Free (and amazingly good) TV by antenna

 

 

TV antennas are old technology, but the free over-the-air signals they provide have two big advantages:

• First, they’re free! Once you install the antenna and get it working, there are no monthly fees.
• Second, they’re good! Some video providers do a lot of signal processing, compared with the native over-the-air signals. Videophiles can see a quality difference.

A TV antenna can be a useful part of your cut-the-cable strategy. To get a quick start on this, go to antennaweb.org and type in your address. You’ll get back a detailed report on what stations you can receive free over-the-air. Or, for more detail, look at these questions and answers:

What kind of antenna will I need to get good signals at my house?

Go to antennaweb.org to find out. There you’ll enter your address, and you’ll find what to buy. People in large cities can often get excellent reception. In more remote areas, you’ll need a pretty good antenna. Important note: antennaweb.org is highly pessimistic — meaning you can often get a lot more stations than that site’s list.

Do I have to mount the antenna outside?

For the best results in most locations, yes. If you’re lucky, an indoor antenna may work. An inside, attic-mounted, antenna works for some. But to minimize the hassle, it may be best to go straight to an outdoor mounting.

What kinds of antennas do you recommend?

After trying several different brands over the years, I now exclusively recommend Televes, as I have to friends and family. Note: I now receive a commission from products linked on this page. But I was recommending Televes long before that arrangement. Briefly, Televes has kept its research and technology up-to-date while competitors have kept producing the same old thing.

Where can I buy an antenna?

There used to be local independent electronics dealers. If you still have one of those, go there. Online, solidsignal.com is excellent. Or, just keep reading and I’ll take you straight to some good choices at amazon.com.

What’s the right antenna for me?

Simplest approach: Look at the symbols from antennaweb.org and pick the Televes antenna that corresponds to your hardest-to-receive signal. Here they are, ranked in increasing order of difficulty of reception:

(See footnotes for technical details and qualifications.*)

Can my homeowners’ association keep me from mounting an antenna outside?

The general answer is “no.” Under Congressional authority of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the FCC has adopted a rule that allows most viewers use an outdoor antenna. Even if you’re renting, you can probably mount an antenna on an area you exclusively control, such as a patio or balcony. But there are exceptions, including provisions for safety and for preservation of historic areas. Here’s more information.

What’s the most important thing to remember in installing an antenna?

Don’t get yourself killed.

Seriously, there are two hazards you might underestimate

• the risk of falling. If you don’t regularly work on a ladder, you won’t know how easy it is for something to go wrong when you’re up high.
• the risk of electrocution. TV antennas often require long masts. You don’t have to be that close to an electric line for a misstep to make that mast fall across the line, and then you’re fried (maybe).

So be careful or get a professional installer.

How about gimmicky antennas that have unusual shapes or claim unusually good results indoors? 

They consistently disappoint actual users. Sorry, there’s no free lunch here. But do keep in mind that a good antenna provides signals at no charge for years and years after that initial expenditure.

Where can I find out more?

• The antenna experts who post at AVS forum are good, and will often provide super advice for free: post your setup here.
• Ask solidsignal.com for antenna help using their fill-in form.
• To get much deeper into all of this find the Antenna Man on YouTube and consider his individualized service (may be temporary, but here’s a link to a discount offer on that).

* About that list of antennas:

• You’ll see antennaweb.org has a distinction between antennas with and without amplifiers. These all have integrated amplifiers (highly recommended).
• There used to be a concern that if you had too capable an antenna, the signal strength would actually be too high and would cause reception problems. Televes has some nice technology that adjusts for that problem — so no worries any more.
• The most difficult situation is when your stations come from many different directions. Here’s a good article on that. In my area, there are three different directions for signals! I nuked my problem by pointing one antenna in each direction and then combining the antenna outputs with the Televes SmartKom (the best signal amplifier I have ever used).