Mohu Sky Outdoor Antenna
Did you know that you can essentially get free cable by using the best outdoor tv antenna? If you are reading this, chances are you are interested in picking up 1080p HD signals for free. You probably find yourself only watching a select few channels on cable anyways and really paying extra money for a bunch of junk channels.
By using the best outdoor tv antenna, you can pick up a wide range of HD signals for free, as long as you live in an area where there are a lot of channels available in your area. We have purchased and thoroughly tested out some of the top outdoor tv antennas on the market to come up with our own list of recommendations. Please see our detailed reviews below.
Best Outdoor TV Antenna Reviews
- Mohu Sky 60 TV Antenna, Outdoor, Amplified, 60 Mile Range
- 1byone 60 Miles Range Omni-directional Amplified Outdoor Antenna
- Winegard HD7694P High Definition VHF/UHF Antenna
Mohu Sky 60 TV Antenna, Outdoor, Amplified, 60 Mile Range
The Mohu Sky is the best outdoor tv antenna if you are looking for an advanced gadget that will deliver some of the highest quality TV signals. The Mohu Sky is a premium antenna that has a 60 mile reception range. It is powered by a 15 dB amplifier and takes FM, UHF, and VHF frequencies.
The Mohu Sky is multidirectional, so it picks up signals in all directions without having to be rotated. The antenna is built with quality materials and feels like it can withstand any storm. It is lightweight, thin, and very durable, and with its 30 foot detachable cable, you can install it pretty much anywhere.
We think the best feature of the Mohu Sky is the signal quality and the amount of channels that can be picked up without sacrificing other channels. The Sky is consistent in pretty much every situation that we have tested it in. Some outdoor antennas will pick up certain channels in high definition, but leave out other channels. The Mohu Sky picks up pretty much every channel in its 60 mile radius and delivers them all in high quality HD when available.
This outdoor tv antenna is derived from some crazy military technology, which we think is what contributes to its success. The only thing we have to nickpick about is the price. It is a bit above market, but we think it is worth the premium given the amount of extra channels you could potentially pick up as well as the boost in quality of each and every channel.
1byone 60 Miles Range Omni-directional Amplified Outdoor Antenna
The 1byOne Antenna is the best outdoor tv antenna if you are looking for an economical omnidirectional outdoor tv antenna. First of all, it has a nice 60 mile range, which is really a great distance to cover for an antenna in this price range. It is also omni-directional, so there is no need for you to position the antenna in any direction. This long range pretty and omni-directional antenna pretty much guarantees that you pick up all types of channels without having to rotate the antenna searching for channels.
This is also an amplified antenna, and includes a high gain low noise amplifier kit for better signal strength. Although the gains are marginal from the amplifier, it is better than nothing. We really like how the 1byOne is built and how easy it is to setup. It has a long 20 foot coaxial cable, which lets you put the antenna pretty much anywhere and in hard to reach places to ensure you get the best reception.
The size and nice and compact, and it certainly looks more like a router than a traditional outdoor tv antenna. The sizing is perfect for handling heavy winds and anti UV coating protects the antenna from not only UV rays but also rain, water and snow. With the 1byOne Outdoor Antenna, you no longer have to deal with big bulky traditional outdoor antennas with metals, wires, and cables running everywhere. It receives FM, UHF, and VHF and supports 1080P. Please keep in mind that this antenna only received free HD TV broadcast signals, so channels like HBO and Cinemax are out of the question.
Winegard HD7694P High Definition VHF/UHF Antenna
The Wineguard HD7694P Antenna is the best outdoor tv antenna if you are looking for a great performing direction VHF/UHF Antenna. The problem with many directional antennas is that they are only directional in either VHF or UHF but not both. Luckily, with the Wineguard HD7694P, you get directional in the VHF and UHF band, so you can pick up all the possible channels in a certain direction.
For those of you who don’t know already, directional antennas provide better quality, but the trade-off is they can only pick up channels in one direction at a time. You have to rotate the antenna to acquire new channels in different directions. The Winegard has great signal to noise ratios across both UHF and VHF bands and is probably one of the clearest signals that you can receive. However, setting it all up and finding all of these channels is not as easy and straightforward as one of these omni-directional antennas.
You will definitely need to do your research and figure out what direction will acquire the channels that you want. The signal range is around 65 miles, so it is enough to scope out most of the channels that you want to watch. The gain is very high on both VHF and UHF frequencies. Our only complaint is that it takes a bit of time to setup properly and isn’t exactly plug and play. But in terms of signal quality, the Wineguard really is one of the best.
How to choose the Best Outdoor TV Antenna
Channels in your area: The first thing to do before you even consider purchasing an outdoor tv antenna is to find out what channels are in your area. You should use online channel search tools like TV Fool or Antenna Web to gather a list of channels near you, the strength of those channels, and where they actually broadcast from.
Some of these search tools will even spit out a list ranked by signal strength, distance, call sign, and even UHF/VHF channels. Once you figure out what is available for free in your area, you can look up the callsigns of the channels to see what networks they are on. Â Please keep in mind that purchasing the best outdoor tv antenna will not give you the same experience as your cable. With cable, you will for sure have better signal and a wider selection of channels. If you are just focusing on the bigger networks, you can catch those in HD quality with an antenna.
Type of Antenna
Omnidirectional vs directional: Not all types of outdoor tv antennas are made the same. You will have to choose between omnidirectional and directional antennas. You will want to go with an omnidirectional antenna if you find channels are showing up in all directions around you. With this type of antenna, you will most likely pick up more channels but you trade off a bit of quality.
They are also very easy to setup and you won’t need to worry about adjusting every time you change the channel. If you have a lot of channels that go in one direction, you are better off with a directional antenna. They provide you with stronger signal and can reach farther in one direction. Generally, channels that are further away from you will result in weaker signals. So the type of outdoor tv antenna you choose depends on your locations relative to the channels you want.
UHF vs VHF: Often you will have an outdoor tv antenna that will pick up either UHF channels, VHF channels or both. Most of the modern ones can pick up both but usually they are better picking up one type. Â For the most part, lower numbered channels will be VHF while higher numbered ones will be UHF. Directional antennas are very good at picking up UHF channels, which is the default channel type for most companies.
So basically, if you know that if most of the channels you want are higher numbered channels, focus on getting an antenna that can best pick up those channels. Lastly, some over the air tv antennaes sell an amplified model, which basically picks up channels that are farther away and amplified the signal of closer channels. In general, these amplified antennas work, but it is never really a significant performance booster.
