Discussions

[SMN]

My question is,  I tried using antenna to tv, it brings in some local stations, except one specific local channel, that tvfool.com, says I should get. I am thinking maybe I don't receive it, because it is VHF and maybe my antenna only picks up uhf? Anyway, if i were to purchase a roku tv, and run antenna thru roku, does anyone think it would pick up both vhf and uhf channels? Or do I need different antenna?

[StreamerUser · Accepted solution]

No one can really answer that question for you.

Get a powered/amplified "digital" indoor antenna and that should work.

In general though, TV antennas are very directional, so you might want/need to shift your antenna to get some stations (and perhaps not others).

[DBDukes]

@SMN 

As @StreamerUser indicated, the TV itself doesn't know nor care if the station is VHF or UHF. That's the job of the antenna to pick up the various frequencies. And what's important, is the actual frequency, not the virtual frequency.

To explain using my situation, WSAV Savannah channel 3 (virtual) is actually channel 16. But WTOC channel 11 is actually on channel 11. So, I need a UHF antenna to pick up channel 3 (traditional VHF) and a VHF antenna to pick up channel 11 (also traditional VHF).

So, if the station in question is actually broadcasting on VHF, you'll want to ensure your antenna will pick up VHF and UHF.

[atc98092]

As mentioned, the antenna is what determines the frequencies can be received clearly. Any Roku TV will receive both VHF and UHF, but it's the signal that matters. Web sites like TVFool or AntennaWeb don't always provide 100% accurate info, as sometimes they don't calculate the terrain between the broadcast and home antenna. I have a channel like that locally. It's quite close to my home, and AntennaWeb says I should receive it easily. However, it's mostly hit/miss if I can actually see it. There's a hill between us that the web sites don't quite calculate correctly. 

Sometimes it just takes a quick tweak of the antenna to get the problem station. But if you're using a UHF only antenna, it's going to be marginal with VHF channels. Also, there's VHF Low and VHF High channels. RF channels 2-6 are low, and 7-13 are high. Some antennas are only optimized for one of the VHF bands.