Indoor Antennas

Any one tried one of these since the US TV frequencies changed?

I've beeen lead to believe if you don't buy a new antenna you can't pickup anything. Old school rabbit ears won't work anymore. So this is actually a three part question...

  • Is that true?
  • Do any indoor antennas work?
  • What about rooftop?
 

dontpanicbobby

100% That Guy
Thread starter
That's good to hear. I'd like to use at least one TV wothout cable. My part of MA is pretty much at sea level though. That might make a difference. Which State are you in tube517?
 

tube517

Android Expert
That's good to hear. I'd like to use at least one TV wothout cable. My part of MA is pretty much at sea level though. That might make a difference. Which State are you in tube517?

I'm in Virginia near the beach.

I was surprised at the number of channels I get.

With an older HD TV, the antenna reception is still crystal clear. I was pleased with the reception.
 

dontpanicbobby

100% That Guy
Thread starter
Thanks tube517. I'm going to seriously look into thos now. I mostly watch the News and Documentary channels in my bedroom. An antenna would save me at least $75 a month.
 
There really is no such thing as an 'HD' antenna. Since the digital transition most stations are using UHF frequencies, although some are still on VHF. If you have an old antenna capable of both VHF and UHF reception it may work ok, but it depends on where you are and what the signal levels are which can be determined by going to the websites that were linked above.

It is very possible that an older antenna that was acceptable for analog reception won't work properly for digital because a strong signal is required to get stable digital reception. A weaker analog signal might have a little noise or 'snow' but it would be perfectly watchable, whereas a digital signal will look perfect until a minimum threshold of signal strength below which it will then pixelate and disappear. Combine this with some stations having lower power levels post-transition and you now need a high-gain antenna to watch the same channels you used to get with rabbit ears.

You should check to see if your local stations are all on UHF or if any are on VHF, this will vary by market. Some of the so-called HD antennas being sold are UHF only which is obviously a problem if you need to see any VHF channels.
 

Unforgiven

...eschew obfuscation...
Administrator
Thanks tube517. I'm going to seriously look into thos now. I mostly watch the News and Documentary channels in my bedroom. An antenna would save me at least $75 a month.
DPB, I live in central MA and use a cheap $10 antenna I bought at Walmart. It is in my basement (below ground level) and my son gets all the Boston, Springfield, and Providence stations.
 
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