TV antenna and cutting the cord thread

[The Original Rooster]

There's been several threads recently about the cost of satellite and cable. If you want to start using an antenna to pick up free over the air channels in your area, I'd recommend this website to learn everything you'll need to know. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about how I set my antenna system up as well.

Over the Air Digital TV and How to Get It

Get free TV with just an antenna. Pickup major networks, local stations, and a growing number of entertainment channels. Over 100 TV channels are available near large cities, over 70 channels near mid size cities, and over 30 channels near small cities. The number of Over the Air networks keeps...

otadtv.com

 

[menhadenman]

How does that work in the mountains? I don’t know if we’d get much where I live. Wouldn’t mind being able to catch a ballgame with the boys now and then.

 

[normaldave]

Cliff notes:
-No difference between old antenna and new "digital" "HDTV" antenna designs.
-Still have VHF and UHF
-With the digital broadcast conversion picture quality is perfect if you can get it, but transmission power is down.
-Many channels we used to get over VHF now broadcast over UHF. They still display 2, 5, etc but they actually tune to a higher UHF number and picking the right antenna to do the job requires a bit of research.

The farther away you live from the towers the more work you have to do to catch the signal. Higher mounting point, bigger antenna, antenna mounted signal pre-amplifier, quality coax cabling and ground block.

Check your address for channels below. You may want to enter an unreasonable height to get a realistic list using a big antenna and preamp.
TVFool.com

In my case here in Rome, GA- Floyd County, I get nearly 50 channels including the new sub-channels depending on the season and weather. The grey colored stations doesn't necessarily mean you can't get them.

Here's another channel map search option:
Rabbit Ears Map Search

The antenna on the main pole is a Channel Master 4228HD. Primarily UHF but also VHF high band with an RCA antenna preamp below (although I've read of recent QC issues and wouldn't pick it again). I also have a rotator, but in my case I can't get Chattanooga due to a big hill right in the way so it isn't used my much. I've had this setup well over 10 years. The one off to the right is Amateur radio (Ham).

Today, I would choose Antennas direct 91XG UHF antenna and a Wineguard Juice preamp.

With all that said, my wire corroded at the grounding block and I haven't gotten around to fixing it. Like @Anvil Head mentioned we are enjoying not watching the garbage network shows and ridiculous advertising. I'll get it fixed soon enough and then be choosy about what we watch.

There you go. Fire away with questions.

Mountains are tough, unless you are on top or facing towers with a reasonable line of sight. There is some drift/angle possibility with hills but rare.

 

[The Original Rooster]

How does that work in the mountains? I don’t know if we’d get much where I live. Wouldn’t mind being able to catch a ballgame with the boys now and then.

Enter your address in the "find towers" and be sure it has you located correctly at this website: www.otadtv.com

Once you've done that, enter an antenna height of 30 feet or more if you plan to go higher off your house or with a freestanding antenna and see what you can get. Even being in the mountains, you should be able to get a reasonable number of channels although I'd recommend a preamp to help pull them in. Let me know if you have any questions.

 

[Big7]

Watching This Thread

The Starcraft Camper I had would get anywhere from 10 to 25 channels, depending on where you are.

It had one of those airplane wing looking antennas with a crank handle to raise and lower it.

If I could get a few news channels and some like MeTV that run Gunsmoke and Andy Griffith type shows, I'd be happy.

I hardy watch anything other than the news and my horrible cable company doesn't carry NEWSMAX or any of the channels like that.
The city utilities own the fiber optic and cable lines so that's the only cable you can get inside the city limits.

One inch past city limits and you can have any cable company you want.

 

[The Original Rooster]

Watching This Thread

The Starcraft Camper I had would get anywhere from 10 to 25 channels, depending on where you are.

It had one of those airplane wing looking antennas with a crank handle to raise and lower it.

If I could get a few news channels and some like MeTV that run Gunsmoke and Andy Griffith type shows, I'd be happy.

I hardy watch anything other than the news and my horrible cable company doesn't carry NEWSMAX or any of the channels like that.
The city utilities own the fiber optic and cable lines so that's the only cable you can get inside the city limits.

One inch past city limits and you can have any cable company you want.

Yep, those antennas on RV's that are wing shaped or circular are omnidirectional antennas and are restricted by their size. When it comes to antennas, size does matter. The bigger they are, the more signal they can pick up. However, the direction that a yagi or planar antennas is pointed is important to get the most signal. That's why a rotor is sometimes needed if the broadcast towers are in different directions from your home.

 

[Big7]

Yep, those antennas on RV's that are wing shaped or circular are omnidirectional antennas and are restricted by their size. When it comes to antennas, size does matter. The bigger they are, the more signal they can pick up. However, the direction that a yagi or planar antennas is pointed is important to get the most signal. That's why a rotor is sometimes needed if the broadcast towers are in different directions from your home.

Yes Sir.

Thinking back now, it would rotate from the inside while you were watching the TV for a signal.

 

[The Original Rooster]

Yes Sir.

Thinking back now, it would rotate from the inside while you were watching the TV for a signal.

Unless you are within 25-30 miles from a broadcast tower, I wouldn't recommend an omnidirectional antenna. Folks in Atlanta where there's towers in multiple directions but still fairly close could use one and be fine but those of us in central and south Georgia would have to be pretty close for one to work best for us. It might work, but there are better options.

 

[menhadenman]

Would something like this get me anywhere? Or is that too simple?

We have a one story house, Duncan Ridge is to the south but reasonably open to north.

Looks like there are towers in hiawassee and hayesville (I’m just west of Blairsville).

Amazon.com

Amazon.com

 

[normaldave]

Would something like this get me anywhere? Or is that too simple?

We have a one story house, Duncan Ridge is to the south but reasonably open to north.

Looks like there are towers in hiawassee and hayesville (I’m just west of Blairsville).

Amazon.com

Amazon.com

I can't really answer for either of the two antennas listed. I picked an address a bit West of Blairsville, ran a report and it looks like you will be in a struggle due to the hills.

You do have potential to the N and NE, not sure if those stations have what you want. I did notice the majority were VHF broadcast and one UHF if I remember.


What I do know is there's no free lunch when we live so far away and/or hills. If you want to try this, I think it's "go big or go home". Most of the antennas mass marketed are for metro areas, it's easy to get sucked into a deal with great reviews and a low price.

If you don't have anyone in your area that you can see what they have and receive, it's really a gamble. In my case 3 months of cable bills paid for over 10 years of free TV. I actually built a test antenna, 4 bay UHF on a 2x4, then got the wire rack shelf out of the oven and zip tied it to the back and reception increased again. At that point I decided game on.

This is a solid longer range deep fringe choice. It is a package deal, 8 bay UHF antenna that will also get VHF-hi, and includes the preamp. It is a classic proven design and good quality made in Taiwan vs. China.
DB8 antenna combo

You may jump off the cliff, set the whole thing up and still be disappointed, but who knows? You might win too.

 

[menhadenman]

I can't really answer for either of the two antennas listed. I picked an address a bit West of Blairsville, ran a report and it looks like you will be in a struggle due to the hills.

You do have potential to the N and NE, not sure if those stations have what you want. I did notice the majority were VHF broadcast and one UHF if I remember.

View attachment 1253316
What I do know is there's no free lunch when we live so far away and/or hills. If you want to try this, I think it's "go big or go home". Most of the antennas mass marketed are for metro areas, it's easy to get sucked into a deal with great reviews and a low price.

If you don't have anyone in your area that you can see what they have and receive, it's really a gamble. In my case 3 months of cable bills paid for over 10 years of free TV. I actually built a test antenna, 4 bay UHF on a 2x4, then got the wire rack shelf out of the oven and zip tied it to the back and reception increased again. At that point I decided game on.

This is a solid longer range deep fringe choice. It is a package deal, 8 bay UHF antenna that will also get VHF-hi, and includes the preamp. It is a classic proven design and good quality made in Taiwan vs. China.
DB8 antenna combo

You may jump off the cliff, set the whole thing up and still be disappointed, but who knows? You might win too.

Thanks for the great advice - @The Original Rooster also gave some similar advice (not getting a low budget setup).

I have a hunting camp in hayesville, up high where it could probably work, I may go big and if it fails I can tote up up to camp.

 

[trial&error]

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

 

[JDwall]

Cut cable and Internet years ago. We have unlimited. Hotspot our cell phones. Turn on Hotspot and a roku TV. Pretty much unlimited channels. Also cell Hotspot to our tablets if we want to browse web on a bigger screen then our phones and of course an antenna for local free channels