RCA ANT111 Basic Indoor Antenna
A cheap rabbit ear antenna for homes close to broadcast towers.
The short version
- Households within roughly 30 miles of their broadcast towers
- A second TV in a bedroom or kitchen
- Anyone trying free over the air TV before spending more on an antenna
- You live far from the towers or in a basement apartment
- You want a set and forget antenna that never needs adjusting
- Your TV sits more than a few feet from where the antenna gets signal
What owners like
- Pulls in local channels clearly for very little money
- Setup is just connect the cable and run a channel scan
- Some buyers report finding far more channels than they expected after a rescan
- Small and unobtrusive next to a TV
Common complaints
- Some stations stay out of reach depending on location, which is the limit of a passive design
- Results vary by room and placement, so it can take some fiddling
Based on RCA's ANT111 user manual, retailer listings and buyer reviews at Solid Signal and P.C. Richard & Son, and the eBay product review page.
Research scores
Scored from the maker's specs and what owners report. Drew's own notes and photos will refine these.
Ownership
- Nov 2015
First bought.
Drew's hands-on notes for this product are on the way. Long-term updates will be added to this timeline.
What it does
A passive rabbit ears TV antenna with adjustable VHF dipoles, a UHF loop and an attached coax cable, for picking up free local broadcast channels.
- Telescoping VHF dipoles that extend and rotate, plus a separate UHF loop
- Attached coax cable, so it plugs straight into the TV antenna input
- Weighted base with no-scuff pads to protect furniture
- No amplifier or power supply to plug in
- Sold under several suffixes (ANT111, ANT111E, ANT111Z) that share the same basic design
Buy it if you live fairly close to your local broadcast towers and want a cheap, no power antenna for a second TV or a cord cutting trial. The trade-off is reach: it is passive, rated for about 30 miles, and different channels can need the ears and loop moved, so households farther out or behind lots of walls will want something stronger.
How it compares
Specs
- Type
- Indoor passive antenna, no power needed
- Bands
- VHF channels 2 to 13 on the dipoles, UHF on the loop; later versions are also sold as FM capable
- Rated range
- About 30 miles
- Cable
- Built-in 75 ohm coax with F connector, 5 ft on the ANT111 (newer ANT111E listing says 4 ft)
- Size (ANT111E)
- 9.5 x 5.1 x 1.8 in, 0.6 lb
- Warranty
- 12 month limited
Worth knowing
- Large metal objects and aluminum siding can block the signal
- TV signals usually do not reach basement locations
Questions
Does the RCA ANT111 need power?
No. It is a passive antenna with no amplifier, so there is nothing to plug in besides the coax cable.
Why does my TV not find channels above 13 with this antenna?
RCA's manual says to switch the TV from Cable or CATV mode to Antenna or Air mode, then scan again.
How should I aim the RCA rabbit ears?
RCA says to extend and rotate the dipoles for VHF channels 2 to 13 and adjust the loop for UHF. Different channels may need different positions, and a window spot facing the towers usually works best.
What is the difference between ANT111, ANT111E and ANT111Z?
They are versions of the same basic RCA indoor antenna sold through different channels. The ANT111E listing at P.C. Richard shows a 4 ft cable, while the original ANT111 is listed with 5 ft.
Sources
- RCA ANT111 Basic Indoor Antenna user manual (ManualsLib)
- Solid Signal: RCA ANT111 Indoor VHF/UHF Passive TV Antenna
- P.C. Richard & Son: RCA Indoor FM and HDTV Antenna ANT111E
- eBay product reviews: RCA ANT111 indoor antenna
Researched 2026-10-01. We bought this product; our page is built from the maker's details and what owners report across reviews and forums. We never copy Amazon customer reviews.
