Over the Air TV in SD (buy, live in, pricing)

[Jenkay]

I'm in north park, I have rabbit ears inside (on top of the TV) and I get all of the local channels except 6.1.

[pirateradio]

I've been experimenting because Cox is going all digital in January here in Alpine and I would have to get mini boxes for each TV (3) and my monthly bill is really high ($150) for Cable (a lot of channels I don't watch) and Internet (happy with that).

From the sounds of it, I think that I will not be seeing Kimberly Hunt or Barbara Edwards because the stations that broadcast off of Mt Soledad don't come in.

What HDTV antenna works best in Alpine California to receive ABC and CBS (which broadcast from Mt Soledad). Is it at all possible? NBC, PBS etc broadcasting from Mt Miguel work great, but I cannot seem to get ABC/CBS etc. Has anyone had any luck with this in Alpine? I'm willing to try a roof top antenna but don't know if it will bring me better luck.

[Spartanacus]

I bought 3 HD antennas yesterday from Best Buy and the only one that picks up ABC and CBS is the Mohu. But I have to run it about 15 feet up the wall which is tacky looking. Very frustrating since ABC is our favorite 'local' station.

I'm thinking the only way to go is getting an outdoor one, but we rent and I'm not sure how long we'll be here, so I think I will just drop down to the basic DISH package to get my locals and still have my DVRs.

We have Netflix DVDs and streaming, so all I need is Sling and I can get AMC, ESPN, and Disney and that should be good enough for us.

Next time I move I'm going to try again and hope I get ABC, and if not, will mount one outside.

Does anyone know if I can scrap my DVRs in favor of Tivo to record shows off the air or sling box, even if I'm not home?

Thanks.

[malcorub16]

Originally Posted by Spartanacus

I bought 3 HD antennas yesterday from Best Buy and the only one that picks up ABC and CBS is the Mohu. But I have to run it about 15 feet up the wall which is tacky looking. Very frustrating since ABC is our favorite 'local' station.

Circling back to this one, been without cable TV since 2015 but since the kids are getting older I've had to subscribe to Netflix and Disney+. Also our newer LG TV comes with free streaming LG channels. That said, has anyone had any luck picking up these local stations in the East County? If so, which antenna or free service are you using? Both of these channels transmit from La Jolla/Mt Soledad.

KFMB-TV SAN DIEGO, CA
08-1 8.3 KFMB-HD CBS "CBS 8"
08-2 8.4 KFMB-CW MyN "The CW San Diego" 12a-02a
08-2 8.4 KFMB-CW CW "The CW San Diego" 02a-12a
08-3 8.5 Grit Grit
08-4 8.6 Crime True Crime Network
08-5 8.7 Quest Quest

KGTV SAN DIEGO, CA
10-1 10.3 KGTV-HD ABC "San Diego's 10"
KZSD-LP SAN DIEGO, CA
10-1 20.3 KGTV-HD ABC "San Diego's 10"
KGTV SAN DIEGO, CA
10-2 10.4 MeTV Me-TV
KZSD-LP SAN DIEGO, CA
10-2 20.4 MeTV Me-TV
10-3 20.5 LAFF Laff
KGTV SAN DIEGO, CA
10-3 10.5 LAFF Laff
KZSD-LP SAN DIEGO, CA
10-4 20.6 MYSTERY Court TV Mystery
KGTV SAN DIEGO, CA
10-4 10.6 MYSTERY Court TV Mystery
10-5 10.7 BOUNCE Bounce TV
KZSD-LP SAN DIEGO, CA
10-5 20.7 BOUNCE Bounce TV
KGTV SAN DIEGO, CA
10-6 10.8 NEWSY Newsy
KZSD-LP SAN DIEGO, CA
10-6 20.8 NEWSY Newsy

Every time I spend a few weeks at my rancho in Texas, I get jealous of how many free channels I get there and not here...but then again internet there is lacking compared to my SD home.

[stablegenius]

Originally Posted by malcorub16

I have decided to ditch Cox cable this week and not subscribe to anything television related for at least 3 months to see how we do, this will save us $118 a month.

I went out and purchased a $60 Mohu Leaf 60 Amplified Indoor Antenna from 'Wally World' that advertises picking up channels up to a 60 mile radius. So far, because of my home's location in East County which has a clear path to the East and South (hills are directly behind us to the West and North), I am able to pick up all stations that transmit from Mount Miguel in Spring Valley (which I can see off in the distance from my bedroom window), Mount Woodson in Poway and the many Spanish language stations that come in from TJ/Tecate. I am however having difficulty picking the stations that transmit from Mount Soledad even though it is very much within the 60 mile radius. These include CBS 8 and ABC 10 so unless I figure out something, I won't be seing Kimberly Hunt for a while.

Anyone else running straight over the air TV? What's been your experience? Are you able to pick up all the SD stations at your location?

It looks like our area has 44 over the air stations about 21 of which are in English.

XHTJB
3-1 XEIPN-Canal Once (1080i HD)
3-2 XEIPN-Canal Once.2 (480i SD)
Location: Cerro Colorado, Tijuana, B.C.

XETV
6-1 San Diego 6, The CW (1080i HD)
6-2 XHGC-Televisa 5 (720p HD)
Location: Monte San Antonio, Tijuana, B.C.


KZTC-LP
7-1 My Tv Network San Diego (480i SD)
7-7 Infomercials (480i SD)
Location: Mount Woodson , Poway, California.

KFMB-DT
8-1 CBS San Diego (1080i HD)
8-2 Me Tv (480i SD)
Location: Mount Soledad, La Jolla, California.


KSDX-LD
9-1 Estrella Tv (480i SD)
9-2 Estrella Tv
Location: Mount San Miguel, Spring Valley, California.

KGTV-DT
10-1 ABC San Diego (720p HD)
10-2 Laff tv (480i SD)
10-15 KZSD-DT Azteca América San Diego (480i SD)
Location: Mount Soledad, La Jolla, California.

XEWT-TDT 12-1 "Tu canal" Televisa (1080i HD)
Location: Monte San Antonio, Tijuana, B.C.

KPBS-DT
15-1 PBS San Diego (1080i HD)
15-2 V-me (480i SD)
Location: Mount San Miguel, Spring Valley, California.


KBNT-DT
17-1 Univisión San Diego (1080i HD)
17-2 LATV (480i SD)
Location: Mount Soledad, La Jolla, California.


XHTIT-TDT
21-1 XHIMT-Azteca 7 (1080i HD)
Location: Monte San Antonio, Tijuana, B.C.

KVSD-LD
26-1 KVSD-LD. (720p HD)
26-2 KVSD-LD. (720p HD)
Location: Mount Woodson. Poway, Ca.

XHJK-TDT
27-1 XHDF-Azteca 13 (1080i HD)
27-2 XHTVM-Proyecto 40 HD (480i SD)
Location: Monte San Antonio, Tijuana, B.C.

XHAS
33-1 Telemundo San Diego (1080i HD)
33-2 LATV (480i SD)
Location: Monte San Antonio, Tijuana, B.C.


KDTF-DT
36-1 UniMás San Diego (1080i HD)
Location: Mount San Miguel, Spring Valley, California.

KNSD-DT
39-1 NBC San Diego (1080i HD)
39-2 Cozi Tv (480i SD)
Location: Mount San Miguel, Spring Valley, California.

KSEX-LD
42-1 KSEX-1 Infomercials (480i SD)
42-2 KSEX-2 Infomercials (480i SD)
42-3 KSEX-3 Infomercials (480i SD)
42-4 KSEX-4 Infomercials (480i SD)
Location: Mount San Miguel, Spring Valley, California.

XHBJ-TDT
45-1 XEQ-Televisa 9 "Gala tv" (1080i HD)
Location: Monte San Antonio, Tijuana, B.C.

XHDTV-TDT
49-1 Mundo Fox (1080i HD)
49-2 My Tv Network San Diego (480i SD)
Location: Cerro Bola, Tecate, B.C.

KSDY-LD
50-1 Milenio tv (480i SD)
50-2 Veria Living TV (480i SD)
50-3 Bereavisión (480i SD)
50-4 Monte María TV (480i SD)
Location: Mount San Miguel, Spring Valley, California.


K-U-S-I-DT
51-1 K-U-S-I- NEWS San Diego (720p HD)
Location: Mount San Miguel, Spring Valley, California.


XHUAA-TDT
57-1 XEW-Televisa 2 "Canal de las Estrellas" (1080i HD)
Location: Monte San Antonio, Tijuana, B.C.

KSWB-DT
69-1 FOX San Diego (720p HD)
69-2 Antenna tv (480i SD)
69-3 This tv (480i SD)
Location: Mount San Miguel, Spring Valley, California.

I have some thoughts and experience with this but can’t fully post at the moment. I can’t say that I’ve lived in several locations and dragged a flat antenna HDTV antenna around several parts of San Diego and states for that matter and it is very different everywhere

[stablegenius]

^^ That was supposed to say I CAN say...

For me the channels are different everywhere. There is a website that tells you where your towers are so you can try to angle your antenna at them. I've been using a $50 Winegard flat HD antenna and it works pretty good, but again, it's all about where you are. I lived in a condo once and actually drilled a hole through the wall to the outside and put the antenna out there, which actually did help. Somehow, we also get some internet TV for free, which kind of sucks, but there are some channels with potential. It's called TV+. Other than that we just subscribe to streaming services. I'm pretty sure we're spending almost the same monthly as we would be for cable, but I'd rather pay it to these services than the cable companies...

[moved]

I get 14 channels on mine, but only four of them are in English.

[malcorub16]

I am noticing that buying a new "NON SMART" regular TV is getting more difficult in retail settings. Most TV's sold in 2021 come with streaming Apps. I noticed buying a small under $100 dollar flat screen TV is becoming very difficult as stores will make you pay more for the apps. Some TV's don't even have the coaxial connection any longer which has been standard on TV's for decades.

Over the air TV is becoming a relic, I notice most of the commercials are geared towards senior citizens. hahah

[moved]

I never watch mine, since I work nights, and I doubt if there's anything on TV at 1am, anyway.

[malcorub16]

^ Reruns of Frasier and Rosanne on Cozy TV 39-2 and Night Court of Laff TV on 7-3.