A man wrote:

TV reception is generally fair, but often goes to poor based on,
it appears, weather conditions. Sometimes UHF channels fade out
to nothing, like 35 and 41, sometimes VHF fades out, like ch 8.
some stations are local, others are about 50 miles away.

What kinds of external antennas work best? I mean, antennas
in the living room, or mounted on roof, or mounted in attic.
Do the disk type powered antennas, like from Radio Shack, work
the best for the price?
How about the powered rabbit ear types?
How about the can-shaped antenna marketed by Xium?

I have a T-shaped antenna with 2 wires at the bottom of the
leg, I think it's an old UHF antenna that is a complete
loop. It is designed to be mounted indoors on the wall.
Will it work help to boost only UHF reception?

Conventional ugly outdoor antennas, mounted as high as possible, work
best, but for safety, earth ground the mast and install a lightning
arrestor inline with the cable and earth ground it as well. Directions
for doing this are included with every TV and VCR sold. Any ground rod
must be connected to the main ground rod of the house, and let the
cable sag at least 6" below the point where it enters the house, to
make rain water drip off rather than run inside. To find the best
outdoor antenna for your area, go to www.antennaweb.org, and realize
that distance alone isn't the only factor in choosing one. Radio Shack
may still sell outdoor antennas, and you probably want one with a
substantial UHF section at the front, meaning it has horizontal rods
above and below the centerline. If they don't have any, try an
electronics or TV parts supply or order one from a place like
www.mcminone.com. Some good brands are Winegard, Jerrold,
Antennacraft, and Radio Shack but not the heavily marketed Terk
antennas.

An antenna in the attic won't work as well as one on the roof because
of the lower height and the roofing material blocking the UHF,
especially in rain, but it should still be much better than an indoor
antenna or any of those gimmicky antennas that look like disks,
vertical poles, or radar dishes. A satellite TV antenna won't work
well for terrestial broadcasts because they're at much lower
frequencies than what direct-broadcast TV satellites use.