Many thanks goes to the uhfhdtvantenna blog at blogspot.com. I was able to construct an antenna that now provides stutter and artifact free HDTV reception. It cost about $20 to make. If you go to a box store to buy your materials, make sure you check out the remnant area.
Using a HDTV tower locater from http://tvfool.com I was able to ascertain which direction had the best transmitters.