A digital TV and converter box can pick up free over-the-air broadcasts from many stations, such as CBS, FOX, NBC, and so on.
While a converter box can pick up a TV signal they often need a boost with an antenna to pick up the broadcast.
This makes it necessary to get a digital antenna or booster that fits your location to get a good signal.
Over-The-Air TV antennas vary greatly in size, shape, and indoor or outdoor units.
What Type of Antenna Do You Need for Digital TV Converter Box?
Any TV antenna will boost a signal and work with a Digital TV Converter Box.
How much of a boost a signal needs will dictate how big an antenna should be and if it should be indoor or outdoor.
This will depend on your location and the TV broadcast tower’s location.
Most cities will have towers that are located close, and if you live in a big city can pick up stations easily with a small cheap indoor antenna.
For those who live outside a city, an outdoor antenna that can be placed on a roof or pole will likely be needed.
There are many good units available, with some of our favorite picks below.
As always, be sure to read the reviews on Amazon, forums, here, or elsewhere to be sure a unit is a good fit for you.
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Our Picks for Best Antenna for Digital TV Converter Box
- 1byone Amplified HDTV Antenna
- RCA Compact Outdoor Yagi
- Winegard MS-3005 MetroStar
- Vansky Outdoor 150 Mile Motorized
The 1byone HDTV Antenna is an indoor antenna with side flaps to get better reception that is easy to set up.
The antenna is placed in a window and pointed in the direction that gets the best signal.
This is a good option for those that live in a city, and broadcast signals are relatively strong.
While a small indoor antenna can help boost a signal, unless you live close to the TV towers, they may not give a big enough boost.
The 1byone includes a small signal booster which also helps clear up a broadcast.
The RCA outdoor digital TV antenna is made by RCA and is a Yagi style unit.
Yagi style antennas are the most widely used TV antennas and are directional, meaning they amplify a signal when it is pointed directly at the source.
Adjusting and turning a Yagi antenna is done until the best signal is received, then it is bolted into place.
This makes them ideal for getting a good signal from a distance.
If you live far away from the TV towers and have problems getting a signal, Yagi outdoor antennas along with boosters make for a good option.
The Winegard WF2-435 is an Omni Directional outdoor TV antenna.
Omni Directional antennas can receive and amplify a signal from any direction.
This makes them ideal in situations where the TV broadcast towers are located in different locations.
Most transmission towers are located in roughly the same area but in some cases, they can be scattered about.
This is especially true in cases where a home is located close to the towers.
For example, in some cities, two towers maybe a mile apart with a home in the middle. While this makes no difference from a distance the home located at the center would benefit from an Omni directional antenna.
This unit from Vansky is an outdoor antenna with a motor to turn it and tune it into a signal.
Directional antennas work very well when pointed directly at a source and are good long-range units.
The motor turns the antenna which can tune into a TV tower from far away, getting the best signal possible.
The Vansky is a budget unit that works well enough when set up correctly.
Summary
With the many antennas available, there should be little problems in choosing one that would bring in HD digital over-the-air TV broadcasts.
In rare cases that an antenna does not boost a signal enough TV signal boosters can be used in combination with an antenna to get a good signal.
There are also pre-amplifier signal boosters that connect to the antenna to boost a signal before going into a home.
Pre-amplifiers are good when multiple TVs use the same antenna.
Standard boosters connect to a TV that works well on a single TV.
Sometimes both are used to get the maximum signal possible.
After hooking up an antenna, be sure to re-scan for TV stations, as more broadcasts should be found.