Jump to content
SASS Wire Forum

TV Antenna (or not)


Lawdog Dago Dom

Recommended Posts

We have a house now that has a TV antenna in the attic. That's a new one to me. Growing up your antenna had it's own tower or was strapped to a chimney with a rotor.

So?

Do I feel froggy and jump on the roof and plant one?

Omni-directional or not?  Rotor?

 

Or just call Dish TV?

 

We are just north of Bolivar, Mo.

 

Reception so far is pretty good with the omni-directional one, but some channels fade in and out of pixelating.

 

Thanks.

 

LDD

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Unfortunately, that's the nature of the beast. We have omni-antennae TV and no cable here (metro Kansas City). On windy days especially, the signal pixelates and drops repeatedly. Cable would fix that, but for us, the programming isn't worth paying for. We stream and watch DVDs exclusively.

 

We've never had a dish, but from what we've heard, bad weather sometimes affects the signal.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I’ve had both Dish Network and then Directv since 1992. The tech has improved a lot over the years. We rarely lose any signal it takes an extremely huge, dense cloud  to disrupt the signal. We have no cable service here and broadcast tv is a problem due to the distance to any station and the topography of the area.

Directv works just fine for us.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In the holler we live in over the air local tv is non existant so we have Direct TV. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i get pixelization on my cable in inclement weather , its part of why we may go back to an antenna , we just dont watch that much really - often its on as background , i think we have become accustomed to a background noise , but lately im finding quiet as a really great atmosphere for everything , we shall see how that works "she" has already found a way to use her phone to feed the TV or at least i think thats what she is doing , im not that computer/phone literate so i dont get it at all , 

 

ill feed the DVD player if i need to watch , im ok without but i have some id like to see again , till those go the way of the reel to reel/cassete/8 track/vynil disc 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Had an antenna put in our attic when we bought out first house.  Hung upside down from the main beam.  It worked well until we started getting some weaker signals.  At about that time we gotFIOS cable and disconnected the antenna.  As for as I know there is still a 54 year old "Erector Set" in that attic.

 

In the seven years we've been here I've had three cable companies and Dish.  None work very well.  Have Sparklight now and it's the best of the lot, but still has days when I can't pick anything or have interruptions.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The over the air channels are all digital now.  This is a great improvement over the old signals.  I have an antenna in the attic that picks up the Atlanta channels 50 miles away.  We also have direct TV which works well but seems to cost more and more each year.  We only loose the satellite signal during very heavy thunderstorms and then only for a few minutes at a time.  If it was up to me, which it isn't, I would just live with the OTA channels, Amazon Prime and Netflix.  I would also ditch the house phone but that also isn't up to me.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Living in the country, we have a dish.

Living on the Gulf Coast, we lose signal quite a bit due to weather.

If you have to rely on the satellite for weather/news, I recommend getting an additional antenna for local channels.  Today's channels are broadcast digitally, as mentioned above, so their signal does not travel as far as the analog signals of past.  That said, if you can get the digital signal it will be clear, unlike the analog signals of past.

There is a website that you can go to that will show you the nearest tv stations to your location in order to help determine what type of antenna you might need.  I'll try to remember to share the link after I get home tonight if someone else doesn't do it first.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have cable upstairs where I watch TV but I do have an antenna in the basement, a rabbit ears type, that gets me 5 or 6 channels. I have it down there with my treadmill and stationary bike so I have something to watch while exercising. I can't get any local channels but I get MeTV, Laff, Get TV and a couple others. It was $15.00!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This topic caused me to check my TV again to see what channels I get.  The TV says I supposedly have 15 channels, but of those 15, 5 had no signal, 2 were in Spanish and at least 2 more are children's channels.   So I have 6 channels with nothing worth watching.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

44 minutes ago, Chief Rick said:

Living in the country, we have a dish.

Living on the Gulf Coast, we lose signal quite a bit due to weather.

If you have to rely on the satellite for weather/news, I recommend getting an additional antenna for local channels.  Today's channels are broadcast digitally, as mentioned above, so their signal does not travel as far as the analog signals of past.  That said, if you can get the digital signal it will be clear, unlike the analog signals of past.

There is a website that you can go to that will show you the nearest tv stations to your location in order to help determine what type of antenna you might need.  I'll try to remember to share the link after I get home tonight if someone else doesn't do it first.

The closest station to me is 47.6 milestone the crow flies. :rolleyes:


https://www.disablemycable.com/station-finder/

 

https://www.tvfool.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=66&Itemid=1

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

57 minutes ago, Utah Bob #35998 said:

In 3.5 years, we will be needing a Satalite company.

I believe Dish is what the folks had...in fact, the dish is still up on the roof.

Snow was the only weather factor for causing issues. Dad used a long, curved 1X3 to clear the dish!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 4/27/2021 at 8:56 PM, Lawdog Dago Dom said:

We have a house now that has a TV antenna in the attic. That's a new one to me. Growing up your antenna had it's own tower or was strapped to a chimney with a rotor.

So?

Do I feel froggy and jump on the roof and plant one?

Omni-directional or not?  Rotor?

 

Or just call Dish TV?

 

We are just north of Bolivar, Mo.

 

Reception so far is pretty good with the omni-directional one, but some channels fade in and out of pixelating.

 

Thanks.

 

LDD

 

Is the attic antenna plugged in?  You might find it's supposed to be powered and that might clear up your reception problems. 

 

Also, as far as I know, it's not feasible to make the antenna 100% reliable so you might be wasting money if it's already good reception.  Or maybe I've just always lived out in the country. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 4/28/2021 at 7:58 AM, Singin' Sue 71615 said:

In 3.5 years, we will be needing a Satalite company.

I believe Dish is what the folks had...in fact, the dish is still up on the roof.

Snow was the only weather factor for causing issues. Dad used a long, curved 1X3 to clear the dish!!!

I have a cover that fits over the dish in winter. Works well. I just took it off last week.

6516E862-B697-4C05-B129-8053628EB598.jpeg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Ramblin Gambler said:

 

Is the attic antenna plugged in?  You might find it's supposed to be powered and that might clear up your reception problems. 

 

Also, as far as I know, it's not feasible to make the antenna 100% reliable so you might be wasting money if it's already good reception.  Or maybe I've just always lived out in the country. 

Yep. Plugged in.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You know where I live and I am just set up with rotor antenna. Outside by the fireplace on the roof. I get all the Springfield channels just fine. But, during lightning storms sometimes fades out. Only for a few seconds. I think you would be better off with the antenna outside on the roof pointed towards Springfield. And I live around one hour North of you. Use to have dish, but we only watched 4 shows a month that was not on main channels. Dropped the dish, but to each a different taste. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Direct TV and ATT scratch each other’s backs.  Our cell phones are ATT, and our Direct TV monthly bill is bundled with our ATT internet bill to save a couple of bucks.  We also use an Amazon Fire Stick, which picks up signals from our ATT WiFi, for a bunch of other channels.  Incredible array of choices.  If weather knocks out the Direct TV satellite dish on our roof, we still get Firestick channels and anything that has been previously recorded on the DVR.

 

And sometimes I read a book.

 

:)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We’ve got Direct TV in both the house and motor home, also in the motor home we have a OTA antenna. The picture from the OTA is just as good as Direct TV, the only issue is how many and which channels you can get. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have antenna only. I get one Cleveland station. A friend works at one that I don't get, he said they are only broadcasting at about 10% of the power they are allowed to, and every station in Cleveland is doing the same. The theory is if you can't afford cable you can't afford anything from their advertisers. They save a lot of money running at 10%.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a small omnidirectional antenna mounted on the roof of my camper it pulls in most channels within twenty miles when the sky is clear. For twenty bucks it works just fine 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Badlands Bob #61228 said:

Have them mount the dish on a post at ground level.  Much easier knock any snow off or do repairs.  No reason to mount it on the roof unless that's the only way to get a signal.

Mine is low enough on the ear people to reach if I need to. High ground to the SW would stop the signal if it was mounted any lower. All depends of where you live.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

How sensitive your satellite system is to rain fade has a lot to do with how much coax cable is between the dish and the receiver.  Ideally you want this distance to be as short as possible.

 

Its sad that most installers fail to educate people about this when installing their systems.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When I moved to Oregon I had one of those digital electronic TV antennas. Since I lived approx. 30 miles from the local TV station broadcasting antennas and there were quite a few hills between, my reception was quite limited. I think I got 5 channels but only one was clear and only one was analog. I tried rigging up an old timey set of rabbit ears just for kicks. That was a waste of time.

I still have that antenna. It is a small tower unit that's about 24" tall. You plug it in to an AC outlet and it hook it up to your TV through an ethernet cable, I believe. It's been about 7 1/2 years since I looked at the thing. I keep it around "just in case". 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 4/27/2021 at 9:56 PM, Lawdog Dago Dom said:

We have a house now that has a TV antenna in the attic. That's a new one to me. Growing up your antenna had it's own tower or was strapped to a chimney with a rotor.

So?

Do I feel froggy and jump on the roof and plant one?

Omni-directional or not?  Rotor?

 

Or just call Dish TV?

 

We are just north of Bolivar, Mo.

 

Reception so far is pretty good with the omni-directional one, but some channels fade in and out of pixelating.

 

Thanks.

 

LDD

What you do depends on which you prefer free or paid TV

Link to comment
Share on other sites

OP, start with TVFool.
Plug in your address and it locates you on the national grid.
It will show you the direction and strength of all the transmitters in your area.
You can configure the tool for your antenna height above the ground.

Attic mounted antennas are at a disadvantage, both obstruction-wise and height-wise.
Pay attention to the real channel assignments of your favorite channels.
UHF and VHF are different, and getting both requires a top notch antenna.

I have two running on my chimney mast.
AntennaCraft U8000 for channels 14-69
Stellar Labs  3-2476 for channels 2-13
Antennas Direct EU385CF-1S antenna combiner

Link to TVFool

Link to RabbitEars page

Link to Antenna Craft and Stellar Labs antenna
 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 4/29/2021 at 4:15 PM, Badlands Bob #61228 said:

Have them mount the dish on a post at ground level.  Much easier knock any snow off or do repairs.  No reason to mount it on the roof unless that's the only way to get a signal.

I had Direct TV since I retired to the Oasis of NV.  Actually I kept the receivers from our house in East Contra Costa County CA.  We chose Direct TV there because while the cable was in the street & run to the new tract house we bought it wasn't active.  Here in NV the antenna was installed on a ground level pole.  The problem with that is I backed into it once with my truck once & tractor bucket once.  When the local phone company ran fiber to at least 8 miles out of town they made an offer I couldn't refuse to hook up for $0.  My communications & video entertainment cost was halved.  Also, there is never any pixelating due to snow or hail or high winds.  My internet upload & download speeds are fast.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, J.D. Daily said:

I had Direct TV since I retired to the Oasis of NV.  Actually I kept the receivers from our house in East Contra Costa County CA.  We chose Direct TV there because while the cable was in the street & run to the new tract house we bought it wasn't active.  Here in NV the antenna was installed on a ground level pole.  The problem with that is I backed into it once with my truck once & tractor bucket once.  When the local phone company ran fiber to at least 8 miles out of town they made an offer I couldn't refuse to hook up for $0.  My communications & video entertainment cost was halved.  Also, there is never any pixelating due to snow or hail or high winds.  My internet upload & download speeds are fast.

Yup....Direct TV is on the dish atvthe cabin...guess that is  who we will use.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.