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Anybody use a HD antenna insted of cable, tired of paying the cable bill and was wondering how well they work. I appreciate your opinion.
Tom
Tom
HD tv antenna
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if you're near a metro area they work great, depending on what you want 
my mother lives near Mt. Laurel, NJ and picks up most of the regular philly stations
with just the set top antenna/converter on an ancient tube tv.
Not sure how close aston, pa is, but there is a web site that will tell you what signals you can expect in your zip code.
pretty sure it's http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx
edit: yes, that's the site I was thinking of. you can JUST put in your zip code to get info.. no need to fill out any personal info.
my mother lives near Mt. Laurel, NJ and picks up most of the regular philly stations
with just the set top antenna/converter on an ancient tube tv.
Not sure how close aston, pa is, but there is a web site that will tell you what signals you can expect in your zip code.
pretty sure it's http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx
edit: yes, that's the site I was thinking of. you can JUST put in your zip code to get info.. no need to fill out any personal info.
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Thanks Rob, good information.
I installed one on a boat in Phila and it worked pretty well. He alot of channels, most of which you wouldn't watch. Did get all the local channels real clear. Not sure about the reception down the shore, remember before digital all we could get with an antenna was Channel 40.
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When I take the boat to Breezee Lee in the spring to be pulled I get 14 stations on the hard. I onley get 6 in the water in WildWood. I have the UFO shaped Shakesphere one.
Do a google search for coat hanger HDTV antenna. I built one and it works way better than what the stores sell. I have it mounted in the attic of my dads vaca home and it picks up about 20 Fort Myers stations that are 28mi away. I used the antennaweb site to point it in the right direction and connected it to the old cable incoming feed so all outlets work.
It is connected to an HDTV with ansi digital tuner so no converter is needed.
It is just a copy of a good antenna called a DB-4. If you want to buy one, that is the one you want (or the DB-8).
Edit: http://www.antennasdirect.com/DB4_HDTV_antenna.html
It is connected to an HDTV with ansi digital tuner so no converter is needed.
It is just a copy of a good antenna called a DB-4. If you want to buy one, that is the one you want (or the DB-8).
Edit: http://www.antennasdirect.com/DB4_HDTV_antenna.html
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Bay Rat, you actually have the antenna in the attic. The reason I ask is because we live in a condo developement and outside antennas are not allowed.
Right now I'm paying 235 bucks a month for Comcast's Triple Play. Phone/Internet and everything on the dial for TV... and High Def..
I'm dumping the HBO type premium channels... I'd go to a dish in second if I didn't have wall of trees south of my house..
Anyone need wood and wants to thin out my mess behind me call me...???
I'd dump comshit in two seconds...
I'm dumping the HBO type premium channels... I'd go to a dish in second if I didn't have wall of trees south of my house..
Anyone need wood and wants to thin out my mess behind me call me...???
I'd dump comshit in two seconds...
Yes, it is in the attic and not in the most I deal place either. It is at the far end of the house from the direction it is pointed and has to go through hurricane trusses and hvac vents.
It also still picks up 4 or 5 Sarasota channels from 46mi away and it's pointing in the opposite direction.
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Ditto on that Dunk, that is my thinking save some money!!!!
FYI - I'm paying 145 for the triple play, no movie channels, 1 DVR/HD box, and 1 HD only box.
Not sure if you have called Comcast lately to try and lock in to better prices.
Also - a regular old antena worked fine for me to get over the air HD channels before we got cable here. Not sure if there is any cred to the 'HD antena" thing.
I've also heard you can put the dishes in the actic too, and they work fine. You migfht want to REALLY push them to see what they say to you (friend of mine was an installer).
Not sure if you have called Comcast lately to try and lock in to better prices.
Also - a regular old antena worked fine for me to get over the air HD channels before we got cable here. Not sure if there is any cred to the 'HD antena" thing.
I've also heard you can put the dishes in the actic too, and they work fine. You migfht want to REALLY push them to see what they say to you (friend of mine was an installer).
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in many cases the regular antenna had uhf elements included. all hd channels are in the same spectrum as the old analog uhf channels.
even without specific elements, the old vhf antennas will still pull in some strong uhf (now: hd) channels.
that said, the "hd antennas" are sized and tuned for the spectrum hd channels are in.
even without specific elements, the old vhf antennas will still pull in some strong uhf (now: hd) channels.
that said, the "hd antennas" are sized and tuned for the spectrum hd channels are in.
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yes, you have to have an HD tuner... the 6 is the old vhf channel (I think... not sure if they map those to something else in newer tuners... but when I had an antenna up before the shutdown of VHF, "6" was the regular analog vhf 6).
if, for example on some cable feeds, they are feeding in regular channels analog, as well as digital channels, and without a box you did a search with your hd tv, you'd find channels like 3, 6, ... as well as their digital equivalents in the uhf spectrum 3-1, 6-2 and others. All kinds of wierd feeds out there. This is what my daughter gets with her standard comcast analog feed right into her Visio HD tv (no digital cable box).
Comcast, of course, wants you to convert to digital cable, but that's a different story.
So, the HD antenna is only an antenna tuned to receive signals in the spectrum where the digital signals are broadcast... which overlaps the old analog UHF spectrum.
To get the digital channels you need a digital tuner, in your tv or over-the-air converter box.
(edit: I suppose there might be some "hd antennas" that are packaged with the over-the-air converter... I'm not sure about that. The ones I saw advertised as "hd antennas" were only the antenna... that's what I picked up for my mom).
if, for example on some cable feeds, they are feeding in regular channels analog, as well as digital channels, and without a box you did a search with your hd tv, you'd find channels like 3, 6, ... as well as their digital equivalents in the uhf spectrum 3-1, 6-2 and others. All kinds of wierd feeds out there. This is what my daughter gets with her standard comcast analog feed right into her Visio HD tv (no digital cable box).
Comcast, of course, wants you to convert to digital cable, but that's a different story.
So, the HD antenna is only an antenna tuned to receive signals in the spectrum where the digital signals are broadcast... which overlaps the old analog UHF spectrum.
To get the digital channels you need a digital tuner, in your tv or over-the-air converter box.
(edit: I suppose there might be some "hd antennas" that are packaged with the over-the-air converter... I'm not sure about that. The ones I saw advertised as "hd antennas" were only the antenna... that's what I picked up for my mom).
Rob is right- there is no such thing as an HD antenna. They are just any old UHF antenna. That "hoop" or "bow-tie" that stuck off the back of old TV's will work with a good signal. The signal needs to be MUCH higher than on an old analog tv needed.
There are however a few channels that are now in the VHF range that you won't get with a UHF antenna unless the signal is great or the antenna is. I get channels on the old channel 4 and channel 11. One is junk but the other is CBS (i think), so I need it.
http://antennaweb.org/aw/Address.aspx will tell you what channels you get by zipcode and many other things.
There are however a few channels that are now in the VHF range that you won't get with a UHF antenna unless the signal is great or the antenna is. I get channels on the old channel 4 and channel 11. One is junk but the other is CBS (i think), so I need it.
http://antennaweb.org/aw/Address.aspx will tell you what channels you get by zipcode and many other things.
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