Outdoor Antenna for TV

[street]

Does anyone use or have an experience with outdoor antenna for TV watching and for local news??

I did see a thread on who pays for news. I just got a notice my local cable outfit is raising rates by 40$ a month starting January. I'm not sure I will be going alone with that price hike. At 480$ increase a year I could buy or install something that I could get local news and a few channels I would hope.

 

[frank]

try streaming newsy ap for local channels. or check on streaming channels I found one that has the local channels, but not live. when you sign in you get the most recent news broadcast. it is free.

 

[davebarnes]

Depending upon where you live, a small indoor antenna might work.
Buy a Moho 30 Leaf https://store.gomohu.com/leaf-30-indoor-hdtv-antenna.html and try it.
Worst case—you are out $40.
Ours works well because we live in the big city with antennas on a "mountain" top.

 

[REWahoo]

https://www.fcc.gov/media/engineering/dtvmaps

Use the link above to see what OTA channels are available at your location. The website is very pessimistic on what you can receive, so you will likely be able to get several more than it says. (Note: click on each individual channel for more info).

 

[Chuckanut]

I use one of those flat TV antennas. It's maybe about 1.5 sq feet in area and I hang on a window facing towards the broadcast antennas. I am about 12 miles away from them. It works fine, except in the rain. The weaker signals cut out when the weather is rainy.

 

[Car-Guy]

For OTA I use an indoor antenna that looks something like this... I can usually pickup 3 or 4 stations, depending on the weather conditions. And I'm a long ways from the transmitters (30 to 40 miles or more) Cost ~$40

 

[Freedom56]

Try and see if Locast.org operates in your area or nearby. It's free or you can pay $60 per year donation to avoid the "please donate" messages. It is a service that streams all your local channels over the internet.

 

[OldShooter]

TV transmission is basically line of sight. I would contact the station(s) you are interested in and ask them about antennas. Depending on lots of things, line of sight between a transmitter tower and a home antenna might be limited to about 50 miles.

If signal strength is good, an indoor antenna might work. Hence the calls to TV stations. Outdoor antennas can be higher, which can matter a lot if there is anything blocking the line of sight. That is their biggest advantage. They can also be more sensitive. In most cases a "yagi" antenna, multiple parallel elements on a boom, will be best. The trade for increased sensitivity is directionality. Worst case if you are trying to receive multiple weak signals in different directions, an antenna rotor might be required.

Channel Master and Winegard are long-established and respected manufacturers. I would look at them first. Avoid antennas that look like they were designed by artists instead of radio engineers, because they probably were.

 

[street]

Thanks I will look into those options.

I have found Sling as an option for news etc. using internet system. Anyone have or use this??

 

[njhowie]

Visit tvfool.com, plug in your address and review what it says you can receive and the distances. This will give you a better idea of what kind of antenna will give you the best reception for the price.

 

[Freedom56]

Thanks I will look into those options.

I have found Sling as an option for news etc. using internet system. Anyone have or use this??

I used Sling when it first came out. I dumped them a long time ago. It really didn't offer any advantages over cable TV. Prices kept going up. The picture quality wasn't that great. If you just want free cable news, just use Pluto. If you want local news, Locast is a good option. If you just want news without the 2 minute sound bites, just stream PBS.

 

[street]

Thank you so much all this info really helps. I did check what I would receive with an antenna and looks like two channels. I could live with that but my wife enjoys her TV. She said this morning that she will look into what we would like to do and our options and come up with a plan.

 

[JoeWras]

In the end, the antenna that works for you is the correct antenna.

I'm not trying to be a wise guy. It is just the nature of the beast. Sometimes the problem is the signal is weak, so you want a big antenna with enough gain to pick it up. Other times you get multi-path interference, and a weak gain antenna is actually better in these cases. It is enough to drive you crazy.

For my EE degree, I was required to take "Field Theory." I hated that course with every ounce of my being. I have no idea how I passed. Engineers and technologists who excel in this stuff are geniuses in my book and worth every penny they get paid.

 

[pb4uski]

Here is a good site for looking at streaming options: suppose.tv

You input your zip code and your must have channels and the number of streams that you need and it tells you the streaming packages that closest fit your needs.

What does your wife watch for tv?

Worst case, you could go streaming with YouTubeTV that would give you your locals and a good selection of cable channels for $65month.

 

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

I bought a $12 amplified flat antenna on Amazon a couple pf years ago not expecting much but willing to give it a try. At the time we had 3 analog and 2 small local digital channels here and it picked them all up, digital comes in great analog not so much. It was fine for emergencies and then along came locast.org which is amazing and well worth $5.50 donation. If it's available to you I highly recommend it, I get over 50 channels from Los Angeles. Meantime the guy that runs our low power non profit public TV translator system was able to get some financial support to finally upgrade to digital and I'm now getting two of the major networks over the air with an amazing picture on that cheap antenna with the rest coming soon. I've already bought a more expensive outdoor one that will feed all rooms but not planning to install it till the upgrade is finished. Check with your neighbors and see if any are getting free over the air TV, I found that the info on TV fool and some others was so out of date and totally useless to me. This is the brand that I got and I just taped it in the window.
https://www.amazon.com/ViewTV-VERSI...ywords=view+tv+antenna&qid=1606862259&sr=8-13

 

[rk911]

Does anyone use or have an experience with outdoor antenna for TV watching and for local news??

I did see a thread on who pays for news. I just got a notice my local cable outfit is raising rates by 40$ a month starting January. I'm not sure I will be going alone with that price hike. At 480$ increase a year I could buy or install something that I could get local news and a few channels I would hope.

we have cable but also a roof mounted antenna as a plan b in case the cable goes out. buy a quality antenna, quality coaxial cable (RG-6) and mount it as high as you can.

 

[street]

I live in the sticks and coverage is iffy at best even with a cell phone. I know where the spot are to get a call or text to fly out of here.

I'm looking and researching all the great info you folks have offered.

 

[Ready]

Are there any free or low cost streaming services that offer recording capabilities?

 

[rk911]

I live in the sticks and coverage is iffy at best even with a cell phone. I know where the spot are to get a call or text to fly out of here.

I'm looking and researching all the great info you folks have offered.

for OTA TV in the boonies HAAT (height above averagw terrain) is your best ally. the higher the antenna the better. live in a highly wooded area? higher. live in tne desert? less height. you might consider a 30'-50' tower with the a quality antenna, coax and rotor.

 

[Jerry1]

https://www.fcc.gov/media/engineering/dtvmaps

Use the link above to see what OTA channels are available at your location. The website is very pessimistic on what you can receive, so you will likely be able to get several more than it says. (Note: click on each individual channel for more info).

^^This^^. Reviewing that site not only let me know what channels I could get, it shows how far away they are and what direction they are in. I’m lucky in that my local station have their antennas clustered in a general area NE of me. With this site, I was able to aim an antenna (put it in my attic) right in the middle of the grouping and I’m getting very good reception. Your results may vary, however, that site is a great place to start at no upfront cost.

 

[PaunchyPirate]

I bought this more than a year ago. I get 29 over the air channels from 2 different geographic markets. I get all the networks plus a bunch of misc channels that tend to show older TV series. I couldn’t be happier. I mounted it on my deck and not the roof. I ran coax cable through the wall into my basement and then used a splitter to run it into 2 different rooms. I then used a powered signal amplifier to boost the signal a little. I don’t miss cable at all.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/antenn...or-hdtv-antenna-black/5894080.p?skuId=5894080

 

[street]

Interesting!!! All info very helpful!

Has anyone here use DISH as a TV supplier If so do you have to buy the Dish and or any other equipment for installation?? I can't seem to find that answer on their site. They do all free installation from outside to inside free of charge up to 6 rooms.

 

[UnrealizedPotential]

I live in the sticks and coverage is iffy at best even with a cell phone. I know where the spot are to get a call or text to fly out of here.

I'm looking and researching all the great info you folks have offered.

There are places called "hot spots", even in low reception areas that for some unknown reason some signals appear. If the particular spot you are talking about is not too far away from your home, maybe you can experiment a little. If it is, you can still search for some hot spots, although admittedly that usually requires a technician to help.

I have heard of of people living in the San Fernando Valley near Los Angeles that ran coaxial cable down off a nearby hill just so they could get some stations. 99 % of the time the higher up you go with an antenna the better chance of reception you have, but not always. There were some viewers down in San Diego that got channel 13 by having it only 10 or 12 feet high in the air. Any higher and the signal was lost completely. I should add that the signal was also subject to fading at times, but when you are desperate for signals you will take anything you can get. I doubt if that works now in the digital age. The point being is you have to experiment because each location for TV reception is unique.

 

[pb4uski]

We had DISH TV for years and dropped them last summer. Overall pretty reliable. Usually the equipment and installation for up to 4 TVs are free as long as you sign up for a 2 year contract. Tends to get pricey with multiple TVs as equipment costs add up.

IMO, if you have good internet then YTTV for $65/month is a better option. Our Dish TV was also $65/month for two TVs, but we had a skinny programming package that I don't think they offer to new customers anymore.

 

[street]

^ Gotcha.