Reddit mentions: The best tv antennas

> 3, 10, and 17

they are super easy to get

so you had dish and then you got cable tv?
as long as your cable tv / internet is not on the same coax you should be good... I considered a roof antenna but we get crazy winds here because we have no hills like you do.. 50+miles of wind building up as it moves from maryland to delaware means all winter we get these crazy gusts all the time.

Honestly heh i wonder how much grounding really matters but if I had a roof antenna they make surge protectors with coax connections.. I would use one of them if i had an outside antenna...

If you use the attic then you don't have to ground it but you could ground it if you want.

there are two reasons you need to ground your outside antenna... first is lightning strikes .. direct and anything within like 100 feet can send a charge right into your tv and burn it out.... the second reason which I did not understand at first is that wind across an antenna can build up a ton of static and that can burn out your tv tuner.

If you are in the attic you don't have to deal with either of those problems.. however you might get as much as 50% better reception on the roof than in an attic.

We have a steep roof but we have trusses in the attic.. its a crisscross of triangular supports every like 2 feet wide for the rafters but the rafters do have some large openings.. so i have to fish the antennas through them and assemble them in the attic piece by piece and then slightly bend some of the longest dipoles which is not good but i have no choice.. the are wedged in there real tight heh

you know you can hook your tv antenna to a radio .. we use to have a stereo tuner that had a connection for that and it worked well

it kinda sucks that philly and allentown are on the same path because if they weren't you could amp the philly antenna and keep the allentown one without an amp and get them all pretty strong.. if you are on the same path then if you amp for philly you might overload the allentown stations..

did you run your www.tvfool.com report using your coordinates? you can find your coordianates by finding your home on Google Maps and then click your home and it will display your coordinates like 35.0003, -71.2535 or something and you put that in the tvfool and it will show you your nmDB signal strengths .. now I will tell you tvfool is not the most accurate now but that nmDB rating .. if your signals from Allentown are over 60nmdb then you probably shouldn't amp because you have a limit of about 90db on your tv tuner for maximum... and then you have to add a buffer because signals change.. so figure 80db very maximum or 75 safe... ok so you say 75maximum ... your antenna adds maybe 7db so you subtract that from 75dbmax and you end up with 68db .... so what you have to do is make sure none of your stations are coming in stronger than 68db maximum... ok so you look at your TVFool report and you see WFMZ channel 9 is coming in at 45nmdb and that is your strongest station.. so you subtract 45nmdb from your 68db max and you end up with 23db that you have to play with... ok so 23db


you could get a piece of crap like this heheheh
25db amplifier ... BUT it has a little dial on it that lets you adjust the gain so you crank it back to 50% and you end up with 12-15 db boost.

https://www.amazon.com/Skywalker-Signature-SKY38323-Amplifier-variable/dp/B008UDF55E

that small amount of boost might be enough to get you some philly stations and not overload your allentown stations.... maybe... heh

or you can get an amp like this

https://www.amazon.com/RCA-TVPRAMP1Z-Preamplifier-Outdoor-Antenna/dp/B003P92D9Y

and as you can see it has two separate inputs.. one is for two antennas where you have a VHF and a UHF antenna... and the other is for an antenna that does both UHF and VHF...

Ok so channel 6 WPVI is actually on VHF but so is 9 WFMZ so hmmm rethinking this as i write it.. not sure seperating the antennas and this amp would filter out UHF signals BUT

hmm LVT is on 39 hmm no it is actually on 9 with WFMZ ...

you might have a possibility if you used that RCA one and switched it so it was separate VHF UHF .. and then hooked an Antenna to the UHF Side you might not amp Channel 9 which is pretty much every station out of Allentown


VHF 9 broadcasts these virtual channels

35-1 MHZ MHz Worldview
35-2 WORLD World Channel
39-1 WLVT-DT PBS "PBS 39"
39-2 Create Create
39-3 FRAN24 France24
60-1 WBPH-D1 Religious "WBPH"
60-2 WPBH-D2 Religious "Radiant TV"
69-1 WFMZ-HD Independent "WFMZ 69"
69-2 WFMZ-AW Weather "69News Weather Channel"
69-3 WFMZ-HI Heroes & Icons

so all those channels above are actually being broadcast over Channel 9
and then your tv converts it to whatever station on your tv because there is a code inside the signal that tells it put this WLVT on 39 but its really coming in on 9 VHF


ok that might work

filter out VHF on one of your antennas... and then don't amp an antenna

you are using 2 right?

and then amp the one that you want to be UHF put it through that amp on the UHF connection.. idk might work might not .. might amp everything... but you can always return it to amazon easy...

then you could amp all the stations on UHF from Philly .. check again

7 WNEP is on VHF Allentown

Only problem you might run into is in Reading.. Channel 24 rebroadcasts all those Channel 9 WFMZ stations but maybe you don't get hit by that idk its only a 5kilowatt antenna probably to help reception in the hills around reading but I can't say for sure...


SO.................................. HA!

im i making your decisions even harder than you thought they were? HAHAHAHAHA



ok so the page I am reading is www.rabbitears.info and the philly market


https://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?mktid=4

it gives general info

The Physical channel column is the one you are concerned with

you will see a lot of the stations near you are reporting 9 (G) as their physical channel

WPVI is on VHF 6 if you can grab that with your vhf antenna and get 1-2 bars out of 5 on your tv it should lock pretty well under most circumstances you have another ABC you might get too


and then you can run a antenna which you amp on UHF and that should improve a lot of stations out of philly for you ....

IF that RCA Amp works like that .. I truly forget but I have owned one .. I am pretty sure it will amp VHF and UHF on separate antennas or amp everything / both VHF UHF on a single antenna

But Amping UHF and keeping VHF unamped seems to be your solution to better reception from Philly and maybe you can't get ABC 6 WPVI .. but maybe you can.


if you tried that RCA Amp you have to open it to switch it from 1 antenna to separate antennas .. they ship it as an amp for a single antenna amping both VHF and UHF ..


anyway you can see i like antennas heh ... see what your tvfool says for signal strength .. mount your antennas and use a combiner to combine them both into a single coax out ... has to say in and out on each port.

https://www.amazon.com/CHANNEL-2532-2-Way-Splitter-Combiner/dp/B00006JPE1


then run that to whatever... see what you get

if its not great then maybe you try that amp to boost your UHF stations from Philly

idk heh

Wish you good luck ... screw paying for tv :o)

Oh man. Brace yourselves, I am a total Amazon junkie. (Note: These may not all be BIFL, but I'm responding to the OP in specific.)

• $9 butter keeper. (I bought a slightly different one that's no longer available, but it's the same basic design.) Keeping butter that isn't for cooking or baking in the fridge is for chumps. Mine is always perfectly spreadable room temperature while staying fresh for weeks... sometimes months.
  
  
• $9 TV antenna. I didn't own a TV until a few years ago, and it didn't have a built-in antenna. I don't watch much broadcast TV, so I grabbed the cheapest one I could find. Case in point for why digital is better than analog, this one picks up every digital channel perfectly.
  
  
• $13 shoe rack (now $18). Over the past year of living in this flat, I'd developed a bad tendency of kicking my shoes off at the bottom of the stairs just inside the front door. This looked like a cheap piece of shit, but I figured for the price I couldn't go wrong. Now almost every single pair of shoes I own is in one spot where it's easy to grab—and, more importantly, everything's out of the way of people coming in and out of the house.
  
  
• $14 jug of earplugs (50 pair). Essential for sleeping with the window open in loud neighborhoods, sharing rooms with snoring friends on a trip, or sharing beds with snoring dudes or gals you're sleeping with. These were also my go-to earplugs for shows until I got a pair that's better for listening to music.
  
  
• $22 electric kettle. The coffeemaker in our office puts out water that isn't nearly hot enough for a proper cuppa, and I got sick of microwaving it to boiling a mug's worth at a time. No bells and whistles, but it's performed perfectly since day one, with no breaking-in period like you get with kettles that have plastic parts in contact with the water.
  
  
• $32 32'/10m HDMI cable. Ran it between the computer in my bedroom and the TV in my living room, allowing me to watch all kinds of streaming TV and downloaded videos with friends in a spot more comfortable than standing in front of my desk.
  
  
• Slightly over the $50 limit, but $53 space heater. My best friend and roommate is one of those dudes who's built like a furnace, and our place uses radiators for heat. We had a few days of him sweating his ass off even with the thermostat set to 68, before I realized that we could just turn it way the hell down, and I could heat my own bedroom separately. This sucker dumps out a ton of heat, with a slew of features to sweeten the deal (my favorite being the remote control).
  
  
• Another that's slightly over, but $55 garment steamer. Collapses small enough to fit pretty much anywhere I've ever needed to store it, puts out steam within maybe 30 seconds of turning it on, and with a full tank has enough water to steam as many items as I've ever needed to do in a row. I haven't touched my iron once since I bought this thing, and my only regret is not buying one as soon as I started college over a decade ago.
  
  And, saving the best for last:
  
  
• $43 heated footrest. Hands-down, this is one of the best things I've ever bought in my life. I was looking for an unobtrusive, unobnoxious way to help myself stay warm in the office, which tends to be chillier than my taste year-round. When I opened it up, I was skeptical, since it looked like a cheap injection-molded piece of shit. Now, I'm pretty sure I'd rescue it from a fire before my mother. I don't want to imagine ever trying to get through another winter without it.
  
  ----------
  
  EDIT: As requested by /u/Mogrix, I posted List Part II: Electric Boogaloo, with more items from my Amazon history.

Totally doable, but know that neighborhood and elevation will matter. I bought a refurb of a Winegard FL5500C for ~$25 that is essentially the same as the Amazon amplified antenna. If you can afford to wait check 1sale.com and slickdeals.net regularly, one will pop up for cheap.

Take your time and experiment patiently with placement. Second floor would've been most convenient for me but when I moved it to a window on the third floor over a lot of my neighbors' rooftops in Graduate Hospital, I got better results and a few more channels -- about 55 in total including all subchannels. A lot of those are 24/7 infomercial, religious, or foreign language, but there are some hidden gems. Channel 35 has multiple English-language subchannels of 24/7 news including France24 and NHK (Japan).

Another bit of info that doesn't surface often with these Leaf-type antennae is that you get much better reception if you keep the lead wire running in taut, straight lines. Not sure what the signal theory behind that is, but before I secured my lead to the window frame and it curled in lazy circles, my reception was spotty.

If your final placement ends up being convenient to a coax outlet, it might be worthwhile to plug in and distribute reception to the whole house/apartment, unless you have cable internet. Cable companies including Comcast use the same frequency bands for cable internet as OTA HDTV, and your TV signal will get stepped on if you try to share the line. I found that out the hard way.

Finally, if you like what you get over the air, think about possibly eventually hooking up a DVR solution to ease the transition from cable. I got an HDHomerun Plus and a Synology NAS that work together with Raspberry Pi boards connected to my TVs running XBMC. The end result is a whole-house DVR system with program guide that looks and feels very much like cable/satellite with the bonus of being able to watch on laptops/phones/tablets. It dumps recordings to H.264 MKV files on my NAS that I can copy and take with me. It's worked so beautifully for me that I've been meaning to put together a howto of my whole project but just haven't gotten around to it yet. In the meantime I'd be happy to answer any questions.

I hope this info is at least a little helpful. Sorry for the text wall, I guess I have a lot of info to dump since I just completed the transition myself. Good luck!

Long story short, my front left tower has a damaged tweeter and my google skills cannot find the replacement available for sale.

1. What is your budget?

I am open to spending up to $1500.

2. What are you looking for?

I want a new LCR and I think I am leaning towards floor speakers sa I have kids and bookshelves on stands seem WAY more likely to get knocked over. I COULD mount some speakers on the wall, but again... they might be likely to hang on to them. (Kids. Not Even Once.) Also I am NOT interested in ATMOS at this time.

All in I think I prefer the ease of use with the towers but I dont know if they are the best bang for the buck for me as my subwoofer handles the bottom end pretty well.

3. How will you typically be using the gear?

I use it for home theater (Movies and Games) 50% and music the other 50%.

4. What gear do you own?

• Denon AVR‑X2100W
  
• Pioneer SP-FS52 Andrew Jones x2
  
• Pioneer SP-C22 Andrew Jones
  
• Pioneer (AJs) SP-BS52 Andrew Jones x2 (as rear surrounds)
  
• HSU VTF-15H Subwoofer
  
  5. What do you intend on using for a source?
  
  I stream Spotify Premium or use my PS4 for BlueRay, Games, Netflix and Youtube (mostly kids).
  
  6. What material will you be using your gear for?
  
  In order of importance I think I want movies, music and gaming. Lately I have been listening to a lot of
  
  7. Are you willing to buy used?
  
  Yes. My problem with used research is there are SOOOO many brands and models for me to lookup on a price/sound ratio that I quickly get inundated.
  
  All in I have been thinking about updating my setup for a while, and this tweeter issue is a perfect excuse.
  I have a buddy using the HSU 5.1 and it sounds great. Otherwise I don't have much exposure to a lot of other brands (and there seem to be a LOT of them).
  
  As of right now the following combinations have caught my attention:
  
  
• HSU CCB-8 x 3 (so matching center on its side) (also these are not out yet... so minimal reviews)
  
• ELAC B6 pair with C5 Center
  
• ELAC UB5 pair with UC5 Center
  
• ELAC F6 with C5 Center
  
• ELAC UF5 pair with UC5 Center
  
  What other speakers should I consider? Or is there a clear winner?
  

Sorry, I can't comment on LP Techshield, but I was looking for attic antennas about a week ago. before I ordered anything I decided to do a test in my attic with my older, standard mohu leaf antenna. I'm about 27 miles away from my local transmitter and all the channels came in perfectly clear.

If you currently have an antenna you can test with maybe you can go over to the house and test with your antenna and a small TV to see if you can pick up any channels. It's hard to say though because interference will vary in any indoor placement so you don't know until you try.

I did an amazon search for attic antennas and this one popped up with good reviews so I ordered it. http://www.amazon.com/GE-33692-Antenna-Compact-Enhanced/dp/B00DNJZ58M

I should have it sometime next week so I'll try to remember to report back, but if my leaf can pick up everything, then this antenna should work great.

I would recommend starting with the antenna I linked to and see if it works. You can always return it. Home Depot has the same antenna available for online order and would probably be an easier return process in store if you wanted to go that route.

Also, I've seen people hang larger, exterior antennas in their attic. Doing that might pick up a better signal if you end up having signal issues.

Good luck!

> I don't pay for cable so I have nothing to record

I don't pay for cable either. I use an antenna and I get about 30 channels.

>Private torrents have every show I've ever wanted basically unless it's some weird British show that I couldn't even DVR here even if I had cable ..

Well I happen to work in the industry, and I feel for me to pirate that programming would be a bit hypocritical of me.

AFAIK, however, you don't really see much pirating of shows like Meet the Press, nor do I easily see any ability to get any locally produced programming via pirating, including programs I worked on.

There's also a lot of oddball stuff that just isn't out there, or shows I just want to casually use as sort of background noise.

And then there's the fact this isn't using up some of my bandwidth cap with my ISP.

>I understand how the DVR is useful, but it's a lot of money/setup and again I don't want to pay for cable.

Well good news, it's not that big a deal. There are very basic and simple DVRs like the HomeWorx HW-150PVR, where all you have to do is add a USB hard disk. Pop an antenna and you're set. All done!

Or you can go a little more advanced. Get yourself a used computer for like $100 (I see some Core 2 Duo Mac Minis going for $100 and under on eBay, if you want something smaller), add a TV tuner (HDHomeRun Connect going for $77 on Amazon) and an antenna (I like the Winegard Flatwave since it has VHF elements in it and I live on the far side of the metro from the towers, $35 on Amazon, but depending on where you live you might only need an straightened out paperclip) and load it up with some software. You could use NextPVR if you want to stay in Windows, or if you're crafty you can use MythTV in Linux. If you like Linux, but aren't super confident you can use a pre-rolled distro like MythBuntu that has MythTV preinstalled and steps you through everything.

So that's about $200, plus $25/yr if you want more robust TV listings from SchedulesDirect (which I recommend). That's not that expensive, especially when you consider that's the price of a mid-range gaming GPU, and people spend twice that much on game consoles.

You could probably get that down a little cheaper if you look at busted laptops or trawled Craigslist for used PCs. You could run this on a Raspberry Pi if it had more RAM and faster USB disk access.

>Plus most WEB-DL's often look way better than any 1080p HDTV rip I've seen lately.

You should check your local broadcasters. They may be better than you realize.

I would have to do a scan, but I have this antenna and love it.

https://www.amazon.com/Element-Bowtie-Indoor-Outdoor-Antenna/dp/B00C4XVOOC/

Its about as powerful of an antenna as you can get and the real nice thing is that the 2 elements can be rotated at different towers. For example I am up near springfield so basically without going to an omnidirectional antenna I needed something that could pick up almost 180* and was finding that especially in the rain this was not working with the other antennas that I tried.

With this one however I have had great luck picking up over 60 channels. I havent bothered mapping them all as many of them are duplicates, but I am quiet impressed with the signal strength and quality.

Its not specifically tuned for VHF, but it will typically pick them up.

http://forums.solidsignal.com/showthread.php/4336-Hands-on-with-the-Antennas-Direct-DB8e-part-2-Testing

If need be, they sell a $15 VFH upgrade kit for it as well.

https://www.antennasdirect.com/store/VHF-Antenna-Kit.html

I live pretty close to the corner of Fairfield and Gulf Beach, so I wouldn't say that makes me the definitive authority for the West Pensacola/NAS area on antenna television, but I think it makes me pretty close to being an expert on the subject.

This is the model of antenna I have, made by Terk. The main element is relatively average in size, as illustrated by the picture taken with the water bottles. If I were to estimate, though, I would say it's about 12" tall and 18" wide and deep. The "rabbit ear" elements, though, are inestimably tall. It sits on top of our rather large (6' tall) entertainment center and easily can touch the ceiling with them. Fully extended, though, they're probably about 36" long, each.

Now for what matters: reception. In all honesty, it's not entirely bad. I regularly receive: 3.1, 3.2, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 15.1, 15.2, 21.1-5, 23.1-4, 33.1, 35.1, 35.2, 42.1-3, 44.1, 55.1, 55.2, and 58.1. All-in-all, not too bad. Now for the bad news: there are a couple of channels that are intermittent, if present at all. Fox is one of those channels. As a fan of football, this infuriates me! So I researched the signal levels for our area. Alas, Fox is one of the weakest stations for our area. It's based out of the west end of Mobile. So, unfortunately, if you're like me and are craving any shows from Fox (like my fiancee does for Glee), you're going to have no choice but to go with an outdoor antenna.

If you want to shop for that locally, try RadioShack. Truthfully a great selection there. Otherwise, every review I've gone over has pointed that the model of indoor antenna I have is one of the best on the market. Good luck out there!

Well, you're really close to the towers for the main stations, i.e., ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, PBS, CW, and they're all basically in the same direction in Austin. So you should do fine with this antenna which is a directional one. It's highly rated: https://www.walmart.com/ip/RCA-Suburban-Mini-Yagi-Digital-Outdoor-Antenna-with-Mast/10828410 See also https://www.amazon.com/RCA-Compact-Outdoor-Antenna-Range/dp/B0024R4B5C for further confirmation of the excellent user reviews.

I went ahead and paid an extra $10 to buy it in-store at Walmart (versus ordering through Amazon) to have the convenience of easily being able to return it if it didn't work out (happily, it works great). And I added this to it at the TV end: https://www.walmart.com/ip/ONN-Digital-Signal-Amplifier-for-Indoor-Antennas/139204884 (Note: I know it says it's intended for "indoor" antennas; but as far as I know the TV signal from the antenna is simply a signal--and this simply boosts it. But then again I'm about 27 miles from the big four network towers in Manhattan. In your case it could boost some channels farther away that without it are on the margin, and get them to come in consistently clearly. In-store it was only $13.)

But there are other antennas out there that regularly get recommended here, and others will come along and recommend them I'm sure. Just sharing what worked for me. At only six and a half miles from the towers this antenna should more than get the job done.

I guess you could get a more powerful omni-directional antenna if you're determined to get as many stations as possible. For OTA TV I just watch the stations for the main networks that give me the best reception. I could care less about the independent UHF stations which usually broadcast in painfully low resolutions (even if they do come in strong and clear), with content that doesn't interest me. I just want OTA channels for local sports. For most of our TV watching we're watching Sling TV or Amazon Prime, anyway.

Do you have a satellite dish on the side of the house of the roof that is no longer being used? If so, there are YT videos that walk you through (easily) removing the dish and hooking up an OTA antenna in its place on the dish mounting frame.

I live in a studio apartment in NYC so right now I just use my ThinkPad and connect it to my TV via a DisplayPort to HDMI cable. I tend to delete stuff right after I watch it, so I don't really have a need for that much space. I also share a Netflix account with my sister and I have Amazon Prime, so I will go to those services first before downloading something. I also have an Xbox that sometimes carries the load and I will typically stream those services through it. Then I have a Mohu Leaf antenna to watch live sports on the networks (the uncompressed quality on that can be amazing). Most of the shows me and my girlfriend watch we get through downloading via the pirate bay or other sources after it airs. We both tend to work late so this works out fairly well and we don't have to wait like 8 days or something silly, they're right up in HD a few minutes after airing.

Right now it is mostly a manual process. Our building has free FiOs WiFi so everything just gets connected to that (and as a result that's why things like chromecast, apple TV, or streaming from the PC to the Xbox won't work). I am a big football and hockey fan who live out of market from my home teams, so those are really the only two services I consider purchasing directly from their sources. (But to be honest, this past season I just used VLC to stream the Gamecenter NHL games and the Netherlands VPN trick combined with the Madden 25 deal to watch NFL).

If this was to be more of a "permanent" setting though, I would definitely look to upgrade to a stand-alone PC that would solely function as an HTPC. Also, as I said, my process right now is pretty manual. I would love to have it be more of an automated process, and having a dedicated machine with a larger hard drive would help. But right now this fits my needs fairly well and has a minimal impact on my wallet. If you'd like to know more or want to build your own, check out:

• /r/htpc
  
• /r/cordcutters
  
• /r/hometheater
  
• /r/buildapc
  
• /r/Plex
  
• /r/xbmc
  
• /r/seedboxes
  
• /r/torrents
  
• /r/BaconBits
  
• /r/thepiratebay
  
• /r/VPN
  
  For specific streaming info for the NHL and NFL:
  
  
• /r/hockey/wiki/vlc
  
• /r/FMstreams
  
• /r/cordcutters/comments/2cstpa/nfl_20142015_guide

Find out if your local public library uses Hoopla (a Netflix-like service that has movies, TV shows, audio books, etc.) and if it does, get yourself a free library card and you will have a nice library of movies and shows at your disposal. My local library just became a part of this last week so I've only begun exploring it, but it's pretty sweet. And free.


If you have a friend who has Comcast or a similar cable provider, ask nicely for their log-in and you can stream some live cable TV channels and have access to almost-full current TV series. My father was kind enough to lend me his username and password, but I admit that I rarely use this for anything other than watching films that haven't yet arrived on Netflix or Amazon Prime.


And, obviously, get yourself an OTA. I have this one on one TV and this one on another TV. Both are great, and both are inexpensive.

Ok, here's a plan that will cost you NOTHING if you don't like it.

Assumption: Your TV has an HD Tuner built-in, this is key. Let me know if you need more clarification on this.

Go somewhere and get an "HD Antenna." They range from thin indoor panels to big gaudy outdoor arrays. Make sure they have a powered amplifier as well (think most do). I would recommend a store first, so you can try one (smaller/cheaper), then take it back if it doesn't work out and try another, once you've found the perfect one, either keep it or buy it online for 50% of the store cost. There are a LOT out there, and the right one depends on a LOT of variables (elevation, obstructions, interference, etc). I have the Terk Klingon Sword looking one. It's more of a directional antenna, but works fine pointing North to split the difference of the two closest sources. I have mine pointing out a window, and then have it plugged into the the main splitter of the house (outdoor TWC junction box) to feed to all my TVs. The good thing is, you only need one antenna. Point it where you think first, then do a channel scan. Your TV should have a signal meter. May take two people yelling if your antenna is far away from your TV. Too far one way may mean Channels from the East coming in great, and Channels from the West not coming in at all. Fine tune and then repeat the channel scan to find the sweet spot! It may take a couple hours, but just think of the pleasure you'll get from never paying for cable and calling TWC up to tell them to go Fuck themselves!

Just message me if you have any more questions or need more details. I have 4 HD TVs and they all receive CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX, PBS, WJZY, UNC, and more off that one antenna.

Also, don't get too discouraged if the first one doesn't work worth a shit, I tried a flat panel one first and it wasn't worth a SHIT. Then I tried another terrible one with the same result. Good Luck!

I see that motivational speaker career is paying off!....

You have "line of sight" to the KHOU transmitters (which is good), but you're about 30 miles away. That's probably too far for a consistent signal with a window or attic antenna, especially on a VHF signal.

But a rooftop antenna should easily be able to pull in such a strong signal (and all your other stations). How about a Clearstream 2V or Winegard 7694p or 7698p strapped to your chimney or on a roof mount, with a RCA Preamp 1. A preamp locks in the signal you receive at the antenna so you don't bleed signal on the coaxial run to your television or at the splitters.

Point the antenna at 178 degrees using your iPhone compass app or install an Android compass app. On the roof, it'll pull in all your signals nicely because they all come from the same location.

FYI - the Clearstream is the nicest looking, but remember that federal law protects your right to put up pretty much any OTA antenna you want on your roof -- no matter what your HOA, city, or landlord prefer. FCC link 1 FCC link 2

FYI 2 -- if you previously had DirecTV or Dish Network, you might be able to re-use their rooftop mount and coaxial cable runs, assuming that their pole/mount gives you a clear, unobstructed view toward 178 degrees. You'll just need to swap out any Direct/Dish splitters/amplifiers for your own splitter or connector.

You would want to do the front three at the same time ideally. Then the sub or surrounds.

You have a pretty big room I would consider doing three centers $80 if you want to stay with Micca as a brand. The extra driver helps increase efficiency. I know it only lists a 1db gain but it seemed to make a difference when I did it. You'll also get better bass response from the larger cab.

Then again if you have $500 to upgrade the front three you have some better options.

• Boston Acoustics - CS26 $105 x2 & a CS225C center $120 or three centers if you wanted to.
  
  
• ELAC - B5 $230 & a C5 center $180
  
  
• EMPTek - R5b $225 & a R5ci center$200
  
  
• Klipsch - R-14m $100 $ a R-25C center $250 Note that I only recommend these because they are efficient and with a larger room that works better. If you are interested you need to go listen to them as the horn tweeter can be too much for some people.

Those flat things, are good for 5-10 miles at best to work the way they are advertised, ie: connect and get 100 channels! Reality, is that they can perform decently at about upto 20 miles or so if you have an amplified one, and stations and conditions. I happen to be 20 +- miles from my local TX farm. With a cheapo flat flimsy plastic thing with an amp. I got 28 of 55 channels in my zone. Some were pixelly some would work at times. Some would come and go depending on placement of the anntena. It was enough to convince me that going full OTA would be worth the investment.

So what you need to get is a nice decent antenna.

This will be a good one for you:

https://www.amazon.com/RCA-Compact-Outdoor-Antenna-Range/dp/B0024R4B5C

I have it and it performs, outstanding! I get 55 channels, out of the 55 in the area. There are few more LPTV's in another direction, which are more jesus freaks so I don't care.

I get one station which I didn't even think would come in regardless of the various sites, at about 50 miles. Mine is located 15 feet up using an old DBS J Pole mount, and a pole extension. No preamp. This antenna includes the mount. I personally would suggest that you also get:

https://www.3starinc.com/satellite-dish-antenna-swaged-ground-pole-mast-166-od.html?filter=%26fd9%3D51

And use it with the mount included with the antenna. Fit the pipe into the mount, use a rubber mallet and drive it in. THEN drill a hole through the mount and pipe. Tighten up. Then mount the antenna to the top.

To point the antenna I'd split the difference and aim it about 30 degrees MAGNETIC. You can get a decent compass application in Google Application Store for your phone.

That should cover the bases for all the major stuff. Big5, and the important subnets like Cozi, Decades, AntennaTV etc..

Be sure to run RG6 cable.

Inf FL I would also strongly suggest this for lighting:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0016AIYU6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Along with PROPER GROUNDING rod and grounding of the mount per NEC and local code!

Dang, your signals from the SSE are strong and close. /u/Mr_You recommended bunny ears to me a week or so ago and I tried it but it wasn't quite good enough (I got ABC and FOX but nothing else...most of my signals were 20-30 miles out). I wanted to watch the football games this weekend so I got the best I could find from Walmart: this.



Once I got it hooked up, pointed toward my closest stations and positioned high enough I got a CRYSTAL clear, HD picture. I'm still amazed.



EDIT: It's not the antenna I was planning on getting but it seems to be working fine and is what I will stick with. This RCA and This AntennaCraft were the two I was deciding between. But, honestly, with how close you are to so many stations, I think the bunny ears should do the trick. If you feel like spending $40-$50 to get a solid antenna, by all means do that, but I think you'll be good with something cost-effective (which doesn't mean cheap).

Hey I got the same TV, 55" though. Surround channels can also be 90 degrees from you like this.

Do you have any 4k content? Older / cheaper receivers might not support it. I don't personally have much experience with any other receiver than my own (Marantz NR1504), but I'd suggest something from A4S around $300. Marantz, Denon, and Yamaha are generally solid choices. If you're unsure about anyone feel free to ask.

With about ~$400 left for speakers, you can go about this a couple of ways. First is a 2.0 with the best LR speakers you can get. This is the best option if you're willing to spend more money in the future to buy the center / sub. SVS Prime / Elac UniFi UB5 are both $500 retail, but you can likely find them for cheaper used on amazon, or direct from SVS Outlet. Both speakers have matching centers that can be bought afterwards.

If you'd like a more complete system, I'll recommend a 3.0 and a 2.1 system soley because I don't think it's worth trying to squeeze a full 3.1 in at the moment. Do you plan on mostly watching movies or listening to music? Center vs Sub is going to be dependent on your use case.

For a 3.0, I'd recommend the Elac Debut Line. For main speakers, Elac B5 or B6. B6 costs more but is going to have more bass, which makes up for not having a sub. This is the matching center.

For a 2.1 system, I'd still recommend going with either the B5 or B6, but instead of the center grab this sub.

You'll still need to buy speaker wire, but that's dirt cheap.

> so I picked up a cheap indoor antenna

This is why you're having trouble picking up local stations.

Cheap antennas are only good in two situations: Either you live right next door to the only television station you want to watch, or you need to hook something up to your TV in an emergency (power outage, moving and haven't set up cable service yet, cable outage, etc).

If you're going to use an antenna as your primary source for television, you need to invest in a good antenna. A $15 indoor antenna might've cut it decades ago back when there were only three channels and no wireless interference from things like cellphones, microwaves and home routers, but they don't cut it anymore.

[This Terk amplified antenna] (http://www.amazon.com/Amplified-High-Definition-Antenna-Off-Air-Reception/dp/B0007MXZB2) remains one of the best on the market. You can pick one up at Fry's or Best Buy for around $80, or on Amazon for $40.

You mentioned you live in an apartment and, unfortunately, this alone could limit your ability to pull in certain channels. Since your apartment tends to face only one or two directions, your line of sight to the broadcast towers for your area could be really limited. The good news is you're well within your right to put an antenna [like this one] (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007VTXUJ6?psc=1) outdoors. A landlord can only restrict what you attach to the building, so how you put it up is something you'd have to think about.

Last, are you sure your complex doesn't receive basic cable for free? A lot of landlords cut deals with the cable company to provide basic cable to tenants for free, mainly so the landlord doesn't have to deal with antenna and satellite dish issues. If you receive basic cable, it would solve your issue of getting some of the networks. If not, I'd highly recommend the Terk amplified antenna linked above.

I'm in Lenexa and use this antenna: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000GIT002/ I am able to get every OTA station in KC without any issues. There are ultimately three issues that can cause poor reception. The first is being outside the range of the towers...which we know isn't the issue. The second is line of sight. The best TV antennas are directional, like the one above, so it needs to be pointed in the direction of the tower, with nothing between the antenna and the tower, and as high above the ground as possible. This also helps with issue number three, which is multipathing. This might be unavoidable if you live in a densely populated area, or near high rises. The TV signal from the tower bounces off of objects before getting to your antenna. But, the antenna also receives the original signal. It sends the reflected signals as well as the original signal to the tuner, which goes, "what the fuck?" As ATSC standards have matured, more recent generations of tuners better handle multipathing issues. TLDR: Buy this antenna, put it outside, point it toward the towers, enjoy free TV, and then figure out why and how it works. It's pretty fucking interesting. :)

I'm surprised there are analog channels still around. I love OTA TV and cut the cord a long time ago, but I thought we'd completely switched over to digital in 2011 (two years after the US killed analog TV).

I don't know what reception is like in deep rural areas, but if you live within 100km of a major urban centre you can probably pick up its digital transmissions. You just need a TV with an ATSC tuner—any TV manufactured after 2007 will have one built in—and a sufficiently sensitive antenna. If you have the land to put up an antenna mast you're even better off.

If you live near an urban centre you can get by with "rabbit ear" antennas. Even in Toronto I only got about three stations on my rabbit ears until I upgraded. I own a Terk HDTV-A now. I got about twenty stations in Toronto, and in the US I get lots more. Most of those Toronto stations came from Grand Island New York, about 90km away, but you can do a lot better than an indoor antenna if it's important to you.

I love digital OTA TV so if you have any questions I'd be happy to try to help.

I am also building slowly to 5.1. I don't know how quickly you want to get there or what you want the final tally to be, but I would opt for less, but better equipment, to start. I'd get a cheaper receiver and subwoofer to get my foot in the door, but I'd buy better speakers.

I'd go with something like this:

Receiver - $169.99 http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/yamhtr3067bl/yamaha-htr-3067-5.1-ch-x-70-watts-a/v-receiver-same-as-rx-v377/1.html

Front L/R - $279.99 https://www.amazon.com/Debut-Bookshelf-Speakers-Andrew-Jones/dp/B014GSEQ06/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1473895480&sr=1-1&keywords=elac

This comes in at $449.98 This will be 100% better, and absolutely replace your soundbar, which is what you need right now. It also puts you $80 dollars from the matching center, or $113 from a nice subwoofer. You could spend $500 on a subwoofer now, like was posted above, but it would outclass your fronts by a large margin. I prefer better dialogue/sound overall. This sub is 85% of what a subwoofer double it's price gives. I started with 2.1 and I don't regret going slowly.

Center - $179.99 https://www.amazon.com/Debut-Center-Speaker-Andrew-Jones/dp/B014GSEQWE/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1473895660&sr=1-1&keywords=elac+center

Subwoofer - $213 https://www.amazon.com/BIC-America-F12-475-Watt-Subwoofer/dp/B0015A8Y5M

I've had this one for going on 8 years now...

http://www.amazon.com/Amplified-High-Definition-Antenna-Off-Air-Reception/dp/B0007MXZB2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417550944&sr=8-1&keywords=terk+antenna

I would recommend it, it looks a little goofy, but it works wonderfully. Some might recommend getting a powered antennae because it might help boost reception but I feel like that is just more wires and hassle. This guy can perform with the best of the powered antennae out there.

I know people who have used this in their home with great success (sticking it to a window), but it really depends how far you are from the TV towers. They don't work very well for me because I'm in the middle of nowhere. You can definitely get a TV antenna made for a vehicle (think limos), but it would be a lot more expensive than the $15 home solution from Amazon. I personally wouldn't mess with the FM/Sirius antenna; especially on a nice new car. A short, monopole antenna like that probably isn't going to pick up TV very well and you also run the risk of messing up a perfectly good antenna. I would probably look into antennas specifically made for vehicles.

---
Check how far you are from a tower here: http://transition.fcc.gov/mb/engineering/dtvmaps/

And read more about HDTV antennas here: http://www.fcc.gov/guides/antennas-and-digital-television

This is long.. but don't be scared!


Getting local TV over the air is similar to getting a radio station over the air. All TVs sold in the US contain the necessary cards to support broadcast TV. However, TV has all moved to Digital, which means you can't access channels unless a re-scan on your TV to find them all first. Re-scanning is pretty easy to do, just go into your TV menu, usually it's under "Channel" or "Signal" or something like that.


Before even looking into an antenna, you'll need to figure out how close/easy to receive the station you're looking for will be. I've linked the FCC site below, put in your address and see if it's towards the top of the list. There's also TV Fool, which tends to be more detailed but slightly out of date. Check both. Also take into account if you live in a building with thick walls or in a neighborhood with a lot of trees, they will make signals harder to receive. If you're in the green on both TVfool and the FCC sites, it should be possible to get it with an indoor antenna.

I'm assuming you're going to want at least Newschannel 9 (Chattanooga), with the callsign WTVC. TVfool has a callsign lookup with a guide for indoor/outdoor reception. Plug "WTVC" in there and check your neighborhood. It looks like that station still broadcasts on Channel 9, so you're going to want an antenna that supports VHF at least, more on that at the very end.

If you've checked the resources, and getting the stations you want over the air is possible, it's time to get an antenna. You can spend really as much as you want, I've linked to the Winegard flatwave below which is recommended by the sub and fairly cheap. If the rating an TVfool for the station you want is below 50 or so NM (dB) there's an amplified version.





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

https://www.tvfool.com/

https://www.amazon.com/Winegard-FlatWave-FL-5000-High-VHF-Ultra-Thin/dp/B0063705PE/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1537677684&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=winegard+flatwave&psc=1

Hey, I can help you!

First, get a dual UHF/VHF antenna. This is the one I use. You can buy one on Amazon or at the South Portland Best Buy for $99.99.

This antenna should pretty much pick up NBC, ABC, and CBS no matter where you mount it. I have mine indoors on the first floor.

To get FOX, you'll need to point the antenna so that it's facing almost due north. The FOX antenna is up near Farmington for some reason. You may have to mess with the direction a little, but you should be able to get FOX in crystal clear HD with great reception.

These are my experiences over on Woodford St in Portland. Best of luck to you!

Your signal quality leaves something to be desired and is probably the reason for spotty reception. Ideally you would have more than 90% for quality and signal strength (quality being the more important number). It may be time for a new antenna. I'm not exactly an antenna expert, but I've had great luck with this model for long distance stations and it gets great reviews! https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001DFTGR4/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1494198133&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=antenna+winegard&dpPl=1&dpID=31bqzVIwrJL&ref=plSrch

I don't have a "transducer" setting in my app, but it's probably the "transcoder" setting if you happen to own a hdhomerun extend. That will tell your hdhomerun how heavily to compress the live video before sending it over your network to the Apple TV. Higher or heavier transcoding may degrade the quality slightly but works better if your wifi network is slow. If you have a fast 802.11ac or wired network and aren't worried about large file sizes for recoded shows you could turn the transcoding to a lighter setting or off entirely. This setting should not effect how well you are receiving the signal at the antenna or how well the hdhomrun box can pick up channels.

I'm no expert, but being less than 10 miles away from all your major antennas, (you lucky bastard,) I'd be willing to bet that you would be perfectly fine with one of THESE. If that price bothers you, you can always try THIS. I don't know what your DIY antenna is like, but with either one of these you should definitely get most of those nearby stations... at least more than your current 4. Good luck!

If you want the best HD signal on ALL channels I would recommend http://smile.amazon.com/RCA-ANT751-Durable-Compact-Outdoor/dp/B0024R4B5C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417019675&sr=8-1&keywords=rca+ant751

The Rabbit Ear and other ones like the one mentioned by /u/barefootbandit8 are ok for getting a few channels to come in clear. However, you will find that you are constantly trying to adjust the antenna depending on what station you are watching.

By installing the RCA ANT751 in your attic, you will get more than 90% of your channels to come in crystal clear and you will never need to adjust your "rabbit ears". Take the time and money to install a long term solution. You and your family will be happy, trust me.

Congrats on your cutting the cord.

/u/FoxtrotSamual has many good points. You need a GOOD antenna. You need to be patient where you place it and what direction you point it to get channel 12 (12.1, 12.2, 12.3).

I figured I was savings $80/month so I would spend some money upfront. I bought this antenna.

I also bought a small powered coaxal amp to put right by the antenna. I then tied the amp into my (now unused) cable wiring. This gives every TV hooked up to the old cable great antenna access.

This site shows you the general direction you will need to point.

Finally, I did buy a HDhomeRun device to accept antenna signals and push into my wifi network. Now every computer, and mobile device has access to broadcast TV.

Good luck! it has easily been 2 years now. a savings of nearly $2,000!

I've recently kind of made the switch. I'll mention my setup since it involves a bit of what you are using as well as some of the other recommendations:

I'm currently using some Apple TVs hooked up to the TVs. I know that from one of your comments that you are using an AppleTV (I'm using 4th Gen).

I've got an HDHomeRun, which transmits the Over The Air (OTA) over my home network (and am using this antenna with it).

It's worked pretty well for live TV. I've tried HomeRun's DVR software (which costs extra), but have had rather so-so results.

Anyway, if you do get an HDHomeRun, then on your AppleTV you will want to get the Channels app. It costs a bit (more than I'd like it to have, but eh...), and make sure that you buy it through the AppleTV, since there is a separate version for iOS, and if you buy it for iOS, you don't get the tvOS version and visa versa. Although the cost is annoying, it works quite well.

Right now I am trying DirectTV Now. It's been working moderately well (also I'm using a Gigapower connection through AT&T). I'll have to review in a few months whether I want to keep it or not.

Then, if you do happen to have some sort of other (DLNA) media server in the house (Plex, Kodi), then Infuse is a great app (and if you get the iOS version, you also get the tvOS version).

Another thing that I should also probably note is that with the HDHomeRun devices, none of them are actually wireless. So you'll have to have the device (and antenna) either by your router, or otherwise connected up through a wired line.

Anyways, it's been nice in that this set up has meant that I'm getting the local OTA channels a player for my media server, DirectTV Now, Netflix, WatchESPN, and a few more things all on one device now.

The funny thing is that it was really live sports that kept me with regular cable, but now between DirectTV Now/WatchESPN, I've actually got more sports channels than I did before, but at a lower cost.

http://thewirecutter.com/leaderboard/home-theater/

Your Sonos system is certainly good, but that is mainly in the ease of setup and streaming service support. If you are willing to to run wires to individual speakers and just do streaming from the Shield or any other device you can get a much better system with a typical AV receiver and some good speakers.

I am currently using a Shield and the Denon AVR-S720W with a Vizio TV and the HDMI-CEC functions work great. I can use the Shield remote to turn on the Shield and it will turn the whole system on and switch to the right input. You would not need HDMI-ARC as all your inputs would be on the receiver.

For $1130 you could get:

• 1x Elac Debut C5
  
• 4x Elac Debut B5
  
• 2x Monoprice 9723 subwoofer
  
• 1x Denon AVR-S720W

Hello to all! I need a little help with Live TV....

I've been running Plex for about 4 years now but only as a bit of a lightweight. Nothing fancy at first just some basic media serving. I run an @home server only, no remote access. Plex is v 1.15.3.876-ad6e39743 and running on a Synology 918+ with three 8TB drives running a redundant BTFS configuration with about 14TB of usable space. My Radarr and Sonarr integrations are great and don't cause any problem. I own three TCL branded Roku TV sets. I don't typically have any issues watching any movies or TV shows. Little to no CPU and fairly small bandwidth (10-20Mbps). Almost nothing needed to transcode until I got to the TV stream from an HDHomerun. I started with a two tuner connect. It was having lots of problems including a wonky power connection. I replaced it initially with a quatro but I had the same performance issues. I read a few more posts and swapped it out yesterday for an Extend. I thought things would be great but when I installed the extend, the synology CPU goes to about 50% with hardware encoding enabled. On the dashboard screen it says it's transcoding from 1080i to 1080p for the video and the audio is direct stream. The stream buffers a lot and in the course of about an hour will be 15 minutes behind because of the buffer time.

I want to cut my cable so this is a pivotal component of that transition. Any help that anyone can provide would be greatly appreciated.

​

Antenna is in the attic with a pre-amp on the mast and a power component inside.

​

Amp is - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DQN3R9O/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Antenna is - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MYMVPVX/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

​

Thanks!

This works great for $10. JoeTV is a little faint on Alki, but we got it working with some creative antenna placement in the living room. Doesn't work in my basement room, though I get everything else local.

http://www.amazon.com/Mediasonic-HW110AN-HomeWorx-Indoor-Antenna/dp/B008KVUAGU/ref=pd_sim_e_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1Q44SRXQS5BFKBK4K6F2

You still need a solution for ESPN and NBC Sports Network, though. A relative with ESPN on their cable package might solve the first via WatchESPN.com, but I don't think they livestream MLS matches on NBCSports.com like they do all the Premier League games. I am able to access NBC via my parents DirecTV account in case they do. Supposedly a friend is hooking us up with a Comcast password for our ESPN viewing :)

Having done this process a few times now I HIGHLY recommend you try bunny ears on top of your TV first. You'll likely get almost every channel you want unless there are some major obstructions. (The Mohu Leaf is another one to try).

If you decide to do a directional antenna I recommend a small yagi antenna. I have a very similar one to this one and it is pretty fantastic:
RCA Antenna

You're probably not gonna need an amplifier at all because you're relatively close to the brodcast tower. The one at 318 looks like it gives you everything you need!!

Good luck!

We cut the cord (from DirecTV) about 2 years ago.

Relatively inexpensive OTA antenna gets us a ton of channels. I mounted the antenna where our satellite dish used to be, and just connected it to the existing wiring, which made things very simple.

We picked up a Tivo Roamio OTA (with lifetime service) to record OTA shows.

Netflix has been wonderful for us. I'd say that 90% of our viewing is on Netflix. No, it doesn't have a lot of blockbuster movies. But the content it does have (original content, tv shows, documentaries) are well worth it to us. My Netflix list continues to grow, in spite of my best efforts to make dents in it.

I missed having a dedicated news channel, so started paying for Sling. It was OK, but after about a month checked out PS Vue. A little better.

Then, just recently, DirecTV launched DirecTV Now. It's a really sweet deal if you get in on it now. For $35 a month you get over 100 channels. It's actually their $60 a month package... but sign up now and you'll be grandfathered into it. Even nicer... HBO is a $5 add-on. Normally HBO is $15. Not terrible, but was hard to justify with other costs. At $5, it's a no-brainer.

PLUS... if you sign up now and pre-pay for 3 months, you get a free Apple TV. The 3 month up-front is less than the cost of the Apple TV unit. So if you don't like the service, cancel after 3 months. Keep the Apple TV. Otherwise, $40 a month for 100+ channels and HBO... hard to beat.

Happy to answer any specific questions you might have.

If I am reading that right, your folks should be able to get 4(NBC), 6(PBS), 9(ABC), and 13(CBS) with a TV mounted antenna. And 11(Fox) is in yellow. Honestly, those are the only channels I really watch. I disabled more than half because they were in Spanish.

Best bet would be to purchase an antenna like this one and just set it up at different places around the room and see what gives the best reception. If you don't get much or anything, then you might want to look into an outdoor antenna, but there are some nice cheap ones as well. You might not need to spend much, this is the antenna I have duct taped to my satellite dish and I get great reception, way better than the $40 flat antenna box with amplifier that was hung in the window.

Also, if you don't want to get your dad a new TV, you can get at digital converter box for $30-40 at walmart or amazon.

I got this: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0007MXZB2/ref=pe_385040_30332190_TE_M3T1_ST1_dp_1

It works well, I get something like 20 channels. It does occasionally stutter or have issues, but for the most part the signal comes in clear. We pretty much use it to watch the news. It worked extremely well for the super bowl. I would be a little reluctant to watch a show I really cared about with it, as there is a good chance you would miss pieces of the show when you lose signal from time to time.

What part of of the city are you in? I'm in the North Central area - and I'm not able to get Global either - until I got an antenna. And it comes in perfectly, all the time now. (3/4 bars).

Heck, I was even able to get CTV and CBC without an antenna (was just using a coax cable as my 'antenna' - honestly, any piece of wire will work to some extent.)

You probably just need to buy a better antenna - FYI, this is the one I purchased.

http://www.amazon.ca/Winegard-Company-FL-5000-FlatWave-Digital/dp/B0063705PE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1412310900&sr=8-3&keywords=hdtv+antenna

There's also an amp'ed version of it, but considering the Global antenna is only like 15-20 miles out of town (I think?), if this one doesn't work - that one probably wouldn't either.

BTW, are you scanning for HD or SD channels? The beauty w/ HD (as you're probably aware), is that even if you get a minimal signal, the picture will be 100% perfect - unlike SD, of course - and it's even a slightly better picture than cable given how the signal is not compressed at all.

So, I've never had cable since I was at home with my parents but i'd like to have some access to local channels. The availability of stations is pretty limited, but I'd really like to access them as they do both have worthwhile content (news, weather, etc.).

I'm just trying to figure out if i should go amplified or not. I want to make a good choice as I'll probability have to buy online and returning things that way is a major PITA.

From reading the wiki here I'm pretty disappointed to see that they are 2 edge. Is there hope for me? I live about half way down a big slope towards the ocean.

from my research and needs I have narrowed it down to a couple:

http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/antennas-direct-antennas-direct-clearstream-indoor-outdoor-digital-tv-antenna-c2-v-cjm-cn-c2-v-cjm-cn/10319740.aspx?path=85260495e5d2bb28aa92898f739fd3d0en02

http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/antennas-direct-antennas-direct-clearstream-amplified-indoor-digital-tv-antenna-csm1-xg-cn-csm1-xg-cn/10319742.aspx?path=6af036befea226fff2956a90e4d0f193en02

https://www.amazon.ca/Pictek-Amplified-Ultra-thin-Detachable-Amplifier/dp/B01F88D5AA/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1479674085&sr=1-1&keywords=indoor+antenna

https://www.amazon.ca/Winegard-FL5500A-FlatWave-Amplified-Antenna/dp/B00BN5Z2WM/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1479674112&sr=1-1&keywords=indoor+antenna

Buy best I can likely return in store, so I'd like to go that route.

if you have any suggestions for me, let me know.

based on your tvfool you get very strong signals in your location from a tower that is 50miles away! I'm suprised your unable to pull in channels with a simple rabbit ear antenna attached to your tv.

The antenna that you currently have is good for UHF, but not for VHF....and it fakes its gain via a built in amplifier. Obviously, it wont be able to amplify a signal it cant pull in. Some other antennas may not have a built in amplifier, but do a better job of pulling in weak singals.

1. Does the antenna have to be on the roof? If you put it in the attic, than you wont have to deal with weather conditions. I would recommend fixing up your current antenna, stick it in the attic and see what happens.
   
   
2. How many tvs is your antenna feeding? If it is more than 1, than you may need to get an external pre-amp for your new antenna (unless it has an amp built in).
   
   
3. Is size an issue? The current antenna you have is a yaggi which is good for UHF, while LPDA (the big ones) are better for VHF. some may suggest a leaf antenna, but it wont help you pick up VHF-hi
   
   Here are 2 excellent quality VHF-hi/UHF yagii antennas (similar to what you have) in all metal construction. They do not have amplifiers.
   A
   B
   
   if you are willing to try the DIY route, here are some INDOOR antennas:
   UHF
   VHF
   
   possible OUTDOOR if made correctly:
   UHF/VHF

Two mast-mounted pre-amps come to mind for me:

• ClearStream Juice: Per testing done by enthusiasts on another forum site, it has the best results for avoiding overloading when some signals come in stronger than others. https://www.antennasdirect.com/juice.html
  
• RCA Preamp: These have a great price point for trying, and I've been running one for 1 1/2 years. Others have reported quality problems and short lifespans (a couple of years). One nice feature that I'm liking is that with the separate VHF and UHF inputs, one can use different antennas. Both the antennas you mention are weak for VHF (the 4max has the single dipole, but that still might not be enough for your situation). Adding a small Yagi attached the VHF jack and pointed due south (depending upon your hill), and having the 4max pointed more SE going into the UHF terminal might do the trick. https://www.amazon.com/RCA-TVPRAMP1Z-Preamplifier-Outdoor-Antenna/dp/B003P92D9Y
  
  Here's another wild thought--Is there anything that might be running at those times that could be causing the interference? Like perhaps a yard or porch light that comes on at dusk? Especially if it's near the coax.
  
  Good luck! Cheers, Statmanmi

I don't know the quality of that specific model, but I use an indoor, unamplified Mohu Leaf and it works great.

It's as simple as plugging it in, hanging it up on the wall and doing a scan with your TV. You may have to move it around to find the best picture, but it's usually easy to find a sweet spot.

I dont have one currently but I have installed them.
and yes your location is a major factor. they aren't too influenced by trees and what not but height is very important. put it outside, and put it high. if you live on a hill youll get more channels then a guy in a valley.

the channels form kitchener if you care about that would be so strong that it doesnt matter


the main differences.

you will get many less channels. basically no specialty channels. youll get the CBC, global, ctv etc. PBS and fox should come unless you are in a bad location. no discovery or TSN anything like that. but obviously, there is no monthly fee.

the picture quality is excellent, and there should be no problems with reliability. since its digital basically you get it perfectly, or you dont. its possible you might have a channel right just on the border of reception that breaks up, in which case you basically wont watch it at all. storms should not have a big factor, and if so it could even be a positive factor on your reception.

also I hope 90% was a big underestimate on your sat reliability, if you have it aimed properly it should be more like 99% mine doesnt even go out when its covered in ice, only right before a giant rain storm, and then generally is back within ten minutes.

I dont install lots of antennas, mostly satellites, but if you have other more specific questions I can try to answer them for you.

that link you provided didnt really say what type of antenna it is or anything. personally i would install an antenna like this http://www.amazon.ca/Channel-Master-4228HD-Antenna-CM4228/dp/B000FVVKQM, but probably one that bends in the middle so half aims at toronto and half aims at US

If you want to test the waters, this is definitely the cheapest option. For an $8 antenna it does an outstanding job. I pick up about 20+ channels outside Charlotte, NC and the quality is impeccable. Looks great on my 60" LCD. I have at least 5 friends who have also used the same antenna and they all rave about it. It's worth the $8-9 to try it out! Good luck.

Yes, your cheapo antenna should work fine. I've got the Leaf version of that same antennae (this one) and it works great. There are occasional issues where I have to change the angle/location a bit in order to pick up a channel, but once I found the sweet spot in my room, that all seemed to go away. Haven't had to move it like a month.

If you're going to upgrade to the $100 antenna, it's really only worth it if you mount it on the roof. Did this at my folks place and it works unbelievably well. The biggest benefit is that we ran a splitter and hooked up three tvs with one antenna.

Tower is always preferable, especially if you're already wired up there, but attics get great results too. Aiming to the transmitter locations on your report is of course encouraged as well, but that can always be adjusted when you're initially installing it and testing your scans.

Yeah, just put it up and do the channel scan. Very plug and play once you've settled on a location to install.

You can read owner reviews as well:

https://www.amazon.com/Winegard-FreeVision-FV-30BB-Ultra-HD-High-VHF/dp/B003L76BJS?th=1

I have this one mounted on my roof. It's worked well for years. I don't recall there being ranged models when I bought it, but it was about $100 in 2012. You'll need a clear line of sight of the southern horizon for the best reception due to the distance we are from the DFW towers. Higher is better; you'll want at least 25-35 feet off the ground. The top of a 2 story home is easily high enough. YMMV with a 1 story without a taller mounting pole.

ELAC B6 - $280 pair
ELAC C5 - $180

Floor standing speakers aren't going to work very well considering that your sofa is kind of in the way. Unless you have kids or pets that require you to stick with floor standers. I usually get them because the sell pretty well on craigslist as I like to cycle through speakers and move them on.

Elacs play very well in awkward rooms, and they sell exceptionally well on the aftermarket if you want to upgrade. I've heard them a few times and came away pretty impressed considering their price.

Here is the antenna I recommend. It is directional which has the best chance for you to succeed. You can wall mount it or pole mount it. I recommend a pole on your balcony. You can buy it at HomeDepot meaning you can return it easy. Or you can buy it from amazon and save a little.

http://www.amazon.com/Winegard-FreeVision-FV-30BB-HDTV-Antenna/dp/B003L76BJS/ref=sr_1_30?ie=UTF8&qid=1406557876&sr=8-30&keywords=Antenna

One more thing the article didn't touch on. If you live close to a city you can most likely get an antenna for one month's worth of cable. That will give you access to the national channels / local programming. It's not much, but it's entirely free after you pay for the antenna.

Two very popular antennas are the MOHU Leaf and the Terk Indoor antenna


To see where the towers are in your area - you can look at antenna web - I am sure there are other sites, even better ones.

EDIT: If you don't want to spend the money on the antenna and want a little weekend project; you can make your own antenna. Google coat hanger antenna or something or try something like this

I've had 2 antennas that work for me in the suburbs in the range you are looking at.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HQ4BRIG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/Winegard-FreeVision-FV-30BB-HDTV-Antenna/dp/B003L76BJS/ref=sr_1_9?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1481552970&sr=1-9&keywords=wineguard

The Wineguard is extremely directional but gets great reception.

The Clearstream is less directional but almost as good.

I will add that because of the distance between my antenna and my HDHomerun, I have an amplifier. The signal strength is improved but the signal quality is the same.

Hey, thanks for the reply!

Could you give me a guide or some examples of plugins you use for WMC? Would I be able to stream netflix/hulu directly through WMC? I have been looking at assassin's htpc blog and see that he uses the Pearl theme and the cover art plugin (link)[http://assassinhtpcblog.com/?page_id=39].

As for the CPU, I am going to get the i3-2100T. It is 35W version of the i3-2100. It has Intel HD 2000 integrated graphics which I am a bit concerned about, but if anything starts to slow I can pop a fanless video card in.

I didn't see the benefit of going to H77 from H77. Any thoughts? It looks like it just enabled the ability to overclock (they both have hyperthreading, which i3-2100T should have), which I don't plan on doing.

Do you have a recommendation for a DTV card? I have a Mohu Leaf and with that I am looking at this DTV. I am confused between digital and analog, but I think I am 100% digital.

Yeah, I've decided to leave out the optical drive for now. No need for it immediately (the idea is to store all media there, not export it from there). Also, I think I will be fine with the audio situation. I will just have to see how it all works out, I've never had a problem before with those speakers.

Could you tell me a bit about your NAS setup? Are your HTPC and NAS connected via ethernet cords or is one/both wireless. Also what router are you using? What filesystem do you use (NTFS or exFAT seem like my options)? I have an interest in a Drobo FS, but I can't buy both a NAS and HTPC at the same time.

Thanks!

All in one systems are just a step above HTiB systems in regards to quality. The only advantage is that you don't have to get an entirely new system if something fails. What do you have currently? It's possible that there's enough to use to fill in while you save up for more components.

With a $700 budget, here's what I'd recommend:

Receiver ($189.99): Denon s710 Receiver

Subwoofer ($138.00) Dayton 1200 12" subwoofer

Speakers option 1 ($89.99 + $96.99) Pioneer Andrew Jones Bookshelf pair + Pioneer Andrew Jones Center

Speakers option 2 ($229.99 + $179.99) [ELAC B5 Bookshelf pair](http://www.amazon.com/Debut-Bookshelf-Speakers-Andrew-Jones/dp/B014GSER6O/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1453949947&sr=8-7&keywords=B014GSEPY8%7CB014GSEQ06%7CB014GSEQ2O%7CB014GSEQCY%7CB 014GSEQWE%7CB014GSER6O%7CB014GSEUJ8%7CB014GSEVFQ) + ELAC Center Channel

Option 1 total: $514.97 without shipping, taxes, or accessories. The Pioneer speakers are among the best budget speakers around right now, especially on sale. Some people think they sound a little veiled, so if super crisp highs are your thing, I'd consider alternatives.

Option 2 total: $737.97 without shipping, taxes, or accessories. Yes, a little over budget assuming $700 is your limit. However, it's worth it for the increased sound quality. The ELAC Debut series are one of the hottest speaker lines out there right now, and most reviewers agree that they're worth every penny. There are also alternatives in this ballpark by EMP Tek, Chane, Infinity, etc.

Why no rears? You sacrifice too much in the front speakers by trying to get the whole system at once in the budget. As a matter of fact, if you wanted to you could skip the center channel as well and just buy a 2.1 to start. Remember though that any system you buy needs to be the same series across the front three. You can either purchase identical speakers for the rears later, or look at dipole/bipole speakers, or purchase some cheap speakers off Craigslist for rears. Now, all of this is assuming that you don't have any audio gear. If you already have some older bookshelf speakers, you can use those for surrounds, etc.

Thanks! I do have a few:

• What's the status on getting a Tablo app for the Samsung SmartTV? I have a Chromecast, but I would like to have one less device in the middle.
  
• Will recording 2 shows at once influence the quality of the playback?
  
• What would you recommend for an antenna? I have this one in mind.
  
• What's the minimal recommended external HD size you'd recommend?
  
  Thanks.

I like the mohu leaf, its discrete and very cheap. I think its the perfect one if your just outside a city. 5 to 30 miles. I would also recommend find a friend or parent etc that does have cable. Ask them for their cable/sat user name and password. I give my friend access to my Netflix for his password. Then you can use it to log into all the web streaming those channels offer, HBO, Showtime, Stars, FX, AMC, TNT etc. Basically all of them. The account can be used up to 5 different unique locations. So you wouldn't be depriving your benefactor of anything.

Edit: I am in NYC too. Keep in mind if your in Manhattan you will have to experiment with where to put the antenna because the buildings interfere. But my friends in North Jersey and Brooklyn get great reception with no problems with the mohu.

Honestly it depends on where you live (proximity to a city where it is broadcasted, how tall the antenna is mounted, trees/ buildings in the way, etc). I had a cheap flat one that worked OK in my old 3rd floor downtown apartment, but didnt when i moved outside of the city to a 1 story home. Ended up this attic antenna from amazon and it works great.

Maybe buy a cheap one with a good return policy, and upgrade it if you dont get all the local channels.

Its also worth noting that you will only get our sunday games on antenna. MNF is ESPN, and TNF is nfl network and amazon (unless this has changed for this upcoming season).

For many years I used an OTA antenna in my attic and then I replaced my roof and got a gradient barrier on the roof (Doh!) and it blocked the OTA signal. I was using https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0024R4B5C and it worked great for over 3 years. I installed it in the attic and used the FCC website (https://www.fcc.gov/media/engineering/dtvmaps) and a compass on my iPhone to point it correctly and get all the stations (all DIY).

Since my roof issue, I figured I would get an outdoor antenna installed. I have a 2 story home so I hired a company named Mr. Antenna (great company, Google them in your area) , it came with a professionally installed very good and hefty antenna. They took care of getting the best signal and installed it completely. Works great and cost me about $375 including labor.

Here is the one I had the best success with, and old school "christmas tree" style:
http://www.amazon.com/RCA-ANT751R-Outdoor-Optimized-Reception/dp/B0024R4B5C/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1346954473&sr=8-3&keywords=rca+antenna

I have it mounted in the attic, works fantastic. Needs precise aiming. Good luck!

The antenna is pretty good, but placement was a bit of an issue - it took some time to find a good location near the TV. We get most of the major networks and PBS without a problem, but some get glitchy once in a while. I'm thinking about upgrading to this thin HD antenna, supposed to be easy to place and very highly rated. Hope your setup works out for you!

Your situation looks pretty good actually. My signals are similar and I used an RCA ANT751 on my roof and I get all the yellow stations just fine. The only problem I have is the antenna farms at my locale are not all in one direction like yours so aiming is an issue for me. Rerun your TV Fool report at a higher elevation and see how sensitive your report is to that parameter. If you go high enough you might get more green stations.

Another alternative is the Antennacraft HBU line
The lowest ranked antenna is the HBU11 at the bottom which is equivalent to my ANT751 but if you wanted to you could go with the HBU22 or even the HBU33 to guarantee good signals and they aren't that much more expensive. It all depends on how many TVs (or other devices) you plan on connecting and the length of the cable runs and how many $$$. The more metal you have in the air the better signals you'll have and less problems. With a bigger antenna you'll also most likely pickup the stations coming from from the West off the back of the antenna.

That said, I highly recommend that you join the TV Fool forum and post for help. There are some real experts their that can advise you and design a system that will work from the beginning. Its more complicated than just picking an antenna there are other issues such as number of devices, cable lengths and splitters, amps and pre-amps, splitters. Its all pretty complicated but the forum is a great resource most people don't use and pay for it in a badly designed system. At minimum I'd search that site on and learn what the numbers in the TV Fool report mean.

All your popular networks are predicted to be reasonably strong, are from the same direction (east), and are all in the UHF TV band. So things look pretty promising for your experiment.

You would get good performance and would have an easy time with aiming if you used a 4 bay UHF type:

• Solid Signal HDB4X AKA Digiwave ANT2086 AKA Stellar Labs 30-2425
  
• Channel Master CM4221HD
  
• Antennas Direct DB4e
  
  You said cheap; you could give up some performance by going to a 2 bay UHF type and pay a bit less:
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Eagle-Aspen-EASDTV2BUHF-Directv-Approved/dp/B000GIT002/
  
• http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/STELLAR-LABS-30-2420-/30-2420
  

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BN5Z2WM/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'm in a pretty obstructed area (buildings in the way of the antennas) so I choose the amplified option of this antenna. Rescan every couple of months, but totally worth it. /r/cordcutters has a lot of great info about antennas and locating antennas so if you have a choice you can know where to set up your antenna to get the best reception.

Thank you for the detailed reply. I think you might be correct with the placing the DVR is the attic. While the house is a cape style so more a crawlspace then attic it is still pretty hot in the summer. The recast is expensive but it seems to be a pretty good solution as I hate station guide charges and already have firetv's on my tv sets and Echo's throughout the house. Going with a HDhomerun and Plex or Tablo might save some money but an integrated solution might save a few headaches.

​

There are no close neighbors with antenna's but the ones in nearby neighborhoods are aiming them at Canada or south. I will say though that the antenna's I usually see are the old style and large. I wonder how many are just up there for historical reasons.

​

What do you think of the option of DB8e with retro kit for VHF pointed south and other side directed toward Canada? I would rather go a little overkill and install once, maybe get away without an amplifier.

https://www.amazon.com/Element-Bowtie-Indoor-Outdoor-Antenna/dp/B00C4XVOOC/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1537636619&sr=8-7&keywords=Clearstream+4

https://www.amazon.com/Antennas-Direct-VHF-1-VHF-Retrofit/dp/B00LHFRCMG/ref=pd_sim_23_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00LHFRCMG&pd_rd_r=6905f674-be8b-11e8-8775-61087e003d3c&pd_rd_w=aQg5l&pd_rd_wg=XMnOL&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=18bb0b78-4200-49b9-ac91-f141d61a1780&pf_rd_r=7TKQZWJ7M6FH8BVARK7G&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&psc=1&refRID=7TKQZWJ7M6FH8BVARK7G

Getting your antenna up to the attic will definitely make a difference. An amp will help too. Though, as I noted in another post, the homemade just didn't cut it compared to a well-made antenna.

But, it's worth noting that I tried a LOT of antennas and found the more expensive antennas didn't perform significantly better than the cheaper ones. The $40 Terk HDTVa blew away some high-end antennas that were like $150. I went to Best Buy and bought all the antennas they had in stock, tested them all, and kept the one that performed the best. The comparison included the homemade one too.

That looks pretty good compared to my report. I used to use a monoprice indoor/outdoor antenna and picked up channels 60 miles away (decent line of sight). This was used indoors and on the first floor. There were a few channels I didn't get, including a VHF one 90 miles away. I put an RCA ANT751 in my attic and pull that channel in now.

For my inlaws I wasn't able to pull in a very good signal with the monoprice because there weren't any broadcast towers that were line of sight. We bought a Clearstream 2V to put on the roof because it looks a lot nicer than the RCA antenna. It ended up working really, and you can use it indoors as well.

So my recommendation is the monoprice antenna, first, and then if you want something better, upgrade to the RCA or Clearstream depending on your decorating style!

If you post your TVFool.com report we can help you pick a good antenna for your area.

But if you want to try an antenna you can either make an antenna or get a Cheap rabbit ears with the loop / flat center thing and see if you can pick any thing up with either of those.. (or you can try a metal uncoated paper clip bent like an L in the antenna port of the TV, If you have any very strong signals very close to you, it should pick it up)

Just a FYI, if you do want an antenna, don't fall for "HD Antenna" marketing. The HD TV is set up by the broadcaster, and picked up by your tv tuner. All antennas are just conductive metal (usually copper or aluminum) shaped to pick up the different Radio Frequencies. Not much more. It's why rabbit ears are moveable, so you can shape them to pick up different VHF signals better.

If you need a good digital tuner option try http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IYETYX8 -- I bought this and am very happy with it. You'll need an antenna to hook up to it -- usually a good idea to get one you can put on a window like http://www.amazon.com/Antenna-1byone-Super-Digital-Indoor/dp/B00IF70QCW -- and you're good to go. One nice thing about the tuner I got is you can hook an external USB hard drive or USB flash drive up to it and get DVR capabilities.

For some reason I can't expand, view your tv report (I'm sure it's something on my side), but I can say that I have a few of these around my property and I'm truly impressed. Can't beat the price. I bought them at $30, but they're almost half the price this week. This one picked way more channels than what Best buy was selling (the Leaf)

1byone TV Antenna, 50 Mile Range Amplified HDTV Antenna with Detachable Amplifier Signal Booster, USB Power Supply and 10 Feet Highest Performance Coaxial Cable-Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IF70T4M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_3DJIAbHQQCSWZ

The Winegard Pre-Amp is what made the biggest difference for me.
https://www.amazon.com/Winegard-LNA-200-Preamplifier-Antenna-Amplifier/dp/B00DQN3R9O/
I use the RCA Yagi for my antenna, and it has been solid.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0024R4B5C
This site can help you aim and know what you should get pretty easily as well.
https://www.fcc.gov/media/engineering/dtvmaps

Good Luck!

L/R: ELAC B6

Center: ELAC C5

Sub: BIC F12

Receiver: Denon S510BT

Speaker placement can be hard to figure out, but that all depends on the space. 3.1 is fairly easy even in small areas. I had a small living room and this worked out great for me.

When a better idea of the space you have, I could give you a build on what I'd do based on your budget.

I actually have great advice on this! I live in Willowick, which is east of Cleveland. My fiance and I are cable cutters as well, and we have put up an antenna on top of our house. We had a very difficult time getting 19 and 8. After some analysis, we found out that 19 and 8 are pointing different ways, and are different signals (one is VHF the other UHF). Using TV Fool's TV signal locator is a good first start to determine exact pointing locations. Here is the link for that:

https://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29

We also decided to use a preamplifier to boost signal. I do not know if this will help, but I will list all components I used to to my setup. I know it might seem overkill, but I probably have around 40-50 channels, so it works.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C4XVOOC?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0013CGNGY?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00

I know what I wrote was overkill, but the main takeaway is that you need to determine where 8 and 19 are located. Also, I would strongly recommend that your antenna be outside. The higher up and the clearer the pathway, the better the antenna will work.

I bought this attic antenna from Amazon for like $30. It's been a great purchase for me. Cheap and it works fantastic. I use a 6 way powered splitter with it to send the antenna signal to every TV in my house. Works great.

Looks like literally every channel is in one direction, southeast of you. My suggestion is to get a directional antenna like the Clearstream 2 (which was recommended on lifehacker recently as the best directional antenna), point it in the direction of all your channels, and hopefully enjoy a bunch of TV.

You are really close to a ton of towers. Any UHF antenna will get you perfect reception.

If you want a small form factor, I'd suggest something like the AmazonBasics HD antenna. I can get channels that broadcast about 20-30 miles away, and that's with mounting the antenna behind my tv with a window on the other side of the room. Pretty sweet.

If you want better reception and more channels, opt for a VHF/UHF antenna you can mount in your attic or on the roof.

I live in an apartment in Coralville(right off I-80 and 1st) and use an amplified digital antenna I bought off Amazon. It works great for me. I get about 20 stations, and oddly enough, when a storm is moving through I get about 30. NBC is the most picky so I don't always get it, but I just use Hulu for that. Anyway, the link is below, it was worth the cost and is extremely easy to install/setup. They do offer different versions as well. Also, I have mine mounted on my north facing window if that helps!


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DIFIP06/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

If by RCA Yagi you mean this antenna (http://www.amazon.com/RCA-Compact-Outdoor-Yagi-Antenna/dp/B0024R4B5C) it is most definitely NOT crap. In fact, I just used one to replace an Antennas Direct DB4e. It's got decent VHF-Hi gain, which the DB4e did not, and for my purposes the UHF gain is acceptable.

BTW, it's a log-periodic antenna, not a Yagi, so it has better performance than you'd think based on its size.

Eagles fan in Oregon here and complete cable cutter. I usually bite the bullet and get the nfl sunday ticket and its great (given you have a good internet connection). nflstreams can just be super unreliable some weeks. I also make the small investment in a hd antenna like the following:

https://www.amazon.com/1byone-Amplified-Detachable-Performance-Cable-Black/dp/B00IF70T4M/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1501097582&sr=1-4&keywords=hd+antenna

That allows me to catch them if they are on local broadcast and blacked out on the ticket.

The only games I cant get are those on ESPN and NFL Network. Those I will usually find a local sports bar to go watch because they are typically prime time games

piecing together the right way is much better than buying a crappy htib system for cheap.

and a 2.1 (2 speakers 1 sub) is more than enough for most things, especially listening to music or normal volume tv/movies in my opinion.

andrew jones moved to ELAC after Pioneer too, and brought his years of expertise to their lower price point too. it is a bit above pioneers, but still very cheap for how good it is supposed to be. i havent heard any of the elac ones yet, but they get a whole lot of great reviews and do look a bit higher quality. they are about twice as expensive though, some pieces a bit more. but, considering how low the AJ pioneers are priced it is still overall pretty low prices as far as speakers can go.

http://elac.com/product-category/debut/

the AJ ELAC Debut center is $180 for example
https://www.amazon.com/Debut-Center-Speaker-Andrew-Jones/dp/B014GSEQWE/ref=pd_bxgy_23_2/161-3108273-0990538

also, i just noticed the AJ Pioneer Towers are on sale for $90 again. just in case you were considering new fronts too... i have 4 of these now (2 still boxed up waiting to be my rear surrounds after i finish reno on my other living room) and have given another 4 away as presents over the years. these are what really sold me on the AJ speakers. for the price difference i am as happy with them as my larger and far more expensive Paradigms.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008NCD2S4/ref=psdc_12097481011_t3_B014GSEQWE

At 55 miles you need a roof mounted antenna to get your stations as you found out inside antennas most likely won't work well at all. All of your signals are pretty strong and LOS even at 55 miles all but one in the same direction which is good but as others have said you want a combo antenna that does both VHF(lo-hi) and UHF such as the CM-3020 HD8200XL or the ANT3038Z I believe they sell a very large RCA antenna similar at Menards for $94 the last time I looked but unsure of the the model just look for the largest box and similar price. These antennas are all 12ft long and if you need something more compact with similar performance there is the HD Stacker TV Antenna.

For a pre-amp the LNA-200 would probably work just fine and it is cheaper than the Channel Master 7777 preamp but you may not need it depending on how many tvs you have but if you have like 4-5 then a preamp is a good idea. You should also be able to use the existing cabling before used for direct tv and hook it into the antenna.

I also have an RCA flat antenna from a few years back, which only gets me Global and absolutely nothing else. I've tried a few other things, but I live in the middle of a concrete walk-up in Centretown so there's no real hope for me. The one I currently have is this one, and I can get about 10-14 channels with it. Maybe 4 of those channels are desirable ones. It's not 100% reliable, but it's decent.

Do you think that rabbit ears with a loop would be better than the amplified antenna I linked above? It's infinitely better than the flat RCA antenna in my experience.

I got that in reverse: switching from built-in Sony tuner to HDHomerun Quatro, I got a lot better reception. Appears some tuners are more sensitive or better than others.

With 100 ft coax set up, you were lucky to not have required a pre-amp earlier.

Consider either of these:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DQN3R9O/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.channelmaster.com/Amplify_TV_Antenna_Preamplifier_p/cm-7777hd.htm

Regarding signal quality/strength on status page (per other comment), if you fall below 50% on either (esp. quality), expect pixelation/dropped signal.

Also, note that you can use the reported numbers in HDHR tuner status page to re-aim your antenna with a much higher degree of precision (quantative numbers vs. qualatative eye-balling). In my case, I used $3 iOS app Signal GB which gives read-out for multiple concurrent stations (up to your max number of tuners) for HDHR devices - pretty valuable if you are targeting more than one transmitter site.

I recommend an old fashioned Yagi Antenna for maximum gain.

The following Channel Master VHF Hi-Band and UHF Stealth antenna will serve you well, it’s well built, fairly inexpensive and should provide many years of continued usage.

Pixelated Picture? Get your Broadcast Signal Strength as close to 100% as possible add in a Weingard TV 20db gain Preamp.

https://www.amazon.com/Channel-Master-STEALTHtenna-CM3010HD-Antenna/dp/B00PKLOA7I

https://www.amazon.com/Winegard-LNA-200-Preamplifier-Antenna-Amplifier/dp/B00DQN3R9O

Plugging an amplifier into an amplifier won't help at all. From the sounds of things you've got a challenge with height or building configuration. Not sure what your situation is there, but an outdoor antenna may be your best hope.

This is what the people who are serious about free OTA TV here set up:

http://www.amazon.ca/Channel-Master-4228HD-Antenna-CM4228/dp/B000FVVKQM

Nice work, you will most def get more channels if you mount it up in the attic, depending of course on where you live. I was going to build my own antenna but bailed and decided to buy one after some research.

I just mounted this antenna up in my attic. I bought it on Amazon for around$20 at the time and I must say 40+ OTA HD channels later, $$$ well spent. Expensive does not always mean better. I had a Terk and while it did an adequate job this antenna blew it away and was half the price! OH, and I recommend getting an amplifier too, I bought an RCA 10B+ for $10, and thats all i need. (I did get channels without but picked up a few more with it)

http://www.amazon.com/Eagle-Aspen-Dtv2Buhf-Directv-Antenna/dp/B000GIT002/ref=sr_1_49?ie=UTF8&qid=1312512578&sr=8-49

GL HF! F dem cable companies!

This one is actually a lot better. I use it and it tunes ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, PBS, and a half dozen other things in perfectly clear HD. I have it mounted behind my TV, but you can put it anywhere and hook it to your coax system.

I'll emphasize again that this tunes HD, which even on a cable provider like Comcast or Warner is usually an EXTRA charge. It's a great option for me since the only TV I usually watch is on the main networks.

Good HD antenna: $40. We like the Mohu Leaf. Check this map for your location's channel lineup, but you'll very likely get CBS/NBC/ABC/FOX for free, forever.

Apple TV: $99. If you can acquire cable/dish login account login credentials from a friend or family member that isn't cord-cutting, you now have every ESPN channel (and the SEC Network, and the Longhorn Network) in HD for free.

Those credentials also probably work for Fox Sports Go, which means you'll have FS1 and FS2, although there's no Apple TV app for that.

Do you have issues with WXMI (FOX) and/or WOOD (NBC)? Those two are fairly close to the WWMT tower so it would be odd if you are experiencing problems with one but not the others. Check with http://tvfool.com and see if your antenna is pointed in the right direction, or something.

Joining two antennas could cause issues as the "static" from one might combine with the perfectly good signal from the other. They do make filters for this, but they are now hard to find in stock. For example Channel Master CM 0578 JOIN-TENNA. These will pass a certain channel from one antenna, ch 8 (which is ch 3.x, WWMT; Slightly confusing), and everthing else from another antenna.

I use a small yagi in my attic, but I'm not in a wooded area and have a good line of sight.

When I looked at the HD over the air maps, I was discouraged too. I purchased the Winegard FL5500A FlatWave Amplified Razor Thin HDTV Indoor Antenna a couple months ago. It has a built in amplifier that you plug in to a regular power outlet which seems to make a ton of difference. We live on the 2nd floor in the northeast part of Athens and have it mounted on a west facing window that has a pretty clear view to the west - not many obstructions. We get all of the major networks (ABC, CBS, Fox, CW) except NBC. We also get WPCH (Peachtree TV), WATL (My ATL), Univision, and some bible channels. We don't get PBS either for some reason. Obviously YMMV but short of having an antenna outdoors this is about as good as it gets. The Mohu Leaf is also a very highly rated indoor antenna but I don't have any experience with it. Good luck!

Here is what is confusing me...

If you look at THIS

It says it has VHF and UHF, but only Channels 7-69.

The one you linked would work, but it's $130, and I was hoping to not have to drop that much out the gate.

I also wondered about something like THIS ONE It says 2-69. Obviously probably not quite as powerful... but based on what I can get with just something like This Cheap Thing I wondered if it might be enough.

What do you think? I need that channel 4 for sure, because... Football!

>Does that mean an indoor antenna would suffice for us?

Probably not, where I live it is hard to pickup stations from 20ish miles away with an indoor antenna.

>It would need to be UHF and VHF?

If you want to watch any of the stations with the "Real" channel number between 2-13 then yes. Below 7, you need to check the specs of the antenna to make sure it does full VHF (2-13) or "Low" and "High" VHF

>We live in a brick single family house, would the brick impact our ability to use an indoor antenna?

Yes, any obstacles will interfere with a signal. The degree depends on the thickness (I'm assuming you are talking about a brick facade house and not a true brick house that would be very thick) and number of walls the signal has to pass through.

>Looking at the 'bullseye' map, South side of our house is the best placement for an antenna? Or does that mean south facing?

You need to "point" your antenna south. An antenna like this RCA Yagi would probably do the job. You could start with it in the attic to see how that worked and move it outside if that didn't work too well.

OTARD is the federal restrictions that the FCC has placed on landlords, HOA's, and local governments about regulations of antenna installations. They cannot violate this, as they would be in direct violation of federal regulations, and you would be within 100% of your legal rights to file a formal FCC complaint on them.

A 20 foot (OAL), mast probably isn't very feasable for a non-invasive installation, as it would need to be securely anchored in place, and you would need a guy wire system for stability of the mast due to wind/rain/snow, or just some drunk guy falling into it and knocking it over.

I only used a 10 foot mast, but I built it myself out of a closet rod, and a 6 foot length of pipe hammered together. I barely clear the roof line, but that's not because I couldn't go higher, (I easily physically could), but because I couldn't find another pipe to go higher. I also literally have it "secured" to my deck with a bungee cord, and some bailing wire, so I didn't want to go too high that it would catch the wind.

This is the CM-4228HD, and this is the CM-3018. The flat antenna like the one you bought, aren't really that decent at picking up VHF Hi signals, (and I notice that you do have three. (channels 7, 8, 9). You could try putting a longer piece of coax on it, and movint it around to see if it helps, but it probably won't. You'll likely need an outdoor installation.

EDIT: you could use the 4228HD indoors, if you have an extra bedroom, you could hide it behind a dresser, or put it up in the window if if faces east. Outdoor antennas are pretty much classified that way because they’re rather large to have inside, but you technically could if you wished to.

Thanks! Haha I am lucky w/ that location! Isn't Leaf bad for VHF channels like channel 8 for Cleveland?

I am also looking at this one too http://www.amazon.com/Winegard-FreeVision-FV-30BB-HDTV-Antenna/dp/B003L76BJS/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_t

And this one as well http://www.amazon.com/Winegard-FL5500A-FlatWave-Amplified-Antenna/dp/B00BN5Z2WM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1412477557&sr=8-2&keywords=Winegard+FlatWave+HDTV+Indoor+Digital+Flat+Antenna+amped

I would not recommend the Leaf. Not because it isn't a good product, but because Grand Rapids has a couple unique and, frankly, annoying traits when it comes to our local broadcasts.

First, the actual broadcast towers of most of our stations are quite a long distance away from the city. WOOD-TV's tower, for example, is down south by Gun Lake. By the time these signals reach the city, they are weaker than what you'd find in most other markets of this size.

Second, most antennae, including the Leaf, are optimized to pick up UHF signals. As luck would have it, most of the GR stations broadcast in the less-common VHF spectrum. The literature of the Leaf will SAY it works fine for VHF, but that hasn't been my experience.

I tried the Leaf at my house in NE GR and could only get WGVU and FOX. I returned it and got a larger unit that I mounted in my attic. I am able to get ABC, NBC, FOX, WGVU, and another half-dozen stations like Ion that I never watch. The only semi-local station that I'm not able to get is CBS out of Kalamazoo due to the longer distance.

This is the unit I bought: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007RH5GZI/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

There are a number of options out there, but make sure you get one that specifically talks about its VHF capabilities. In general, mounting an antenna in your attic or an upper floor will give you much better results. If you can mount on the outside of the house, you'll get even more.

Thank you for the suggestion. It is a bit better and gets WNTV, WMYA, WSPA, and WYFF so that is an improvement. I do not get WLOS or WHNS but it is still an improvement.

I ran some cable through the window and placed it outside and the results were the same so it doesn't look like I will get any advantage from putting it outside other than height which I will try when it stops storming this weekend.

In the meantime I have ordered this: https://www.amazon.com/Winegard-FreeVision-FV-30BB-Ultra-HD-High-VHF/dp/B003L76BJS/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8 and I will see if it gets similar results inside since this current one is huge and got a "That really ties the room together" from my wife when she saw it... haha If it doesn't do any better I will return it.

You have to use this box
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00G5RXM16/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_wngBwbR4EXJYY

This antenna
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008KVUAGU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_dpgBwbF0NJGX5

Set these up and plug into your Xbox and boom local channels in HD! Now you don't have to use these exact products but get something similar. I just recommended these because this is the setup I use. Hope that helps and if you have any other questions feel free to ask. Sorry for the format I'm on mobile

One thing that I have noticed is A.) Stillwater seems to be in a valley when it comes to TV singles, and B.) To get a strong OTA signal you need an outdoor antenna placed pretty high above everything else. If you can do directional that helps as well.

Don't forget that unless your tv has a built in digital tuner, you will need a digital converter as well. OTA signals are now all digital. You may also look at a signal amplifier but I have had mixed results with those.

When I first moved to Stillwater, I too thought man, I am roughly ~60 miles from OKC and Tulsa, I should be able to pick up both, but low and behold the best I was able to do is get OKC stations.

Something like this may work.

Side note: there is nothing different between and HD and a non-HD antennas, they just charge more for the "HD"

I use this antenna. It works very well for me, I get all 14 local channels, however I live downtown in an 8th floor apartment. I'm not really knowledgeable enough to recommend an antenna for your specific needs, however I have found many posters on this website are quite antenna savvy and may be able to help you more. Good luck!

I'd probably go with http://www.amazon.com/Mohu-Leaf-Paper-Thin-Indoor-Antenna/dp/B004QK7HI8/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1411839430&sr=1-1&keywords=mofu+leaf. It works very well. Has better reviews than the RCN antenna and you can get a thin version with up to a 50 mile radius.

Antennas will work inherently better placed in a window and something like the Leaf is perfect for window placement.

I have an outdoor antenna that I mounted to an old DirecTV dish and I get a lot of channels

highlights: local channels in clear HD, plus stations from Toledo, Jackson, Lansing. 56-1, 56-2, 56-3 are PBS stations. in total I have ~20 stations that are worth watching, with a handful of others that I've removed from the channel list (QVC, Religious channels, etc)

these past couple weeks there have been different NFL games on CBS Toledo and CBS Detroit so it was nice to be able to jump back and forth (11-1 & 62-1)

I use this antenna and this preamp

I'll probably mess with it more come Spring, a better preamp closer to the antenna MIGHT allow me to get CBC which would be awesome

Hello, I am looking at one of these antennas and was hoping to get some opinions on what antenna would be best for me? Any help is greatly appreciated.

https://www.amazon.com/1byone-Amplified-HDTV-Antenna-Detachable/dp/B00IF70T4M/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1485833437&sr=8-3&keywords=ota+antenna

I have the live TV thing, and got one of the paper-thin antennae's, i pick up about 30 channels, (DC metro area)... i think it works pretty well... on my other TV, i use my roku and enjoy having the Amazon Prime and Hulu Plus... definitely miss that on the boxee though.

If you live in a good metro area, i recommend the live-tv adapter... get this antennae and you will get most digital channels (http://www.amazon.com/Paper-Thin-Leaf-Indoor-Antenna/dp/B004QK7HI8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346157879&sr=8-1&keywords=paper+thin+antenna)

Help from the more knowledgeable would be appreciated. I live in zip 23508--here's an AntennaWeb map of the area.

I've got a non-amplified [Mohu Leaf antenna] (http://www.amazon.com/Mohu-Leaf-Paper-Thin-Indoor-Antenna/dp/B004QK7HI8/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1405344490&sr=8-5&keywords=antenna) mounted in a first-floor window facing south. The antenna is connected via a 25-foot good quality coax to a Tivo box.

My reception is terrible. Lots of pixilation and audio dropouts.

My research led me to think that the Mohu Leaf was an adequate device for my situation. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

I've never heard of "ahere" as a manufacturer, so I suspect it's a marketing company rather than a company that actually makes and tests the antennas. You have gotten some nice suggestions for antennas people know to be good.

I had good luck with both my ChannelMaster CM4228, but it's large; probably too large for your attic. This ClearStream 4V didn't work as well for me for a very weak VHF station, but my brother in law is using it and likes it. They make a 60 mile version that is smaller and can probably fit in your attic space.

I think upofadown's suggestion for either a Winegard HD7694 or ChannelMaster CM-2018 are good choices. But they are 78" long, and they can be hard to fit into small spaces.

I put a ClearStream 4V in my attic and I've been pretty happy with it. I use a pre-amp with it since I'm running the cable through my basement, along the side of the house, then into the attic (rather than fishing wires through the attic). If your dish's coax runs through the attic/roof then it'd be even easier to tap into that line.

Obviously it would be ideal to have the least amount of obstructions as possible, so if roof-mounting is an option, you should go for it. Get a bigger oldschool antenna (like one of these) and you can probably mount it to the same pole or receiver as your dish.

Purchase List:

Optoma HD27 1080p 3D DLP Home Theater Projector - amazing image quality and extremely bright - can almost watch the screen with all the lights on: https://www.amazon.com/Optoma-HD27-1080p-Theater-Projector/dp/B01JR7G672

Homegear 100” HD Motorized 16:9 Projector Screen W/ Remote Control - works very well, packaged and arrived in great condition: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00J22TNRI

Yamaha RX-V379BL 5.1-Channel A/V Receiver with Bluetooth: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00V5VJ3TM

2 ELAC B6 Debut Series 6.5" L & R Speakers by Andrew Jones: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014GSEQ06

1 ELAC C5 Debut Series 5.25" Center Speaker by Andrew Jones: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014GSEQWE

AmazonBasics High-Speed HDMI Cable: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014I8TC4E

Monoprice Affinity Premium 14AWG Braided Speaker Wire: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015YN6G9G

VideoSecu 2 Heavy duty PA DJ Club Adjustable Height Satellite Speaker Stand Mount: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000VRREPG

Projector Mount - VideoSecu LCD/DLP Projector Ceiling Mount Bracket: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000IDC0K2

2x LED Lighting for Bar/Couch: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00V27VX7E

I recently made this post and went with this antenna based on the recommendation in the comments.

I just installed it this last weekend and I'm happy to say that I got almost all of my desired channels. There are a couple that I lost when I made the run to my house distribution box instead of directly to the TV, but all-in-all, I'm happy (no amplifier was necessary).

It's not under $100, but all I can say is that it worked for me. Seeing as you have 2x groups of stations, using the bowtie would work out well for you.

I'd look something like (top down):

--o--/

> ?
Hey, this is a copy/paste from a response I gave to someone else, but seems appropriate.

Figured you may find my post interesting. I used to live around the Riverside/Hurdman bus station, with a set of VHF/UHF cheap antenna, I used to get most channels since I was up high in an apartment. 5 years ago, I moved to the burbs of Barrhaven (townhome). My tv was in the basement, so I interconnected coax cables up to my second story and had that same antenna there and barely got anything.

I proceeded to invest in a better antenna. After some research, I settled on this one: http://www.amazon.ca/RCA-ANT751R-Outdoor-Optimized-Reception/dp/B0024R4B5C/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1419899680&sr=8-2&keywords=rca+ant

It's a little large, but for myself, I was able to install inside my attic so it's completely out of sight. Pointed it at the Gatineau hills (the source of the signals) and programmed my tv.

I get a VERY SOLID set of channels that work though all weather.

They include channels: 4, 6, 9, 11, 13, 14, 24, 30, 40, 42, 43, 60, 65.

input your zip code here and see how far the towers are from you:

https://www.antennasdirect.com/transmitter-locator.html

Most non-amped antennas will reach up to 40 miles, which should barely include Prineville. Depending on your geography, might be or might not be worth getting.

I have a simple $10 rabbit ear antenna and rarely have problems with it. Usually only when it's windy (weird), or it's a really, really popular broadcast, like the Super Bowl, which i find interesting (and annoying)

https://www.amazon.com/RCA-ANT111E-Digital-Antenna-Non-Amplified/dp/B000HKGK8Y

I have the Terk HDTVa, and live in Downtown. I get EVERY SINGLE UHF channel (14-83) solid as a rock when it's pointed in the proper Southwest direction. I also get KPRC (Channel 2) in the same capacity, but KUHF (Channel 8) refuses to come in reliably, and Channels 11 and 13 are fussy sometimes.

I should note that I live in Houston House Apartments, and although it is high up, I have to pick up signals through solid concrete walls that are good enough for my DVR to simply handle without me having to play around with it. This place was built when things were meant to last, hence the concrete surroundings.

Good news is you have solid "green" local channels that really any outdoor antenna would get. However, although the big 4 news networks are there, there isn't much more at that 60 degree heading.

This is only my suggestion, but it might not be best. I would consider two antennas. You could put one at the 60 degree heading in the attic, but the other one outside pointed to what specific other channels you are looking for.

You can buy a combiner on Amazon for like $14 so you can still have the signals going to the same tv.

This is my only suggestion, as far as a specific antenna, I haven't used it but the Eagle Aspen is inexpensive and gets great reviews

As /u/upofadown said, if you are already getting the VHF low channels, you want to make sure you get that still.

Do you already get all those "green" channels with the rabbit ears?

We get most basic channels. Can't remember off the top of my head but tbs, nbc, fox news and a lot of Canadian channels and Jesus channels. There are probably a lot more that I'm missing but you would get most common channels plus some. I bought this when it was cheaper: converter and also this: antenna. They tend to pick up frequency from traffic that passes close to our house(we are right next to a busy road). If you live away from a main road it would work well but ours is okay as is. Install is easy if you already have a mount from another dish on your roof. I am in between Portland and Salem and our reception is really good except for the static when trucks go by. I am considering buying another antenna and aiming it at Salem. If needed I can try and figure out specific channels for you when I get home. I love hearing my in laws bitch about the price of cable and offered to set them up with this if they buy the hardware. They refuse every time. This purchase saved me a lot of money this year. Let me know if you have more questions.

That's good information regarding WBKI/WMYO. Definitely solves one of my problems.

Between the HD7694P and CM-2018 which one would be "better" (I know that word is usually subjective) for my situation?

Is the Extreme Broadband BDS104h a decent splitter?

If I do need to add a preamp would one of these two be acceptable?
Winegard LNA-200 Boost XT

Channel Master CM-7778

Thanks again!

Definitely possible. Very easy if your monitor has HDMI.

First you need something like this.

Then you need an digital OTA antenna like this.

If you don't have HDMI you can get adapters to spilt to DVI or vga and a 3.5mm audio jack.

Plug them in and you are good to go.

Edit: just saw you have no speakers. Just about any set of powered pic speakers will do just fine. Probably need a 3.5 to rca cable to plug the speakers into the back of the tuner.

Right now I use this in the window of the lowest floor of my house. And this on the main level. They both work pretty well when setup outdoors, but i get nothing if they are inside. This is why I want a dedicated antenna outdoors. I don't think I need a particularly strong antenna for the stations I want to get, and I wanted something that won't be too large. This is my TV fool report. I am only really interested in FOX, NBC, CBS, and ABC.

I'm in Commerce, and using this antenna (not kidding) mounted in the attic to pick up ABC and GPB:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004NQMCDK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_SMT7yb954CYNT

It's a cheap plastic piece of junk thing but it works. I primarily have it pointed toward ABC tho. The other Atlanta channels are about 5 degrees of from ABC I think, so this antenna can't get them, and I haven't gotten around to messing with it more.

I'd like to get this one or one like it to pull in from two different directions and get everything, but I haven't gotten around to testing the current setup to see if it'd be worth it:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C4XVOOC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_8TT7yb7NXWQA2

Anyway, there's various sites where you can check to see what your chances are to pull in some channels. On mobile and can't remember if the top of my head.

Just noticed this thread right after I made a post about this. below is my original post:

So I just cancelled my cable after they doubled my cable bill and now I am trying to figure everything out. It took all weekend and part of Monday but I think I have managed to get sickbeard, couch potato and SABnzb all set up and functioning! I have everything streaming to our tv's with Rokus and the PLEX app. Now I need to tackle OTA to prepare for football season.

Here is my TVfool report: http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3de1c67178617b76

All I really need to get are ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX.

Do you think I will be ok with an RCA standard indoor antenna (http://www.amazon.com/RCA-ANT111-Basic-Indoor-Antenna/dp/B000HKGK8Y/) or should I get something else. Is there anything else I will need that I am forgetting? Any advice is welcome. Thanks!

Yeah, I would hope this is obvious to most people but I guess it is good for those that don't know. Definitely recommend getting a better antenna from somewhere besides Bestbuy. If you want a cheap antenna, dollarama was selling some RCA ones for $3 but if you are going to spend over $20 look for something like this:

https://www.amazon.ca/Terk-Amplified-High-Definition-Antenna-Reception/dp/B0007MXZB2

(Model sometimes goes on sale for less than $50 from The Source).

Thank you all for the help. TVfool doesn't recognize my address, but I used the coordinates. Updated report is here: http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3de6a4573dbc94bd
Honestly, the only VHF channel I want to receive is ABC (WPVI-TV channel 6). Is there any way to receive this without a HUGE antenna? I'm not sure I can fit it in my attic, and my wife won't let me put it outside. Is there any chance something like one of these two antennas would work, or are they garbage?
https://www.amazon.com/GE-Antenna-Compact-Enhanced-33692/dp/B00DNJZ58M/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1487039749&sr=8-3&keywords=attic%2Bantenna&th=1

https://www.amazon.com/1byone-Amplified-Mounting-Extremely-Performance/dp/B01KUXVKK0/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1487039749&sr=8-5&keywords=attic+antenna

I installed this antenna outside on both my house (downtown Melbourne) and my mother's (northwest Melbourne). It works great and I get a shit-ton of channels (most of them are crap).

WESH 2 is the hardest to get, so I used a site like this one to figure out what degrees the WESH tower was from my location and used a compass to point the antenna straight at it. Everything else comes in good as well.

You aren't out of luck with those channels but you will need an outdoor antenna with possibly some height to it. An amp might not be a bad idea either. I pick up several stations like this with an antenna 20 feet in the air, with an amp split to 4 TVs.

This is the antenna I use: Winegard HD7694P High Definition VHF/UHF Antenna https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001DFTGR4

But I would go with the bigger model if you can, just make sure it is VHF and UHF.

I can't speak on the DVR too much as I have tried several options from the channel master dvr to the tablo but ended up going with a HTPC with 3 tuners, NextPVR and Plex for viewing anywhere. That's an advanced solution though.

I lived on 25th St NW and had pretty good coverage, KTTC, KXLT, PBC (Iowa an KSMQ), KAAL, and KIMT. I moved further north and west and dropped Iowa Public Television, KTTC and KXLT.

I have this antenna indoors.

Check out Antenna Web, they are a pretty good indicator of coverage.

It will work. Your tv needs an ATSC tuner to decode digital signal. Most TVs have them built into them. If you are unsure find your tv manual online and look. I bet it does. IF NOT, you can buy an ATSC tuner. (http://techcrunch.com/2011/03/16/the-five-best-cord-cutting-devices-plus-one-bonus/) - see #1

Also, We are rowing the same boat. (TWC internet subscriber here, was doing the same thing as you, live in valley village).

I purchased a small multi directional antenna on amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Ultra-Thin-Amplified-Indoor-Antenna/dp/B00DIFIP06/ref=sr_1_1?s=audio-video-accessories&ie=UTF8&qid=1419278527&sr=1-1

We are fortunate to be close to the towers on burbank mountain 80 deg. from you). all major channels come in from that direction. You could go with a directional antenna if you have clear line of sight in that direction. but you will want to consider your situation (building materials, what floor apt. you are on etc.). I am on the first floor on west side of the building and it is made out of metal so the directional wouldnt work for me.

Good luck!

I have Winegard Flatwave antenna:
https://www.amazon.com/Winegard-FlatWave-FL-5000-High-VHF-Ultra-Thin/dp/B0063705PE/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1539375572&sr=8-5&keywords=wineguard+flatwave
It works very well.
As the other poster mentioned, get a Roku, it has the most content. Look at the shows you watch most, then check which services offer the best value for you. You have lots of options that will save you money.

This is my report and I'm using this antenna in my attic. KCPQ (Fox) is hit or miss sometimes and Kiro (CBS) doesn't come in for me. I get all the other channels I'm interested in my area. My antenna works pretty good for my setup minus the previous missed channels listed. Hope that points you in a direction that's useful.

Target and Amazon sell these! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004QK7HI8/ref=psdc_172665_t2_B00JC9J2NQ They're super-easy to set up. Just make sure you hang it from the top of the wall so you can get better signal. I have one and my parents do too and they've been great.

If you're getting a usable signal at the antenna itself (with a short cable to a TV), but you lose the signal after a splitter or long cable run, you should purchase a preamplifier. This gets mounted ON the antenna, and is powered over the TV cable itself, and amplifies the signal where it is usable, to account for the long cable run and splitters.

Every time you split the signal, the signal strength plummets. A simple two-way splitter gives each output a little less than half of the incoming signal. This is OK if you've got sufficient signal strength, but it's important to do this properly.

Amplifiers are not magic. They can't take an unusable signal and make it usable. In other words, if you put an amplifier at the end of the 150 ft of cable, where the signal isn't usable, it's not going to help. The signal is already degraded. You need to amplify before this, where the signal is good.

And YES, you can have too strong of a signal, and the effects are as bad as too weak of a signal.

Start with that. If you live in Menards territory, you can find the RCA preamplifier there for around $20.

I wanted to say thank you for your help and guidance on this. After reading about those antennas you listed, and I found another guide on reddit about what all of the stuff on TV Fool actually means, I decided to try out an RCA Yagi antenna from Amazon. I hooked it up this morning and it brought all of the channels in, including the VHF-High Fox that I couldn't get with the others. I just put it on the floor in my bedroom and the signal quality and % were anywhere from the 70s to 90s. Once I get it installed in the attic I'm sure it will be pretty rock solid. Anyway, thanks a ton. For anyone else that stumbles on this thread, here is the antenna I ended up purchasing and is working for me: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0024R4B5C/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This one is great, if you don't have the option of installing a rooftop antenna.

This site will tell you which direction to point it for specific networks in your area. Most networks are on UHF, so you may not even need to extend the rabbit ears that are built into the Terk (rabbit ears are for VHF stations).

Good luck!

I live in Simpsonville, and have used a Clearstream C5 (Walmart Link) for the past couple years . Previous house, installed in attic, ABC was hit or miss (mostly 'miss) but everything else came in great.

We recently moved 1/2 mile away, but in the general direction of Asheville, and ABC...56.8 miles away, according to tvfool.com, and ABC comes in pretty damn well. Still installed in the attic, about the same overall height above grade (~25') - at the front anyway. Our new yard slopes towards the rear, and we have a walk-out bsmt...so it's an additional 12' or so above grade at the rear - not sure if that's also helping

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edit: Using an RCA pre-amp which makes a HELLUVA difference, too. ABC, and some others, don't work at all without it. link

Obviously it's too late for tonight but for the future, I bought an antenna on Amazon and it works alright - I sometimes have to reposition it and it would work better if my tv was by a window but it's ok. You just plug it into the tv and it should pick up abc and a couple other stations. I got this one: 1byone HDTV Antenna - 25 Miles Range with 10ft High Performance Coax Cable https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IF70QCW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_PAsMybEVG97QN but I'm sure there are more reliable options for a little more money. I finally broke down and got it since I've never found a good way to watch things like the bachelor live without cable :-/

When I moved into my apartment 6 years ago, I didn't even bother with cable or an antenna, I just streamed everything. But last year around Super Bowl time I decided to get one. First I tried a 25 mile Amazon Basics one, which mostly worked but there were a few channels I wouldn't get without repositioning it. Then I got this. Works SO much better. I get all the basics, and although not everything is in 1080p, I don't have to move the antenna around at all. Then again, living at the bottom of Grimes Hill and having the antenna on the side of the apartment away from Manhattan probably has something to do with that. No picture but it's just sticky tape mounted to the wall. Setup was plugging everything in then walking around where I wanted to mount it to see where I would get the best reception.

This and these would be a start to a great system, or you could do the same receiver + these fronts and this center and these surrounds. The second set is my setup, actually. That's napkin math to $1k, and it's freaking solid. slightly not as good as the UB5s, but for home theater usage, that's less of a deal. If you want top end music performance too, I'd vote get the UB5s. I'm extremely happy with my B6s/matching center / surrounds.

I don't know why you are getting downvoted because it's the best answer. Local channels you can receive for free as long if you have an antenna. you can get 25mile radius ones for $12.99

https://www.amazon.com/1byone-HDTV-Antenna-Miles-Performance/dp/B00IF70QCW/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1478910356&sr=8-7&keywords=antenna

A friend of mine uses an antenna and has been extremely reliable for her.