T V reception

[old2soon]

    At the house I Used to rent had an outdoor antenna that I got more than 20 channels. And the antenna Is pointed due West towards Springfield. Now here in the senior housing dealy I have an indoor antenna pointed North ONLY. Only name on the antenna box I can find is Rohs supposed to have a 150 mile range and I'm 80 ish miles from Springfield Mo. I looked at you tube tv and they're flirting with $84.00 a month. Already checked with Sparklight and their channel selection is lacking in Decent selections unless I jump up to $150.00 ish a month But I'll still have a laundry list of channels I'll NEVER look at. Oh before I fergits I am NOT allowed to put ANYTHING on the roof or on a pole outdoors!  Any helpful suggestions are/will be much appreciated!  And as Always-T I A!  RIDE SAFE. I'm only getting 5 channels with this indoor antenna! 

[OnaWingandaPrayer]

Do you have a good internet connection?  Lots channels available. Netflix, amazon Prime , Peacock, Disney Plus (with ESPN) and many more options.

[fudgie]

Can u put a larger antenna in the attic? I have a huge one above my garage.

[scooperhsd]

Well - the attic suggestion sounds about as good as it can get. You , of course hit upon the best solution - but you said you can't use an outdoor antenna (that's stupid, because the FCC has a rule about over the air reception devices (i.e antennas) (OTARD is the term to look for).

Options on other TV possibilites - stream (too many options to mention them all, but Youtube TV is not the only one to offer channels).  (SlingTV from Dish is also a possibility for streaming). My friend in Tampa uses one of these ( https://vseebox.com/vseebox-v6-plus/  ) I've thought about acquiring one, but I haven't seriously looked into it.

I suppose satellite is out for the same reason OTA antennas are discouraged ?

I tend to discount the fancy boxes that claim to get reception 150 miles away.

It really comes down to what you want to watch and how you can get it.

[F6Dave]

Buy a Roku. Walmart sells them for as little as $15. Connect to your TV (HDMI) and Wi-fi. You can even use your phone's hotspot for the Wi-fi but that will use a lot of data and require an unlimited plan.

Roku doesn't advertise this, but you can create an account without a credit card at: https://my.roku.com/signup/nocc

Then start adding free apps and watch lots of TV. Two of the best are Tubi and Pluto TV. Tubi has thousands of movies. There are ads (nothing is really free) but not too many. Pluto has hundreds of live TV stations that include movies, old TV shows, and a surprising number of news channels. You won't get premium stuff like ESPN for free, but there are apps for those if you want.

[LadyDraco]

I agree Roku , as long as you have unlimited internet gigs...
   I stream lots of shows, and movies.
You can grab a few buy  streaming like peacock, Paramount+ . Grab them at cheap, and drop them.
No contracts , I'll grab a few here and there  for free or just a few months ,For winter.
But for summer I just run the roku ch, and what ever I can for free.
Yes Pluto,tubi, Plex, youtube and Prime  now has free streaming area. NO cost ..
We  started Roku back in 2020 , never looked back...Very happy

[f6john]

I have digital antenna in my attic also but don’t get much use anymore. I stream everything, I am paying for Netflix in there top category , no ads, at about $29.00 a month.  I’m bumbing YouTube off my sons account for free which I use a lot. I also stream tubi and HBOMax which I get free grandfathered off AT&T promotion from years ago.

[Pluggy]

TV stations typically don't transmit on their "historic" channels.  An example: WRAL-TV Raleigh, NC is called Channel 5 but now transmits on digital channel 17.  As most old VHF TV stations are now actually on UHF, the range of reception is shorter.  The TV towers are a straight-line 56 miles from my town and a few people can receive programming with a large antenna on their roof.  

150 mile range using an indoor antenna is extremely optimistic.  You may need to get cable or streaming like the rest of us.

[Oldfishguy]

I cut the cable about five years ago. (Actually satellite.)

I live about 60 miles from most of the broadcast antennas and am surrounded by tall trees.  I hired an installer of antennas to come out and test my reception on the roof.  Everything looked good so we went with it, about $500 installed.  A little pricey, but my roof climbing days are over.  The system has a built in booster.  We receive all the local channels plus about 50 other channels of a variety, all for free.  The new digital transmission is different than the old days, either you receive the picture clear or not at all.  And summer or winter, rainstorm or not the picture is always clear.  If you are closer to the broadcast antennas maybe it will work in the attic?? 

[GiG]

The newer digital antennas work much better than the old analog ones, mores omnidirectional 
For best results, tape it to a window and carefully route the cable so as to avoid signal
Loss or interference. Make sure connectors are clean and tight. Loop leads away from tv &
Other possible interference sources. Good results may be seen by
Mounting the antenna high on an interior wall towards signal source - but electrical wires hidden
Inside wall Could affect reception as could a ground plane ( metal surface)

[old2soon]

      Well the collective Knowledge here has come thru Again and I THANK Y'ALL!   Be lookin into Everything suggested!   Made mention years back when I had a satelite dish that when I got "free" stuff my bill went up 5 or 10 bucks a month even after I said NONONO! While renting I was given a really nice antenns. With the help of my landlord we got it installed and clocked properly. Here in the apartment No access to what wou;ld be the ceiling area. Most likely will end up with something a streaning service or like that. T V came with built in roku which I have yet to activate!   Be lookin in to that also! Again THANKS Brothers and Sisters!   RIDE SAFE.

[F6Dave]

     Well the collective Knowledge here has come thru Again and I THANK Y'ALL!   Be lookin into Everything suggested!   Made mention years back when I had a satelite dish that when I got "free" stuff my bill went up 5 or 10 bucks a month even after I said NONONO! While renting I was given a really nice antenns. With the help of my landlord we got it installed and clocked properly. Here in the apartment No access to what wou;ld be the ceiling area. Most likely will end up with something a streaning service or like that. T V came with built in roku which I have yet to activate!   Be lookin in to that also! Again THANKS Brothers and Sisters!   RIDE SAFE.

Activate the Roku at: https://my.roku.com/signup/nocc

That link doesn't require a credit card so there's no way for them to charge you anything. That feature isn't available through their main site because they prefer to get your credit card number.

[Thunderbolt]

Load up Youtube.  Not Youtube TV.  We pretty much only watch Youtube's nowadays.  Not as many commercials but there are some.  You can find out how to fix most anything or watch sailing or motorcyling or listen to music etc.  It's free.

[Pluggy]

Old movie fans have plenty of free viewing.  Sports fans gotta pay up.  Monday and Thursday Night Football is not free.  Most MLB games are on cable or streaming TV.  If your favorite team is not local, you have to buy a subscription.  Soccer and hockey are mostly on pay TV. 

When people pay to view, player salaries go up.  That means more of us must pay to view.  Gladly pay to view?  No, I un-gladly pay to view.

[F6Dave]

When people pay to view, player salaries go up.  That means more of us must pay to view.  Gladly pay to view?  No, I un-gladly pay to view.

And if the players get to the Super Bowl, and it's played in California, those salary increases go to the state government thanks to their 'jock tax'!

[Jess from VA]

Some 50 years ago, I stuck a TV antenna outside the window of my 3d floor university dormitory room in a small tree.

When all the leaves fell off the tree that fall (losing camouflage), they made me take it down. 

[carolinarider09]

I don't really watch "TV".  That means I rarely watch OTA (Over the Air) television or listen to OTA radio stations (with the exception Sirius/XM radio on the road). 

I almost always watch stuff provided by my internet access which I generally access using my ROKU device.  And, just in case you are interested, I also carry a "ROKU" device with me when I travel (by motorcycle or car).  I have ways to ensure I can get Internet access at motels at which I stay.

ROKU allows me to access the programs I am interested in.  I watch Newsmax.  I also watch subscription TV such as Amazon and Paramount TV. 

Since my access to video and audio (music) entertainment is based on having Internet service and to provide for a backup system in the event the fiber optics supplying my internet fails, I also have a TV Antenna installed.  The antenna is only about 20 feet above the ground but it works.  The antenna is a Channel Master Advantage 100. 

The antenna has an amplifier on the the antenna mast the feeds my house.  Another "distribution" amplifier provides this connection to the homes three bedrooms and the "Great Room".  So all rooms have access to OTA channels and stations.

As far as watching OTA TV, I have a TIVO device (which I rarely use) that automatically records OTA programs I am interested in.   

As I said, each of the four rooms with wall mounted TVs have access to OTA channels.

Oh, I also have a FM receiver that is connected to the OTA TV antenna so I can listen to music if the internet fails. 

Back to the original question, my experience with OTA TV systems goes back to when I was 16 years old and I worked one summer with a gentlemen that was provided TV antenna and other related services to the Mrytle Beach, SC area.  That was one of the many things in my life that was, shall we say, very educating. 

Oh, we worked out of a Western Auto store in Myrtle Beach owned by the family living one "lot" down the road from us in MB. And I also attend the same school as their son, Bobby.

And only reason I don't have a rotor on my TV antenna is that I can get all five networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, and PBS) without having to move the antennas pointed direction. 

So, the is my system for watching programs on TV and listening to music.

Oh, as far as Sirius/XM radio, I started listening to XM radio in the 2004-2005 time frame because the MP3 player on my Garmin GPS would not work.  So, I still subscribe to Sirius/XM and use it primary in our automobiles.