Almost ready to cut the cord

Smitty, how about magic jack?? We replaced our line lines and have no problems.

When I bought my place there was no cable available, and still isn't. I looked into satellite once and it looks fine, until you go over x amount of months and the honeymoon is over...bend over. Anyway, I ended up getting two antennas for 20 bux from a local business that was flooded. I bought the cable and tools to run it myself as well. I first hooked it up right near the tv and was getting great reception right off the bat, but it was about the size of a pizza box and I didn't want it in the house. I ended up putting it in the rafters of the garage and running the cable inside. Couldn't be happier as my tv bill is Free.99, and I only miss about 2 NY Giants games a year.

The problem up on the hill here is that the internet SUCKS. 1Mbit max DSL, for about 50 a month. I can just barely watch netflix, as long as everything else that is connected to the internet is inactive. Wish I had more options here, but Verizon Wireless and satellite internet all cap data and are even more money.

Joe

Joe, for me--the isolation more then makes up for all the cyber crap in the world. Just one hillbilly to another

I wish we could cut the cord. Where I live over the air TV just doesn’t work too well. The cable company doesn’t like us either. Years ago it looked like ESPN in Bristol, huge satellite dishes in every yard. I have not tried the new digital signal but a retired TV repairman/salesman and antenna installer told me that reception was always marginal in this area. I have heard, and correct me if I am wrong, that the digital signal does not reach as far because you either have a picture or not. There is no such thing as a snowy picture if you live at the far limit of coverage.
If it were up to me I would get rid of the TV but most married men know that it is not the size of your tool that makes the wife happy but the number of channels you get.

PS; for all of you young folks reading this and wondering what a TV repairman is. Years ago TVs would quit working once or twice a year. When that happened you called a man to come into your home and take the back panel off of your huge wooden box that had the TV built into it. It was full of little light bulbs called “tubes” and these tubes would go bad or to use the light bulb analogy “burn out”. The TV repairman had a suitcase full of these tubes and would use his knowledge, skill and tube tester to replace the bad tube. You were back in business for the next few months.

gaw wrote: that the digital signal does not reach as far because you either have a picture or not. There is no such thing as a snowy picture if you live at the far limit of coverage.

Whether a good signal is going to reach is going to reach as far I don't know but you're correct about the snowy picture. It's all or nothing with digital, you're either going to have a perfect picture or it will be unwatchable. If you have a new TV with ATSC tuner built in and can get your hands on an antenna you can always experiment, even if it's some cheap antenna you have laying around.

http://www.antennaweb.org/

That site is a good resource for seeing what channels you may get,, where to point the antenna, and how good your reception may be. Could always buy an antenna and return it if you don't get squat for signal...

Joe

JRDepew wrote:http://www.antennaweb.org/

That site is a good resource for seeing what channels you may get,, where to point the antenna, and how good your reception may be. Could always buy an antenna and return it if you don't get squat for signal...

Joe

I was on this site or one like it before and this is what I get using my address and selecting over 30 feet high for the antenna. Unless a close neighbor tells me how great they get local TV with an antenna I will save my time and effort to try for myself. Yes, call me lazy.

coalnewbie wrote:Smitty, how about magic jack?? We replaced our line lines and have no problems.

I may have to look into that ..... but the thought of relying on the internet & my PC for communication makes me uneasy ...

gaw wrote:I was on this site or one like it before and this is what I get using my address and selecting over 30 feet high for the antenna. Unless a close neighbor tells me how great they get local TV with an antenna I will save my time and effort to try for myself. Yes, call me lazy.

Haven't tried an antenna at my new house mostly becsue I don't have one but what they indicate on the list for my old house is wrong. Talking to the neighbors like you said is your best bet or as I suggested before even if you have a crappy old antenna you got nothing to lose trying it.

Yep, when I put in my zip code--availibility is geared more towards Marathon which is right close to Rt 81 & according to them, I should get 3 X's the channels I actually do here in the middle of nowhere. My neighbor up the road put his antenna up before me & YES, I got a much more realistic idea of what I would get--plus what direction I needed to aim her--my TV has a signal strength bar in the SET-UP area which gives even a better idea of what direction.

Heres the TV Guide for Over-the-Air channels. It looks at your IP, then pulls in the channels you should have in your area. You can add or delete channels, if it is not accurate. It works perfectly for us.

http://www.titantv.com/

I may have to look into that ..... but the thought of relying on the internet & my PC for communication makes me uneasy ...

Internet yes but the new MJ does not require a PC. My land line went down more often than the internet.

Stage 1 is almost complete. I mounted the antenna yesterday in the snow, this morning I need to finish running cable to the tv. I made it into the basement and hooked up the amplifier, just one more hole to drill and about 30 of cable to pull. If all goes well I should be watching the Daytona 500 via the antenna.

The results are in...ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, and three PBS channels all crystal clear. I get a few other channels that are kind of fuzzy, but I am very happy with the major networks. The TIVO unit works great with the antenna, pausing live TV or recording late night programs are nice perks.

Rob R. wrote:The results are in...ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, and three PBS channels all crystal clear. I get a few other channels that are kind of fuzzy, but I am very happy with the major networks. The TIVO unit works great with the antenna, pausing live TV or recording late night programs are nice perks.

Rob thats awesome .... Good Work!! I wish I could get away with a set up like that.. Kids and wife would definitely have reservations .... Although, it might be worth "trying" to see what I could get and maybe I could then convince the other house members that Dish Network isn't really necessary. .. Awesome job, and I'm sure many will benefit from your post. THanks!