Cord Cutting Basics to dump Satellite or Cable

[kcflhrc]

I'll keep my dish, it's reasonable and is quite easy to use without a hodgepodge of other devices. With limited internet alternatives it makes sense for a lot of us. If it works for you great. I enjoy sitting down in the evening watching my shows. And if I happen to not be home the DVR takes over and records them for me.

 

[ultrarunner]

I have not had time yet to sort out the TV at the place I bought... it was an estate type sale and the contract provided the seller could leave behind whatever they wanted and they did but not much in the way of tools...

Kitchen drawer with more than a dozen remotes, something called firestick with password... 55" LG TV and miles of cable.. also Apple TV and several smaller CRT TV and another 45" flat screen in the family room.

Cordless phone, some hearing assisted… answering machines with messages... two satellite dishes... people should really be careful what they leave on answering machines!

Family had to have spent a fortune on being connected...

Also several security systems... hardwired and web based... simply no inclination to learn about it now...

I did think of connecting rabbit ears to see if I can get anything from the 55"

My focus has so far been on the solar and differed maintenance and just learning the functions of all the light switches and timers...

 

[the old grind]

... My thinking is that I want something with 100 mile range, HDTV and 4K. Is there anything else that I should want in an antenna? ...

Eddie, even a coat-hanger is all those things starting the day you get a local broadcast signal sent in 4K, and is possible because of the higher digital vs analog content encoded within the carrier signal/channel/frequency/bandwith. (channel 'X' is 'xx MHz' everywhere.)

The antenna is tuned to the channel's carrier frequency and only that, not the encoded sound and video data within it. Consider range capability by true (not just ad buzz) 'gain in db'. Fancy looks are usually just that.

Difference matters whether you need VHF (30" elements) or UHF (loops, 'bowties') or both channel frequency ranges to get all your channels. For VHF range you want many elements, as with the 'directors' often placed in front of a bowtie. 'Ganged' bowties can be less sensitive to precise aim, so may cover a city well vs just one channel.

I've put in a few of these with great results over several years now. https://www.amazon.com/Outdoor-Ante...041&s=gateway&sprefix=lava+ant,aps,168&sr=8-3 Range is good except some low power Detroit UHFs don't always get through 75 mi of daytime, workday 'digital noise' or the worst weather between us. Lansing and Saginaw always come in strong.

It just ain't me watchin'. Gave it up in the '70s when cable's promised affordable (any of 'em now!!) ad-free programming obviously was never going to happen. We have to pay to watch ads? Go ahead. NPR for news and weather, so I get to move about and use my eyes for me all day.

IMO, the 'Digital and 4K' buzz-word hype is just that. (Digital nitrogen!)

 

[EddieWalker]

Thank you. That helps a lot!!!

 

[ultrarunner]

Please post how well it works...

The rabbit ears work well with one big caveat...

They have to be oriented just right... dusting or even slightly moving them... even a few degrees of rotation or an inch or inclination is immediately noticeable... super sensitive with a very narrow sweet spot.

This is where I can see an added benefit of a fixed external antenna...

 

[BoylermanCT]

Because the cost of internet is so high, there is not a lot of savings to be had to cut cable and add streaming services. My internet and cable is $125. If I remove cable, my internet will be $75. It will cost me $40 to add any of the streaming services - HuluTV, DirectTVNow, YouTube TV etc, and they have fewer channels than my basic cable bundle. They only way I see it saving any money is to switch over to free TV with an antenna. I tried several indoor antennas and could not get clear signal of all of the major networks ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox. Too many hills and trees in the way. I could throw an antenna on the roof, but it would have rather insightly. So for now I call Charter and drop cable, and in 1-2 weeks they offer me a $99 deal for cable and internet. I tried calling and asking if they could lower my price, and they said sorry no. But once I cancel, they come running with the deals.

 

[kf4uda]

. I tried calling and asking if they could lower my price, and they said sorry no. But once I cancel, they come running with the deals.

Dish did the same thing to me. Once I called to cancel they started throwing out the deals. They even got down to half price (for a limited time of course). They asked why I was canceling and I told them that the longer I was their customer, the worse they punished me.

 

[drssg]

I do not know if I could make it through the week without a dose of "COPS!"
"Get on the ground!"
"Bad Boys, Bad Boys!"
"Taser, Taser!!"

I had their theme song in my head one day, and I was walking around the house singing it. I noticed that I was making the dog nervous. He thought I was saying that he was a bad boy. So I changed the wording just for him, and I sang in a friendly tune, “Good boys, good boys, whatcha gonna do?”

To be more on topic, I use an antenna with a TiVo OTA DVR, so there’s no monthly fee for anything, and I don’t have to watch commercials. The best money I spent was having a professional mount the antenna on our chimney. He did a temporary setup, and then we checked the reception. If I wasn’t happy, he would leave and charge nothing.

I normally like to do things myself, and no one can say I didn’t try, but I wasn’t comfortable doing a roof installation. I was trying to get something to work in the attic, and it wasn’t getting a strong enough signal. He also connected the antenna to a grounding rod, and I’m embarrassed to admit that never occurred to me.

 

[Alan W.]

I live in a holler that has an elevation change of about 200 feet behind me where I could place an antenna. The coax run would be about 450 feet. What are my options for OTA signal. My concerns are signal loss over length of run and creating a lightning rod attached to my tv. The stations are approximately 50 mile away.

 

[ultrarunner]

There was a similar situation for me in Washington... no TV signal so the previous owner put an antenna 200 feet up a Douglas Fir... massive tree and it did work until the rotor quit... a couple of years later the tree was in a state of decline and I had it removed... I could reach out and touch it from the deck so my fear was a massive limb dropping...

Have Comcast now which was needed unless I was ok with eliminating 99% of prospective renters... the kids even need it for school these days.