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Rabbit Ears - 11/22/2011 7:07:38 AM   
Marc2b


Posts: 6660
Joined: 8/7/2006
Status: offline 		The television kind, not the fuzzy wuzzy kind (sorry).

About a year and a half ago I disconnected my cable from my television (the bills were just getting too outrageously high). I still have a DVD player but otherwise I have been without outside programming since then. To some extent I have enjoyed this (it’s true, ignorance is bliss) but…

2012 is the year of the Summer Olympics in London and a Presidential election which, of course, WILL BE THE MOST IMPORTANT ELECTION EVER IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES (just like all the others). I don’t want to miss either.

I recently heard that you can still use rabbit ears to receive broadcast signals. I was under the impression that some sort of converter box was now needed but I’ve heard elsewhere that such is not the case.

Thanks again,

Marc

So, I’d appreciate any info/insight anyone in the know might have.

Can I still get decent reception from a pair of rabbit ears? Do I need some sort of converter box? How much is all of this going to cost me? Truth be told I’d be happy so long as I got NBC (the Olympic channel) in clearly, anything else would just be a bonus.

My television is a Sanyo though I don’t know the model number off hand.


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RE: Rabbit Ears - 11/22/2011 7:13:32 AM   
poise


Posts: 9509
Joined: 7/3/2010
Status: offline 		I don't have firsthand knowledge of the use of rabbit ears these days, but here is a
very informative link (interactive even!) that may help answer your questions.
http://transition.fcc.gov/mb/engineering/maps/

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RE: Rabbit Ears - 11/22/2011 7:40:37 AM   
DomKen


Posts: 19457
Joined: 7/4/2004
From: Chicago, IL
Status: offline 		I tried going without cable for a while when I first got sick. To be blunt getting the broadcast HD signals is a crapshoot. A set top antenna with a converter box may or may not get any channels. It hugely depends on the distance to the transmitters, the amount of clutter between you and those antennas and the material your home is made of. For me I could not consistently get more than a couple of stations.

I understand that people have had better results from antennas that include amplifiers and/or roof top installations.

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RE: Rabbit Ears - 11/22/2011 8:01:58 AM   
peppermint


Posts: 5175
Joined: 10/18/2005
From: Montana
Status: offline 		You only need a converter box if you are using an older TV that was not set up for HD. If you have a newer TV then no box is needed. The converter box basically allowed a non HD TV to use HD signals.

Rabbit ears are a good way to enhance your TV signal. However, they don't enhance the signal very much so the signal has to be fairly good to start. Rabbit ears would only work well if you are living in a city and have a fairly strong signal from the transmission tower.

An outside antenna will give you the best that you can get for free (after the initial cost of the antenna) Add a rotator onto that antenna and you can have great TV watching for the one time cost of that antenna and rotator. I used to live 70 miles north of Seattle and about the same south of Vancouver, BC. With the best antenna Radio Shack sells and a rotator I could get great TV from either city, depending on which direction the antenna was turned. That gave me 15 channels, more than enough for my wants at the time.

Edited to add...

I'm not sure about what the antenna and rotator cost today. You would also need enough cable to get from the antenna to your TV. Get good quality cable as the cheap stuff will not give as good a signal quality. You could check out those prices at Radio Shack online. The great advantage to an antenna is that all your TV will be in High Def and after your initial cost you will be watching TV for free.

< Message edited by peppermint -- 11/22/2011 8:05:57 AM >

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RE: Rabbit Ears - 11/22/2011 8:08:44 AM   
Winterapple


Posts: 1343
Joined: 8/19/2011
Status: offline 		I'm pretty sure when they announced the
digital switch over thing they said people
with antennas would need converter boxes.
I know a few people with rooftop antennas
and they mostly get local stations. But that
would be enough to allow you to watch the
Olympics or follow the elections because local
stations are network affiliates. NBC is carrying
the Olympics so you would need access to a
NBC station. I'm supposing a rooftop
antenna can pick up a lot more than rabbit
ears. When I was dependent on rabbit ears
and a metal nail file for my tv viewing I was
only able to pick up PBS and one local station.
Their transmitters were relatively close by.

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RE: Rabbit Ears - 11/22/2011 8:18:33 AM   
Winterapple


Posts: 1343
Joined: 8/19/2011
Status: offline 		The converter box thing did concern older tv's.
Most of the people I know with antennas
have older televisions and/or are older
people who lived in rural areas with little
cable access and never developed the habit
of watching much television.

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RE: Rabbit Ears - 11/22/2011 8:52:17 AM   
coookie


Posts: 541
Joined: 10/25/2010
Status: offline 		They have begun to institute the digital box thing but it isnt in all areas yet. I have been on rabbit ears with 3 channels here in small town Canada for 18 years and dont miss cable tv one bit! They havent switched my area to digital analog yet but i have heard the box costs 100 dollars Canadian for each set. So buy rabbit ears first and see if it works before you buy the box

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RE: Rabbit Ears - 11/22/2011 11:45:14 AM   
Anaxagoras


Posts: 3086
Joined: 5/9/2009
From: Eire
Status: offline 		It sounds like you have an old style TV thats only fitted with an analogue receiver. You might try enquiring in a local TV store to see if the broadcasters have switched off the analogue transmitters in your area. If they have then a digital receiver is required.

Rabbits ears are nortorious for being hard to adjust for a good reception. They need a lot of experimentation with positioning to get a decent reception on all or most channels. It can be maddening at times...

< Message edited by Anaxagoras -- 11/22/2011 11:54:20 AM >

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RE: Rabbit Ears - 11/22/2011 12:59:56 PM   
Marc2b


Posts: 6660
Joined: 8/7/2006
Status: offline 		Thanks every one.

My TV is a digital TV, I got it for last Christmas (the old one had died and I began dropping hints on the family ), so it looks like I wont need the converter gizmo. I should have mentioned that a roof top antennae is not do-able for me (apartment building) so it's rabbit ears or nothing. With holiday sales starting soon now might just be the time to buy a pair and just see what happens.

Thanks again, every one.

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RE: Rabbit Ears - 11/22/2011 2:19:30 PM   
ricken


Posts: 261
Joined: 1/11/2010
Status: offline 		There are amplified indoor antenas that work well, we don't have cable in the beedroom and use one made by RCA, it looks like rabit ears and works OK for most channels.
It really depends on your location, you can try this http://www.hdtvantennalabs.com/index.php


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RE: Rabbit Ears - 11/22/2011 7:17:26 PM   
DameBruschetta


Posts: 116
Joined: 1/10/2010
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: Marc2b

Thanks every one.

My TV is a digital TV, I got it for last Christmas (the old one had died and I began dropping hints on the family ), so it looks like I wont need the converter gizmo. I should have mentioned that a roof top antennae is not do-able for me (apartment building) so it's rabbit ears or nothing. With holiday sales starting soon now might just be the time to buy a pair and just see what happens.

Thanks again, every one.


I ditched cable tv and stitched to antenna only about a year ago.  I have two flat type (indoor) antennas in my home and I love them! We tried a couple different types and these just seemed to work better for us (but of course your mileage may vary.)  We live in an apt as well so it we had to do the indoor type.  I will say we lucked out on this one being out best best because you cannot tell its even there (you can lay it flat to your media stand like a dvd player, or  standing vertical or even mount it to the wall.  (Some of them are even paintable for that reason.)  Do check out the signals you will be able to receive in your area, I only get about 2/3rds of the stations and sadly two of the ones I do not get are the two that I really would have watched to watch.

We have this one (which was MUCH cheaper at the time), but they have a nice chart that explains all the "features" depending on the situation you have.  (Price varies by model on amazon but I have seen these in the big box stores too.)



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RE: Rabbit Ears - 11/22/2011 7:57:19 PM   
LizDeluxe


Posts: 687
Joined: 10/2/2011
Status: offline 		Forget the rabbit ears. Get one of these. I have one and it works better any in house antenna I tried. I soldered the matching transformer lead right to the antenna frame (didn't know I was that handy, didjya?). You don't need any fancy amplified HD antenna nonsense. There's really no such thing as a digital antenna, anyway. A good UHF antenna is what you need. The others are right about location, height and obstructions. If you have the means to put up the old style UHF outdoor antenna on a mast on your home or property it will enhance your ability to pick up a good signal. I have cable but don't pay for HD. I use the wire rack thing to watch sporting events.



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RE: Rabbit Ears - 11/22/2011 8:11:26 PM   
Termyn8or


Posts: 18681
Joined: 11/12/2005
Status: offline 		The other year they stopped broadcasting the old analog NTSC signals. It's a convertor or cable. Some cable companies do still put out analog.

You might want to consider a PC to TV convertor. I have one and it looks pretty good for low definition, definitely good enough to watch a movie or something. I got Realplayer 11 an YTD 3.3 so if it's something I can see I can have it. Next year I am going to hook my TV back up, but to the PC. The resolution is good enough.

Used boxes are all over the place for like twenty bucks, but you might have to buy a remote. Most of the time you need a remote for almost aything. The antenna is a different story. In the old days if you lived in an apartment or whatever or some other bad rception area your picture would just look shitty. But now instead it breaks up, freezes, pixelates and all that. In that respect it is NOT better.

To just find al the channels, on rabbit ears you will have to scan a bunch of times, and find the menu option to let prevously recieved channels remain in the list. Then whatever you tune, there might be a signal meter onscreen but if it just says not enough signal or something like that, move the antenna around. It's a real bitch because it is slow to respond.

Yeah, some improvement. Stupid ass Clinton, and then the shit Powell's brother did when running the FCC, fuck, they are better than repubicans ? Bunch of shit, they are as bad as each other. The country is falling apart and you worry about stooooopid shit like this. Fiddling while the modern Romans burn up. That's what we pay them for.

T^T

< Message edited by Termyn8or -- 11/22/2011 8:16:51 PM >

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RE: Rabbit Ears - 11/22/2011 8:25:42 PM   
outlier


Posts: 1111
Joined: 10/22/2005
Status: offline 		Marc2b,

I claim no particular expertise in this area but I was doing some research for
a friend and came across this site which I found helpful because of the technical
articles.  http://www.dennysantennaservice.com/

My friend has not made his purchase yet so I have no experience dealing with them.
I hope it helps you make an informed decision.

This site might help as well.  http://www.tvfool.com/
It contains a lot of information about where transmitters are,
which direction to aim, signal strength, etc. 

edited to add info


< Message edited by outlier -- 11/22/2011 8:43:28 PM >

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RE: Rabbit Ears - 11/22/2011 8:28:59 PM   
mummyman321


Posts: 2102
Joined: 10/31/2005
From: Dusseldorf
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: Marc2b

Thanks every one.

My TV is a digital TV, I got it for last Christmas (the old one had died and I began dropping hints on the family ), so it looks like I wont need the converter gizmo. I should have mentioned that a roof top antennae is not do-able for me (apartment building) so it's rabbit ears or nothing. With holiday sales starting soon now might just be the time to buy a pair and just see what happens.

Thanks again, every one.


Over the air HDTV is broadcast on UHF frequencies. So any old bow tie or UHF antenna will work. Rabbit ears are VHF but most also have a bow tie or small dish in the center which is UHF and will work. I can pick up 30 local HD channel with an indoor UHF antenna.

A lot of antennas are now labled "HD ready". But that is just a gimmic to sell. Its just the same old UHF antenna's they sold years ago.

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RE: Rabbit Ears - 11/23/2011 1:40:22 PM   
Marc2b


Posts: 6660
Joined: 8/7/2006
Status: offline 		Thanks again everyone. I learned some things I didn't know. We'll see how things turn out.

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RE: Rabbit Ears - 11/23/2011 1:53:50 PM   
outhere69


Posts: 1302
Joined: 1/25/2011
Status: offline 		If you are totally hosed for reception, try a HDTV receiver that you can plug into a USB 2.0 slot.  I got one for jollies and it picks up an amazing number of stations on nothing but a wee "rubber duckie" (short vertical, coated with vinyl).  'Twas $99 bucks, I think.

You'll need a good graphics card and microprocessor to display full screen.

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