antenna for local tv stations?

**Pale Horse** · 03-04-2005, 08:41 AM

I got rid of Dishtv this week but I need an antenna for my local stations. Can anyone recommend one? Preferably one that does not look like those old school ones? Cost is a factor.

**hung-solo** · 03-04-2005, 08:54 AM

Originally Posted by 1victor

I got rid of Dishtv this week but I need an antenna for my local stations. Can anyone recommend one? Preferably one that does not look like those old school ones? Cost is a factor.

look for ones in the 20-50$ range they generally are pretty good. if you have a wal-mart then go there or k-mart. no sense in spending a **** load unless you want one on your roof. but those arent but around 75-200$ for a good one. beleive it or not they arent that bad to install either. its up to you

**Pale Horse** · 03-04-2005, 09:01 AM

Well as ugly as they are I may have to go with the roof one. There are so many options I am confused. More than anything I want one that will work and doesn't have to be jacked with after i put it up

**jc3** · 03-04-2005, 09:03 AM

Originally Posted by 1victor

Well as ugly as they are I may have to go with the roof one. There are so many options I am confused. More than anything I want one that will work and doesn't have to be jacked with after i put it up

Good luck with that. I f*cking hate regular antennas. I though direct tv had local channels now...guess not.

I'm a cable guy (not the cable guy) now, I did enjoy direct tv when I had it though (especially with the card).

JC

**Pale Horse** · 03-04-2005, 09:08 AM

well they have it but you have to get basic cable PLUS local 40 bucks a month

**Bigen12** · 03-04-2005, 09:08 AM

Originally Posted by hung-solo

look for ones in the 20-50$ range they generally are pretty good. if you have a wal-mart then go there or k-mart. no sense in spending a **** load unless you want one on your roof. but those arent but around 75-200$ for a good one. beleive it or not they arent that bad to install either. its up to you

Come on, tell the truth.....

You've got rabbit ears with aluminum foil wrapped all over them sitting atop your 13” black and white TV in your living room....

You Red Neck....

**hung-solo** · 03-04-2005, 09:18 AM

Originally Posted by Bigen12

Come on, tell the truth.....

You've got rabbit ears with aluminum foil wrapped all over them sitting atop your 13” black and white TV in your living room....

You Red Neck....

shhh! ****!! actually i just use metal coat hangers with foil on them. works pretty good actually.....oh and its a 16" asshole!

**Bigen12** · 03-04-2005, 09:24 AM

Originally Posted by hung-solo

shhh! ****!! actually i just use metal coat hangers with foil on them. works pretty good actually.....oh and its a 16" asshole!

Thanks for clarifying the situation

Hey, I must add that, looking at your new avatar, you are looking much more muscular than the last time I saw you.....

**Pale Horse** · 03-04-2005, 09:25 AM

hey we have all been there, and I may be back there very soon!

**Lozgod** · 03-04-2005, 09:35 AM

I had to use an antenna for about 3 weeks. I was in a money jam and couldn't pay my satelitte bill so I went up to Radio Shack and got some powered rabbit ears.

I got some young girl that works at McDonalds to pay my satelitte bill for me, but those 3 weeks sucked. I had a 52" widescreen Sony XBR HDTV with rabbit ears. It was definetly one of the most ghetto times in my life.

**Pale Horse** · 03-04-2005, 09:38 AM

Loz............you crack me up

**Mesomorphyl** · 03-04-2005, 09:44 AM

I would get a winegard. They have one called a gost killer and can be hung in your attic. They also sell preamps for signal boost. Search the internet on winegard. They also have something that looks like a giant frizby, and one called the bat wings(gs2000 model #).

**Pale Horse** · 03-04-2005, 09:47 AM

Thanks meso

**hung-solo** · 03-04-2005, 09:50 AM

Originally Posted by Bigen12

Thanks for clarifying the situation

Hey, I must add that, looking at your new avatar, you are looking much more muscular than the last time I saw you.....

hey thanx buddy! yeah i have working hard, eating right and sleeping tons! i will let you in on a secret..... i have been taking creatine! shhhh now you cant say anything i am supposed to be natural!

**Red Ketchup** · 03-04-2005, 11:45 AM

Originally Posted by 1victor

Well as ugly as they are I may have to go with the roof one.

Bro, regardless of the model of antenna you choose, the most important thing is to get it up as high as you can. At the very least it has to be outdoors, on a pole a few feet above your roofline. Ideally high up a tower, but for most of us thats not an option (expensive and a pain to set up, if it's even allowed in your neighbourhood).

Keep in mind that there are no "magic antennas" regardless of what marketing whizzes claim. Some antennas are "powered" and basically have a built signal amplifier, but always remember, you can't amplify whats not there in the first place. To make sure the TV signal is there in the first place, your first concern is to get that antenna clear and high.

You don't have to spend much for a decent antenna (heck I set up a friend who had severe financial trouble with nothing more than rabbit ears on his roof and a coax down to the TV and he had OK reception), but don't go cheap on the coax between the antenna and the TV... you can lose more than 50% of the tv signal in the coax in a long cheap one.

In the end it all depends on how far you are from the TV transmitters. For close transmmitters, rabbit ears on the TV can be acceptable, but to pull in those far away ones then you're looking at a tower, directional antenna and rotator unit to point it at the transmitter.

Red