HD Ota TV Antenna

[Atari2600]

Originally Posted by Schuttzie

Oh wow, Atari, I had no idea. We use a roku stick currently and yes, need to keep internet. We just bought a tv last year though and hate to buy a different one. But something to look into, thank you!

We do like to watch news in local stations though.

Totally understand... but worth considering. TV's are cheap now, and the organization that you'll get from a Roku TV is unbelievable. Highly recommend at least checking it out. It's way better than a separate ROKU device.

Never the less, check out the "Streaming" channels that Roku offers. It won't be as convenient as a separate device rather than through the TV's OS, but there's almost 1000 channels to see from there.


As far as OTA, you should expect ~75 channels with a decent antenna. You have to make sure you get a "powered" antenna, otherwise you won't get much, and the antennae should be mounted inside your attic. You can mount one of those fancy ones to your roof, but at least in the attic, it's shielded from the elements and lightning strikes.

I just picked the first thing I could find, there are cheaper ones, but this is literally all you need.

https://www.amazon.com/LATEST-Amplif.../dp/B07XQLW1H7


If you don't feel like mounting it in your attic, you can probably just mount it behind your TV and you'll still get ~50 channels.


I'm located in Lithia, which is way out East in the suburbs of Tampa, and I get 75 OTA channels with an antennae that is inferior to this.

[MortonR]

This guy is probably the best when it comes to buying an antenna:


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QkroujtyJv0

I also live in the Lithia area, and due to the massive antenna farm barely a mile away I can get a huge number of OTA channels.

Cord cutting is the best thing you can do to have as many if not more choices than cable, and save a bundle in the process.

I have YouTubeTV, which is $65/month along with my OTA channels. I also use an OTA DVR from a company called “Tablo”. The Tablo let’s me record my OTA broadcasts so I can watch them at my leisure. YouTubeTV also has DVR capabilities so you can record programming to watch it at a later time.

Because I use an AppleTV, I have a year’s free subscription to their service. That’s around $20/month if I keep it past the free period. There are loads of cheap services for streaming programming, and the beauty of this is that you can buy a month’s subscription, watch it, and then decide whether or not you want to keep it. The spouse wanted to see Hamilton when it came out on Disney, so we bought a month’s subscription and then cancelled it.

Definitely the way to go. I’m saving easily $100/month over what I was paying Spectrum for cable service, multiple set top boxes, and a crappy whole house DVR.

RM

[mrviking]

Originally Posted by MortonR

This guy is probably the best when it comes to buying an antenna:


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QkroujtyJv0

I also live in the Lithia area, and due to the massive antenna farm barely a mile away I can get a huge number of OTA channels.

Cord cutting is the best thing you can do to have as many if not more choices than cable, and save a bundle in the process.

I have YouTubeTV, which is $65/month along with my OTA channels. I also use an OTA DVR from a company called “Tablo”. The Tablo let’s me record my OTA broadcasts so I can watch them at my leisure. YouTubeTV also has DVR capabilities so you can record programming to watch it at a later time.

Because I use an AppleTV, I have a year’s free subscription to their service. That’s around $20/month if I keep it past the free period. There are loads of cheap services for streaming programming, and the beauty of this is that you can buy a month’s subscription, watch it, and then decide whether or not you want to keep it. The spouse wanted to see Hamilton when it came out on Disney, so we bought a month’s subscription and then cancelled it.

Definitely the way to go. I’m saving easily $100/month over what I was paying Spectrum for cable service, multiple set top boxes, and a crappy whole house DVR.

RM

If you do the work/research .... you keep the $$$$$$$ I love how this is giving the power back to the consumer.

[LKJ1988]

Originally Posted by MortonR

This guy is probably the best when it comes to buying an antenna:


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QkroujtyJv0

I also live in the Lithia area, and due to the massive antenna farm barely a mile away I can get a huge number of OTA channels.

Cord cutting is the best thing you can do to have as many if not more choices than cable, and save a bundle in the process.

I have YouTubeTV, which is $65/month along with my OTA channels. I also use an OTA DVR from a company called “Tablo”. The Tablo let’s me record my OTA broadcasts so I can watch them at my leisure. YouTubeTV also has DVR capabilities so you can record programming to watch it at a later time.

Because I use an AppleTV, I have a year’s free subscription to their service. That’s around $20/month if I keep it past the free period. There are loads of cheap services for streaming programming, and the beauty of this is that you can buy a month’s subscription, watch it, and then decide whether or not you want to keep it. The spouse wanted to see Hamilton when it came out on Disney, so we bought a month’s subscription and then cancelled it.

Definitely the way to go. I’m saving easily $100/month over what I was paying Spectrum for cable service, multiple set top boxes, and a crappy whole house DVR.

RM

That Ant seen in the pic mick is what i was talking about for the RCA i have on one tv and it does fine 45 miles away from the Towers east of Riverview. I have a much bigger Ant for the other TV that does better. But for a RV something small is needed.

[Schuttzie]

I do worry about our metal walls is the mobile home

[Atari2600]

Originally Posted by Schuttzie

I do worry about our metal walls is the mobile home

If this is a mobile home, then I recommend an external antennae, and just feed the wire inside. If you mount an antennae to the roof, you'll get dozens and dozens of channels.

[HJ99]

I didnt find the old analog rabbit ears or roof antenna all that great when switch to HD came. I got a flat plastic thing and it worked up until this summer. Then I was down to two channels (and their sub channels)??? Was reading on various antennas. One guy say it brings in distant channels, another same antenna doesnt help at all.... You get it, no idea which is the real review or maybe both are.

Found youtube video showing homemade antenna with two bent copper wires, bent at various angles and positioned mirror like opposite on a scrap of board. Then one of those old 75ohm flat wire to coaxial cable adapters (for really old tvs when they went from flat antenna wire to coax). One to each copper wire and then coax to the tv. I got my stations back. A more elaborate bigger version might work better, but I just wanted MeTV and local ABC station back. The ABC station cause I like their local weather best. When down to two statios only had the station where local news team whine and moan at each other over trivial crap. Truly annoying.

Here is the homemade very small antenna video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_fE2dQK1xs

All I can say it worked for me, just had to buy $2 coax adapter thing and I bought new 25ft coax just so I could move it if necessary to get better reception. There are other bigger, more complex homemade designs, may work better ?? Anyway prefer this to another cheap cheapie or some over priced "cheapie" They all seem to be from China anymore and way overhyped and relative low quality. Few years back I bought one sold as roof antenna, even had built in rotor mechanism. Failed in one year, plastic disintegrated in the weather. I was not amused. So watch out, lot sucker antennas being sold. The homemade one out of two lengths bare copper wire (I just removed insulation from short length old romex) and a short board, well hard to go wrong. You can even strip the end of coax and solder wires inside directly to your antenna, but think the little $2 adapter thingie is worth it. I was actually surprised those adapters still made. I hadnt seen a tv newer than 1970s that needed one of these. When is last time you saw any of that old flat 75ohm tv antenna wire? And the lightening arrestor it fed into....

[Concert D Major]

I use the RCA antenna and it's excellent.

https://www.amazon.com/Antenna-Satel...0024R4B5C?th=1

Outdoors up 25 feet, I get around 90 channels. I have a 2nd one indoors and get half that many channels. Get it outside if you can. And don't forget about proper grounding for lightning safety, which makes it a bit of a project. It doesn't have to be powered. Use high-quality RG-6 coax, not any kind of included cheapie crap.

There is no "digital", "HDTV", or "high definition" antenna. That is all marketing nonsense. A radio signal is a radio signal. Doesn't matter if it's AM, FM, analog, digital, or whatever. RF is RF. I think outdoor antennas will make a comeback with the new ATSC 3.0 coming out.

[Schuttzie]

Thank you all for your responses, I really appreciate it!