Help me out with free TV.

N80 · Jul 28, 2018

I'm tired of paying for DirecTV. Cable is worse. My wife and I don't even watch much TV. Kind of nuts spending almost $100 a month for something we only use an hour or less a day.

So I want free TV. I'm not talking about stuff like Hulu or Amazon Prime. I'm talking about digital TV over an antenna. We live about 15 miles south of Charlotte, NC and about 70 miles north of Columbia, SC. So there should be towers within that range.

I wondering several things. How many channels is it possible to get? What type of 'box' do I need? What sort of antenna do I need? Will the antenna need to rotate like the old Channel Masters like we had when I was a kid? What type of cable? Coax? About how much money will it take to put all this together?

Argonne · Jul 28, 2018

I tried the DTV route but every channel required an antenna rotation for us and was just too much hassle. We finally switched to Dish from those bill pumping bandits at DirecTV and got the bill down to $35 a month.

nbking · Jul 28, 2018

So we are in a spot where we could not get satellite (direct or dish). At first when we moved in we were both pissed as there was a satellite dish on the house and assumed we would get it. But four years later we are not missing it. We have the $99 Walmart antenna it is a powered one, but does not move. We are getting free to from ABC, CBS, NBC, and the CW, and 6 others from local areas. I would suggest you go and try one, if you don't get anything good you can always return it. We are about 2 hours from Sacramento and San Francisco and can get both of their local feeds from the affiliates above. We do stream Netflix and Hulu too. But nice not spending for cable or satellite.

BoylermanCT · Jul 28, 2018

Go to AntennaWeb.org - Antenna Signal Prediction. You put in your address and some info about your house, trees around it etc, and it will show you what TV channels you can receive if you get the right antenna and it will tell you which direction to point it for specific channels. Since you live close to a major city, you should get all of the major broadcast networks.

Antennas don't cost a lot. You can still use a set of rabbit ears if you have them. If you put an antenna on your roof, you will get the best reception and longest range. The old fashion rotator models will work and give you great reception if you are willing to change directions with it. Mount the antenna on the roof, use coax able to go from the antenna to the back of the TV. Done. You can use plug in signal boosters, but you may not need that. The good news with digital signals is it is more forgiving than analog signals, so if you can get 70% signal, you will usually get a good picture. The funny thing is you may get a better picture with free TV than with cable. Cable compresses tons of channels to get them to you, and compression sacrafices picture quality to gain more capacity. Over the air signals are uncompressed, so your picture may have better color and detail.

Let us know how it goes!

thepumpguysc · Jul 29, 2018

I'm about 100 miles from Columbia.. 1/2 way between Col. & Charleston.. on Lake Marion.
When I 1st moved out here {in the country} there was NO service.. no cable, no dish, nothin'.. {25 years ago}
The previous owners had a rotating antenna & got about 6-7 channels, mostly from Columbia.
& that was in the "analog" days.. it should be MUCH better now..??
I really liked that rotating antenna.. it had a box in the house, that all you did was turn a knob..& an electric motor turned the antenna.
I lived w/ it for a few months until DISH came acallin..

Welshman · Jul 29, 2018

BoylermanCT said:
Go to AntennaWeb.org - Antenna Signal Prediction. You put in your address and some info about your house, trees around it etc, and it will show you what TV channels you can receive if you get the right antenna and it will tell you which direction to point it for specific channels. Since you live close to a major city, you should get all of the major broadcast networks.

Antennas don't cost a lot. You can still use a set of rabbit ears if you have them. If you put an antenna on your roof, you will get the best reception and longest range. The old fashion rotator models will work and give you great reception if you are willing to change directions with it. Mount the antenna on the roof, use coax able to go from the antenna to the back of the TV. Done. You can use plug in signal boosters, but you may not need that. The good news with digital signals is it is more forgiving than analog signals, so if you can get 70% signal, you will usually get a good picture. The funny thing is you may get a better picture with free TV than with cable. Cable compresses tons of channels to get them to you, and compression sacrafices picture quality to gain more capacity. Over the air signals are uncompressed, so your picture may have better color and detail.

Let us know how it goes!

What he said!

mark02tj · Jul 29, 2018

This might be a dumb question, but...

If I mounted an antenna on a tower outside, could I feed the coax from that antenna into the splitter that our current cable system is plugged into? In other words, could one antenna "supply" multiple TVs?

I'd love to cut the cord but my only concern is my other half. I'd still want to get something like SlingTV so I can get some of the channels that I like on cable (DIY, HGTV, etc.) but that's probably going to require more than one remote. While she's super smart about most things, for some reason figuring out which remote to use is one of those things that frustrates the crap out of her. But the prospect of saving about $60/month (cable cost less the cost of Sling TV) is something I'd like.

beowulf · Jul 29, 2018

Our two daughters - in different states - dropped their cable service and began using other options. I think Amazon Prime and Netflix, and such. But that limited service did not bring in local channels - and when I visited - I missed the news. So I gave each of them different brands of a "flat" indoor antennae. Hook up took about 2 - 3 minutes. Range was said to be about 80 miles if I recall correctly. Anyway, using those, they both get HD over the air channels perfectly. I think the cost of each antennae was about $50-60. So, if you are within a similar range of broadcast tv stations you should be able to pull in a few stations at least. I think they each get over 10 stations. I don't recall the brand but think "leaf" was in the name. Simple, inexpensive, and works beautifully.

thepumpguysc · Jul 29, 2018

LOL.. I called Dish last month & "poor mouthed" them.. cant afford the service any longer.. MAN, they perked up & asked me..& I swear this is what she asked me.. "how much CAN YOU afford"?? & before I could say A WORD.. she said, "I can get your bill down to $10.00 A MONTH"..{from 112.00} WHAT??!!!
I ended up w/ 100+ channels + HBO & CMAX for a locked in 72.00 for 2 years..for 2 TV's & the "new" Hopper.. THEN she says, when the 2 years are up.. just call back & we'll switch you over to our latest "promotion".. "don't EVER pay those prices again".. she said.. {It blew my mind}
So I "saved" 40 + $ & didn't loose a thing & actually gained a premium channel..{already paid for HBO}

Welshman · Jul 29, 2018

mark02tj said:
This might be a dumb question, but...

If I mounted an antenna on a tower outside, could I feed the coax from that antenna into the splitter that our current cable system is plugged into? In other words, could one antenna "supply" multiple TVs?

I'd love to cut the cord but my only concern is my other half. I'd still want to get something like SlingTV so I can get some of the channels that I like on cable (DIY, HGTV, etc.) but that's probably going to require more than one remote. While she's super smart about most things, for some reason figuring out which remote to use is one of those things that frustrates the crap out of her. But the prospect of saving about $60/month (cable cost less the cost of Sling TV) is something I'd like.

One antenna can definitely supply multiple TV's. Someone else will have to tell you about compatibility with the cable hardware, and SlingTV.

LD48750 · Jul 29, 2018

mark02tj said:
This might be a dumb question, but...

If I mounted an antenna on a tower outside, could I feed the coax from that antenna into the splitter that our current cable system is plugged into? In other words, could one antenna "supply" multiple TVs?

I'd love to cut the cord but my only concern is my other half. I'd still want to get something like SlingTV so I can get some of the channels that I like on cable (DIY, HGTV, etc.) but that's probably going to require more than one remote. While she's super smart about most things, for some reason figuring out which remote to use is one of those things that frustrates the crap out of her. But the prospect of saving about $60/month (cable cost less the cost of Sling TV) is something I'd like.

No

I tried it with the TV in our upstairs bedroom.
Hooked antenna to cable feed with splitter in basement & from another splitter in bedroom to cable box & TV.
It didn't work.

LD48750 · Jul 29, 2018

N80 said:
I'm tired of paying for DirecTV. Cable is worse. My wife and I don't even watch much TV. Kind of nuts spending almost $100 a month for something we only use an hour or less a day.

So I want free TV. I'm not talking about stuff like Hulu or Amazon Prime. I'm talking about digital TV over an antenna. We live about 15 miles south of Charlotte, NC and about 70 miles north of Columbia, SC. So there should be towers within that range.

I wondering several things. How many channels is it possible to get? What type of 'box' do I need? What sort of antenna do I need? Will the antenna need to rotate like the old Channel Masters like we had when I was a kid? What type of cable? Coax? About how much money will it take to put all this together?

Started with this for a "test" 15MILES OUTDOOR TV ANTENNA MOTORIZED AMPLIFIED HDTV HIGH GAIN 36dB UHF VHF 68955787953 | eBay

It worked GREAT!
Had some problems after a couple years, tried new coax then this Leadzm 15Mile Rotating Outdoor Amplified HD 18P Digital TV Antenna UHF/VHF/FM 68115538249 | eBay
It works as good as the other one and I am now getting 34 {I think) channels OTA for free.

If one of those work, you can always get something more expensive just to satisfy the get what you paid for people.

Mounted outside on my deck with a 10' length of PVC pipe.
Higher side of the house mount on the "To DO" list.

ray66v · Jul 29, 2018

mark02tj said:
This might be a dumb question, but...

If I mounted an antenna on a tower outside, could I feed the coax from that antenna into the splitter that our current cable system is plugged into? In other words, could one antenna "supply" multiple TVs?

I have 6 tv's on my antenna.

The cable and splitters I have seen for cable tv were the same, so they may work fine. You'll have to try it.

Depending on how strong a signal you have, how many tv's, and splitters, and, how long your cable runs are, you may, or may not, need a signal amplifier.

With digital tv, you don't get a weak, ghosting, or fuzzy picture. It either works, or it doesn't.

If you try your set up, and the picture is freezes, is frozen, or pixelated, and or, works one day but not he next, on certain channels, you can usually cure that with a signal amplifier. I do not have one on my current system. Only the furthest tv has issues on one channel.

Some amplifiers have a splitter built in. The amp can go anywhere in the line, before the tv(s) having an issue, but will work best, as close to the antenna as practical. It will need AC power.

I get an incredible a HD picture, (slightly better than my Directv), with my antenna.

Also keep in mind, on most newer tv's the picture is adjusted separately for each different input. And, can look much different from one source or the other. So, when using your antenna input for the first time, you, or someone qualified, may want to do some tweaking, for the best picture.

Kyle_in_Tex · Jul 29, 2018

Welshman said:
One antenna can definitely supply multiple TV's. Someone else will have to tell you about compatibility with the cable hardware, and SlingTV.

I believe you can supply multiple TVs, you just need an amplifier.

Antenna Amplifiers | Channel Master

Maybe you can look them up on Amazon to get reviews. Let us know if you do and what you find out.

tallyho8 · Jul 29, 2018

I have Cox cable at home. Every 6 months I call up to cancel and they ask me why. I answer it is not worth that much to me and they reply that they will see what promotions they have and always come back with one for 6 months for about half the price. I go with that but even half the price is still too much for TV. I got the Firestick which gives me thousands of movies and programs for free over my internet but if you use it too much they charge more for the internet so it helps to have a decent antenna to get over the air tv also.

My camper trailer has a decent antenna and when we go camping we get up to 35 channels at some places and rarely are in an area where we can't pick up anything.

Kyle_in_Tex · Jul 29, 2018

The thing I miss, and there are solutions, is my DVR I had with DirecTV...but I don't miss the $135/month payment.

/pine · Jul 29, 2018

Honestly...before you spend time and money on an outside antenna...go to a second hand/thrift store and buy a set of rabbit ears (antenna)...hook it up with an analog to coax connector and set the TV to search for available channels...you will be amazed at what you can get with just rabbit ears...including HD...once you see what can be had on the cheap...look into outside antennas...

Good Luck...

George2615 · Jul 29, 2018

I have the first antenna shown in LD's link (post 11) and use it on my travel trailer. Depending on where I go I average between 25-35 digital channels crystal clear. Much better than the stock bat wing the camper comes with although it is 5' higher than the bat wing. I mounted a 5' EMT to the rear bumper and the antenna on a 10' EMT that slides into a coupler when I get to camp. It comes with a rotator and can connect 2 TV's. I bought a second one for home use when cable or power goes out and can watch TV with the generator.
I haven't cut the cable cord at home yet as I like to watch several channels not available over the air.
TVfool.com can also give you an idea how many channels you can expect to get.

radios1 · Jul 29, 2018

K7LN said:
Answering a question like this can be difficult. Once you come up with a proposal, you find out that the viewer lives in a basement up on a hill. I did a little research based on Rock Hill, SC. Sixty miles is about the practical limit for receiving reliable signals in most locations. Based on that, I would forget about Columbia unless there is a busty blonde weather girl that you MUST watch. ;-)

Easy questions first:

Coax - RG-6, no need to buy the extra cost quad shield types.
Stations - Hard to say, but you should be able to get all the major networks.
Box - If you don't have a digital TV now, you'll need a digital converter box.
----- I don't know if they are even made anymore.
----- Best to invest the money into the TV.
----- If you get a converter box, the output is the old 525 line analog signal.

Antenna - That's often the hardest decision. Charlotte offers all the networks and the signals are strong in Rock Hill. I'm not in favor of rabbit ears and those flat panel antennas. There's a good chance that they will work out for you. A couple of the signals in the area are very strong, so I would not go with any amplified antenna due to potential preamp overloading.

What channels do you want to watch? All the commercial networks in the area are on UHF, so a small 2 or 4 bay UHF antenna will be fine. Some of the stores sell a little 2 bay for around $20. You have a PBS station (WTVI) that is on channel 11. That is a VHF-High channel. If you want that one, then you'll need a VHF-High/UHF antenna. My first choice antenna would then be the small RCA ANT751(R). A little bigger good unit would be a Winegard HD7694.

Rotors - You won't need one. Point the antenna North and the antenna patterns and signals should give you everything you need.

For those reading this that want to receive signals from two vastly different directions, you and install two separate antennas. You can use a combiner to join the signals together (Winegard CC-7870). You can also purchase a cheap A/B switch to switch back and forth. I personally use an old Radio Shack remote A/B switch from eBay at my location. They aren't made anymore, but they often show up for purchase on eBay (Radio Shack 15-1957 or 15-1968).

Ronald, I can get an S3 signal from New York to Florida with an indoor antenna 2M SSB, so sometimes you can go much further on VHF.. but, KODI on a computer that has internet can get nearly everything wanted. a bit of a learning curve though..