Is Clear-Cast TV micro antenna for free TV access a legitimate thing?

The advent of HD TV has allowed for a new round of hucksterism to occur in the TV antenna industry. The televison channel spectrum is the same as it always was but the signal modulation scheme employed now is "digital", which is for the better. Signal propagation is the same as it was and it is not necessary to buy a "digital" TV antenna unless you fidn it necessary to receive TV channels that have sprung up from new directions. VHF and UHF TV signals travel in straight lines and are the strongest when your receving antenna is "aimed" at the transmitter for that channel. Since transmitters are lcoarted all over the poalce, you can eoither use a mechanical antrenna rotator to position the antenna to aim the transmitter of choi ce or use multiple antennas aimed in various directions.

Genrally speaking, the "cheaper" antennas have fewer elements and are thereby less critical to aim. They have a broader beamwidth, so-to-speak, provideing less "gain" in a specific direction in favor or a larger average gain over a broader "angular displacement.

Digital TV signals are not prone to "ghosting" so an array of cheap antennas aimed in several directions will suffice to capture the digital TV signals in your local area. Amplifed antennas are poor substitutes for "real" (passive) antennas placed in attics or as high as possible outside. TV signals are blocked or absorbed by buildings, trees, and such and the signal intensity can vary with the weather and even when leaves are on the trees and when they are not. All your digital TV requires is enough signal in order to work. A small amplified antenna sitting atop your TV may work fine though the signasl is barely above the minimum threshold. When the weather grow wetter, that singal may be beleow threshold and you won't get that particular channel until there is less moisture in the air!
The same is ture, of course, for an antenna placed high up on the roof, but the odds are far better that it will work so much better than the tiny amplified antenna on the top of the television simply becaeu the TV suingal inside the house, at lower elevation, will be inherently weaker to begin with.

Hope this helps you decide.

Over the Air TV is free! Go to TVFOOL and put in your address and it will tell you what type of antenna and what stations you can get. Click on this link. Any Micro antenna would require that you are pretty close to the TV transmitter.

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29