What are the best antennas to use with Tablo 4th gen?

General Discussion
1

I just bought a Tablo 4th Gen and my antenna isn’t picking up much. I’m in Las Vegas, NV. Can anyone recommend a good antenna that’s affordable? I’ve heard the Mohu Leaf Antenna is a good option.

2

An antenna that works… only joking.

Welcome to the forum.

I bought a Clearstream 4 Max after testing a number of antennas because I found it got excellent reception compared to other antennas that I tried. My Clearstream was on super sale for less than a $100 but I’ve seen it selling for twice that price at Best Buy recently.

It really depends on a number of factors.

  1. How far are the towers that you need to get channel signal reception from? I downloaded an app called “Antenna Point” and that gave me an idea of what towers and distance I was. I’m sure there are many other apps and some probably better than this one but it works and is very simple.
  2. Do you plan to install inside or outside? Mine can go inside or outside but I have high up inside. We get strong storms and have seen neighbors antennas get seriously damaged and only wanted to buy once.
  3. Are there obstructions that require a stronger antenna. My house is cement block with steel and rebar and getting an indoor antenna that was strong enough meant I needed to spend a little more than the $35-65 priced antennas that I first tried out.
  4. Cost - might be last on my list but could be most important.

Hope it helps.

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3

I just today upgraded from RCA window antenna to Antennas Direct ClearStream 2V. $89 on Amazon.

For now it’s mounted inside on 2nd floor aimed at towers about 18mi away. Will likely move it to attic when ready to deal with fishing cable through walls.

My initial impression is that my reception is now excellent. I’ll try to update this thread after I have a bit more experience with it.

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4

First, start with https://www.rabbitears.info/searchmap.php to find where the transmitters are and how far. From there, you have info on the type of antenna you will need.

Then you may want to check out Antennaman on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/@AntennaMan

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For indoor, I found the Mohu Leaf to be quite good. Of course all situations are different, but I tried several indoor antennas that were just OK before finally settling on the Leaf.

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6

I agree, I use Mohu. I have tried cheap $20 antennas off Amazon, those have bombed on me too many times.

Mohu is my inside go to for now.

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7

Thanks everyone

8

Really depends on what you need to pull in. A flat, “leaf”-style antenna isn’t going to do well on HI- or LO-VHF stations. It will be fine for close UHF, though. And if there are topographic features between you and the tower, then it will be difficult, perhaps impossible.

You really need to get a signal search map from rabbitears.info to find out what sort of antenna you need, and where you need to put it, and how to orient it. We have Clearstream 4MAX antenna at two-story house attic height, and that works great for where we are. Might not work for others, though. Even though we’re about 35 miles from most of the towers around us, they’re all line-of-sight, so an indoor antenna works for us. I did try the Clearstream 2MAX first, and that wasn’t quite good enough for our location.

9

The really simple answer is if your antenna works with your TV it should work just fine with your TABLO! If you really can only use an indoor flat antenna because of your specific situation I would advise you to check out Antenna Man on the web and his antenna reviews for what are the very best indoor antennas.

10

Here is a list of TV stations in Las Vegas.

Click on the icon in the Map column for your favorite station. The white push pin in the map that comes up shows the location of the transmitter for that station. Position your antenna so it has a clear line of sight to the transmitter.

If I lived there and needed to use an indoor antenna, I would try this one first.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/onn-Indoor-Easy-Adjust-HDTV-Antenna-with-VHF-Dipoles-and-20-Mile-Reception-Range/867389914

Those rabbit ears are tried and true technology for receiving VHF frequencies. Fox, PBS, ABC and CBS are all in the high-VHF band in Las Vegas. KHSV (MeTV, H&I, Antenna TV, Catchy Comedy, etc.) is on low-VHF channel 2.

For a roof top antenna that covers the low-VHF band try this one.