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No Longer A Hostage: OTA Antennas - 2/29/2012 8:28:59 PM

MistressDarkArt

Posts: 5178
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Buh bye Dish Network, and f*ck you very much for many dedicated years of price increases, decent programming decreases, and exceptionally sh*tty 'service' all the way around. Frankly, you suck; if it hadn't been for my willingness to cater to a good tenant who watched TV a lot, I would have pitched your sorry ass years ago.

To my fellow cord-cutters: do you have a recommendation for an indoor antenna that works well for you? I'm in a mostly rural coastal town, about 10 miles from the local station's transmitters. Antennaweb.org says I need a UHF yellow.

PS: I borrowed a LeafPlus and was quite amazed at the 17 channels it pulled in; many in HD too! (but alas, 2/3 in Spanish which I don't speak.) They're still a bit pricey so if you have something you love less than say...$50...I'd like to know. Thanks! :-)

Post #: 1

RE: No Longer A Hostage: OTA Antennas - 2/29/2012 8:47:49 PM

LadyHibiscus

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From: Island Of Misfit Toys
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I get that stuff from Radio Shack... I need to get a signal box. We have directv, and once we went digital my rabbit ears quit working! I want my Canadian tv stations back!!!

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RE: No Longer A Hostage: OTA Antennas - 2/29/2012 9:08:57 PM

MistressDarkArt

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quote:

ORIGINAL: LadyHibiscus

I get that stuff from Radio Shack... I need to get a signal box. We have directv, and once we went digital my rabbit ears quit working! I want my Canadian tv stations back!!!

Are you using an older TV, LadyHib? As far as I know, all flatpanels have digital tuners and can use plain rabbit ears to pull a digital (and HD!) signal. Some better than others, of course.

My tenant has an older TV and would need a converter box. For what those cost (no more switchover subsidies), she's 1/3 of the way to a decent flatpanel.

Maybe with a newer TV and decent antenna you can kiss Direct goodbye and have your Canadian stations too?

< Message edited by MistressDarkArt -- 2/29/2012 9:24:05 PM >

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Post #: 3

RE: No Longer A Hostage: OTA Antennas - 2/29/2012 9:11:14 PM

LadyHibiscus

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From: Island Of Misfit Toys
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I do have a lovely newish tv! I get my local stations, its the canadians who are not on the same wavelength!!

And I heart directv!! I would be bereft without cartoon network channels!

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RE: No Longer A Hostage: OTA Antennas - 2/29/2012 9:30:53 PM

MistressDarkArt

Posts: 5178
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quote:

ORIGINAL: LadyHibiscus

I do have a lovely newish tv! I get my local stations, its the canadians who are not on the same wavelength!!

And I heart directv!! I would be bereft without cartoon network channels!

Ahhh, I see. Those wacky Canucks, whatcha gonna do, eh?!

< Message edited by MistressDarkArt -- 2/29/2012 9:31:28 PM >

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Post #: 5

RE: No Longer A Hostage: OTA Antennas - 2/29/2012 11:41:50 PM

outlier

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

Here are a couple of links for you that I found when my friend
was going through withdrawal.

This guy sells antennas but he also has a lot of good information on his site.
For the record: I have no connection and have never done business with him.
http://www.dennysantennaservice.com/2029710.html

This place has maps and you can enter your site and learn what you can expect,
which way to point the antenna, etc.
http://www.tvfool.com/

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Post #: 6

RE: No Longer A Hostage: OTA Antennas - 3/1/2012 5:19:13 AM

Exidor

Posts: 135
Joined: 12/31/2011
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When you have broadband, who needs television?

There's usenet, the torrents, and places like Hulu or even Youtube if you miss the commercials, and even news sites if you need doom and gloom.

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Post #: 7

RE: No Longer A Hostage: OTA Antennas - 3/1/2012 1:33:06 PM

MistressDarkArt

Posts: 5178
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quote:

ORIGINAL: Exidor

When you have broadband, who needs television?

My tenant, who is disabled and without a computer.

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Post #: 8

RE: No Longer A Hostage: OTA Antennas - 3/1/2012 1:34:17 PM

MistressDarkArt

Posts: 5178
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: outlier

Here are a couple of links for you that I found when my friend
was going through withdrawal.

This guy sells antennas but he also has a lot of good information on his site.
For the record: I have no connection and have never done business with him.
http://www.dennysantennaservice.com/2029710.html

This place has maps and you can enter your site and learn what you can expect,
which way to point the antenna, etc.
http://www.tvfool.com/

Thanks for the info, outlier. The tvfool site had more great info than I could find on either antennaweb and the .gov site.

(in reply to outlier)

Post #: 9

RE: No Longer A Hostage: OTA Antennas - 3/1/2012 4:28:57 PM

LizDeluxe

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Joined: 10/2/2011
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I get great results with this. The higher up you can place you antenna the better it will likely perform. Like on the second floor or in an attic space.

There's a lot of misinformation about digital television floating around. It's just UHF. Any good UHF antenna will do the job. The best ones are those old style on the side of the house with a rotor (which I realize is not what you want in this application). All of this amplified HDTV antenna stuff is mostly snake oil. One of them might perform particularly well in one given instance but across the board they are nonsense. If they are transmitting in HD you receive it in HD if you can receive it at all. It's not a function of some feature of the antenna.

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Post #: 10

RE: No Longer A Hostage: OTA Antennas - 3/1/2012 4:41:11 PM

OsideGirl

Posts: 14449
Joined: 7/1/2005
From: United States
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quote:

ORIGINAL: LadyHibiscus

And I heart directv!!

We switched from cable 1.5 years ago and we love it too.

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RE: No Longer A Hostage: OTA Antennas - 3/1/2012 4:42:51 PM

LadyHibiscus

Posts: 27124
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From: Island Of Misfit Toys
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quote:

ORIGINAL: MistressDarkArt

quote:

ORIGINAL: LadyHibiscus

I do have a lovely newish tv! I get my local stations, its the canadians who are not on the same wavelength!!

And I heart directv!! I would be bereft without cartoon network channels!

Ahhh, I see. Those wacky Canucks, whatcha gonna do, eh?!

HA!! I knew what that link was before I even opened it!

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Post #: 12

RE: No Longer A Hostage: OTA Antennas - 3/1/2012 10:28:23 PM

MistressDarkArt

Posts: 5178
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: LizDeluxe

I get great results with this. The higher up you can place you antenna the better it will likely perform. Like on the second floor or in an attic space.

There's a lot of misinformation about digital television floating around. It's just UHF. Any good UHF antenna will do the job. The best ones are those old style on the side of the house with a rotor (which I realize is not what you want in this application). All of this amplified HDTV antenna stuff is mostly snake oil. One of them might perform particularly well in one given instance but across the board they are nonsense. If they are transmitting in HD you receive it in HD if you can receive it at all. It's not a function of some feature of the antenna.

Thank you LizD. The product you linked isn't available anymore, but I did get this for less than $9 delivered. Surprisingly, it works nearly as well as the amplified (and thus power-consuming) $75 LeafPlus when properly placed. The 1 or 2 extra channels the Leaf got are in foreign languages I wouldn't watch anyway.

The HD channels are crystal clear. I now get SEVERAL pbs/kcet stations (in HD!) instead of just 1 w/Dish and also the sister station to my local channel as well. No paying EXTRA for local stations. No more paying AT ALL! I am tremendously HAPPY about this!

Thanks everyone. And to LadyHib: <summons ghost of Butthead> heheheh, they said 'hosehead!!'

< Message edited by MistressDarkArt -- 3/1/2012 11:25:24 PM >

(in reply to LizDeluxe)

Post #: 13

RE: No Longer A Hostage: OTA Antennas - 3/2/2012 6:32:02 PM

soul2share

Posts: 7084
Joined: 12/18/2007
From: somewhere out there.....
Status: offline

I have an older TV that is probably going to need a box. Anyone have any suggestions? I dumped the cable company over a billing dispute, and my landlord won't let me put a dish up anywhere. I've tried looking online, but hell, I'm a total dunce when it comes to electronics!

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RE: No Longer A Hostage: OTA Antennas - 3/2/2012 7:29:34 PM

MistressDarkArt

Posts: 5178
Status: offline

S2S, my tenant is in the same situation. New converter boxes are $50+, and as far as I know subsidies for switching over are no longer available. The picture on new TVs are like night and day, especially when they bring in HD channels; they are much less cumbersome, thin, light, and consume MUCH less energy. With the $$ you are saving between less energy and without cable/satellite, I'd consider a newer TV before I'd get a converter box. It doesn't need to be brand new, just make sure it has a digital tuner...and the original remote.

That said, perhaps ebay has a low-priced used converter box or you can find one in a thrift shop or garage sale. Again, be sure you get the original remote with it or programming the channels to your box will truly suck.

(in reply to soul2share)

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RE: No Longer A Hostage: OTA Antennas - 3/2/2012 7:38:04 PM

LookieNoNookie

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Joined: 8/9/2008
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Someone told me the other day that I can have like 25 channels (all generally local) with an antennae....of course, I'm old enough to know that we used to get TV in all kinds of gulleys and low spots a (few) years ago....but I said to him...."how do you get HBO and such?" and he said "you get a cable/internet hookup and you can see anything you want through your internet".

I explained I already had internet (and cable TV), he then proceeded to tell me I was a victim of "The Man" and that I should have ONLY internet (and an antennae) and that I could watch anything I wanted to.

So....my question is for all you gear heads (and for the aid and benefit of a 50 plus year old dude).....HOW?

Just looked: http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d0b865036a74000

HELL YEAH!!!! I only watch the shit to go to sleep with anyways....

What does it cost to have an antennae put up?

< Message edited by LookieNoNookie -- 3/2/2012 7:43:14 PM >

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Post #: 16

RE: No Longer A Hostage: OTA Antennas - 3/2/2012 7:47:25 PM

SoftBonds

Posts: 862
Joined: 2/10/2012
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: LookieNoNookie

Someone told me the other day that I can have like 25 channels (all generally local) with an antennae....of course, I'm old enough to know that we used to get TV in all kinds of gulleys and low spots a (few) years ago....but I said to him...."how do you get HBO and such?" and he said "you get a cable/internet hookup and you can see anything you want through your internet".

I explained I already had internet (and cable TV), he then proceeded to tell me I was a victim of "The Man" and that I should have ONLY internet (and an antennae) and that I could watch anything I wanted to.

So....my question is for all you gear heads (and for the aid and benefit of a 50 plus year old dude).....HOW?

I have no clue if this is what the guy was talking about, but...
AT&T has (had?) some sort of antenna based satellite internet uplink service. As near as I can tell the DirecTV internet uses the same system. Data is data, and a satellite will happily beam internet/TV/radio/whatever to and from any location. That said, satellite internet has always been pretty expensive in my experience. It is generally cheaper to run a landline at least partway and bundle all the signals into one uplink - or just run fiber-optic to the destination hub. But if you are in a very rural area (I learned of the AT&T service in Alaska), it could be the cheapest option.

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RE: No Longer A Hostage: OTA Antennas - 3/2/2012 8:35:30 PM

MistressDarkArt

Posts: 5178
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Nook, according to tvfool I'm only supposed to get 2 channels with that cheap $9 rabbit ears. I get 13 channels very clearly, including those broadcasting in HD and the other 2 are still watchable if a bit fuzzy. Some are even in English...

Screw satellite/cable...and the horse they rode in on!

< Message edited by MistressDarkArt -- 3/2/2012 8:38:07 PM >

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Post #: 18

RE: No Longer A Hostage: OTA Antennas - 3/3/2012 4:07:04 AM

LizDeluxe

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Joined: 10/2/2011
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quote:

ORIGINAL: MistressDarkArt
Thank you LizD. The product you linked isn't available anymore, but I did get this for less than $9 delivered. Surprisingly, it works nearly as well as the amplified (and thus power-consuming) $75 LeafPlus when properly placed. The 1 or 2 extra channels the Leaf got are in foreign languages I wouldn't watch anyway.

Sorry about the link. I didn't notice that the venerable Channel Master 4149 was discontinued. Sad. Great antenna. Glad you found one that works for you. I have cable and don't watch much local television (I really don't watch a lot of television, in general) but I enjoy watching sporting events in HD.

If you read a little about the digital television conversion it's really interesting. There was a committee of folks who made the final tech decisions on format and stuff... and many of them were representatives of manufacturers of the digital equipment. So instead of selecting the best format they lobbied for their own financial special interests and supposedly we ended up with an inferior OTA digital television system as a a result.

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RE: No Longer A Hostage: OTA Antennas - 3/3/2012 11:05:38 PM

MistressDarkArt

Posts: 5178
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: LizDeluxe

If you read a little about the digital television conversion it's really interesting. There was a committee of folks who made the final tech decisions on format and stuff... and many of them were representatives of manufacturers of the digital equipment. So instead of selecting the best format they lobbied for their own financial special interests and supposedly we ended up with an inferior OTA digital television system as a a result.

Fookers!! <sighs> As usual, $$ makes the world go 'round.

Hearing that makes me EXTRA glad I pitched the satellite company...I'm sure they were part of the plot.

(in reply to LizDeluxe)

Post #: 20

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