I am doing research on cutting the cable, keeping internet, Amazon, Netflix, and sling. I live 3 blocks away from the local station, but none of my TV's, can turn in local tv. HDTV Antennas actually work? any advice on some good ones to purchase?
I am doing research on cutting the cable, keeping internet, Amazon, Netflix, and sling. I live 3 blocks away from the local station, but none of my TV's, can turn in local tv. HDTV Antennas actually work? any advice on some good ones to purchase?
I am shocked at how well mine works! The HD channels are every bit as clear as cable, and I get a bunch of channels. Most are crap, but I watched the playoffs yesterday with no issues at all.
I bought this from Amazon because it was their Top Choice (and I am too lazy to research) but it works great. Mounted it to the rear chimney, used a compass and an app to point it in the best direction.
I'm using an old-school set of powered rabbit ears to pull OTA HD. Yep.
Don't buy one. Google Double Bay Gray-Hoverman antenna. You can make it for less than $5 and it beats anything else I've used. I tacked mine up inside the gable in my attic. Picked up channels I didn't even no existed, and I've lived here since childhood.
ultraclyde said:Don't buy one. Google Double Bay Gray-Hoverman antenna. You can make it for less than $5 and it beats anything else I've used. I tacked mine up inside the gable in my attic. Picked up channels I didn't even no existed, and I've lived here since childhood.
Interesting. I'm going to try this out and see what happens. I've wanted to try to see what we can get OTA but after my father-in-law's lack of success after dropping a ton of money at it, I just abandoned all hope.
Get the biggest, old school one as possible. That's my solution. I tried a bunch of the small, fancy ones, powered/nonpowered. None of them work as good as a classic giant antenna.
I hung mine inside of my attic space with some string from the rafters and found a spot to get the cable down to where the cable company's old line came into the basement. It didn't take me long at all.
Yep, I have a big ole Channel Master amplified antenna on my roof, and I can pull in stations from all over SE Michigan. Depending on how far away you are, you may not need that much antenna, but I'm at least 30 miles from the nearest transmitter.
I have a small portable commercial one that is who knows how old, but it must have an amplifier because it plugs into the wall. It folds up into the size of about a women's wallet. It works pretty well even in our basement.
I also have a coat hangar cut in two and screwed to a board. If I could get this thing outside, it picks up great. The amplified one works better (marginally) in the basement. My biggest issue is I cannot get a coax cable through the wall to where the tv is easily, or I'd have a big homebuilt antenna in the attic. I'd have to go straight down through 16ft of interior wall, and I'm only reasonably sure the two walls actually stack on each other. Unfortunately cable is not installed in the house. boo.
In reply to Tom_Spangler :
like I said, I just have powered rabbit ears, on the 1st floor of my house. When I adjust them to get Ch2, I lose Ch9. Do you pick up both with your setup?
In reply to AngryCorvair :
I had to do that for every channel before getting the big one in the attic. Never touched it again. Hell, I never really aimed it either after tossing it up there.
AngryCorvair said:In reply to Tom_Spangler :
like I said, I just have powered rabbit ears, on the 1st floor of my house. When I adjust them to get Ch2, I lose Ch9. Do you pick up both with your setup?
I can't get channel 9, but I'm in Brighton, so probably just too far away. Channel 2's transmitter is in Southfield, I think.
I've mentioned this before but if you're in a good location you can get it without spending a dime if you have existing coax. I stripped 8" of the end down to the core. I get more channels with just this than the powered antenna I bought. I get somewhere around 30 channels depending on weather.
I used to have it just off the eve but ran it up the chimney a little higher. Didn't seem to make a difference. 
I used HDTV antenna in two different states. The deal is the same with any EM transmission reception. It all depends on signal strength around your home. If you live in a dead spot then you won't get much. In my apartment application I actually had the worst reception at the window. Putting the antenna in the middle of the room allowed me to get all but two channels. Getting the other two(but losing most of the rest) meant moving the antenna behind the TV!? Go figure.
OP not sure how old you are but the antenna puzzle was standard part of life when watching TV before cable. The roof mounted antenna never worked as well as the rabbit ears due to the trees my Dad said. He setup antennas as part of his job so I trust him. It never bothered me to have to set up the TV 10 minutes before my show. Same thing with HD, plan to do the antenna setup if it is must see TV for you. If you are lucky a single static large antenna will work.
ultraclyde said:Don't buy one. Google Double Bay Gray-Hoverman antenna. You can make it for less than $5 and it beats anything else I've used. I tacked mine up inside the gable in my attic. Picked up channels I didn't even no existed, and I've lived here since childhood.
Interesting. I'll have to give this a try.
I'm currently in the "rabbit ears" camp, and I have to do the "I can get A-G here, but not H and I.... but if I move it here for H and I, I lose A-G" dance.
I'd like to do an antenna in the attic since there's already coax strung through the house that I can tap into easy enough.
No such thing as an HD antenna. All antennas will get HD signals.
I bought an Antenna Masters antenna, $65 IIRC. I get stations from 80 miles away.
Check out antennaweb.org. LOTS of good info there.
I made one of these with some solid core 8ga wire and a piece of wood
I was managing something like 26 stations with it when the store bought "amplified antenna" pulled in 12.
Of course 18 of those stations were "fire and brimstone, god is coming and your gonna burn forever unless you send us your money" things but the 3 PBS stations were nice.
I'm getting something like 28 channels using this:
Getlink Amplified Digital Indoor TV Antenna - $22
I just have this running over to an external corner of our living room (behind a basket on a shelf). A solid 50% is hispanic stations, but we get a few PBSes and there's some sports ones as well. We're excited about the PBS ones :)
For $22, I'd try this and 10 minutes or so before you spend a lot of time.
My antenna works great in the upstairs office but wouldnt pull in much at all in the living area downstairs. Funny thing is that it is now mounted on the opposite wall from where the transmitters are in Knoxville. Just like the old days, you have to try several options. Price does not seem to have anything to do with success; just location, location, location.
I have one like this:
Works just fine. Location is key and near a window is best. I got mine form Amazon but you can get them fom Walmart if you want.
Good timing on this discussion, I am looking at antennas myself. According to the websites, I am in the Red to Blue antenna area, meaning a medium to large outdoor antenna, mainly due to the hills and trees in the area. Since all the local stations are in the same direction from my house, a directional one seems the best idea. But there are a lot of choices, with reviews all over the place on them. Decisions, decisions, what to choose? Maybe make my own?
I have a Terk amplified indoor antenna much like Chris V posted. Seems to work OK, but the only channels I have access to are within 50 miles of me, some are just down the street.
I honestly never noticed much difference between old school antennas on the roof, rabbit ears, or the flat ones. As with anything its placement to get the most signal for your gain.
I might be mistaken, but I'm pretty sure the HD channels are carried on the same frequencies, just a digital signal, so I would think that a normal aluminum TV antenna should be equally effective. I don't think that a fancy HD antenna should be any better.
I have an earlier version of this one mounted in my attic. It works fairly well for CBS, NBC, FOX and PBS stations, but won't pick up the local ABC station at all. From what I've read, it's because most HD stations broadcast on UHF and ABC broadcasts on VHF and the 88 mHz signal is too wide for a lot of HD antennas to pick up. I don't know... all I know is my TV doesn't even acknowledge ABC exists. I have also noticed reception quality varies depending on how well the antenna is pointed at the towers.
I mainly watch PBS, football and the occasional car race, so what I have works well enough until I get the siding on my house redone and can design in a good mounting surface for an outdoor antenna.
Yea, the digital signals are carried on UHF and VHF frequencies, so regular antennas will work. The stations are within 30 miles of me, but it is quite hilly so this affects the signal. I figure one of the normal outdoor antennas will work.
I cut cable about 8 years ago. Had no luck using any type of rabbit ears inside the house. Found a recommendation for an outdoor antenna from an OTA forum. It's looks like a square plastic DishNetwork dish. Cost me $80. I mounted it on the gable of the highest point on my roof pointed in the middle of where broadcast towers were located in my city (found a map link on that same forum). I get dozens of local (San Diego) channels and a dozen Los Angeles stations depending on the weather.
I wish I could remember the site I used so I could share it.
This site is useful for finding the physical location of the stations you're trying to tune in.
Often if you find adjusting the antenna for one station won't get in another station, it can be because the beams are coming in from different directions. Most antennas, including rabbit ears, are directional.
I'm having OK luck with a larger version of the sort of antenna Chris V posted about at my current house, with an amp. It seems to like being bolted to the top of the wall near the TV set. Picked it up at Wal-Mart and it was pretty cheap. Last place I live needed a log-bar antenna (the old fashioned giant metal spider design) in the attic.
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