How to watch Channel 8 over the air
The optimal way of receiving a digital TV signal is an outdoor antenna designed with VHF and UHF receiving frequencies.
KLKN-TV’s transmission tower is located 2 miles east of Utica, NE. Exact coordinates are 40-52-59.0 N 97-18-20.0 W. Coverage is about a 70-mile radius, but it may vary with terrain and conditions.
Indoor antennas are subjected to multipath interference and may not be able to receive all signals that an outdoor antenna can receive.
Many indoor antennas are marketed as HD or 4K and have an amplifier built in.
Most antennas are not designed to receive VHF signals. There is no such thing as a 4K, HD or digital antenna.
All antennas will receive signals, regardless of if it’s digital or analog.
KLKN’s Utica transmitter operates on Channel 8 (183 MHz) on the Hi-VHF band.
Channel 8 is more susceptible to reception problems with an indoor antenna because you need an antenna that is 30 inches long at half-wavelength to 32 inches. Most indoor antennas available are smaller than 32 inches.
If you must use an indoor antenna, it may take a lot of trial and error to receive the signal.
Many factors such as devices, lights, the construction materials of the building and body location within the room will affect signal integrity.
The best location is within a room by a window facing our transmitter site.
To mitigate the problems with receiving a Hi-VHF band, KLKN also transmits UHF 35 from our studio near 10th and Van Dorn in southwest Lincoln, covering most of Lancaster County. Coordinates are: 40-46-47.0 N 96-42-18.0 W.
KLKN-TV broadcasts on ATSC 1.0 with five streams. As of this time there is no intention of broadcasting with ATSC 3.0 standard.
KLKN-TV is also available on DirecTV, Dish Network, Spectrum, Allo, Hulu TV, YouTube TV, Fubo and many other cable providers available in your area. You can watch KLKN’s newscasts on our website: www.klkntv.com/watch.
Recommended brands for antennas are:
- Channel Master
- Televes
- RCA
- Winegaurd
- Antennas Direct
- GE
Professional antenna installations are available in Lincoln.
Most antennas available for sale online contain misleading information such as 100-plus mile range, 2,800-plus mile range, cable networks, Pay-TV , 4K, 8K, Smart TV, HDR.
Built-in amplifiers may fail and not pass the signal down. The built-in cable may not be properly manufactured and can have high loss.
Signal search for the best antenna suited for your location:
- www.rabbitears.info
- www.antennasdirect.com/transmitter-locator.html
- www.antennaweb.org
- www.rcaantennas.net/antenna-finder
- www.directv.com/signal-strength
- www.channelmaster.com/pages/tv-antenna-map
- www.fcc.gov/media/engineering/dtvmaps
Independent antenna/product reviews:
- www.youtube.com/@AntennaMan
- www.youtube.com/@LonSeidman
Additional information:
- www.watchnextgentv.com
- www.atsc.org
- www.dtvanswers.com
