor HDTV Antenna* incorporates an unusual flat UHF panel array to improve analog and digital HDTV UHF reception. Why pay for HDTV programming that's free over the airwaves? The MANT940 uses a low-noise, optimum gain amplifier and is weather resistant and paintable to match your interior or exterior decor.

Technical Information

# *Gain* 18 dB
*Cable Length*
# 20 ft

Interfaces/Ports

# *Connectors* F-Connector

Miscellaneous

*Package Contents*
# MANT940 Indoor/Outdoor HDTV Antenna
# Complete mounting kit
# AC Power Adapter

*Additional Information*
# Cable Type: Coaxial *Antenna Features:*
# UHF flat panel array
# Paintable housing
# Optimized for HDTV

*Compatibility*
# HDTV

I hope this will help you in viewing the digital television available in Bowling Green. If you have an antenna you have tested and wish to share a review of it with others on my blog, please email your review to me at frank.brucks@wnky.net. Please make sure you include the model number of the unit, so I can try to find pricing and pictures to share with our viewers.

Learn More About Digital Television
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Check out Frank's response to a recent HD question from a viewer!

Frank Brucks
CHIEF ENGINEER
WNKY Television