Ordered a HDTV antennae tonight

Ruthanne

Ruthanne

SF VIP
Location
Midwest
Just ordered a HDTV antennae to get all the stations without having to pay for anything every month except paying now for what I just bought.

Hopefully this will solve the paying every month problem. I'm already tired of watching reruns 20 times over. Anyone else get a HDTV digital antennae?
 

I use a modern version of rabbit ears that I bought at Walmart for around eight dollars.

It works great but I have to move/adjust it depending on which station I'm watching or if we have strong winds.

I've thought about buying a more advanced/expensive antenna but I'm not sure if they would improve the reception enough to justify the cost.

Keep us posted on how your new antenna works for you.
 
Ruthanne said:
Just ordered a HDTV antennae to get all the stations without having to pay for anything every month except paying now for what I just bought.

Hopefully this will solve the paying every month problem. I'm already tired of watching reruns 20 times over. Anyone else get a HDTV digital antennae?
Click to expand...
I am not sure of any of those..Let us know how you like it..
 

Yes I Ruthanne. Two of them and they are stored out in my shed. They wouldn’t get NBC or not much of anything in my area. Im about 60 miles from the broadcast towers and to much interference with them. Rain and wind knocked them off the air. I now have Direct Now TV through my Roku. Gives me all my stations for $39 a month. Hope you have better luck then I did. Pappy
 
I remember 60 years or so ago when an antenna could
be anything, I had some electrical flex stretched across
a wall, it picked up the available stations at the time,
others had wire coat hangers, they also worked.

Now a days nothing without some electronic wizardry
will work.

Progress.

Mike.
 
I have an inexpensive modern 'rabbit ears' antenna for my living room TV, and one for my small kitchen TV similar to THIS.

Both work pretty well but do need to be adjusted sometimes when changing channels or on windy days. Reception at our house is very poor, so I'm happy they work well enough not to need a big outdoor antenna.

I get channels 2, 4, 6 (PBS), 7, 9, 20 and 31. More channels also come in like 7-2, 7-3, 7-4, etc. Hope you like your new antenna Ruthanne, let us know how it's working!
 
We had Dish at our house in Colorado, but had to go outside and clean the snow off after a snowstorm. Snow would pile up on the dish and we couldn't get a thing.

Have to watch the marketing of digital antenna's. What they tell is so great, may not be so great in your home. We use to have rabbit ears on our small bedroom tv, but what a hassle of getting up and adjusting them so much. For the last 10 years, have had Comcast Cable, but the cost is somewhat high, because a person who has HD tv has to pay more for HD programming. We also have our internet bundled with our cable.
 
Yes, Ruthanne, I have two, and am very happy with the reception. I'm on the 3rd floor of my apartment building and face the South where the transmitters are located. I can pull in over 110 channels most days, with the antennas in my living room and bedroom windows.

Granted, most of those channels I would never want to watch, but I do get all the regular network stations and a few off-shoots of them also ... channels that you would never get through a cable set-up.



https://www.amazon.com/1byone-Upgra...=gateway&sprefix=HDTV+antennae,aps,188&sr=8-6
 
Mike wrote
I remember 60 years or so ago when an antenna could
be anything, I had some electrical flex stretched across
a wall, it picked up the available stations at the time,
others had wire coat hangers, they also worked.

Now a days nothing without some electronic wizardry
will work.
Click to expand...

Not true...I had an old rabbit ear antenna from a TV from late 70's/early 80's that I put into my attic...took about half an hour to find the perfect position for them to pick up 44 channels. Purchased a normal outside antenna to replace it which up my channels to over 60 (wife wanted PBS and the old rabbit ears just wouldn't pick that one up). New antenna still in my attic since HOA would not allow outside...and still pickup probably 15-20 channels I don't watch...along with the 40-45 I do.
 
Aunt Bea said:
I use a modern version of rabbit ears that I bought at Walmart for around eight dollars.

It works great but I have to move/adjust it depending on which station I'm watching or if we have strong winds.

I've thought about buying a more advanced/expensive antenna but I'm not sure if they would improve the reception enough to justify the cost.

Keep us posted on how your new antenna works for you.
Click to expand...
Thanks. The one I bought is indoor and costs 21.99 on amazon. I will let you all know.

Ken N Tx said:
I am not sure of any of those..Let us know how you like it..
Click to expand...
I wasn't sure about it either but it comes with a money back guarantee and many posters on amazon liked it.

Pappy said:
Yes I Ruthanne. Two of them and they are stored out in my shed. They wouldn’t get NBC or not much of anything in my area. Im about 60 miles from the broadcast towers and to much interference with them. Rain and wind knocked them off the air. I now have Direct Now TV through my Roku. Gives me all my stations for $39 a month. Hope you have better luck then I did. Pappy
Click to expand...
I'm in a major city area so I should pick up something if the antennae is not defective. I have Direct TV Now, too and the cost is going up to $50. here in May. So I cancelled it and it will end on the 13th this month. Thanks for your post.

Mike said:
I remember 60 years or so ago when an antenna could
be anything, I had some electrical flex stretched across
a wall, it picked up the available stations at the time,
others had wire coat hangers, they also worked.

Now a days nothing without some electronic wizardry
will work.

Progress.

Mike.
Click to expand...
Thanks Mike.:eek:

SeaBreeze said:
I have an inexpensive modern 'rabbit ears' antenna for my living room TV, and one for my small kitchen TV similar to THIS.

Both work pretty well but do need to be adjusted sometimes when changing channels or on windy days. Reception at our house is very poor, so I'm happy they work well enough not to need a big outdoor antenna.

I get channels 2, 4, 6 (PBS), 7, 9, 20 and 31. More channels also come in like 7-2, 7-3, 7-4, etc. Hope you like your new antenna Ruthanne, let us know how it's working!
Click to expand...
Thanks Sea Breeze. Glad you can get some channels on your rabbit ears. Amazon carries tons of HD digital antennaes now at a pretty good price. I think the lowest cost I saw was about 19.99. Thanks for your post.:eek:

ClassicRockr said:
We had Dish at our house in Colorado, but had to go outside and clean the snow off after a snowstorm. Snow would pile up on the dish and we couldn't get a thing.

Have to watch the marketing of digital antenna's. What they tell is so great, may not be so great in your home. We use to have rabbit ears on our small bedroom tv, but what a hassle of getting up and adjusting them so much. For the last 10 years, have had Comcast Cable, but the cost is somewhat high, because a person who has HD tv has to pay more for HD programming. We also have our internet bundled with our cable.
Click to expand...
The antennae I bought is an indoor one. I will see how it is--it got great reviews on Amazon and I'm near a major US city. I have had a dish before, too. Glad you have something you like. The cost is a lot for all the cable companies and going up for all the streaming ones. Thanks for your post.
 
Bonnie said:
Yes, Ruthanne, I have two, and am very happy with the reception. I'm on the 3rd floor of my apartment building and face the South where the transmitters are located. I can pull in over 110 channels most days, with the antennas in my living room and bedroom windows.

Granted, most of those channels I would never want to watch, but I do get all the regular network stations and a few off-shoots of them also ... channels that you would never get through a cable set-up.
Click to expand...
Glad you got a good one, too. I hope I ordered a good one and if not will send it back. I hope to get many channels, too. Thanks.

Camper6 said:
If there are no stations broadcasting within your reception area, no antenna will work on over the air t.v.

That's why cable is so popular.
Click to expand...
I live right next door to a major city and the downtown area is close where many of the local stations broadcast from. Hoping it will work. We will see. I mainly am getting it for the local networks. I know I won't get things like TVLand or HGTV but may order Sling which is on sale now at 40% off or $15. a mo. Thanks for your post Camper. Nice to see you here.
 
Mike said:
I remember 60 years or so ago when an antenna could
be anything, I had some electrical flex stretched across
a wall, it picked up the available stations at the time,
others had wire coat hangers, they also worked.

Now a days nothing without some electronic wizardry
will work.

Progress.

Mike.
Click to expand...

An antenna doesn't have to be HDTV. The t.v. does. The signal can be brought in with a 50's style antenna. Preferably an antenna outside on a high spot. The closer you are to the broadcast tower the better the results no matter what antenna you use. It's a digital signal now compared to analog.
 
Where I live, I am around 1 mile from a booster
TV Mast, but still I see all the Digital/HD aerials
on that roofs pointing in the same direction, yet
I have an indoor one on the wall and get HD TV
with no trouble, so I don't know which is the best.

Camper is correct about the TV though it has tobe
able to receive HD signals.

Mike.
 
and no camper is not correct as usual.. the tv does not have to be able to receive hd signals. all that is done thru the digital to analog converter receiver...my tv only has a coaxial cable connection to which my decoder box is connected.
 
cdestroyer said:
yup had one, got a grand total of three channels if the station was on the air...and then there wasnt a lot to watch
Click to expand...

Of course. No signals no t.v.

If a major t.v. station is around like NBC or another major network, it's not too bad. But if all you get is knitting programs it's not worth the effort.

I only pay $30.00 a month including tax and I get all the major channels and sports and extras that's on cable.
 
I received the antennae and I am sending it back. It is so flimsy looking and I wouldn't trust it would last. I'm going to look for a better one.
 
cdestroyer said:
and no camper is not correct as usual.. the tv does not have to be able to receive hd signals. all that is done thru the digital to analog converter receiver...my tv only has a coaxial cable connection to which my decoder box is connected.
Click to expand...

Well I hate to argue with an expert but If you don't have a HDTV cable television set you will not receive a High Definition picture regardless of a cable box.

What you are talking about is the signal being broadcast from the television station which used to be in analag and is now digital.

You could convert the digital signal back to analog and view it on your television set but it would not be High Definition.

That's why people have scrapped their old t.v. s for HDTV capable sets.

If you have a coaxial cable connected it converts the analog signal to digital but you sure still do not have High Definition Television on the old sets just because you have cable.

Not correct as usual huh? Are you talking about yourself?

480p (SDTV)
The 480p resolution of SDTV (standard definition television) is similar to that of analog broadcast TV but is transmitted digitally (DTV). The image is made up of 480 lines or pixel rows of resolution scanned progressively, rather than in alternate fields as in analog TV transmission.

This provides a good picture, especially on smaller 19- to 29-inch screens. It's much more film-like than standard cable or even standard DVD output, but it provides only half the potential video quality of an HDTV picture. This means that its effectiveness is lessened on large screen sets (TVs with screen sizes 32 inches and up).

Although 480p is part of the approved DTV broadcasting standards, it is not HDTV. It was included to give broadcasters the option of providing multiple channels of programming and services within the same channel bandwidth allocation as a single HDTV signal. It's similar to what you would see in an analog TV signal, with a slight increase in image quality.

https://www.lifewire.com/digital-vs-hdtv-1845697
 
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Ruthanne -- Here's a site that might help you figure out if an indoor antenna will work for you. If you see a lot of outdoor antennas in your area, it could mean that signals are pretty weak where you are. Indoor antennas are very sensitive to location. Sometimes just a few feet can make a big difference.

Don
 
cdestroyer said:
and no camper is not correct as usual.. the tv does not have to be able to receive hd signals. all that is done thru the digital to analog converter receiver...my tv only has a coaxial cable connection to which my decoder box is connected.
Click to expand...
Whoa! Easy does it. Camper has been around these parts for three years and I don't think you need to insult him to try yo make a point.
 
They are both right. Yes, you can receive hdtv signals on an old analog set if you have a converter. But, as Camper wrote, the result won't be hdtv quality. If you still have an analog TV, maybe it's time to upgrade.

As far as the antenna goes, the design depends on the range of transmitted frequencies. And, I don't believe that has changed from what it has always been. Calling an antenna hdtv is just a marketing gimmick.

And, I agree personal attacks are unnecessary and a sign of a weak argument.

Don
 
A question about these small antennas.

Does the power assist option make a significant difference?

The one that I have just plugs into the back of the television but I've noticed others also have a power cord that plugs into an electrical socket.

Thanks!

i070228pluggers.gif
 
Aunt Bea -- It depends on something called signal to noise ratio. If you have a lot of interference from other sources that mask the TV signal, then amplification just makes both bigger and doesn't help. That's the case where I live. I have high tension power lines, plus phone and cable on two sides of my lot. If you just have a low TV signal level and little electrical noise, then it does help. I bought an amplifier module and it made no difference when I tried it. Antennas are tuned to the TV frequencies and are directional which helps overcome local noise.

Those little power supplies some people call wall warts are notorious for creating interference.

Don
 
Grampa Don said:
Aunt Bea -- It depends on something called signal to noise ratio. If you have a lot of interference from other sources that mask the TV signal, then amplification just makes both bigger and doesn't help. That's the case where I live. I have high tension power lines, plus phone and cable on two sides of my lot. If you just have a low TV signal level and little electrical noise, then it does help. I bought an amplifier module and it made no difference when I tried it. Antennas are tuned to the TV frequencies and are directional which helps overcome local noise.

Those little power supplies some people call wall warts are notorious for creating interference.

Don
Click to expand...

Thanks for the explanation.

I live in an area with fairly strong TV signals so I don't think that it would have a significant impact on my reception other than the possibility of pulling in a couple more network affiliate stations from neighboring cities.
 


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