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Don't make me admit it! TLC. Strictly as a lifelong student of human behavior, mind you. Also TCM and HGTV.
I am surprised Sling doesn't offer TLC just yet. I wouldn't be surprised if they offer it down the road though. You can get HGTV with their basic package, and TCM with their Hollywood Extra package for $5 more. I would be willing to add the extra $5, but I've promised my wife I wouldn't add anything else to our entertainment cost until we pay off some other bills.
But, I would definitely look into building your own antenna. All you would need is a couple pieces of wood, a couple wire coat hangers, some washers and screws, and the VHF/UHF transmitter. Probably wouldn't spend much over $2.
Well, it's not about being cheap (well, maybe it is) it's just about knowing that you don't always have to go out and spend a lot of money on something that's supposed to save you a lot of money down the road. That's one thing about an OTA project. You can really spend a ton of money up front to get things the way you want them. I figured that with everything that was on my wish list, expensive antenna, pre-amps, distribution amps, rotor, mast, DVR, etc...I could easily spend over $500 on the project. Of course, I'd more than make up that cost in five months, but that's a good chunk of change to spend.
But, since you're looking at an indoor antenna, making your own might yield you better results and it's a fun project.
To find TV transmission towers in your area-
antennaweb.org
tvfool.com
After digital conversion, almost all channels were assigned a new RF channel. Most are 14 to 51 [but kept their old # not to confuse people]. There are some exceptions. Stations with channel #'s 7-13 were allowed [if they wanted] to keep high VHF. If the chart shows your station with a RF # less than 14, you will need a VHF/UHF antenna. [channels 2-6 were reassigned a number from 14 to 51]
There is no such thing as a "digital" antenna, that's a marketing gimmick. If you have any TV antenna lying around try it out.
With digital transmission it's either all or nothing. You will either get the full quality of the broadcast or nothing. If you plug in that antenna you got with a TV 30 years ago and can get all the channels in your area there is nothing more to do. The only thing a newer antenna can improve is how many channels you get.
Well, I don't have an older antenna laying around and don't want to make one, so the $15 Walmart version looks good to me. Have I stumbled upon the "Frugality" forum, heh? At any rate, I will report back!
There is a difference between the old analog antenna and a digital antenna.
The analog antenna has really long prongs for vhf to receive channels 2 to 6 Since frequencies for channels 2 to 6 are no longer used, the prongs are half the length to receive channels 7 to 13. But an old antenna will work. There is no change in the uhf portion of the antenna. [but channels above 51 are no longer used. [don't get confused by the virtual # and actual RF # being used] If the local channels 7 to 13 elected to receive a new RF channel above 13, just any uhf antenna will suffice.
See? This just makes my head spin... Not very techno-savvy, and it's a brave new world! I'll buy one and try it; if it fails, gotta love the Walmart "anything goes" return policy...
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