(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best tv antennas

So I had some issue with signal - I had to place my antennas (yes plural) pretty precisely in my attic. As fshagan mentioned Fox is VHF-HI - so different and/or multiple antennas might help.

My setup was... pretty intensive to setup. Probably took me ~40hrs+ over multiple weekends to get just right. But now its rock-solid and I have a lot of capability (e.g. DVR), and I'm not paying for cable. So the cost was high in terms of time commitment (and dollars) but I'm very, very pleased with the value I got. So you need to assess for yourself what you are willing to commit in terms of upfront time and dollar cost for what value you want.

SO back to your situation, if you wanted to somewhat copy what I have...

For UHF channels, pointed at your 105 degree sources, try this in your attic: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CXQO00K
For Fox, pointed 84 degrees, try this in your attic: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014M0XXES
For PBS/CBS: use the one you already have

Now you could probably combine the signal via coax somehow and send through your house. I have heard that is possible but I can't speak to it since that's not my setup. What I did was buy multiple older model HDHomeruns for about $50 each (e.g. checkout this link http://www.ebay.com/bhp/hdhomerun-dual - though at the moment there are only newer models which are pricier)

With the HDHomeruns, you can then get the multiple TV signals on your home network. If you don't have Ethernet you can try the new HDHomerun Extend that alleged works over WiFi - though that is pricier and I can't speak to it firsthand since I haven't used it.

Once the HDHomeruns are on your network, you can use a computer to play TV. I use Windows7+Media Center, with old xbox 360s as "Media Center Extenders". I've also heard good things about NextPVR though I didn't have a great experience with it (I think my computer may have been under-powered though possibly)

The great the about going HDHomerun+Computer is that you get DVR and TV guide capability. I even have a remote control that connects to the computer too - so its all a very nice experience. The down side is that it is a good amount of work to set it all up.

Also - there is an HDHomerun "signal app" - I highly recommend it. It was VERY helpful to me to just use the app on my phone in the attic while positioning the antennas. The instant feedback was REALLY helpful.

Anyway sorry for the long post - but if you want to go "all out" on the OTA TV setup, you might give my setup a try. Alternatively you could just take parts of it (e.g. multiple antennas but just combine over coax) and maybe that will work better for your situation.

Btw, imo this antenna site is superior to TV Fool: https://otadtv.com/tvtower/index.html

You've got towers in every direction ranging from 20-25 miles in Lawton to 80 miles in Oklahoma City. If it was me I would go ahead and invest in a rooftop antenna designed with a motor that can rotate its direction 360 degrees with up to 150 mile range. I see a bunch of what look like the same basic design on Amazon but this is the biggest seller: https://www.amazon.com/Amplified-Digital-Motorized-Rotation-Infrared/dp/B004NQMCDK I don't own one, so can't speak to how well this antenna works, though. (I use a RCA YAGI 70+ mile range because in my case all the main towers are 27 miles away in the same direction.)

If you look at Amazon's picture that shows the model I linked mounted on the roof, you will see that it has been mounted on a pole that is inserted into the 'j' pipe for the satellite dish mount. I followed this video https://youtu.be/m9m_p1oNR5A to remove my Directv dish and replace it with an antenna instead. It was easy to do. I did check to make see whether the dish mount was properly grounded, and needed to correct a couple of things that the installer had done. (Check at the OTA sub for help on that.)

(Note: When the weather warms a bit I intend to insert a 6' length of chain-link fence top rail into the j pipe to mount my YAGI antenna on in order to to give it some more height. In your case I think you would need to mount the antenna on a pole to give it freedom of movement for the motor to rotate directions. In any event, I would just make sure that the pole is securely fastened to the j pipe. And personally, I'm wary about making the pole too long because that sort of dish mount angled as it is from the sloping roof probably is not designed for a long pole sticking out of it. My guess is 6' isn't going to offer so much wind resistance that it would stress the connection points where it is bolted to the roof.)

Of course if you're handy enough to mount the antenna next to your chimney at the roof peak, more height and clearer line of sight yields the best results. Or pay a professional installer to do it.

My wife and I have had Sling, Amazon Prime Video (which we've had for years now, although prior to ditching Directv only used occasionally) and OTA for a couple of months now. We love it. We're using mostly Fire Sticks, although for a small TV in the kitchen we have an older model Roku.

One tip to share regarding Sling: use the search function (magnifying glass icon) to find the shows that you regularly watch and favorite them. Then under My TV scroll down to your Favorites row of tiles and open a show. In most cases we find that every season's list of episodes are all available there. And once a new show airs live it gets added to the current season episode list, available to watch on-demand. We have found that at least for this type of viewing it eliminates the need for DVR. You can do this for movies as well. We still pay the $5 per month for DVR but we rarely use it.

that was like the first antenna i bought.. its almost 100% amplifier but it does pick up some signals.. once i knew i could get some signals i decided I would try for something really stable .. not sure how sucessful i have been heh .. but I pretty much tried every solution

After I bought that antenna i bought a
clearstream 4v $75 BestBuy Blackfriday Sale
https://www.amazon.com/ClearStream-Indoor-Outdoor-Antenna-Mount/dp/B00SVNKT86

then I bought a RCA Amp to put on that $16 AmazonWarehouse Return
https://www.amazon.com/RCA-TVPRAMP1Z-Preamplifier-Outdoor-Antenna/dp/B003P92D9Y

Then I bought a VHF Hi / UHF small Yagi
https://www.amazon.com/Mediasonic-HOMEWORX-HDTV-Outdoor-Antenna/dp/B01C1YL16Y

between the ClearStream 4v and the small Yagi i could get some stations from both Philly and Baltimore but not really great all day long.. mostly better at night and really bad around sun up and sun down.


then I made this antenna It works pretty well but it has reflections and it picks up signal from behind it which knocks out FOX Philly .. Tried installing aluminum foil on the reflector but it wasn't enough
https://i.redd.it/2fd3jfy03y6y.jpg

Then I bought this antenna it also works ok but no channel 6 or 12 I figured since it was factory made it would be more stable and it is but it is a trade off.. both Baltimore and Philly have high VHF and Low VHF that I wanted..
https://www.amazon.com/Xtreme-Signal-HDB8X-Bowtie-Antenna/dp/B00CX6UJ5K

Then the Repack was announced so I started looking for a large yagi so I could get Low UHF
With all the money I already invested and the fact that I could get signal from a bunch of stations most or some of the time I took about a year to pick both of them up.. when I saw the prices $35 I was like hell i really can't pass that up.. So I pointed the first one at philly and I could get channel 6 and 12.. 6 is off and on .. very glitchy but I do get it .. 6 philly is ABC which I also get ABC from Baltimore but Baltimore News sucks really bad.

So I found one.. then i found the other... they both have amps on them
they are in my attic because we get insane wind here and they wouldn't stay up a year if they were welded to a tower and braced from every direction.


So thats where I am now two huge antennas that are fished between my attic trusses.. hopefully pointed pretty accurately but I am sure I am off by 10 degrees and they are both pointed downwards somewhat ... its the best i can do the trusses are 24 inches apart and the antennas are 115 inches long and wide so its pretty difficult especially when you're trying to not put your foot through the drywall ceiling below you...

but yep tried everything pretty much

60 miles out in 5 directions .. i have so many weak signals all around me that half of my channels cochannel and knock each other off the air.. but I can get signal from philly and baltimore pretty good.. Unfortunately there are a handful of good stations I really want that I can't get.. Like Heroes and Icons... and I get Quest but it flakes out about 30% of the day on an average day and that is normally when nothing else is on but Jerry Springer .. Quest is basically all the old shows from Discovery and History Channel... but I do get it ok sometimes.. and there are other stations.. a country music station and Grit and a korean station for the KPOP girls heh ..

But I do get duplicates of QVC HSN and I get 3 different broadcasts of Comet .. and also duplicates of 4 spanish networks and four advertising only networks that show New Jersey Used Car Dealers 24/7 THEY COME IN PERFECT! .. heh ah what can you do I am lucky to get what I get and I am happy for it.



you might want to look at this page for info about data plans
https://www.rvmobileinternet.com/guides/top-pick-data-plans/

its still real expensive and most of them with unlimited still throttle you at 20gb of data and they are dam expensive too..

there are some plans where you pay like $300 up front and then its $30 per month and you are on Sprint Data and you don't get throttled or capped but .. thats a hell of a lot of money to take that chance.. basically its a third party company reselling Sprint.. and they have been in business 3-5 years but with TMobile trying to buy sprint i know TMobile isn't going to allow unlimited unthrottled ..

anyway :o)

I most definitely believe they got my money and ran with the Jeje model. It was simply too good to be true to have both a "high gain" antenna PLUS be able to be remotely controlled .. ALL for just $28 bucks. I figured I was willing to try all types so why not try that one and see. I've actually had it installed at my house for 18 months now.. More because I got a little down with failure there for awhile and stopped throwing away money into the hobby but I feel rejuvenated again to try.

​

I have used an Antenna's Direct before but it was when I was just trying to pick up the locals from Quincy. It was this model.. 4 Element Bowtie Indoor/Outdoor HDTV Antenna - 60 Mile Range. There was honestly nothing wrong with it other than the fact that I was starting to get interested in attempting to gain the Tropo channels and I started buying other antennas. This antenna is actually still installed and working fine at my fathers house now 6 years later.

​

By ganging them in parallel, do you mean having 4 or more of these on the same mounting structure and pointing them in different directions? Or if its something else, do you care to explain and describe the benefits?

​

I appreciate your comments. I really do not mind throwing a little cash at something IF it would actually work. Of course, my fear is not wasting 25-30 bucks.. But wasting 70-100 bucks on something and it not working. Surprisingly I have never seen this particular antenna.. But it intrigues me. Definitely looks like a monster.

Thanks again for the help.

>The problem is either your antenna either has an amplifier in it or it is a Mohu, Amazon, or Byone flat antenna or similar that is a UHF antenna. (Is there an amplifier??)

It's an Amazon antenna. It came with an amp because it's the 50 Mile model, but it's long been disconnected it. By "disconnect," I mean that I literally removed the amp and connected the coaxial cable straight to the antenna. (I didn't just unplug it. The amp is sitting in a box somewhere). I did so because I had a similar issue the last place I lived, and removing the amp fixed it.

I coincidentally have another Amazon leaf-style antenna at home (35 mile model), and it is designed without any kind of amplifier. It was for a different TV. I suppose it's possible that the amp'd antenna (even with the amp removed) could be deficient somehow, so I'm going to hook up my old Amazon antenna and see if that solves the issue short term.

>I personally prefer the flatwave for than the freevision because the freevision is more directional which is less helpful in your case where you are not working with a window in the proper direction.

Thanks, I appreciate the suggestion. I think I'll go ahead and order a flatwave on Amazon. If my old antenna ends up working, I'll just cancel the order or return the flatwave.

Ancillary question(s): You mentioned the need for a shielded coaxial cable if I use the Freevision.

(1) Why is shielded coaxial cable required for Freevision use? I'd like to know for my own knowledge's sake.

(2) I have a lot of audio and other equipment around my TV (2 bookshelf speakers, a self powered subwoofer, an Amazon Fire TV, and an XBOX One). Could that be affecting my signal right now? If so, would a shielded coaxial cable or some other precaution help? Is there any foreseeable reason to use it with a flatware?

Edit: I went and looked at the Winegard FlatWave FL-5000 online just now....it looks almost identical to the Amazon antenna(s) I already own. Is it really worth buying? Are my current antennas really only UHF antennas, even though they look identical to the Flatwave?

Get This antenna, paired with This booster. I have never had any issues since. Small roof imprint too which is nice. Obviously higher and outside mounting is the best.

It's omni directional, but it does have a little preference. If you also have an HD Homerun there's an app called "Signal GH" by Generally Helpful Software that will help you point it in the best direction so that both FOX and everything else are best picked up. Otherwise, if I remember correctly it's just like 5 degrees off north to the east is best...

You and I are in the same boat when it comes to how far our homes are from the transmission towers.

The [Mohu Leaf 50] (http://amzn.to/1PwvSat) works great for me. I have two at my house, and both pull in all the stations (and then some) from about 25 miles away from the transmission towers. You do have to spend a few minutes moving the antenna around your wall for optimal reception, but once you get it set, you're good to go.

Another thing you could do: Call Comcast and see if you can switch to their Digital Ecomony with Blast! promotion. The cost is around $55 to $60 a month depending on where you live and when you call. You get all your locals, a handful of very basic cable channels and 105 mbps Internet. This is what I have, and it's great.

You have a Triple Play bundle, so I'm guessing you also have home phone, and that's probably important to you. We also have a home phone, but it's separate from Comcast — we bought a refurbished [StraightTalk home phone system] (http://www.walmart.com/ip/Straight-Talk-Huawei-Prepaid-Home-Phone-with-15-Nationwide-Plan-Refurbished/44753494) that plugs into our existing phones and uses the AT&T Wireless network instead of a traditional landline. Service cost is $15 a month, and it works great.

Assuming you get the Digital Economy with Blast at $55 and home phone through StraightTalk for $15, you're looking at around $70 a month, or $130 less than what you're paying now (not including fees for Netflix and Amazon).

So your TVFool report is way worse than mine, but we are in the same general area (I'm further away in central bucks). As others have mentioned, 6 and 2 are VHF.

I started out with this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004NQMCDK?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage

It's cheap, it looks cheap, it feels cheap. It's been up for a year and a half and it works great. I thought it was just going to be a starting point, but it's totally sufficient for everything other than VHF.

To solve the VHF issue, I got this: https://www.antennasdirect.com/store/ClearStream-2V-UHF-VHF-Long-Range-Indoor-Outdoor-DTV-Antenna.html

Works great for channel 6, kinda shitty for everything else. I mounted it on the pole just below the first antenna.

I figured a combination of the 2 would be perfect. Since the first antenna has a preamp in it, I needed a diplexer that would pass power on the UHF side. This was surprisingly hard to find documented when searching - I suppose it's too "technical" :)

So I ended up with this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008PBTPN4?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage

Mounted it right below the second antenna and everything is working absolutely great.

This is all on the roof of an outbuilding about 20 feet AGL. It goes inside to my office where it hits a splitter. The low side of the splitter goes to an HD Homerun and the high side goes to an underground feed to the house.

It took some time for me to get to this as a solution, but I'm really pleased with it.

Quick edit: the combination of these two antennas is so light that they are mounted in a metal adjustable flag pole holder that is screwed to the roof peak of the barn with a 6 foot piece of black iron pipe in it as a mast. Cheap and simple.

Hey, I'm just here from /r/random but I do want to say that "HDTV antenna" is just a silly marketing term. All antennas are HD. A paper clip sticking out of the back of your TV will pickup HDTV. That being said, try a $5 antenna first before spending a lot on something more expensive. TVFool is also a great resource -- just plug in your address and you can see how strong the OTA signals are.

I bought Amazon's generic version of the Mohu Leaf and it is perfect. I had perfectly fine reception with a rabbit-ear style antenna but I needed to adjust it for each channel. These new flat antenna have the same reception regardless of orientation; no per-channel adjustments neccesary!

I cut my cord a few months ago so this is pretty fresh for me.

I have a home theatre pc connected to the main tv in my house. Only running SSD and a minimal fan in the case so it is nearly silent. On the PC I run Netflix and have Amazon Prime video. I also use bittorrent to get stuff not available on those.

My cell phone plan is with Rogers so for that season it gets me access to NHL GameCenter. I use this along with a proxy to watch Oilers games.

Other sports have been a bit of an issue. I like to watch tennis and have to usually search around for a stream.

I also purchased an antenna. I can pull 5 channels. I should get another but I kind of have the antenna hidden out of site so I think that is messing with my signal. I don't use it often, but during things like the election I like to watch the news. Same with when there are a couple things on Global I want to see, like the Oscars or Grammys. The one I purchased is: https://www.amazon.ca/Mohu-Leaf-Indoor-HDTV-Antenna/dp/B00APPDX86.

On my secondary TV all I have is netflix through my xbox.

I have not tried out KODI yet but I hear it is pretty awesome

The name of the game for OTA in SF Bay Area is Sutro Tower - also, a notable landmark, see: http://www.larrykenney.com/sutrotwr.html

Luckily, you are within 40 miles, so you should have good results with a decent attic antenna set up.

You can ignore the other reply about Low VHF stations. Those are low power, extreme niche JUNK channels (think, Shopping Channel in Vietnamese, GOD TV, Korean News, etc.) - worthless to target unless you fall within that narrow particular niche. Here is good list of what these are for SF Bay Area: http://www.choisser.com/sfonair2.html

Sutro Tower gets you Fox 2 (44 real), ABC 7 (7 real), CBS 5 (29 real) PBS 9 (30 real), plus some really good second tiers - CW, and KOFY, MeTV, and ThisTV. Notwithstanding ABC 7 being listed as 7 VHF, I get ABC 7 as strong UHF 35. So, Sutro Tower is bascally a UHF antenna affair.

However, just south of Sutro Tower is Mnt. San Bruno. It has NBC 11 which IS broadcasting in VHF (12 real). It is one of 2 broadcasting 1080 (other is CBS), so definitely worth targeting. Therefore, you should have a good UHF antenna (Sutro Tower stations) plus decent VHF to get NBC.

I have good results with ClearStream 4V: https://www.amazon.com/ClearStream-Indoor-Outdoor-Antenna-Mount/dp/B00SVNKT86/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1517716978&sr=1-1&keywords=ClearStream+4V

(May be superceded by ClearStream 4Max)
This gets you good UHF and VHF. However, you may want to detach the VHF portion and aim independently, since the respective transmitters are at different angles.

Pre-amp is a must, I use this from Channel Master:

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

I no longer split my signal to various TVs. Instead, I send to digital tuner (HDHomerun Quatro) which can output 4 simultaneous to my LAN connected TVs (just use Powerline).

Finally, not sure how you can be in Napa and within 40 miles of Sutro Tower and not be Line of Sight - as Sutro Tower is 1700’ above average terrain - unless you are hugging Sonoma Mtns or similar. Typically, much of Napa has clear shot to Sutro Tower.

I'm on mobile so hopefully this will be formatted correctly. Since Thanksgiving is coming up this week, you'll probably need to go to Walmart or if you have Amazon Prime, you'll need to order it today. But what you need is an antenna that gets "over-the-air" stations. CBS is one of these stations. Here's a link to a good one on Amazon. Just do a bit of research to see if CBS is an over-the-air station in your area as well as your preference for an antenna! They're awesome, though! In addition, I would recommend PlayStation Vue rather than Sling. Sling was always super slow in my experience and with Vue, you're able to record shows! Anyway, good luck! Again, what you'll need is an HDTV antenna.

>Is it possible to use multiple mice on one machine

Yes. I've done so many times (but they will all control the same cursor, unless you want to set up some VM voodoo)

>Is it possible to use one of those touch screen monitors along with multiple normal monitors

I don't see any reason why it wouldn't work, but if you want to test it out, see if a computer shop that sells touchscreen laptops or all-in-ones would be willing to attach a second (non-touch) monitor to the laptop/all-in-one, then you can see what the experience is like. I would assume that touching anywhere on the touchscreen would bring the cursor to that monitor, but that's just an educated guess.

>Is a setup like this even possible

Yes. Very possible. Some notes I'd like to add:

> one section for say, sound (with audio equipment, studio monitors, mic, etc), and another for art (with a tablet or possibly a touch screen monitor) and another section for everything, which could be used for programming, gaming, or just general use.

I feel like all of this could be done with a normal-sized desk.

• Studio Monitors -- wall-mount or floor mount these
  
• Audio Equipment -- I have no idea (as a non-audio-nerd) what this would entail, so no clue for how to minimize the amount of real-estate it would take up
  
• Mic -- Either get a boom mic which can be mounted off of your monitor, or have it to one side of the keyboard (left side if you're right-handed)
  
• Touch-screen monitor -- Buy a wall-mount or clamp-on desk mount. Then you have room to shove your keyboard under it if you aren't using the kb
  
• Tablet -- Use this wherever is comfortable. You can move the keyboard back as mentioned above to give more room
  
  Everything else:
  
  
• Normal set-up -- Keyboard + mouse + mousepad. If you don't use numpad or arrow keys, you could get away with a smaller 60% keyboard (shoutout to /r/mechanicalkeyboards)
  
  That's my two cents' worth, at least.

We have it plugged in. It works really good so far. A few channels will get a little pixilation every once and awhile. But we get all the channels in our area and I am amazed at how many there are with the digital thing because now every channel has a .1 .2 or .3. The nice thing about this antenna is there are no rabbit ears sticking out of it and it can be mounted to a wall and even painted the same color as your wall so it blends in. It is also amplified so I think that helps with the signal strength and the picture quality is just a good as with our HDMI cable box. With summer being here we won't miss cable and it helps that we quit TV cold turkey for a couple of weeks with the exception of online streaming. I say cut the cord you can always add it back if you really miss it and summer is the best time to try. :)

Here is a link to the 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 live in North Buffalo and get 39 channels with my antenna. That said, I don't have one of those little things that are the size of a sheet of paper, that you prop up next to your TV. I had one of those and it kinda sucked. I didn't get a ton of channels, and the signal was spotty. So, I ordered a big antenna, installed it in the attic, and ran cable behind the walls to the TVs. This isn't the exact one I have, but it's very similar:
http://www.amazon.com/Element-Bowtie-Indoor-Outdoor-Antenna/dp/B0074H3IU6/ref=sr_1_37?ie=UTF8&qid=1464744285&sr=8-37&keywords=tv+antenna+outdoor

It's great! The picture quality is outstanding on the major networks (MUCH better than Cable ever was). And I'm not a big TV watcher. So the antenna and a Netflix subscription is plenty for me. Saving $120/month or more doesn't hurt either!

We use an Antenna out in Brunswick and get a ton of channels. The issue we have is that we need two antennas to pull baltimore and dc at the same time and then a joiner to join them together. Don't get one of those indoor set top antennas because that shit just won't work for how far out we are.

Here is what we got:

http://www.amazon.com/Antennas-C2-ClearStream-Television-Antenna/dp/B0017O3UHI/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1369798861&sr=8-3&keywords=clearstream+antenna

We got ours from Best Buy open box for like $30, but Amazon's price is good. I would recommend something more like this if you are serious about getting OTA TV:

http://www.amazon.com/Antennas-DB8-Extreme-Multi-Directional-Antenna/dp/B000EHWCDW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1369799102&sr=8-1&keywords=antennas+direct+db8

The shorter the cable run from the Antenna, the better as well. We have a lot of channels accessible in Frederick, it's just taking a bit of time to do some research and setup the equipment.

I will say that my friends and people who I have talked to that say they have "tried it" in our area, usually have tried it with a shitty tv top antenna or just plain had no idea what they were doing. I can tune at least 15 channels each from DC and Baltimore with the first antenna I listed (though I have to readjust it).

I have the older version of this one. It works pretty good, but it has to have that amplifier to pick up anything. I get CBS and Fox easily. NBC was tricky to find the right since their broadcast tower is in Stokes County. I have it set up now where I can get all 3 of those without having to move it and rescan. I get other channels too but I only care about those 3 to watch football. I'm pretty sure I get ABC too.

Re. mount: Personally I prefer a non-penetrating roof mount, because I was (overly) concerned about lifting up Spanish tiles and doing the roof tar/silicon caulk over the screws. So I spent about $120 on an NPRM. A side-mount works well also.

Re. antenna: Your TVFool shows almost all UHF stations, with no VHF stations worth catching. So you would be good with something like the DB4e for $70.

Just to be clear, because you're only 5 miles from the transmitters, you could choose something as basic as a Winegard Freevision in a window facing that direction, and probably receive the signals nicely.

I'm personally a fan of "over-doing" an antenna install, so that you never have to worry about reception in the future, and can receive odds-and-ends signals from other cities that float in, and any local-interest, low-power TV station that decides to start broadcasting for a year or two.

If you're certain that you're not going to add television sets or tuners in the future, and will not need to split the signal, then you should be okay with no preamp for 25 feet of coaxial. But if you might split the coaxial in the future, you may as well install the preamp now.

I have the Winegard FlatWave, also purchased from Amazon, and I'm happy with it. Depending on where you're located, don't expect even the most basic of channels to come through all the time; depending on the weather (and it doesn't always make sense), something may come in one day and may not another. I also spent an entire afternoon finding out the best places to put the antenna depending on which channel I want to receive, since the antenna must point different directions for different channels.

I've also heard great things about the Mohu Leaf from people who own it.

https://www.amazon.ca/Mohu-Leaf-Indoor-HDTV-Antenna/dp/B00APPDX86/

I got the Mohu Leaf indoor HDTV antenna for $40 on Amazon (link). It picks up crisp 1080p digital tv with the basic channels. I use it mainly to watch the main network channels (FOX, ABC, CBS, etc.) so I usually stick to the 1-13 channels. It does have some other ones, but nothing to note. I paid the $40 one time cost so I could cut the cord, but still watch all the football games. Simple, cheap, and hassle free.

Cutting the cable cord, getting this antenna, plus an apple tv was easily one of the best decisions I've made as a consumer.

That's interesting. :) I'm sure they work great for urban areas where there's UHF transmitters close by. It wouldn't work at all for me though, considering most of the stations that I'm interested in are close to 60 miles north of me, (and I'm looking to upgrade to a massive 8-foot long antenna). I currently have a CS2v, and I still can't pick up KGPX or KSKN.

I like the 35 mile amazon basics antenna better as you can use a superior cable instead of the thin built in cable on the other brand. Rg6 cables work great, and they don't cost much
AmazonBasics Ultra Thin Indoor TV Antenna - 35 Mile Range https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00X4RA74A/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_tDCoyb6BM2W24

I own this..

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HSMK59E/ref=twister_B00H70SNGE?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

It works pretty well but a friend of mine has the basic Amazon one and he said it also works pretty good....

http://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Indoor-Antenna-Latest-Version/dp/B00X4RAEZC/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1451503149&sr=8-8&keywords=hdtv+antenna

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.

I'm a bit further east than you, but you're in my area. Thanks for the great information. I was planning to get something like this and just installing it where my dish was before. That way I could just use the same coax and it would give signal to the entire house. The part that always trips me up is the amplifier as I don't have a power source outside near where the antenna would be installed, and if I used it inside, it would only be on one TV after the original line has already been split.

It is absolutely hideous. I wouldn't be using it if it wasn't out of site. For a very long time, I simply had an antenna sitting in my front window and it worked very well. I had a Radio Shack version of this one, and my closest towers were 25mi+ away from me and I picked up about 30+ channels. http://www.amazon.com/GE-24769-Outdoor-Electric-Antenna/dp/B0026SSAOM/ref=pd_sim_23_4?ie=UTF8&dpID=31zRDYvxOYL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=1NQ7FCVY3GJNYNS65TF6

For the antenna, since you are in an apartment, start small and upgrade if you need/want to. going bigger gets you a stronger signal, and can potentially pick up more stations, but you may not need to. My brother has the Phillips version of this antenna and he is very happy with it.

I haven't used a Mohu, but they are really low profile, and may work great for you. http://www.amazon.com/Mohu-Leaf-Amplified-Indoor-Antenna/dp/B00APPDX86/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1453298303&sr=1-1&keywords=mohu

I use the Mohu Leaf 50 Antenna and I get HD-quality KDKA (CBS), WPXI (NBC), and WPGH (FOX), as well as a bunch of PBS channels, the CW, ME.TV, and some other random channels. I can't get WTAE (ABC) to come in, but I've read that other people have the same problem.

You'll get all the Sunday Steelers games because they're always on either CBS or FOX. The only ones you'd miss would be Monday night ones on ESPN. If you know someone with cable, you can use their login to verify your Roku, and use the WatchESPN app for the Monday night games, and all other ESPN programming.

Baseball and hockey are a little more complicated, because the Pirates and Pens are blackedout on the MLB and NHL streaming services. I use Unblock.us with my Apple TV and was able to stream Pirates games perfectly with my MLB.TV subscription (~$130 for the season). Unblock.us is $5 a month. I'm sure this setup would work for the NHL streaming service as well, but I haven't tried it myself.

Alternatively, if you have a jailbroken iOS device or rooted Android device, you can download a location spoofing app, set your location somewhere outside the US and Canada, and watch the games on that device/stream them to a TV via a Chromecast. This is a little more cumbersome, but you'd save $5 a month not needing Unblock.us

I only have experience with 2 different antennas that have worked (I've bought a bunch which didn't)

my gf has a fool report similar to yours, I bought her a cheap monoprice antenna and it sits in her office. Works nice. Drives 3 tvs. But with your potential, I'd get a better one to get all the channels you can.


I have a really shitty report, and I use this shitty antenna in my attic, and it works pretty well. Drives 4 TVs. I will probably be upgrading to a roof mount next summer.

an indoor antenna will be subject to a lot of other things, like are you in an apartment with many walls between you and source, are you behind a big building, hills, trees, etc. in any case, I'd definitely try another model before giving up. good luck!

gotcha. i assume my report shows my signal is good enough that i don't need the amplified versions? i'm really only looking for the major networks any way for nfl playoffs and the super bowl.

this one seems to have got high marks everywhere. think it will do the trick?

thanks again for all the help. i'll toast you as i watch the games this weekend.

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.

Amazon makes a really great one. I got the 50 mile one and it's pretty great.

I would not get a contractor for this, as you don't need to put it in your roof. I put one in my attic and I love it. Here's what I got:

• antenna - my friends love theirs too
  
• stand - works like a charm
  
• booster
  
• ampifier
  
  The signal booster needs to be as close to the antenna as possible, so it is boosting the strongest signal. It took me an afternoon to install it all and run a cable down from my attic to basement. I already had the amp/splitter in basement, so that's why I ran everything there.
  
  My wife didn't want to get rid of cable, but she hasn't talked about getting it back and it's been almost a year. PM me if you have any questions.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ZI9LWS2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s03?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I use this one it works great I have it on a 10 foot pole in my yard and it picks up 29 channels great my favorite is comet tv I live in rural alabama and have it pointed to Birmingham our most populous city hats aout 50 miles away

Do you have the ability to put up an antenna? I have this one hooked up in my back yard on the pole where my old directv dish was. I reused the same coax since it was going directly to my living room and now I have 26 glorious and free HDTV channels. I supplement this with streaming netflix & Amazon Instant to my PS3 via there respective apps. Anything else that I want to see comes via bittorrent then wirelessly to my TV (DNLA compatable) from my laptop via PS3Mediaserver. I know you have xbox & not PS3 but I'm sure there are some similar solutions for your console.

It's indispensable for live sports in my house. College football, playoffs, etc. But that's about all I use it for.

Depending on how far you are from your local broadcast towers and what the terrain is like, you could potentially get by with a little cheapie like this or even this.

I have a Mohu and an Amazon brand that looks identical to it. Both work alright, but our property is very wooded, so I upgraded to a big 15 foot antenna in the attic to make sure I get uninterrupted signal.

Just one note, if you have direct line of sight, you can get by with a little antenna. If you don't have direct LOS, no amount of amplification will help you, so don't waste your money. Only spend money on an amplified antenna if you have near direct LOS, but are a good distance away from the tower.

> RG6 coax

Well, I used to have lots of fun with this before everything became digital and wrecked everything. But it's just a hobby, so I got nothing to loose (except money lol). If I cant get WPIX I was also hoping to get WPVI out of Philly.

I will put RG6 cable down on the list of things to get.

I am still looking at a few amps (by the way, would multiple amps make any difference versus just one amp?)

Would you say these would be good antennas? https://www.amazon.com/ViewTV-Outdoor-Amplified-Antenna-Rotation/dp/B017JEF126/ref=pd_lpo_23_bs_t_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=94Q9RFAN3RMTNY2M345P

http://www.channelmaster.com/Digital_HDTV_Outdoor_TV_Antenna_p/cm-3020.htm

If I do get the 100ft tower, it would put me above some mountains and over any interference

I live pretty close to Woodman's in Altoona. I have the best flat-panel antenna I could buy from Walmart, and I can only pick up channel 13 reliably. When I lived off Main Street in Eau Claire, I could pick up channel 18 as well with the same antenna. I've been meaning to buy a proper outdoor aerial antenna like this one

I'm coming back here to recommend something. Based on other replies here, I went out and bought the Mohu Leaf tv antenna, and I am now getting basic "cable" for free. PBS, ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, a few local channels, a few spanish channels, and a couple more that I'll probably never watch. As long as the sports you want to watch are on network tv, you'll be fine. If it's on ESPN you may have to go to a bar. I live on the second floor of a 3 family house in Somerville and am getting all those channels in HD - I honestly can't tell the difference between the satellite and cable quality. I've got it pinned up to the wall behind my tv, so it's even "out of sight, out of mind".
Highly recommended if you don't need expanded cable.

Just one of those powered antennas thats a flat box you hang near a window. Always worked great before hand. Not sure if it has an extender. Apparently they say we can get 11 OTA channels and this antenna is the one they recommend. CBS isn't on the list though and that is where a lot of the games I'd like to watch in HD would be (at least for college football).

I enjoy my $20 Nohu Leaf. I live in south Aurora though so depending on how far out you are you may want the $40 model though. Also I've never compared with anyone but I seem to get a fair number of channels (maybe 6 good channels) but the HD is excellent.

http://www.amazon.com/Mohu-MH-110598-Paper-Thin-Indoor-Antenna/dp/B00HSMK580

Wow, great write up and I'm glad to hear you guys are no worse for wear.

One thing we added is an indoor TV antenna. It's a Leaf, great investment.

Thank you. I may have to move one of my Roku's or buy another one for the living room. I did grab the CBS All Access app and I believe my Roku has the NewsON (I will have to check to make sure). But the Oklahoma weather tracker tv looks interesting. I will test it out tonight.

Also, here is my tvfool: http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3de6a496c8a30a4e

I did a little investigating and purchased this antenna a few months ago: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ZI9LWS2/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I only did tests by mounting it to a pole I had at about eye level. It will probably work much better once I get it mounted to a pole up above the roof line.

Right now we have no boxes for the TV's. Only the one I am about to return which was the DVR. All the others connect directly to the coax wall plate.

Thank you for the suggestions. They will help.

I edited and added a link. I can't make a unique link with my customization, but it literally is just the 72" version and black on black.

I got a dual monitor stand on amazon because there's was too much money.

http://www.amazon.com/Halter-Monitor-Stand-clamp-monitors/dp/B005UE3C24/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1417288089&sr=8-3&keywords=dual+monitor+stand


Anything else you can ask but I think that's all there is to it. And so you know, I fucking LOVE my desk.

I'm guessing everyone owns a TV. I know I do but like most of you I don't have any tv subscription. But what I do have is this:

An antenna for my TV!

Pretty much everyone is going to pick up PBS, ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox with an antenna. Depending on where you live you might get other stations.

Advantage of the antenna is most major sporting events are on a major network and you will be able to watch it live in full 1080p HDTV with your antenna. Not all cable services are actually 1080p.

Thanks for the reply! I think I can get by with mounting something to the eave and it would be great if I could get both bands in one *modest* antenna. Do you think something like either of the following would yield decent results?

https://www.amazon.com/Element-Bowtie-Indoor-Outdoor-Antenna/dp/B00C4XVOOC/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1550821519&sr=1-3&keywords=bowtie+antenna+hdtv

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SVNKT86/ref=emc_b_5_i

https://www.amazon.com/ClearStream-Indoor-Outdoor-HDTV-Antenna/dp/B002E1UNWS

I do believe the Winegard HD9095P has been discontinued. But the 91XG does intrigue me. I've heard good things about it, and its overall db. gain.

What about this guy...the the HDB91X. Very similar in all aspects to the 91XG...at half the price!

You don't foresee any conflicts by "stacking" one of under my current antenna?

Thanks for the comeback!

I've tried a bunch of different flat antennas and my best luck has been with the [Mohu Leaf 50] (https://www.amazon.com/Mohu-Paper-thin-Reversible-Performance-MH-110599/dp/B00HSMK59E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1503684207&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=mohu+leaf&psc=1). I live out in the burbs and can still pick up a good signal from all local networks.

I have tried multiple stand setups.

My original setup was a dual monitor stand from Halter Link. This wasn't really a good stand. Alignment was sub par and the quality of the stand was also sub par. It's near impossible to get two monitors lined up properly.

After that I went to a Vivo triple stand Link. This was even worse as over time the arms began to sag and no amount of adjustment could line everything up properly.

After wasting money on these awful cheaply built stands, I decided it was time to get a proper stand. I went with a WSGF Ultimate Desk Stand v2 Link and haven't looked back since. It was by far one of the best purchases I've made for my computer and would recommend nothing less than Ergotech.

Here is an older pic of my setup http://i.imgur.com/Ggoe9HA.jpg

The Ergotech/WSGF stand offers individual adjustment for each monitor, allowing perfect alignment. This is definitely the most well built stand I have ever used and I can't see myself replacing it ever. Lifetime warranty!

Seeing as you only want a triple stand and you don't want to spend a ton, I can only recommend this Link. The Ergotech Triple.

This antenna is great for the cost, with a built in amplifier. My last roommate had one for his tv and it worked extremely well indoors, through a pretty thick brick walled room. You'll probably want this one due to the amp alone, gives a much stronger signal than typical antennas.
http://www.amazon.com/RCA-ANT1650-Digital-Amplified-Antenna/dp/B0027FGW3K/ref=lh_ni_t_

An alt to that one is the non amp version for a bit less, probably not the best for your situation though.
http://www.amazon.com/ANT1500-Superior-Flat-Antenna-White/dp/B00196757K/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1298963812&sr=1-1

Well there's a lot of things to consider. Are you geographically located to have all the networks close by. This one:

ViewTV Outdoor Amplified Antenna - 150 Miles Range - 360° Rotation - Wireless Remote https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017JEF126?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

Should be just fine for you.
That said do you just want to watch or do you want to record as well? An over the air DVR would be needed. Also, your TV, is it fairly new? If it's HD, then it will accept over the air signals just fine. If it is old school then you'll need some type of signal interpretation.

Hello neighbor, I too live in the shadow of communication hill. I had to put up an external antenna with a preamplifier to get all of the broadcast channels, but it can be done. Fortunately I live in an HOA that all of the CC&R's were invalidated years ago, except the one about paying for our neighborhood pools, so I can have an external antenna. I have seen a lot of people in our neighborhood with the the "ClearStream" type antenna. I haven't taken the opportunity to ask how their reception is. I highly recommend getting a preamp for the antenna you have and trying your luck again. When my preamp was inline, but not powered up, I could only get the channels on the top of your TVFool report, but once I powered up the pre-amp I was able to get KTVU, KRON, KPIX, KGO-TV, KQED. All of which come from Sutro tower in San Francisco. PM me if you want to chat privately about the details.

I purchased this antenna and this amplifier a few months ago. They work great, but when I was in my 4th floor apartment, there wasn't anything I could really do. My father's $3 goodwill digital antenna from 2004 is a works just as well, but he has better access to the towers.

Again.
$40 amplified antenna

$40 Amazon FireTV Stick
Or
$90 FireTV

+

Kodi

+

Specto

The antenna will give you free local channels

FireTV can give you streaming channels + apps for streaming from channels if you have someone generous enough to provide their cable/satellite login. So we have live streaming of Fox Sports, ESPN, CNN and some more.

and Kodi for every TV Show/Movie. There's add-ons for live tv that's hit or miss but definitely improving

Right on the Vue page it lists what local channels are available. Same with Sling and it's not many

Edit: I don't get your point of trying to cut cords if you're still subscribing to every streaming service available? At that point wouldn't satellite be cheaper?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005UE3C24/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Took me like 10 minutes to setup. Super easy.

This is the antenna I use for UHF. It’s one of the best I could find and it might be what’s necessary for your situation.

Xtreme Signal Long Range Yagi Style VHF/UHF HDTV Antenna (HDB91X) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CX700EY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_OctWCbY9WWTPE

Another great option is the DB-8 design.

Xtreme Signal HDB8X-NI 8-Bay VHF/UHF HDTV Bowtie Antenna https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CXQO00K/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_C.tWCbKD1XGDH

You could try an antenna like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Antennas-DB8-Extreme-Multi-Directional-Antenna/dp/B000EHWCDW/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1376568410&sr=8-5&keywords=antenna+direct

Should be able to handle stations at 70 miles or more if you mount on your roof. Also I don't see if CBS and ABC are UHF. This antenna only works with UHF channels so anything VHF is a no-go.

EDIT: Looks like you can get get WBNS-TV and WSYX out of Columbus using that antenna if you point at 311 degrees true north according to antennapoint.com. Both are UHF so should work fine with this antenna.

http://www.antennapoint.com/antennas/show?id=45701&commit=Advanced+Search&search%5Buhf_ant%5D=1&search%5Bvhf_ant%5D=1&search%5Bmin_erp%5D=0&search%5Bmax_erp%5D=9000&search%5Bmax_distance%5D=70

This is a great OTA antenna - Mohu - I use it in Southpark and get 20ish channels. All the major networks come in great.

I have Shaw for internet only, paying $85 per month. I put up this TV antenna and it pulls in an amazing amount of stations for free. Everything from Vancouver, KOMO Seattle, KIRO Seattle, PBS Bellingham, ME Tv Bellingham and the Victoria stations as well. Around 25 channels in all. From a $50 antenna.

I'm out in the boonies and a leaf antenna works perfectly for me. I don't even have the 50 mile range one and it works great. Takes a little patience finding just the right spot to put it on the wall to get all the channels, but well worth it.

I had trouble with CBS and ABC as well on my old antenna when I moved to MV.

I would move it around like crazy and hope it doesn't crap out.

It looked like this https://www.amazon.com/Antennas-Direct-ClearStream-Outdoor-Long-Range/dp/B004H1NDLG/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1473893804&sr=8-11&keywords=clearstream

I replaced it with the Amazon thin leaf antenna.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00X4RA74A/ref=twister_B016I2MU1K?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

So bigger/more expensive doesn't equal better.
Now CBS & ABC comes in with hardly any issues and if there's issues it fixes itself pretty quickly.

You're unlikely to pull in those PBS stations with a Clearstream 4 at that range unless your terrain conditions are absolutely ideal.

You'll need something larger, like an 8-bay or a big mother like this.

$420 - 1 year 30/5 cable Internet

$80 - Cable modem

$90 - 1 year Netflix gift certificate to myself

$100 - 1 year Hulu gift certificate to myself

$70 - Over the air antenna

$180 - Prepaid CallCentric

$46 - Cisco ATA for CallCentric

$986 for one year of high speed Internet, 1 year of Netflix, 1 year of Hulu, all the over the air HD broadcast stations, near unlimited telephone calls, and all the equipment needed to make it run. No monthly payments or bills for one year. Accessible from my smart phone, smart TV, and computer.

I realize I am very late to this party, but I've been using this amazon basics HD antenna for over a year now for basic over-air channels. Love it. No need for cable :)

Amazon Basics HD Antenna

> as for the stations over 100 miles away......forget them

Thanks for the insight. I actually ended up getting an 8-bay multidirectional and even just it laying down in my living room, I'm picking up stations from 100+ miles away. So that's pretty cool.

so for ota tv should i get a crazy long yagi http://www.amazon.com/Solid-Signal-Definition-Antenna-HDB91X/dp/B00CX700EY/ref=pd_sim_e_31?ie=UTF8&refRID=1G51JHS2CRZR6BVAMD40 or a extreme range bowtie like this http://www.amazon.com/Terrestrial-Digital-DB8-Multi-Directional-Antenna/dp/B000EHWCDW/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1393828354&sr=8-9&keywords=long+range+tv+antenna. can you recommend me a hf antenna or maybe an article about various types? and for a satellite antenna it looked like the turnstile was very basic, which would be better the qfh or dca?

Can confirm that the ClearStream 4 is as good as it gets for an indoor antenna. But, you might want a pre-amp also. Here's what you need:

https://smile.amazon.com/ClearStream-Indoor-Outdoor-HDTV-Antenna/dp/B001BRXW74?sa-no-redirect=1

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B003P92D9Y/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The amp helps you pick up a few extra channels, as it does for me in a rural area. You can get some coax and jack into your existing cable system if you want to, or re-wire as you see fit.

I've been thinking about setting up an antenna for a backup or emergency, or possibly to eventually cut the cord with cable. My concerns are regarding how serious of an antenna I might need. While I am only about 17-21 miles from the stations (all UHF signals) and they are all about in the same direction, my house is in a valley with a thickly forested steep 130ft hill in the direction of the stations.

I remember back in the 90's before we had cable we had a $100 omnidirectional analog antenna that pulled in a couple of the strongest stations with some static and a couple others that were too poor to watch with the rest being almost all static. I'm thinking with a more directional quality antenna pointed well, we might be able to pick up all of the stations now.

The question is can I pull in all of the stations with an antenna like this? Is there one better that I could buy for my situation? Is there DIY design that would be better than this one? If anyone has any input I'd be grateful.

I've had really really good success with this antenna, in both apartments and houses.

I think that would work. I'm not familiar with that brand but it has good reviews. Mohu also makes good antennas but it's a bit more expensive. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00APPDX86/

If you have a television, get an antenna! That way you can watch NBC for free! I have this one and it works great (FYI I’m in a smallish apartment with a south window that faces the tv broadcast towers a few miles away, but I think it’s supposed to have like a 30 mile range or something) https://www.amazon.com/Mohu-Paper-thin-Reversible-Performance-MH-110543/dp/B00JC9J2NQ/ref=redir_mobile_desktop?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&ref_=oh_aui_i_sh_in_o0_img

Windows 7 Media Center works great. With the right upgrades, it'll act as a free DVR for OTA HD channels (I can vouch for this antenna) or cable (I recommend Silicon Dust HDHomeRun tuners. Ceton's premium cable tuners are a DRM nightmare), a Blu-ray player (with the right drive), Airplay Mirroring receiver for your MacBook or an iDevice (download AirServer), a streaming device (just visit any website that streams), a torrent downloader, a DLNA receiver (your Droid will see the PC as a DLNA device while Windows Media Player is open), and you can game on your TV. You could use your Nexus 7 as a remote, or download an app called Remote Media Center to your Droid or Nexus, along with the Remote Potato server app on the PC. This will let you program your DVR from anywhere on your phone, tablet, or any PC with a web browser. You'll also be able to stream any recorded TV you have at home to any device.

If you decide on a Silicon Dust tuner, you'll also be able to stream OTA HD channels or premium cable to any device while you're at home, so your Nexus, Droid, or any Mac or PC will act as a TV.

The one issue I would look out for is the Xbox. Although it'll act as a WMC extender and allow you to stream most things fine, it seems to have trouble with live TV (mostly in HD) with WiFi, so I'd suggest running an Ethernet cable if your devices will be far from the router or your signal is poor.

Facepalm. This antenna...

Yes, all connections are tight and secure. Hasn't moved. Rescanned and all we can get is CBS. Rescanned on both tv and the Roamio, hoping one would do better than the other.

And yeah, Fairpoint. So f'ing sick of them. Cannot wait...$30 a month for gigabit, when I'm over $100 a month for avg 4 down/.75 up.

I get great results with this. I have the antenna in a closet upstairs on a long run of coax. I walked around the house testing different areas while my wife called out the signal strength, I put a lot more effort in this than is probably normal.

https://www.amazon.com/Vansky-Amplified-Detachable-PowerSupply-Performance/dp/B01FUB4ZG8/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_23_bs_t_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=2MMY8TYW464BQ9F2PRR7

If you have a TV, but don't want to spring for cable (and, frankly, i can't say that i blame ya'.), you might consider a simple indoor antenna. Just as an example: http://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Ultra-Thin-Indoor-HDTV-Antenna/dp/B00DIFIM36

This is the one I have. Less then $20 and works like-a-boss. Picks up the local broadcast games perfectly.

> Thoughts on this one?
>
> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004NQMCDK/ref=ox_sc_mini_detail?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A1MPMF6LWUR276

It won't do 150 miles. No matter what it says, and no matter how many times you post it.

Junk.

Are you interested in getting assistance with REAL ANTENNAS that might work? Or just want to accept the need a Digital 1080p 2000 mile super antenna marketing?

Start with the post from upofadown, with the antenna:
Winegard HD7698P

Then with the pre-amps

1 - KItztech
2 -Winegard LNA200
3 RCA RCATVPRAMP1R (has separate VHF/UHF inputs)
4 Channel Master CM7778

1. The sort of companies/individuals that do TV antenna installations might not have a very good web presence. Try the Yelllow Pages. Try Craigslist. Try calling some of the local satellite TV installers to see if they can do it or know someone who can.
   
   
2. Amplified antennas and separate preamps are powered through the cable. You just have to find a place to put the power injector before the splitters. Otherwise you have to get special power passing splitters.
   
   
3. "They're in completely opposite directions." That's actually a good thing. Most antennas will receive a coherent signal off the back. The general strategy is to aim the antenna at the weakest signal and then get the stronger ones from behind. In your case you would aim the antenna at the Univision transmitter.
   
   
4. If you mean the proverbial "150 mile antenna" then assume crappy. Example:
   
   

• https://www.amazon.com/ViewTV-Outdoor-Amplified-Antenna-Rotation/dp/B017JEF126/
  
  If you get an actual TV installer (as opposed to a general handy person) then you are mostly paying for their expertise. You would want to provide them with a list of required channels and perhaps a list of less required but interesting channels. You should also tell them how many times you want the signal split. Then they are entirely responsible for deciding how to do that.
  
  Here are some examples of band appropriate (UHF, VHF-high) antennas for the reception off the back suggestion:
  
  
• Winegard HD7694P
  
• Channel Master CM-2016
  
• Channel Master CM-2018
  
  Here are some semi-random preamp suggestions:
  
  
• Winegard LNA200
  
• RCA RCATVPRAMP1R
  
  Ref:
  
  
• http://rabbitears.info/market.php?mktid=31
  
• http://rabbitears.info/market.php?mktid=11
  
  

Thank you for your reply, I used a compass to point the antenna at 168 degrees to try and pick up Fox, but that did not seem to do the trick.

Question: I have a long coaxial cable running from the antenna right now that I could trim as I don't need the full length (I wasn't sure how much I would need to run through the house so I bought a 100 ft cable). Would cutting the cable increase the signal enough to allow me to pick up Fox?

Second question, would there be a big difference if I got a directional antenna? (Something like this: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00ZI9LWS2/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1484934916&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=directional+antenna&dpPl=1&dpID=41MZAbmpb3L&ref=plSrch)

Thanks for the info. I linked to the one I got in the original post, but it's this one http://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Ultra-Thin-Indoor-Antenna/dp/B00X4RAEZC%3Fpsc%3D1%26SubscriptionId%3DAKIAIMLKPQSGTYE5YV6Q%26tag%3Dei-wish-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB00X4RAEZC


After unplugging the amplifier like someone else suggested, it worked flawlessly. All the basic channels stayed (CBS, NBC, ABC, etc.), but I also picked up another 40 or so other ones, including ION and a few retro movie channels..and I believe a few Baltimore stations.

Yes torrents are illegal unfortunately.

We are closer to NYC (3 miles) and we have the most basic amazon HDTV antenna: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00DIFIM36/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?qid=1409327665&sr=8-3&pi=SL75

It's not really setup, it hangs upside down on the side of the TV but it is good enough to get the channels in good quality.

Can anyone please help me understand my tvfool "rating"?

Does this mean I won't be able to pickup FOX and ABC? I'm 100ft in the air (10th floor?) with clear line of sight to NY state.

Should I buy a Mohu Leaf 50? I believe it's their latest product. It's rated for 50 miles and FOX is 76 miles away so I wonder if this will help at all.

EDIT: I might try this CANT1650 from Future Shop and return it instore if not satisfied instead.

I'm of the opinion of if you're gonna do it, do it right. Especially with all the money I'm saving by cutting cable. So I got the amplified Mohu Leaf. It's normally like 60-70 bucks but I got a refurb off amazon for 39.99, the price of the standard Leaf. It works so so so good. I can't wait to watch football in HD this weekend.. for free.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DHKKI16/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Where in the world are you? Assuming you are in the US:

Yes, you would need to plug an antenna into the convertor box. However a 7 year old TV probably has the convertor for digital TV built in. Digital TV (that you would need the convertor for) rolled out in 2009, so pretty much all TVs built after 2005 included a digital tuner. You probably just need an antenna that you plug directly to the TV. I use this one and it works pretty well.

I had one of those. I upgraded to one of these and found it substantially better:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0027FGW3K/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

the amp on there helped too.

It's hard without trial/error to find the antenna that works best for your use case.

My personal favorite is the Xtreme Signal HDB8X-NI 8-Bay VHF/UHF HDTV Bowtie Antenna

I tried several indoor antennas and a couple of outdoor antenna's. I found the most success and channels with this one. For me I needed a bi-directional antenna.

I've been pretty happy with this option. It has a clamp and also allows you to drill a hole in your desk to secure the mount, if you can't clamp it.

However, mounting the monitors to a desk as narrow as yours would put them uncomfortably close to your face. Have you considered a new desk first?

Thanks for your help guys I'm thinking I need a roof mounted antenna and need to get the DC channels. I see that these are recommended with in the antenna guide Xtreme Signal HDB8X-NI 8-Bay VHF/UHF HDTV Channel Master CM-4228HD High VHF, UHF and HDTV Antenna will one of these work?

I was having issues with multiple microSD cards unmounting themselves. Annoying. I went with Samsung 250GB SSD and this $10 adapter: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B011M8YACM/ref=ya_aw_oh_bia_dp?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It's more storage than I need but oh well but it just works.
I put a $70 antenna:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00CXQO00K/ref=ya_aw_oh_bia_dp?ie=UTF8&psc=1
in my attic and bought an HDHomerun Connect. I get free OTA HD with DVR. I just used an old 1.5TB USB2.0 drive for the recordings. So far so good!

Theres nothing to subscribe to. Its just over the air signals.

Use this site https://www.antennaweb.org/ to deteremine your mileage from your nearest source. Mine is ~15 miles

I went with something like [this] (https://smile.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Ultra-Thin-Indoor-Antenna/dp/B00X4RA74A/ref=dp_ob_title_ce), though that is the "newer" version of the one I bought (that amazon no longer has in stock)

This looks pretty solid as well.

That's great. Thank you! Instead of buying the antenna and VHF retrofit kit, would this work:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00SVNKT86/ref=psdcmw_172665_t3_B00LHFRCMG

It appears to already have the VHF built in.

Any recommendations on the attic antenna? Pricing is all over the board (anywhere from $40 - $140). Any main features I need to look for?

Here are a couple of the best reviewed ones on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Antennas-Direct-ClearStream4-HDTV-Antenna/dp/B001BRXW74/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371643822&sr=8-1&keywords=attic+antenna

http://www.amazon.com/RCA-ANT751R-Outdoor-Optimized-Reception/dp/B0024R4B5C/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1371643822&sr=8-4&keywords=attic+antenna

ViewTV 2018 Version Outdoor Amplified Digital HDTV Antenna - 150 Mile Range - Motorized 360° Rotation - 40FT Coax Cable - Wireless Remote Control - UHF/VHF 4K 1080P Channels https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017JEF126/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_egYyDb6QDH7VN

Looks like they’ve marked it down. I swear I think it was closer to $60 when I got it early last year. Definitely recommend it!

Couple of things I might might suggest - First, I am not sure where you live; however, you should look into buying an antenna for OTA channels. With any luck you'll get fox, cbs, NBC and quite possibly ABC; an added benefit is that you should get your in market football games during the season on Fox. I own this antenna, and found my available channels by checking out TV Fool; just put in your address and it'll do the rest. I pick up about 35 channels over the air, some are just plain awful but there are some good ones in the batch too; for the most part the quality exceeds that of my prior DirecTV picture. NOTE: I live about 30 miles from Center City Philadelphia so that helps with the number of available channels. Also, similar to conturax I reused the existing cable in my house to get OTA to all rooms. Rather than just a single coax DTV hooked up a 6 way splitter outside; I just removed the line from their dish and ran from my own antenna, instantly all rooms in the house received the OTA channels.

For sports I have an mlb.tv subscription since Comcast has a stranglehold on Phillies broadcasts (I get about every 10th game OTA; but generally they are on the Comcast sports Network (obviously only available if you pay for their cable service)). I don't really care about basketball or Hockey (sorry Canada :) )

Another item you mention not getting ESPN on the 360; w/o a cable subscription. I don't have cable but I do have access to ESPN on the 360 -- turns out they also have deals with several internet providers. My provider (windstream) has a deal which allows me to access this service. It would be worth looking into at the very least.

For movies/tv shows we have Hulu+ and Netflix Streaming (which we access through 360/PS3). Once every couple of months I'll activate dvd's by mail from netflix rip them the day they arrive and send back the next day. Over the course of a month I can usually get 6-8 movies which is more than enough to keep us occupied for a few more months. You could also opt to use redbox if you aren't renting enough to justify the $8/mo charge.

EDIT: I just realized conturax already listed the same antenna I mentioned. For the price it cannot be beat.

EDIT 2: I also forgot to mention that even w/ an MLB.tv subscription you are still subject to blackout restrictions if you are looking at watching your in market team. For me this was a deal breaker; however, using Amazon web servers I was able to setup a squid proxy and route all my traffic through them to avoid the restriction (not for the faint of heart).

I think it's a digital TV antenna, terrestrial (not satellite)

Here is a pretty similar one.

Another pretty similar design

Looks like it's one of those generic Chinese no name designs sold as FP 9000 from many different online vendors - for example this one shows the same configuration as your photo.

They make HD antennas, you can probably pick one up at Best Buy. I'd recommend the Mohu Leaf if they have it - https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00HSMK580/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1479939588&sr=8-2&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=mohu+leaf&dpPl=1&dpID=21YBKew-5-L&ref=plSrch

quick amazon search says this is one of the best outdoor HDTV antenna's for the money

HDTV outdoor antenna - 80 mile range - $30 w/ amazon prime

I'm in south Irvine I use this antenna:

https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Ultra-Thin-Indoor-Antenna/dp/B00X4RAEZC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1487315173&sr=8-1&keywords=50+mile+tv+antenna+amazon+basics

It works in one room but not very well in another. You're best bet is to pick one up, or something similar locally, and try it yourself

You just described exactly my setup.

I have a Roku 2XS with Netflix, Amazon Prime, Plex, etc.

I have a Clearstream4 in my attic that is plugged into the coax cable that comes out behind my TV. I get all of the network channels in HD and they look great (ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, CW, PBS, etc).

My TV package was $70/month. Now I spend about $14/month on Netflix and Amazon Prime. That leaves me $55 to spend on content before I break even. I rarely exceed $35/month total.

Go on over to /r/cordcutters for more information.

I got the 35-mile range version of this AmazonBasics antenna. Works great for me in Tustin, and an incredible value at $18. http://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Ultra-Thin-Indoor-Antenna/dp/B00X4RAEZC/

If you're looking for a game on Fox/NBC/CBS, just get an antenna (and a tv tuner if you're not using a tv) and enjoy the free no-lag HD picture.

Outdoor is your best bet, but after trying several indoor antennas, the one that finally worked for me was this one: https://www.amazon.com/Mohu-Paper-thin-Reversible-Performance-MH-110584/dp/B00APPDX86/ref=sr_1_2?

A few notes:

• I get better reception without connecting the amplifier (strange, but true)
  
• On my 2 story home, I have it thumbtacked to a southern facing wall on the 2nd floor and get all of the Denver Networks without any issue
  
  Other indoor antennas usually gave me a couple of channels, but never ABC. This one gets me everything.
  
  

For sure. If you have a relatively clear view of NNW, you can probably get by with a [cheap indoor antenna stuck to a north/west window] (https://www.amazon.com/Antenna-Amplified-Broadcast-Television-Detachable/dp/B01FUB4ZG8/) (on sale for $17 when I'm posting).

If you're in a valley (like me), you'll probably need a more serious setup (I have this one mounted in my attic with an amplifier and it works great, even though the signal is coming to me through the side of a hill to my NNW).

Who needs cable with the internet and OTA TV?

I live in New Albany and I have this one :

http://www.amazon.com/RCA-ANT1650R-Digital-Amplified-Antenna/dp/B0027FGW3K


Works great. I get a couple WOSU channels, The Cool TV (Music channel), NBC/CBS/ABC/CW and some others, I think 14 in all.

Would this antenna work well for my situation, given the tvfool report?

ViewTV Outdoor Amplified Antenna - 150 Miles Range - 360° Rotation - Wireless Remote

Lightning deal is 25 bucks plus looks like an additional 5 dollars off at checkout. Hard to resist. This would be an attic antenna for me.

Edit: the reason I ask is I already have a Mohu leaf 50 and I don't get some channels because it isn't good at getting all kinds of signals. Like uhf vs whatever else. That part is over my head.

And what I do get is usually pixelated. I get 3.3 (which I don't even see here but I think is cbs) 30.1 (nbc) and a few fox channels.

The most important network to me is nbc, for the Thanksgiving day parade and football after. It's the only live TV we really want, most everything else can be streamed.

> Those are for urban areas with strong signals.

Yea I just moved out here from the Denver area and got around 40 channels with that antenna, I feel like I got my money out of it so no big loss there.

My dad said he tried this one out and it didn't work so he returned it, to me it looked like a pile of plastic.

We would prefer to have an outdoor antenna if possible. Should I be looking at getting a separate amplifier or are antennas with the amp bundled okay? I'm not even sure where to start looking other than here.

If you can, pop for an outdoor antenna. My house had a DirectTV dish, so I pulled it out and reused the stand and coax for a multidirectional antenna like this: http://www.amazon.com/Antennas-Direct-DB4E-Antenna/dp/B0074H3IU6/

My reception is perfect except when it's storming, which messes with the UHF stations a bit.

You’d be surprised. Lots of people who use streaming services (DirecTV Now, YouTube TV, etc.) like myself use antennas. It’s how I’m able to watch NFL games despite not paying for cable.


They look more like this than rabbit ears though: https://www.amazon.com/Mohu-Paper-thin-Reversible-Performance-MH-110543/dp/B00JC9J2NQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_2_sspa?crid=BAHCY1XSV40M&keywords=antenna+tv+digital+hd&qid=1550584968&s=gateway&sprefix=ante&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1

This is pretty much the exact same thing for less $$. Your results should be to your satisfaction as long as you're not on a bottom floor with hills surrounding your house.

So getting separate UHF and VHF is out of the question?

I was thinking of mounting on our metal pole barn out front but it is 90 feet from the crawlspace and then another 12-20 feet to fun cable to the 3 TV's


here is what I was thinking of for VHF/UHF and add a pre amp and combiner along with splitter in crawlspace
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01BP4KV9Y/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A2XU70B31JRNMP&psc=1


Then for UHF maybe this
https://www.amazon.com/1byone-Digital-Amplified-Extremely-Performance/dp/B00ZI9LWS2/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1536099068&sr=1-3&keywords=uhf+antenna

It's iffy. I rather just not watch tv then get an Antennae. But If you do, you'd get much better results using an powered and amplifed signal!

Check out Antennae like this!

As others have said, the transmitter is in Gaston county and isn't really that strong. Even living off Tyvola Road West of 77 I would always have trouble with it.

However since moving out to Union County I purchased an antenna and mounted on the roof. I get all the Charlotte channels crystal clear with around 90% signal strength most of the time, including Fox 46. If I pointed it to the north-northeast I can actually pick up the Greensboro stations on a good day and some SC channels if I turn it the other way.

Here's an Amazon link for mine: Antennas Direct 4 Element Bowtie HDTV Antenna - 60 mile range

I just bought this antenna from Amazon. Pretty cheap, but it works really well. We live about 75 miles west of charlotte and are able to pick up the NBC and CBS broadcasts from charlotte. Don't forget to get the suggested mount for it also.

ViewTV Outdoor Amplified Antenna - 150 Miles Range - 360° Rotation - Wireless Remote https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017JEF126/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_kwe7yRfnc3UAo

I have awesome results with this amplified flat "leaf antenna from Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Mohu-Paper-thin-Reversible-Performance-MH-110584/dp/B00APPDX86/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1473648430&sr=1-1&keywords=mohu+50

This one I bought from Amazon works great. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DIFIM36/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

If you buy a powered antenna like this one you’ll have much better luck.

Phillips amplified antenna

That’s what I use on my two TVs for locals. I’ve used them in Leo, by foster park, and currently I live in New Haven without issues.

Before that I had a classic yagi mounted in my attic. I put it there to avoid the lightening strike problem. Similar to this:
example yagi

I’ve helped several friends install powered flat ones in their houses. Even put one in an attic. NOT IMPRESSED. I used to work on radios years and antenna design is crucial. Imho flat antennas are all the rage probably because they’re easy to mount and hide. Not because of performance. Buy a traditional receiver antenna and you will be better off.

Bought this 150 mile one 3 months ago and put in attic as my HOC is very picky-- Works great!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004NQMCDK/
Amplified HD Digital Outdoor HDTV Antenna 150 Miles Long Range with Motorized 360 Degree Rotation, UHF/VHF/FM Radio with Infrared Remote Control -- Less than 40 bucks

I ended up picking up a Mohu Leaf 50 from Walmart for 50 bucks. Working great! Picks up all the channels I was wanting!

http://www.amazon.com/Mohu-Leaf-Amplified-Indoor-Antenna/dp/B00HSMK59E

I have this one on my upstairs TV and it works perfectly. I was considering using this model on my downstairs TV if it might get me a few extra channels.

Pretty sure he's talking about this one: https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Ultra-Thin-Indoor-Antenna/dp/B00X4RAEZC

Do you have a coax cable port? I have something similar to this which connects to my cable port and works great: AmazonBasics Ultra Thin Indoor HDTV Antenna

>$50? I paid about $10 for this, and it works great: https://www.target.com/p/philips-traditional-hd-passive-antenna-black/-/A-53248068


This is the model I was referring to:
https://www.amazon.com/Amplified-Digital-Motorized-Rotation-Infrared/dp/B004NQMCDK/

Personally, I live deep in the middle of nowhere. Only one of those models mounted at least 40 feet in the air will pull a signal from cities averaging 80 miles away from me. But when I scan for channels, I usually receive ~90. Not bad for a cheap antenna. So, if the model you suggested isn't strong enough for OP or anyone else trying to get PBS without paying YouTube for it, spend a little bit more and one should have no problems watching PBS and the usual subset of channels associated with it (NHK, PBS Kids, Create, etc).

Cheers.

http://www.amazon.com/Mohu-Indoor-Antenna-Certified-Refurbished/dp/B00DHKKI16/ref=pd_ybh_5

I just received this today, and I'm on the 10th floor of a 26 floor building in center city, my windows face another building, and I just pulled in 50 channels.

The good - I get CBS, FOX, and NBC, so the majority of games are covered.

The bad - No 6ABC, but you'll probably have a better chance.

Buy an HD antenna.

The Mohu Metro should be enough. It's a 25-mile radius leaf indoor antenna. It's It's what I have and I get FOX in crystal clear HD. I also haven't paid for cable in about a year.

Since you live in New Orleans, I'm sure you won't have any problem getting FOX at all.

http://amzn.com/B00JC9J2NQ

oh wow so your saying that in a 150miles radius you only get 2 channels??

Thanks for the input. I figured it would be a tall order to get a quality picture or a picture period at this range. Just found out they would get CBS and Fox through Vue in their market. I know Winegard is highly recommended in this sub. Any reason why this model? I noticed the range is 60-70 miles based on band for that antenna. How can some antennas be cheaper and say "120 mile range" such as this one?

I have this RCA flat antenna http://www.amazon.com/RCA-ANT1650R-Digital-Amplified-Antenna/dp/B0027FGW3K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1311275085&sr=8-1

it works great, and can be hid easily behind my tv console, or on the side of it.. you don't need to worry about weird looking antennas everywhere, or having to adjust the antenna.. once it works, just hide it behind your tv, and you are set.

You can also watch the WGN and ABC games on your TV (if you have a TV) with an antenna. I got this one https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JC9J2NQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

It gets a bit jittery when the train goes by but the picture quality is really good.

Mine is about 10' off the ground (I actually have it on an outside wall), and it was just a cheap antenna I found at Best Buy several years ago... looks kind of like this:
http://www.amazon.com/RCA-ANT1650F-Digital-Amplified-Antenna/dp/B0027FGW3K?ie=UTF8&keywords=HD%20antenna%20RCA&qid=1465277399&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

i used this.. It's incredible in its quality and function for its price. Best decision i've bought thus far.

Cheapy off amazon...but works perfectly. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005UE3C24/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This is the stand I'm using. Just got the monitors and stand about two weeks ago, and love it all so far. Was using just a single 24" before.

I got this one and mounted in my attic. I would recommend, yes.

We had an antenna at our old house installed in the attic. Worked great. I think it was this one

This is the one I bought. I've had it for 2 years and it's worked out great. It's even cheaper now than when I bought it originally.

The DB4e. You don't have any Low-VHF channels so the ClearStream antenna wouldn't provide any additional benefits over a UHF antenna like the DB4e, which has a fairly wide beam.

You just need a stronger antenna, like this one

https://www.amazon.com/Xtreme-Signal-Range-Antenna-HDB91X/dp/B00CX700EY

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CXQO00K/

I had signals coming from Northeast and Southwest. So instead of getting two antenna's I went with that one where I could aim it at both directions. Works great.

Maybe I should have explained better. I have this HDHomeRun plugged into my router with an ethernet cord and my antenna plugged into it.

The HDHomeRun is a networked tuner that you can then access from any of the computers connected to that network. So I loaded the HDHomeRun software and NextPVR installed on my old laptop that runs 24/7. This acts as a server/DVR and allows me to watch the broadcast channels through Kodi and set up recordings which causes the shows to be recorded to that old laptop.

I have a Fire TV box in my living room and another one in my bedroom. I also decided to get a Flirc and universal remote for each room so that I could control everything with one remote, but that's just my preference.

If that doesn't answer your question, let me know and I'll try to explain how it works better.

This is what I was referring to. Picks up digital broadcast, works great, and is very affordable.

Mohu Leaf.

http://www.amazon.com/Mohu-Leaf-Paper-Thin-Indoor-Antenna/dp/B00HSMK580

www.gomohu.com

It's got great reviews.

Have you tried one of the on the window kind. I've got one of these they work great. AmazonBasics Ultra Thin Indoor TV Antenna - 35 Mile Range https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00X4RA74A/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_L635wbRA6ANWM

PSA: for my fellow poors without cable who want to watch NBC, ABC, FOX, and some other local channels, buy an antenna. Stick it in your window, works great. TMFMS

https://www.amazon.com/Mohu-Television-Paper-thin-Performance-MH-110598/dp/B00HSMK580

I set one up for a relative in Westchester like 6 miles from city limits.

I had to buy the powered kind, like this, the non powered didn't work.

Amplified HD Digital Outdoor HDTV Antenna 150 Miles https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004NQMCDK/

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005UE3C24?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00

Good price as well

If rabbit ears don't cut it and you find yourself looking for an amplified option I strongly recommend a step up to this:

http://store.gomohu.com/leaf-50-indoor-amplified-hdtv-antenna.html

Amazon makes a knock-off design for $32 that looks highly rated:

http://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Ultra-Thin-Indoor-Antenna/dp/B00X4RAEZC/

They're literally paper thin these days. Super non intrusive. Mine just lays on floor next to the TV

https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Ultra-Thin-Indoor-Antenna/dp/B00X4RAEZC

Sure thing!

Link to the report here. I have it aimed at around 315 degrees, to allow me to pick up #27, the local Fox affiliate. ABC (9) and CBS (29) are all along that main line of towers. #7 is my NBC affiliate.

Antenna is a 4 element bowtie. It's over my garage, 12-15 feet off the ground, aimed at around 315 degrees. 50 feet of RG6, quad shielded cable runs into my basement, which then sends the signal to the in-wall coax inside the house, and eventually to the TV itself.

Bought this but a 50 mile version.

Been running the channel search a few times. Turned everything off and on and unplugged and plugged stuff back in.


I'm just confused why it showed up when I first plugged it in and was coming in perfectly and now it's not coming in at all.

Wow, such innovation

Over here we have Netflix, Amazon (used Prime for shipping long before Video was added to it,) and a $40 indoors OTA antenna with a $180 box. It already paid for itself in savings over the cable subscription.

Plex has a DVR solution for OTA in beta right now which works great, and doesn't have fees for program guides. The only missing piece is post-processing to cut out commercials.

I live near the med center in an apartment building, surrounded by neighbors and I can get all the local well-known channels plus a few dozen smaller channels. I use this antenna: https://smile.amazon.com/Mohu-Paper-thin-Reversible-Performance-MH-110543/dp/B00JC9J2NQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1520354933&sr=8-3&keywords=mohu+leaf+metro+antenna

Edit: Yes, I get NBC.

Also, check to see how far away you are from the transmitters. Most are near Missouri City (https://www.antennasdirect.com/transmitter-locator.html). Mohu makes a 50 mile version of this antenna as well.

Ok, I'm back. As for your first question: yes, exactly.

As for grounding: you drive the ground rod and connect it to the antenna mast with solid copper wire and a grounding clamp. You'd bond the wire to the ground rod with this. End result will look like this. I poured concrete around mine just to make it conspicuous - that's not necessary. I have copper wire run from the rod up to the attic to ground my mast, and another run through into the basement to bond it to my home's ground in the breaker box. This is what you would use to ground the coax itself. You can also get these at Lowe's or Home Depot. Don't mind my lack of a demarcation box for the coax in my picture - that's my internet line and it was Spectrum's doing. I'll be correcting it when the weather warms up.

Moving on to the antenna. I say the one you bought is junk because it is. I've run the gamut of crap antennas, and those ones are sold under 100 different names and all the Amazon reviews that say it's great are paid lies. The rotator box breaks, you can't use a splitter with them, they can't survive even the slightest wind, and they're not weather resistant in the least. Absolute crap. On any antenna, those "miles of reception" ratings are 100% completely meaningless. Your local topography, relative location to broadcast towers, accuracy of aiming, and quality and length of coax are what determine your reception.

You need quality RG6 coax (NOT RG59 - it's not suitable for digital signals) and quality ends. It's critical that your ends be terminated correctly: not peeling back the wire braid or leaving the copper conductor too short will result in problems.

If you have broadcast towers in opposite directions, use two antennas and a signal splitter/combiner (if you use this technique, your feed lines to the combiner have to be EXACTLY the same length to avoid signal attenuation). This FCC website will tell you the locations of broadcast towers relative to your location. USE A COMPASS TO AIM YOUR ANTENNA.

This is a decent, basic antenna and it comes with a great amplifier. It can be mounted outdoors or in your attic. I used this one at my parents' house and hung it right from a roof truss using an old piece of pipe as a mast. They pick up every channel available on the reception map for my area, (I'm in Akron, OH and it's aimed NNW), and even some Columbus channels - despite those towers being located in the opposite direction I have it aimed. Contrast that to my house only a quarter mile away where one of those antennas that you purchased only got me ten channels, despite optimal aiming AND being mounted outside.

Sorry for the essay. I've done this many times before and I'm still doing it as more and more people are cord cutting and asking me to get them set up haha. I also have my amateur radio operator's license, and learned a lot about proper antenna setup and signal propagation and attenuation through that particular hobby.

My tvfool:
http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3de6a40a687f1581

I'm really only interested in the big guns: fox, abc, cbs, nbc, cw. Don't care about the foreign language/home shopping/bible channels.

The first antenna I got is a small 1byone:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IF70QCW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It's about 90% reliable, which is almost worse than totally non functional because you never know when it's going to fail. eg: Thursday's Late Show With Colbert is fine, Friday's is unwatchable. The Tivo's signal strength page shows most things coming between 60-70, occasionally dropping down to 40-50, which is when things get dicey.

The amplified one is Vansky:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01FUB4ZG8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Signal strength with this is unusable. 30-40. I tried with and without the amp, doesn't make any difference.

I'll second pretty much everyone that has mentioned using one of the flat antennas. I have the amplified Mohu Leaf. I'm able to attach it to a window that is essentially on the second floor of the house facing KC. I get pretty much everything without issues, unless the weather is somewhat severe. If that is the case, a couple of the stations come and go a bit, but generally speaking i have no problems.

For the price, I'd be very tempted to try the Monoprice antenna that was mentioned. I'm a huge fan of their cables, so if their other products are of similar quality, it is likely money well spent.

Here's a link to the Mohu that I have:

https://www.amazon.com/Mohu-Paper-thin-Reversible-Performance-MH-110599/dp/B00HSMK59E/ref=sr_1_9?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1484344199&sr=1-9&keywords=mohu+leaf

I have this antenna . It works great for me a little north of Fort Collins. But I have a co-worker go bought the same one and says he can't get anything in South Fort Collins. Not sure if it is location or something on his end.

One thing I did notice, I hooked it up to where the dish used to be and used the same wiring. I had to disconnect the wires from the splitter in the garage and hook up the cable from the antenna directly to the cable that went to the receiver. With a splitter in between I couldn't get a signal.

I got an Amazon basics antenna which is real neat since it mounts on the wall basically flush.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00X4RA74A/ref=twister_B016I2MU1K?_encoding=UTF8&th=1

uhh, live sports for one.

I use this and it meets my needs: www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Indoor-Antenna-Latest-Version/dp/B00X4RAEZC/

Your success with different antennas will depend on your specific location and proximity to the tv towers. Go here to learn more: https://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29

See if he will spring for this to:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005UE3C24/ref=cm_sw_r_an_am_ap_am_us?ie=UTF8

I have one and it's fantastic.

If you don't want to mount anything, I use the Mohu Leaf with 50 mile range, works fantastic in South East, PA.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HSMK59E/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_IwIdzbW89S89X

I live 20 minutes south of you, literally in the middle of the woods. I got one from Ollies for $25, has a powered amp, rotates, and a crappy remote. I put it in my garage. Works awesome. I do have to turn it now and again to get channel 2, but i just have to press a button. Got it 2 years ago. I know the Ollies in Hamburg has them still. It looks like this one: Amplified HD Digital Outdoor HDTV Antenna 150 Miles Long Range with Motorized 360 Degree Rotation, UHF/VHF/FM Radio with Infrared Remote Control https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004NQMCDK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_SB1cBbE6K66DZ

I got this antenna and got VHF channels up to 60 miles away. What is your leaf rated mile wise?

This clearstream 4, comes with a VHF antannea on it, anyone know how good that would be? or should I just get the separate one?

I bought this: http://www.amazon.com/Mohu-Indoor-Antenna-Certified-Refurbished/dp/B00DHKKI16

And I now have local Fox, CBS, PBS, NBC, ABC, UPN, and CW channels with almost perfect HD reception.

I have that, Netflix, and I'll be buying HBO now as soon as it is available on my LG TV's OS.

use an indoor antenna.....

https://www.amazon.com/Mohu-Paper-thin-Reversible-Performance-MH-110599/dp/B00HSMK59E/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1504287820&sr=1-3&keywords=mohu+leaf+50+amplified+indoor+hdtv+antenna

Something like this would work fine.

This maybe? $40 seems a lot nicer than $99...

http://www.amazon.com/Mohu-Indoor-Antenna-Certified-Refurbished/dp/B00DHKKI16/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1415129177&sr=8-2&keywords=mohu+leaf+ultimate

I'm in the same area/town as you and have had success with the AmazonBasics Ultra Thin Indoor HDTV Antenna (35 Mile version). I get all the local 3 letter stations, and about 8-10 more. One thing that does not come in clear, all the time, is the PBS stations.

This should work fine for you. 25miles. Super thin. Only $20. They have ones with larger ranges, but it's not necessary. You've got a lot of stations close by.

AmazonBasics Ultra-Thin Indoor HDTV Antenna - 25 Mile Range