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OTA antenna

We've been looking into ditching cable and going OTA. Do you know what one needs to buy (tuners, antennas, etc) to get OTA signals? (If it matters, we have 2 standard def TVs with no plans on upgrading to HD.)
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-Jason Levine
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Check out this website it creates a map showing the location of DTV transmitters from your home address:

»www.antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx

This information is provided by the FCC:

Where transmitters are located:

»www.fcc.gov/mb/engineering/maps/

DTV Station channel assignments. This web page is very important because it lists the stations frequency assignments at each city. Unfortunately many Stations assigned to VHF frequencies moved to UHF frequencies while keeping their old NTSC channel numbers. UHF frequencies are line of sight and do not travel as far as VHF frequencies:

»www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Engineering_···002a.txt

You might require a long range outdoor antenna. If you are in an area where all stations are UHF you can use a smaller antenna because UHF frequency wavelengths are shorter.

Here in Central Florida I require a UHF/VHF Antenna to receive all channels because Channel 2 (NBC) moved to VHF Channel 11.

You might also want to check out this website:

»www.tech-faq.com/free-to-air-satellite.shtml

reply to Jason Levine
$40-$50 per tuner isn't a horrible price to pay.

Also, a decent suburban antenna with a pre amp will cost you less than $100. Payoff in what...2 months ?

My build:

- Channel Master Stealthtenna 3010 with preamp $60
- HD tuners x 2 (using 2 coupons) cost = $25 to me
- Channel Master remote distribution amp 3414 = $45

Channels available (including subs): 53
Distance: +40 miles
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Canada = Hollywood North

reply to Jason Levine
I got frustrated with UVerse a couple of weeks ago and cancelled service. I'm going OTA.

My main TV has an OTA tuner and it's HD
My 2nd TV uses a DVD-Recorder from JVC with integrated Tuner.

Few things.
1. The picture quality is AMAZING. You will never get a better picture than an uncompressed OTA digital signal. Some of the network stuff comes thru with 5.1 Audio. Cable and Satellite can't compete with quality.

2. I have a small low profile antenna called a Stealth mounted on the roof peak. Digital signals are nothing like the old analogue. You might be able to do it with rabbit ears in your house. For many or most people, you will not need a 50ft tower outside your house.
This will vary and you may or may not need at Rotor. I'm fortunate that all the transmission towers are located in a similar direction so one fixed mounting works for me.

Finally I didn't watch a lot of TV to begin with and 99% of what I watched was Network TV anyway. I wasted time channel surfing and found crap to watch but nothing I was really interested in. I haven't missed UVerse at all.

I use the DVD-Recorder as a PVR. I've never missed a show that I "Want" to watch. I download episodes of daily show and colbert. I watch a few movies. Spend a bit more time with my 4yr old son.

There are so many options...

I may never go back to cable. I feel so much better without it. I didn't expect that it be such a non-issue.

Maybe in 3 or 4 months I change my mind, who knows but for now I'm not spending $86/month for something I could mostly get for free OTA.

Give it a try. Worst case you go back to cable on one of Comcasts, new customer plans and save some money.

reply to Jason Levine

reply to Jason Levine
I'm 20-30 miles from the stations I watch.
I used to get marginal reception with a medium range rooftop antenna.
When the antenna started coming down in a storm I took it down and never bothered replacing it.

I was very surprised to find an indoor mant510 philips amplified antenna worked fine for me and I'm in a wooded hilly part of the country. I figured it would be worthless but I pick up everything in the region. In the summer wind, with the leaves on the trees, it sometimes cuts in and out if located on the far side of the house. If the antenna is on the side of the house facing your stations it helps, especially by a window.

If you already have a rooftop antenna I would use it, especially if you want to feed 2 televisions. If not it might be worth it to get an amplified indoor antenna (maybe $40 at wal-mart) and a $40-50 converter box (also at wal-mart) and see what your results are.

My main point is that I've found the range of getting a reliable signal to be much better with digital.
40+ miles out then you would probably need to invest in a decent rooftop antenna and mount which is more like $100-200.

I have 4 pbs subchannels that always have a combination of travel, cooking, history 24 hours a day and a 24 hr/day childrens subchannel, in addition to the standard pbs station schedule for the area. It's actually better than cable or satellite as far as I'm concerned.

reply to Jason Levine
Most DTV stations are now UHF, although a few are still VHF. That Antenna Web site will tell you.

You'll need an Antenna, RG-6 Cable, a splitter (to run to each TV) and since you want to use it with Standard Def TV's you'll need two Converter boxes. If you mount the Antenna in an attic you could probably get by with that. If you want to mount it outside you'll need a mount (Like a roof tripod or a bracket/pole for a sidemount, or a chimney mount (not recommended personally.) You'll also need a grounding block, and to run a ground wire to the antenna and mount back to your house grounding rod.
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"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the merger of state and corporate power." -- Benito Mussolini

reply to thedragonmas
FTA Satalitie might be a better choice