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Old 03-13-2018, 01:52 PM
 
454 posts, read 444,175 times
Reputation: 101

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Hey all. We are located in new york city and do not have cable tv as we haven't had it for a long time. We also don't watch much tv so we would only watch the main free channels like cbs, fox, abc etc. Where we are located, the free on air channels should be, cbs, nbc, fox, abc, channel 9 which use to be upn9 not sure what its called now, and pix11.


We have 2 tvs... one is a samsung and one is an lg tv. One is on one floor and one is on the other floor etc. We bought these indoor tv antennas from amazon a long time ago. The thing is one of the tvs on one of the floors, we are able to get those main channels that i listed above. The other LG tv however which we use the same tv antenna that we bought, there is always one or two channels that don't show up or if it does, its not stable.


We have tried to search for the channels and when we do this, we move the antenna around to where we get good reception. However if we get good reception to one channel, the other we cannot etc. Does anyone have tips on this? We basically stick th at tv antenna to the wallet... the antenna is like a piece of paper where its connect to the back of the tv. We like to get all those main over the air main channels on the LG tv. Does anyone have tips on this? Is it because the location of the tv the reason why it cant get pix11 or say fox etc? But when we move it around, we would get it but then we don't get abc etc.
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Old 03-13-2018, 07:01 PM
 
23,559 posts, read 70,077,656 times
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You don't determine where you put an OTA antenna. IT determines where it likes to be, based on signal strength and other factors. That means you might have to run co-ax from an antenna through a hole in the structure to a tv on a different floor. Consider how much you spent on the tvs, and then consider what is a reasonable expense to get a decent signal to them.
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Old 03-13-2018, 07:42 PM
 
Location: Sarasota FL
6,864 posts, read 12,028,948 times
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I lived in NYC Brooklyn pre cable. Back then, every exterior antenna faced the Empire State building, and then the World Trade Center. [I don't know where the transmission is these days] Even an indoor antenna would have to be near a window that faces those buildings with no obstructions to get all channels. When signals were weak with analog, you would receive video with noise [snow]. With digital, it's yes or no signal.
I live 40 miles south of the Tampa area transmission towers, no obstructions, with an antenna in the space over the garage facing north. I receive dozens of prime and sub channel stations.
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Old 04-02-2018, 10:51 PM
 
Location: NJ & NV
5,767 posts, read 16,528,887 times
Reputation: 2470
With all the free TV channels in NYC you should get about 50 to 60 channels free over the air IF you find the best spot for your antenna.

My old parent lives about 30 miles west of NYC and with an old TV antenna on the chimney she gets about 60 channels.

Most of the transmitters are at:
1) Empire State Bldg,
2) 4 Times Square,
3) World Trade, is recently coming online with new TV transmitters.

Its tricky but to me that is the ONLY REAL TV.
The rest of all the pay TV nonsense is pay TV wannabees, collecting your money for fake TV.
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Old 10-12-2018, 10:10 AM
 
454 posts, read 444,175 times
Reputation: 101
Like to add to this. So i notice that in the house we are in, there are 2 tvs, one on one floor and one on the other. For some reason we are always missing one of the main channels.


I know the local channels you are suppose to have are


2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11



No matter what we do with the antenna when moving it, we are always missing either 1 or 2 of the channels. The thing is why when we get channel 5, we don't get 7. Or we get 2 and we don't get 5. There is always one channel missing out of say channel 4, 5 and 7. Is there a way to fix this? If we keep the tv where we want it, does a better antenna mean that works?
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Old 10-12-2018, 11:37 AM
 
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,244 posts, read 80,480,482 times
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Get a boosted antenna, that requires being plugged in. We can get only 3 stations from our home with that flat type, but our travel trailer sitting next to the house under big trees has a signal amplifier and we get 35 channels.
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Old 10-12-2018, 03:55 PM
 
454 posts, read 444,175 times
Reputation: 101
https://www.amazon.com/Latest-Amplif...rds=tv+antenna



Is this the one you would recommend?


So you are telling me even if you move the tv to a different area of the house/apartment, it would not get all the channels? Because when we move the antenna a bit but still on the wall, sometimes we get fox but no abc and vice versa. Such as always missing at least one of the channels.
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Old 10-12-2018, 09:32 PM
 
Location: Sarasota FL
6,864 posts, read 12,028,948 times
Reputation: 6743
Go to antennaweb.org or TVfool.com to see from where the channels are transmitting. If there are multiple locations and you are too close to them, each time you move the antenna to get certain channels, you will lose the others. Years ago with analog, you would get most channels with some others showing noise [ghosting] With digital it's yes or no signal.
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Old 10-16-2018, 02:16 PM
 
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,244 posts, read 80,480,482 times
Reputation: 57154
Quote:
Originally Posted by ericjustin2 View Post
https://www.amazon.com/Latest-Amplif...rds=tv+antenna



Is this the one you would recommend?


So you are telling me even if you move the tv to a different area of the house/apartment, it would not get all the channels? Because when we move the antenna a bit but still on the wall, sometimes we get fox but no abc and vice versa. Such as always missing at least one of the channels.
For those that grew up with cable or satellite there is no experience with the old days of rabbit ears and rooftop antennas. Like those, the digital is affected by location, position, and blockage. As a kid we lived about halfway between Sacramento and San Francisco. On the roof we had a 20' high antenna with an electric rotator. From a control near the TV would could rotate the antenna to pick up either the San Francisco stations or the Sacramento stations. For the digital, or any antenna, ideally you would mount it where the reception is best, then use a longer cable to leave it in place when you move the TV. Unfortunately, you do lose some signal if the cable gets too long, about 1/3 at 100'.
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Old 10-16-2018, 02:45 PM
 
Location: Aurora Denveralis
8,712 posts, read 6,696,240 times
Reputation: 13502
Quote:
Originally Posted by d4g4m View Post
Go to antennaweb.org or TVfool.com to see from where the channels are transmitting.
The FCC site is more authoritative, IMHO.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hemlock140 View Post
As a kid we lived about halfway between Sacramento and San Francisco. On the roof we had a 20' high antenna with an electric rotator.
Then you hardly needed more than rabbit ears. You would have been right on top of the Walnut Grove transmitting complex.
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