Getting Rid of Paid TV

[64osby]

Re: Getting Rid of Paid TV

I'm trying to figure out local content, over the air. I have tried 3 indoor antennas and no signals. With all the trees and hills around here might be looking at a tower to pull a signal.

Went to a friends house last weekend who had a Roku and they have an antenna in the attic. They could pull in about 20 stations on the antenna. They also liked Amazon Prime.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Getting Rid of Paid TV

I'm trying to figure out local content, over the air. I have tried 3 indoor antennas and no signals. With all the trees and hills around here might be looking at a tower to pull a signal.

Went to a friends house last weekend who had a Roku and they have an antenna in the attic. They could pull in about 20 stations on the antenna. They also liked Amazon Prime.

Go here and see what it says for your address.
AntennaWeb - Address

 

[rogerwa]

Re: Getting Rid of Paid TV

I'm trying to figure out local content, over the air. I have tried 3 indoor antennas and no signals. With all the trees and hills around here might be looking at a tower to pull a signal.

Went to a friends house last weekend who had a Roku and they have an antenna in the attic. They could pull in about 20 stations on the antenna. They also liked Amazon Prime.

I live about 30 miles from the towers and I able to get consistent signals for all major channels in my area. You need to know what type of signal the channels are on and what compass heading they are from your location. If they are all VHF you can get away with a single antenna. If they are mixed VHF and UHF you will need two different types. I mounted my antennna in the crawl space of my garage and used a compass app on my ipad to direct it in the right compass heading. I also am using a signal amplifier, without which I would not get the consistent signall that I do. That amp and the tuning made all the difference in stable DTV signals.

Here is the type of amp i used. It has a component that is installed at the antenna, and then the electrical unit is installed somewhere inside the house upstream from where you coax may be split. AntennaCraft 10G212 30 dB High Gain TV/FM Mast-Mounted TV Antenna Amplifier (10G212) from Solid Signal

The antennaweb site referenced above will give specific compass headings and types of signal of your channels..

 

[IraRat]

Re: Getting Rid of Paid TV

They really got us by the cojones:

I have no home phone service (all cell phones), and get my broadband through the cable company--which means I have to buy their cable. If I switched to satellite TV, I still need them for internet, or need to set up with AT&T.

I pay close to $150 a month for cable and internet, and this is RIDICULOUS. For this kind of money 20 years ago, that could be a monthly payment on a few acres of land somewhere. AT&T for cable has been made available in my area about two years ago, with great introductory deals, but my wife fears change.

I also have Netflix (love it), and I am a PROUD television watcher. I LOVE the content you get nowadays, and watch tons of documentaries and foreign movies on Netflix. I also love the meaningless fun stuff, plus of course, the news channels.

So I'll pay what I have to pay because it's the 21st Century and it is what it is. Television HAS become an indispensable educational tool.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Getting Rid of Paid TV

This could potentially be a future problem when you want to get away from cable or satellite TV.
Why You Should Be Freaking Out About The End Of Net Neutrality

 

[jkust]

Re: Getting Rid of Paid TV

They really got us by the cojones:

I have no home phone service (all cell phones), and get my broadband through the cable company--which means I have to buy their cable. If I switched to satellite TV, I still need them for internet, or need to set up with AT&T.

I pay close to $150 a month for cable and internet, and this is RIDICULOUS. For this kind of money 20 years ago, that could be a monthly payment on a few acres of land somewhere. AT&T for cable has been made available in my area about two years ago, with great introductory deals, but my wife fears change.

I also have Netflix (love it), and I am a PROUD television watcher. I LOVE the content you get nowadays, and watch tons of documentaries and foreign movies on Netflix. I also love the meaningless fun stuff, plus of course, the news channels.

So I'll pay what I have to pay because it's the 21st Century and it is what it is. Television HAS become an indispensable educational tool.

I was considering cancelling our home phone as only my MIL actually calls us on it. Then my wife realized that our 9 year old doesn't have a cell phone and needs a phone in case of an emergency. Our internet only cable package that only includes local channels is just about 90 dollars per month. That is with zero content and cable only to receive internet. Our home phone bill with basic phone, no caller id, call waiting or anything is around $35/month.
I figured we could replace the phone with some cable content in addition to our Netflix. Bummer we need an emergency phone.

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: Getting Rid of Paid TV

Go here and see what it says for your address.
AntennaWeb - Address

It said, no signals can be received at my address location!

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Getting Rid of Paid TV

It said, no signals can be received at my address location!

When I was doing OTA, I had to have a huge antenna on a mast and you are probably way more in the boonies than I am.

 

[64osby]

Re: Getting Rid of Paid TV

Go here and see what it says for your address.
AntennaWeb - Address

I live about 30 miles from the towers and I able to get consistent signals for all major channels in my area. You need to know what type of signal the channels are on and what compass heading they are from your location. If they are all VHF you can get away with a single antenna. If they are mixed VHF and UHF you will need two different types. I mounted my antennna in the crawl space of my garage and used a compass app on my ipad to direct it in the right compass heading. I also am using a signal amplifier, without which I would not get the consistent signall that I do. That amp and the tuning made all the difference in stable DTV signals.

Here is the type of amp i used. It has a component that is installed at the antenna, and then the electrical unit is installed somewhere inside the house upstream from where you coax may be split. AntennaCraft 10G212 30 dB High Gain TV/FM Mast-Mounted TV Antenna Amplifier (10G212) from Solid Signal

The antennaweb site referenced above will give specific compass headings and types of signal of your channels..

Thank Guys, yeah I looked at the available channels @ TVFool. Have many within 45 miles. The issue is pulling them in. I live in a depression with 50' trees all over the place. The only way I get a cell signal is with an air rave. The cell tower is 4 miles from my house.

The amplifier looks nice and might have to put into play. Been looking at the sites that show how to build your own antenna.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Getting Rid of Paid TV

When I first set up my OTA, I had a Winegard amp after the antenna. Turned out that it worked way better without the amp. Try without before you add.

 

[nohny776]

Do One time invest and buy omni directional anteena. I am using it from past few years and didn't faced any problem till today.