OTA HD signal question

[paul_pci]

Yesterday, just in time for the Rose Bowl, my father, after years of me prodding him, bought a new TV: Mitsubishi 65in CRT Projection (WS 65517). I, of course, hooked everything up and calibrated the video on the set and then I ran out and bought a $40 antenna from radio shack to pick up local OTA HD programming, as my father hasn't had time to upgrade the Direct TV service yet. Anyway, I got the amplified antenna hooked up and the TV memorized all the available signals, but we couldn't get consistent reception, in that the signal (on all the channels) kept breaking up after a few seconds. Now it's been windy here in LA, but I think it's gotta be something else. So, my question is, why does the signal break up? is it because that's the best a $40 antenna from radio shack can do? or is it something else? While my father may eventually upgrade his satellite service, I don't think they include local HD programming, so we may still need to to the OTA thing, so I'd like some resolution on this matter (yes, pun intended).

Thanks.

[edtyct]

The wind could have something to do with it, especially if it's strong enough to blow something in the way of a weak signal path. Multipath distortion could also be at the root if you're in an urban environment allowing only bounced signals to reach the receiver, causing the signal to cut out periodically or permanently. The safest thing to do is to buy a directional antenna and raise it high enough to avoid obstruction. If you control it with a rotor, you can dial in the best position for each channel that you can receive. This is not to say that you can't have any success with an antenna in the TV room or in the attic, but the degree of difficulty is often severe if the broadcast stations are more than 15 miles away or, as I said, they reach you indirectly via multiple reflections.