Boone, NC and TV reception (Charlotte, Blowing Rock: credit, how much, homes)
Western North CarolinaThe Mountain Region including Asheville
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I have an older tv and recently bought the digital box and connected it to my antenna and tv. I only seem to get 3 channels (all UNC). Is this normal? Shouldn't there be more channels? I live right in town and I'm wondering if anyone else gets more channels. I feel like I am doing something wrong. Is there a setting that I am missing?
Nope! You're doin' it right. However, before the change to digital I also got Johnson city and one of the Charlotte stations too. I would call over to Radio Shack and ask them what they think. A lot depends on where you live, cove or hollar, valley or mountain. They'll be able to tell you what your signal strength should be. They have a fancy map application.
Charter basic isn't that expensive. Just tell them you don't want digital, just a straight feed. I have no cable boxes in my house, have extended basic and pay 29.95. You may be able to get a "special" as a new customer. I know that Charter's reputation isn't all that good, but I have the bundle, lightning fast internet, plus phone and cable and have only had one real issue (7 days) in 3 years. That was when phone service was new in my area and they launched without enough support staff in Caldwell county. I demanded a credit and they gave me $45 for the week we were out. My bill was $90/mo at that time.
Knowing who to talk to and how to talk to customer service is the key. There are "codewords" that I have become familiar with that help get me the best service.
If money isn't an issue, Charter is your best option for TV.
Threatening to switch to satellite always gets their attention. If you want to rework your package to your advantage, ask for the retention office. They will do almost anything to keep you.
Be firm in your threat to drop cable and they'll bend over backwards to keep you. Be firm but nice. I did get hung up on once when I requested a supervisor . . . I was pleased and elated to learn that the offending employee had been fired.
ALWAYS "Agent" to get out of the recording loop. If I get an outsource (heavy accent) I hang up and call later. You'll sometimes get an outsource operator if you call after business hours or on the weekend. I learn my local technicians names and refer to them, even though the CS operator doesn't know who they are.
When the techs call to confirm my appointment, I engage them in light conversation, speak what I know about the problem, and tell them how much I appreciate them.
Remember everything you say including attitude is recorded on your account screen. Being nasty, abusive, or rude will get you nowhere fast. Every subsequent agent will see your comments and the customer service will reflect that. Since that girl was fired (I did fully report the incident) I have been treated with great respect!
Digital TV signals are more directional than the old ones (they operate on a higher frequency band), so if you are in a "shadow" of a mountain the signal will be cut off somewhat.
Plus, and this is the biggy, the digital system requires that you get a very strong almost perfect signal just for it to work. The old analog system was very "Fault Tolerant", meaning you could get a less than perfect signal ( static, ghosting, etc.) and yet still be able to see a picture. With the digital system if you start dropping many bits out of the signal, the whole thing goes to heck and you get nothing.
A better antenna might help. Getting it up higher in the air would also help. This is an outdoor antenna, right? They are directional, so you may need to point it towards the station you want to watch. A signal booster might help. Take a look at coverage maps (they are available online), you might just be out of luck as far as over the air free TV is concerned.
It's actually an indoor antenna (sits on top of the tv). I live in an apt, so an outdoor one is not an option. I already have charter for internet and I cannot afford to pay for cable as well. Plus, I noticed that they would charge me an $80 fee to have the guy come and turn it on. Which is bloody ridiculous because my internet constantly goes out and I've had tech people here to fix it quite a few times. I can't believe it's that bad. I don't understand why they don't increase the signal here.
I'm afraid that an indoor antenna will be practically useless in your area to get free over the air digital TV from any of the major networks. (ABC, CBS, NBC or FOX). Sorry. Digital TV is great if you happen to live in a big city or in the flatlands, but where we are it's the pits.
We just bought a small place in Blowing Rock, N.C. and it has two old analog T.V.s we don't want cable as we are only there twice a year. What are the best bets for an antenna and coverage of a few local stations? Not sure what type of antenna to buy. We cannot put it outdoors.
Last edited by BlowingRock; 10-23-2017 at 07:01 PM..
Reason: Posted in wrong place
We just bought a small place in Blowing Rock, N.C. and it has two old analog T.V.s we don't want cable as we are only there twice a year. What are the best bets for an antenna and coverage of a few local stations? Not sure what type of antenna to buy. We cannot put it outdoors.
You could always try asking someone in the electronics dept at the Walmart in Boone.
If that doesn't work, call Creekside Electronics in Foscoe. They sell & install audio/entertainment systems (among other things) primarily in high end homes, but they might be able to give you some free advice over the phone.
We just bought a small place in Blowing Rock, N.C. and it has two old analog T.V.s we don't want cable as we are only there twice a year. What are the best bets for an antenna and coverage of a few local stations? Not sure what type of antenna to buy. We cannot put it outdoors.
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