Hello to all,
I’m here to day to ask for advice on TV antenna sellection, placement etc,etc. We have decided that for now anyway, that getting cable or FIOS, or Direct TV is just another bill we’d just assume avoid. The problem is that we would like to purchase a HD TV but would like to get more chanles.
What would be the best way to go about this? If Im going to mount something to the side or roof I’d like it to last as we tend to get a lot of wind here.
Thanks in advance for the help KaiserRoo
Replies
You can get a rough approximation of what you might expect to receive here:
http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx
They have some useful utilities to show your local stations, as well as where they transmit from in relation to you. It's not highly technical, but should get you started.
Bob
May depend a lot on your location. I know in my neck of the woods, your only option to cable is to watch a total of maybe one channel that *almost* comes in, or get a nice DVD player and subscribe to Netflix. ;-) And HD without cable? That would really surprise me if you could do it.
Mike Hennessy
Pittsburgh, PA
Everything fits, until you put glue on it.
"And HD without cable? That would really surprise me if you could do it."Why would you say that? Most stations in metropolitan areas broadcast in HD. Here in Southern California all English language stations, except for two, broadcast HD, that's 10 out of 12. Unlike cable, over the air HD costs you nothing except a TV that can show it. You don't even need a special antenna. If you had a good antenna for analog TV, it will be good for digital HDTV.BruceT
Hi-Def from an antenna would surprise me only because I could never even get Lo-Def with an antenna. Highly dependent on geography, tho', so I ain't sayin' its impossible -- just impossible where I am.Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PAEverything fits, until you put glue on it.
We're about 100 miles from the Minneapolis antennas and get good HD from them most of the time. Depends on weather, though.Reception was a lot better 30 years ago, though, before everyone had computers and cellphones and wireless internet.
A strong nation, like a strong person, can afford to be gentle, firm, thoughtful, and restrained. It can afford to extend a helping hand to others. It's a weak nation, like a weak person, that must behave with bluster and boasting and rashness and other signs of insecurity. --Jimmy Carter
For me, it's not the distance but, I think, the hills. P-Burgh is a pretty hilly place and that seems to wreak havoc with the signals. If it comes in at all, it's double vision!Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PAEverything fits, until you put glue on it.
Mike, with digital you either get the picture or you don't, there is no "in between". No ghost images, no static, etc. But you are right about the hills, they can be killers. That is why antenna height is one of the most important factors in good reception.Woody
get a lot of wind here
Hi KR,
With well anchored bolts securing your mast you shouldn't have any issues using an open scheme bowtie antenna short of hurricanes or tornados as the wind will generally pass right on by. Couple this with a rotator and you'll pull in stations from about 60 miles as the crow flies.
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If extended range is not necessary, then an amplified omni directional will get you about 35 miles and no need for a rotating motor.
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Hi Def TV off the air is very nice, and the fact that it is digital means you have a perfect picture or no picture at all. There a lot of factors that determine just what is available off the air in your area but you should be able to find out from neighbors or the stores that sell antennas. I get all the major channels, the main independants, a lot of lesser indpendants and several spanish speaking channels off the air at my lakehouse about 50 miles SE of Dallas. Ask around, you might be surprised what is available.Woody
Hi Def TV off the air is very nice, and the fact that it is digital means you have a perfect picture or no picture at all. There a lot of factors that determine just what is available off the air in your area but you should be able to find out from neighbors or the stores that sell antennas.
Personally I have set up MATV so I don't have to do any rotating and pull in full strength distant stations but I have less wind than the OP described......distance to a couple of favorites was my only issue when I chose to go this route.
Between primary and sub channels I get a total of 31 non duplicated programming choices.
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Thanks to all for the info, I'll be checking out the website a little later and see what the deal is fo certain antenna types. I guess if I'm going to do it I'd prefer to get the antenna with the best range but also rotate if need be. I'm in southern RI so if I'm luck I can get a boston station to the NE and if I'm really lucky I'll get something from NY to the wsw.
Can any antenna also be used for the FM signal, now that they are talking about HD radio?
I have been told that you could try putting it in the attic but I'm not too sure how well that would work.
KaiserRoo
Depending on how tall your house is (and assuming you don't have a metal roof) putting the antenna in the attic can work just fine. It's worth trying.
Stuart, I am told that satellite dishes are affected by snow on them. Does snow on the roof affect reception of an attic mounted antenna?BruceT
Do you have high speed internet, via DSL or similar speed provider? If so, use your computer to watch TV. There are tons of shows you can watch on-demand, and you can hook your real TV up to the computer. Between the station's websites and Hulu, you have hundreds of hours of current programming available.
Broadcast TV is at a longer wavelength than satellite and is less affected by snow. Kind of apples and oranges, though, with regard to on the roof vs on the dish, so hard to say.
A strong nation, like a strong person, can afford to be gentle, firm, thoughtful, and restrained. It can afford to extend a helping hand to others. It's a weak nation, like a weak person, that must behave with bluster and boasting and rashness and other signs of insecurity. --Jimmy Carter
I don't think snow on the roof will affect a conventional antenna in the attic - I've never heard of anyone having issues with it.
Of course there's snow and then there's SNOW. I think the snow might be a problem if you were in the Rockies or in a "lake effect snow" area, but not for normal areas where 4-6 inches is a big snow.
A strong nation, like a strong person, can afford to be gentle, firm, thoughtful, and restrained. It can afford to extend a helping hand to others. It's a weak nation, like a weak person, that must behave with bluster and boasting and rashness and other signs of insecurity. --Jimmy Carter
Can any antenna also be used for the FM signal, now that they are talking about HD radio?
Hi KR.....antenna's are all about frequency and location....antenna's for the general public are designed for a broad spectrum of frequencies (lot's of channels in general). Most, but not all digital tv stations are on uhf thus if your purchasing or using the old style combo antennas, that were built to maximize vhf as well as uhf, the vhf is nearly useless in all practicality of best design......however, fm frequencies currently in use fall in the middle of the vhf area of old tv design so they work good there.
Gosh we could get into a whole science book here. Antenna systems designed for a group of users like many did back in the old apartment days before satellite and cable used an antenna designed for a "specific channel" and was pointed directly at that channel with filters to knock out any cross interference. So one specific antenna for each and every channel you wanted to receive. You can still do that today but it's pretty costly for an individual.
So why all this short bit of info?......you can pick up fm or anything else with a coat hanger and some cat3 wire but the more distance/weaker the channel/station, the more accurate the antenna must be designed. If the fm station you want is a weak one at 91.3 and you like another one that's is close by at 106.7......design the antenna for the weak one as it'll work acceptably well with the more powerful frequency.
I have been told that you could try putting it in the attic but I'm not too sure how well that would work.
I did this at a house we had years ago. Large enough attic that I used a long range antenna on a rotator motor. The one we built last won't work though. The old house had some very basic fiberglass shingles, no special heat reflecting granules or anything and the roof framing had very minimal negative impacts.
Our current house has metal roofing, radiant barrier walls and low-e glazed windows.....pretty much knocks out most any signal......I go from 5 cell phone bars on the front porch to 1 inside.
Questions?
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Keep me in the loop on this - I'm in New London, & have been wondering the same thing. Paying for cable is against my religion!
That sounds like plenty of TV viewing. What kind of stations are they?
That sounds like plenty of TV viewing. What kind of stations are they?
Hi Jim.....oh basic ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, PBS and a few private local affiliates and each broadcast from 1 to 4 full sets of programming on a wide variety of subjects. A couple of them play older movies 24/7....mostly 15 years on back and a combo of box office and made for tv.
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A TV antenna?
Are you in a historical area and required to display one? ; ^ )
Mike
Small wheel turn by the fire and rod, big wheel turn by the grace of god.
I know what you mean but ever since we went digital i've gotten fewer and fewer stations with just a tv top antenna. I better check to see if there is any problem in this developement. A guy at the top of the hill had a 30 or 40 ft antenna for radio? Looked like $%^& especially when all the utilities are underground and there are fewer and fewer roof top antennas.
KaiserRoo
It's all a matter of your point of view. These days a TV antenna is a symbol of your independence and frugality.
A strong nation, like a strong person, can afford to be gentle, firm, thoughtful, and restrained. It can afford to extend a helping hand to others. It's a weak nation, like a weak person, that must behave with bluster and boasting and rashness and other signs of insecurity. --Jimmy Carter
It all depends on your location (and elevation) and the distance to the stations you want to receive. Local stations can be received with one of the set-top bowtie antennas, but for anything beyond about 30 miles away you need something larger.
Some people put a standard rooftop antenna in their attic, and this works pretty well if you don't need to turn it. If it needs to turn then it pretty much has to go rooftop.
A good quality tripod (buy from a local antenna guy or online, not Radio Shack) coupled with a good quality antenna will withstand a lot of weather. Ice is probably the worst thing for antennas, but only for the long elements that are really no longer needed. (Hopefully in another year or so antennas that have dropped the useless long elements will be available.) If you should be so lucky as to be in an area where all the HD broadcasts are UHF you can just get a UHF "bedspring" antenna that is much more immune to wind action than the standard VHF/UHF unit.
It is not just the antenna that is critical when it comes to receiving the new digital television signals.
My Step Father-in-Law lives in a rural location a long way from a major city. He has a decent digital antenna on a pole that runs through a cable to first the cheapest DVD recorder I have ever seen. The signal is then routed from the DVD recorder to a quality High Definition TV.
The television receives 12 channels but the DVD recorder digitial tuner cannot lock onto even one channel. The quality of the digital tuner can have a significant impact on the reception of the new channels.
Terry
You can put them in the attic. Shouldn't get blown down in there.
Will Rogers
First thing is to find out whether any of the stations you want to watch are broadcasting in VHF. Most digital stations broadcast in UHF, but some (in LA channels 5,7,9,11,and 13) have reverted to VHF after the digital conversion.
Antennaweb.com will give you that information along with the distance and direction of the transmitters from your house.
If they are all UHF, then a big UHF antenna will get best reception.
If some are VHF, then you need a combination antenna.
I can get great reception 38 miles from the LA transmitters on the same attic-mounted combination antenna that I have been using for over 30 years - long before digital TV, much less HD, was even contemplated. The path here is over mostly level ground and transmitters are on a mountain top. If there are hills or large buildings between you and the transmitters, You'll need a tall mast.
In your area, it appears that transmitters are not all in the same direction, so you may need a rotor to aim your antenna to get some of the stations.
Good Luck
BruceT
Edited 11/22/2009 2:16 am by brucet9
kaiserroo,
I hate broadcast TV. I can watch a 1 hour show on cable in 40 minutes if I TIVO the commercials out of it..
That's 20 minutes an hour spent listening about hemroid creams and femine products (or krap you don't need) etc..
In addition expanded basic gives me such great channels as National geographic, TBS (Commercial free full length Movies) the science channel, and dozens of other interesting channels you won't get on broadcast (plus all the broadcast channels including PBS) (I get a total of 5 differant ones)
Many of which are completely free of commericals and if you want you can TIVO right past any appeals for donations etc..
Now $39.95 per month (plus tax) is a bill but I save a massive amount by watching all the movies, etc. and not going out to movies once a week like I used to..
In addition I get all those satelite radio stations which are completely commercial free..
I can listen to Jazz, folk, blues, or Classical without some comercial after every song etc.. ( yeh they have about 20 differant types of music such as country wstern, western swing, Rock, Metal and all the other stuff the kids are listening to. Right now I'm listening to Christmas Carols..
The really cool thing is I can watch a show when I want to not when it's programed. I I want to get up and raid the refrigerator or (something else) I simply pause it and take care of it. then sit down and resume. If my wife comes in late I hit reverse and start it all over again for her benefit.
I don't need a TV guide becaus the progams for a month+ is listed and I scroll through and record whatever strikes my fancy and watch it when I want to. Not when it's on.. One other thing..
Sign up for a year and they install everything free.. connections up to 4 seperate TV's. (plus they will give you 90 days of the works trying to get you to sign up for the premium channels..) I've had both direct and dish and I prefer Dish, they are easier to work with and if you have a problem they are right there for a solution.. Plus it seems easier to operate, more user friendly.
Incidently
And don't forget NO commercials!
Don't forget that you're going to spend a chunk for the antennia and I'll bet that the money you save won't be as big as you think it will be once you add back in the cost of stuff.
Edited 11/22/2009 1:06 pm ET by frenchy
Edited 11/22/2009 1:08 pm ET by frenchy
Read the OP, Frenchy, they need to cut down on extra expenses like cable.They can get HD for free on broadcast. Cable charges an extra $10 per month for HD.If $100 per year for TIVO would fit their budget, they could use it with broadcast TV and have the same benefits of skipping commercials but without cable charges.BruceT
> Cable charges an extra $10 per month for HD.Actually, if you can do without cable entirely you can save a lot more than $10 a month. Around here basic cable is $50/month at the "introductory" price, and then of course it goes up after that. At that rate you can pay for a decent rooftop antenna setup in about a year.
A strong nation, like a strong person, can afford to be gentle, firm, thoughtful, and restrained. It can afford to extend a helping hand to others. It's a weak nation, like a weak person, that must behave with bluster and boasting and rashness and other signs of insecurity. --Jimmy Carter
I meant that to get HD you have to pay an additional $10 above the basic rate.BruceT
Yeah, but the whole idea of a rooftop antenna is that you don't pay anything, after the price of the rig.
A strong nation, like a strong person, can afford to be gentle, firm, thoughtful, and restrained. It can afford to extend a helping hand to others. It's a weak nation, like a weak person, that must behave with bluster and boasting and rashness and other signs of insecurity. --Jimmy Carter
Brucet9
I read carefully the OP's post and I tried to point out the real benefits rather than the presumed savings.. I did just that about a decade ago. (Dropped the Satelite TV ) Bought a antenia and tried to live with just the broadcast channels.. I found that I missed the value of Satelite TV..and used to drop in and rent videos to make up for it.. That plus when I new movie came out that sounded good, me and the family went to the theatre..
If you haven't used a satelite dish you really have no clue as to what you are missing..
Just one or two family vists and you've more than paid the differance.. or a handful of Video rentals. (Net flixs wasn't available back then)..
Now some think that Cable is the same as satelite.. It's not.. it's much much better at a significantly lower cost.
What drives the cost of satelite is the premium channels
My sister has a local cable and for her $130 a month she doesn't get anywhere near the same variety of channels that I do for my $39.95 satelite.
Since I haven't had a job for over 2 years (altough things are getting much much better lately) we've shaved every single dime we can out of the budget.. If there was any value in switching to broadcast I still have my old antennia with it's rotator. Plus I'm close enough to get a strong signal for 10 stations.
Heck, Frenchy, if we lived where you are we'd be in hog heaven WRT antenna TV. As it is, we're not really tempted to get cable or satellite, though occasionally, when reception is flaky, we may waver just a tad.
A strong nation, like a strong person, can afford to be gentle, firm, thoughtful, and restrained. It can afford to extend a helping hand to others. It's a weak nation, like a weak person, that must behave with bluster and boasting and rashness and other signs of insecurity. --Jimmy Carter
to use satelite all you need is a clear view of the southern sky. I've seen the dish mounted up in trees and out on the lawn.
I get satelite even when my neighbors with Cable lose their picture due to weather conditions..If I didn't have to look through trees I doubt I would have lost my picture for even the 2 hours or so I did. Plus if you drive by my house you will be extremely hard pressed to see the dish.
Frenchy,
How do you handle satellite with multiple tv's in the house??
We have 5 Tv at times!!We have been weighting out the pros/cons of cable, dish, antenna.
You buy/lease multiple receivers, which usually run about an additional $5 a month for each one.Woody
Wow!!
Dishnetwork has some receivers that can support 2 sets simultaneously - either two standard sets or an HD set and a standard set. They charge for that as one receiver, so you can end up having four sets and only paying for two receivers. Requires an extra bit of wiring, though, from the receiver to the second set.
I don't think that DirecTV offers that.
Bob
The new ones can handle up to 4 seperate TV's and then you can slave the 5th with a duplicator. The problem with a duplicator is it tunes to whatever channel the original TV is tuned to.. That's fine for me. In that if I'm down in the shop I'll have on whatever I would watch on the main TV. (or set it up to change channels at predesinated times). (very easy to do with the remote control the dish providers supply you with)
Cable is much too expensive for me..
Broadcast with all of those commercials drives me nuts. With Satelite I can watch broadcast shows and with a click skip through the commercials. Thus instead of spending 20 minutes of every hour watching what people are trying to sell I can watch it without those #^!@@ comercials..
Plus with the satelite TV you get fantastic selection of great shows.. stuff that isn't on Broadcast because it's too specialized..
I like to watch about Antique tractors on RFDTY, I love the history channel( both of them) I love the classic movies full length and commercial free on TCM. BBCA and BBC are great for shows and world views, A&E has shows you will never ever see on broadcast. IFC is great for those are gems that the independants come out with. DIY has all those shows we enjoy. CMDY when I just want to laugh.. Biography hold some decent histories of famous people. My favorite is USA for original shows.. The kids all loved the Disney channels and Nickolodean plus Toons etc.. Now the only time they are watched is when they come over..
The great thing is with the program guide you can instantly see if watching a particular show is worth it.. 4 stars don't miss, one or none well it's pretty well worth ignoring..
KR
I also live in RI in NP I have cable but in the Kitchen I have an under counter HD tv.
I didn't want another cable hook up so I bought this small antenna and it sits on the refrigerator it's a Quontom Amplified antenna by GE bought it at Target in Warwick.
I think about $35.00and it's great I get wbz Ch4 fom Boston, and local stations CH6 ABC, ch 10 RTV (retrotelevision) ch10 NBC HDtv (regular programming) Ch 12 CBS and Ch 64 FOX all come in clear and no problems. I live in a Condo so no outside antennas allowed but for $35.00 I figured worst that could happen is I return it.
Hope that helps you here's a link at Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/GE-24775-Quantum-HDTV-Antenna/dp/B000W8XQJC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1258927309&sr=8-1
Zeeya
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