tv antenna

[porthos]

tired of paying for cable. anyone use a antenna ; and are you happy with it, how many stations. one on the stations that i like is called "on demand" it allows me to watch programs that i had missed at a earlier date. what are your opinions?

[marlin39a]

I was running an indoor antenna for awhile after ditching the dish. Picked up a few channels ok. I update my tv a couple months back, and get Pluto TV for free. Provided by my WiFi router. Numerous channels. So, I ditched the antenna.

[hc18flyer]

I live in a much more rural area and still get 24 stations via antenna. I have good internet, so I can get anything I want, and only pay for that. I have Amazon Prime, but have only used it a couple of times. You might have to set a pole, or possibly a metal tower. I am a welder, so I made a 30' tower almost 40 years ago, been repainted and moved twice. Don't go cheap on an antenna. If you 'Google' antenna tv, you can put in your location and it will tell you what is available in your area. Tom

[metricmonkeywrench]

Theres an FCC website that can show you what to expect. I still have my original antenna up on my workshop. Depending in the day/time/weather i will get a handful of the listed channels. The closer you are to the population centers the better off you are along with the associated terrain between you and the antenna.

This was all part of the drug deal made years ago when going to digital/HDTV, think it had to do with the Emergency Broadcast System. I sill have my 2 that the Govt paid for so that the "poor" could still receive over the air broadcasts that the networks are legally required to provide.

At least i can still have some of the 60's westerns and cop shows in the background while I'm out there working. I have to pass on the India, Korean and World news channels

https://www.fcc.gov/media/engineering/dtvmaps

[MrWolf]

I used the flat indoor antenna with boosters. They actually worked pretty good. I can't use them where I am at as nothing near me and the mountains block everything but my girlfriend used one in town before moving out here. Not that expensive either.

[farmbif]

I tried but too far far back in the woods to get anything without some sort of industrial type tower

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I am 50 to 70 miles from the antenna's that broadcast the digital TV signals in Minneapolis.
I have a big antenna and a booster.
I get 40+ channels...but nothing like the "On Demand" you mention.

[Bookworm]

I put a big antenna up in the attic, it's maybe 12 - 13 feet off the ground.

Aimed at the transmission antenna 'farm' south of me, I get maybe 20 channels.

Many of those are multiples of public television, and some are in languages I don't speak.

It won't replace satellite, but I suppose that depends on your wallet.

[bangerjim]

Here is the Phoenix metro area we can get tons of digital channels off the air.......all with commercials! That's why the call it "commercial broadcast TV".

If you are OK wasting lots of your valuable time watching commercials, and you have good reception at your house, an antenna would do you well.

Personally, it is worth the $150/month to have DirecTV and be able to record 7 HD digital channels at one time on the home network DVR system, watch them when I want, and skip all the commercials, if there any. Also DTV gets you lots of channels (part of the package) you will never get off an antenna. And if you want, pay more and get dozens of HD movie channel....with NO commercials like most of those supposed "FREE" boxes and movie channels have.

A digital TV antenna is not that expensive. Buy one and if it does not work take it back to the store!

Also consider all the many streaming services that are out there (for a fee, of course) on your internet server system. I assume you have an internet connection because you are on here!


banger

[MT Gianni]

I get one public station on antenna and have tried 4. I live under a hill from the repeater and live where I would need 40' and get 30+ mph winds. I went with a Roku stick. I pay for what we want, which is prime and hulu. I believe you need local news. When I started hulu it was $44, then $54 now $64. It is really tough to avoid commercials for what we get.

[Paper Puncher]

For antenna tv check "tvfool.com" use the check your address for free tv. It will show you what is available and which direction to point antenna or if you need a antenna rotor to change antenna directions for different channels.

[JoeG52]

There is a good forum for this type of help.

https://www.avsforum.com/forums/

Also, TVFool.com is a bit outdated since the latest changes in broadcast frequencies (referred to as the repack). Most seem to be using https://www.rabbitears.info/

I live in PA between Philadelphia and Reading with an antenna in the attic and get 34 English speaking channels and a few Spanish.

[Winger Ed.]

I've had a antenna for awhile, and it did OK.
We got a lot of channels, and like cable, there's about 4 you really actually watch.

I found that the higher up it--- and your house is, the better.
And the closer you are to the broadcasting towers, the better reception and more channels you'll get.
If you aren't on a straight shot between you and the tower- don't expect much.

[MaryB]

I get one public station on antenna and have tried 4. I live under a hill from the repeater and live where I would need 40' and get 30+ mph winds. I went with a Roku stick. I pay for what we want, which is prime and hulu. I believe you need local news. When I started hulu it was $44, then $54 now $64. It is really tough to avoid commercials for what we get.

Check out Sling TV... I am paying $64/mo and get a LOT of channels. Roku has free movies, so do Vudu and Pluto(Pluto has regular TV channels too!).

[Garyshome]

Here is what I use: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...language=en_US

Got it a couple of years ago $140.00 or so. At 60+ miles from the transmitters we get like 30 or so channels, It's paid for itself a long time ago. It is mounted at about 35 ft, as high as I could get it.
Go to a site like TV Fool [there are a few others that may be more up to date, you have to search for them]and enter your address stuff and it will tell you what ota channels are available,distance from, type of antenna needed to get them.

Also remember when paying for cable you support CNN/msnbc, and several other liberal bastions of freedom [PROPAGANDA] [mtv].

[JoeG52]

Something else to think about streaming services is data usage. Our cable company just notified our area that we will pay more each month if we exceed a certain data limit or pay more for an unlimited account. That seems to be the cable company response to people canceling cable TV and streaming.

[WebMonkey]

my tv antenna is a UHF only (no vhf broadcasters left where i'm pointing) at 50'.
i have a mast mounted preamp and a distribution amp in the house to feed the TVs and the kodi box w/tuner.

i get 8 frequencies and each of those has at least 3 channels, one has 6 (a benefit of digital vs analog tv).

so we get all the 'networks' as well as those 'funky' channels like antenna tv, cozi, metv, etc.

we live where there no cable internet and the dsl is so far from the repeater that it was .8 megabits (point 8).
so we have fixed wireless now (an antenna pointed at another tower miles away like wifi on steroids).
it's only 2mbit.

SO:

yes, when we want to watch tv, it's on an antenna picking up stations 2.5 hours by car away.
the kodi box has a plugin to download the episode guide for all the channels weekly so i can record stuff i want to watch not live.

anyway, that's us.
out in the sticks.

[parson48]

We're about 50 miles out of Indianapolis, flat land- with a small roof antenna we get most of the Indy stations although weather does impact some of them.

We bought a Roku and get lots of stuff free. Also, Philo, which we got on Roku, is $20 per month and has quite a few live programs, including 3 Hallmark channels, which keeps the wife happy.

[.429&H110]

The granddaughters want to know
what's a antenna?

[bangerjim]

The granddaughters want to know
what's a antenna?

Tell them it is something people back in the sticks used to hang their clothes on to dry!!!!!!!