I had a burst of optimism after my initial trial of the basic RE and loop combo antenna. Further testing proved that the simple and cheap solution wasn’t going to cut it. The TVs could pick up enough signal to identity that the stations existed, but not enough signal to maintain a picture for more than 30 seconds or so.
So, the next chore is to identify an outdoor antenna that is likely to do the job. I don’t want to put it on the roof, so it will have to be small enough to go on a post near the corner of the house. The problem with antennas is that the only way to know if it will work is to get it and try it. Ugh.