As a tv viewer without cable, I know what it's like to have to get up and adjust the rabbit ears for better reception, and I love polartomato's Wearable Antenna idea. Still, I don't want my hands on that antenna for too long, even if I'm lying in bed. Since this is such a remote-control oriented society, how about an antenna that turns and rotates at your (remote) command?

During commercials, you could let the antenna mechanically "wander" by itself, until the reception is good, then the user clicks to lock in the position.

Also, there could be numbered preset positions, since realistically, no position is perfect for very long.

With a tv remote in one hand and an antenna remote in the other, you can pretend you're in The Wild Bunch with guns a-blazin'.
-- tharsaile, Jun 21 2002

Well, the problem I was addressing was those situations where no matter *how* hard you try, you can't get reception- EXCEPT when your paws are on the rabbit ears. Thus, you connect an extension directly to the antenna.

However, your idea allows you to adjust the picture right there on your lazy ass. And that is a major enhancement to society, I must say. Think about all the productive hours of TV watching wasted by people having to stand up and adjust the damn contraptions by themselves. I think the two ideas could be combined to turn their owner into the Ultimate Couch Potato.

And that gets you a glazed, custard-filled croissant.
-- polartomato, Jun 21 2002


Yeah, there's probably a market there.

Check out the MS2000 Omnidirectional Antenna on google sometime. It's technically outdoor, but small enough to mount hidden inside somewhere.

I loved my dad's outfit. Way out in the middle of nowhere, but with a 65 foot TV tower that could pick up stations from cities 70 miles away. Never had to fiddle with it.
-- RayfordSteele, Jun 21 2002


Aerial rotators have been baked for a long time, but they only deal with two dimensions.
-- angel, Jun 21 2002


Angel: I have my "search" antenna (a 43-element quad-X Yagi array) on the former tilt-and-pan head of an outdoor CCTV camera. I use it to pick up european TV broadcasts which I watch via a TV card in one of my PCs. I'm not entirely sure why I do this, because it's mostly rubbish. I think I did it just to show how clever I am. My general purpose antenna, for analog and digital terrestrial local reception, is on a simple rotator. Then, when winter gales move it around, I can bring it back on beam at the touch of a button. So, well baked for outdoor antennae.
-- 8th of 7, Jun 21 2002


When it comes to aerials you get what you pay for! Rabbit ears should be banned in my opinion. They are no good unless you can see the transmitter from your window and then you can use even cheaper option like wire coat hanger.
-- Pellepeloton, Sep 14 2006


Did you hear about the two TV antennae that got married?

The wedding was a bit boring, but the reception was brilliant.
-- imaginality, Sep 14 2006



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