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Do any of you get TV out there without cable or satellite?
Since I will need to be prepared for anything in the backwoods, I am opting for free TV.
How do y'all get TV now that the FCC shut down the analog over-the-air broadcasting? A lifetime RVer told me those HD/digital TV antennas are a sham and it's not like what it used to be. If the reception was lousy, the screen would be blank while the analog version would have that old charming fuzzy effect. Said distance isn't what it used to be, either.
I need to watch reports and local news. Is satellite the only choice?
There is no such thing as a "Digital" or "HDTV" antenna. They are still being broadcasted on UHF and VHF bands like always. The signal is just a digital broadcast now. Any VHF/UHF antenna will pick up the signal.
So many of the manufacturers have tried to dupe people into thinking they need a high priced special antenna for digital TV or High Definition. Not so.
I get TV the same way I always have. Aluminum directional antennas on the rooftop work the best. Coaxil preamps are also a good idea as they help push the signal through the coaxil cable to your television set.
Do any of you get TV out there without cable or satellite?
Since I will need to be prepared for anything in the backwoods, I am opting for free TV.
How do y'all get TV now that the FCC shut down the analog over-the-air broadcasting? A lifetime RVer told me those HD/digital TV antennas are a sham and it's not like what it used to be. If the reception was lousy, the screen would be blank while the analog version would have that old charming fuzzy effect. Said distance isn't what it used to be, either.
I need to watch reports and local news. Is satellite the only choice?
Cable must have a company to get the signals from satellite then must bury hundreds of miles of cable through-out a neighborhood. If houses are packed in tight, it can make money for the company. But when you go rural and see houses that are spaced a mile apart [or further], it can no longer pay for itself. Rural tends to not have cable.
The digital signal is broadcast using 10% of the power that was once used for the high-power analog signals. The broadcast radius from each transmitter is much smaller. Basically low-power digital signals are for densely populated areas [cities].
Again the economics plays a big part.
In a city one transmitter can reach 100,000 homes, but rural it might only reach 100 homes. If your commercial sponsors pay based on how many homes are being reached, then it only pays to have your transmitters covering the densely populated cities, and not out in the boonies.
Do any of you get TV out there without cable or satellite?
Since I will need to be prepared for anything in the backwoods, I am opting for free TV.
How do y'all get TV now that the FCC shut down the analog over-the-air broadcasting? A lifetime RVer told me those HD/digital TV antennas are a sham and it's not like what it used to be. If the reception was lousy, the screen would be blank while the analog version would have that old charming fuzzy effect. Said distance isn't what it used to be, either.
I need to watch reports and local news. Is satellite the only choice?
If you are going to have a landline tv you might consider streaming tv through your computer. I'm not a techie but one of my problems with satellite TV at my rural location is it does not get reception during heavy storms (thunder snow or ice). This is the time I most need it and will have to rely on the broadband internet to track storm systems.
If you are going to have a landline tv you might consider streaming tv through your computer. I'm not a techie but one of my problems with satellite TV at my rural location is it does not get reception during heavy storms (thunder snow or ice). This is the time I most need it and will have to rely on the broadband internet to track storm systems.
We don't have TV reception where I'm at, nor cable phone is supplied by an installed transceiver, so the only reception we might be able to have is Satellite (and that day is coming...). We do have Satellite Internet (Hughes) and we do use it for NetFlix, and streaming TV shows, however we do sometimes have problems with atmospherics. Since our declination is so low (14.3 degree's dish elevation someone once asked who saw our dish if it was broken ), frequently we've got bright sunshine no signal, and about 30-40 miles away there's a storm on the satellite azimuth, by the time the storm hits us the satellite's back up and transmitting through clear air.
Now to the OP, Forest Beekeeper nailed it, the range of the Digital transmitters is much lower than the analog, they reduced the power of the transmitters to IIRC 10% so a 1000W analog transmitter now is sending 100W. This does reduce the overall range although it's not 10% of the range it's something like 30-50%. However being digital then you either get reception or you don't.
Now to the OP, Forest Beekeeper nailed it, the range of the Digital transmitters is much lower than the analog, they reduced the power of the transmitters to IIRC 10% so a 1000W analog transmitter now is sending 100W. This does reduce the overall range although it's not 10% of the range it's something like 30-50%. However being digital then you either get reception or you don't.
From what I've found, the comparison to analog and digital signal strength is for the most part comparing apples and oranges. From what I've found here Updated Maps of All Full-Service Digital Television Stations Authorized by the FCC, there is not a whole lot of difference in the intended broadcast area pre or post of the switchover.
Satellite companies do everything they can to make the consumer believe they can't get by without them and 90% of the channels that nobody watches. Since the digital transition, I've experienced far less reception problems due to weather conditions.
From what I've found, the comparison to analog and digital signal strength is for the most part comparing apples and oranges. From what I've found here Updated Maps of All Full-Service Digital Television Stations Authorized by the FCC, there is not a whole lot of difference in the intended broadcast area pre or post of the switchover.
Satellite companies do everything they can to make the consumer believe they can't get by without them and 90% of the channels that nobody watches. Since the digital transition, I've experienced far less reception problems due to weather conditions.
Actually checking my nearest net (Fairbanks) the range seems to be entirely dependent on the elevation of the antenna... I still don't get reception though. So yes I DO need satellite.
From what I've found, the comparison to analog and digital signal strength is for the most part comparing apples and oranges. From what I've found here Updated Maps of All Full-Service Digital Television Stations Authorized by the FCC, there is not a whole lot of difference in the intended broadcast area pre or post of the switchover.
Satellite companies do everything they can to make the consumer believe they can't get by without them and 90% of the channels that nobody watches. Since the digital transition, I've experienced far less reception problems due to weather conditions.
Before we got 2 channels in one direction and when I swung the antenna around in a different direction I could pick up a third channel. [Bit antenna on the roof]
All three channels had lots of static.
Now we have nothing.
The 'apples' were that before we got TV, the 'oranges' is that now there is none.
None for us and none for anyone else in our township.
Actually checking my nearest net (Fairbanks) the range seems to be entirely dependent on the elevation of the antenna... I still don't get reception though. So yes I DO need satellite.
Ooops that could do it. Our roof is 14 foot high, with a 10 foot mast and antenna. So our antenna is only at 24 foot. Zoning here does not allow us to go higher than the surrounding tree line which is mostly at 40-foot.
It is possible that if I got a permit to construct a tower [it would require flashing lights] that we might be able to pickup enough signal.
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), frequently we've got bright sunshine no signal, and about 30-40 miles away there's a storm on the satellite azimuth, by the time the storm hits us the satellite's back up and transmitting through clear air. 
