Getting off the cable/satellite system

[Jon Twitchell]

So... we're seriously considering getting off the Cable/Satellite deal... especially with the advent of DTV over-the-air.

However, I really want to try to figure out if we can make it work before we go spend money on an antenna and a converter box.

Has anyone done this? Any ideas on how to make it work?

Our entertainment center is in our basement, so I'm not sure that a set-top rabbit ears would work. I don't know much about installing a rooftop antenna....

[Dave McClung]

So... we're seriously considering getting off the Cable/Satellite deal... especially with the advent of DTV over-the-air.

However, I really want to try to figure out if we can make it work before we go spend money on an antenna and a converter box.

Has anyone done this? Any ideas on how to make it work?

Our entertainment center is in our basement, so I'm not sure that a set-top rabbit ears would work. I don't know much about installing a rooftop antenna....

Hey, I have a roof top antenna you can have if you will come get it. Just kidding. I doubt that my old antenna would work with the DTV.

I remember the antenna days and don't want to go back.

[Sheya Stephens]

Jon,

My husband worked for Directv for 11 years. It has always been free. We paid for service for 1 year after he left. In April, we scrapped everything that an 'extra' to pay for a YMCA membership. We did away with our satellite TV, caller ID, voice mail, etc. The only thing that has been hard with our transition was my girls' and their 'shows'. But then we introduced them to the local PBS, and all is well.

Good luck. We haven't regretted our decision. We have rabbit ears in the family room and in our bedroom. You don't notice them aftera while. :)

[Glenn Messer]

Jon,

You can buy a set of HD rabbit ears for about $30.00. I understand they will reach out about 50 miles. I think you must have a HD set in order to use them. I set up a HD set with rabbit ears for the last super bowl and it worked great. I've been told that with HD you either get the signal or you don't get the signal. If you get the signal, the picture is always great. I did use a compass and directionally set the antenna. Try it. If it doesn't work, you can return them.

[Gina Stevenson]

Jon,

My husband worked for Directv for 11 years. It has always been free. We paid for service for 1 year after he left. In April, we scrapped everything that an 'extra' to pay for a YMCA membership. We did away with our satellite TV, caller ID, voice mail, etc. The only thing that has been hard with our transition was my girls' and their 'shows'. But then we introduced them to the local PBS, and all is well.

Good luck. We haven't regretted our decision. We have rabbit ears in the family room and in our bedroom. You don't notice them aftera while. :)

Not a matter of "noticing them," often, actually; a matter more of what they don't pick up that a roof antenna just might. ;)

[Ryan Scott]

We have rabbit ears and a converter box and most everything comes in fine (we are close to the city, but I assume you're not too far). The hardest part is moving the antenna to the right places to get the box to recognize the channels. Once the box knows the channels, it's much easier to get good reception.

Friends of ours have a TV in their basement and the rabbit ears do pretty well for them as well.

[Mike Schutz]

We talked about the same thing for awhile. I asked several folks in our community, and they told me that it wouldn't work. I went into an local mom & pop electronics store and asked what they thought. Their response was interesting.

"If you can get most of the AM radio stations in the middle of the daylight hours, then you will probably be fine."

I don't know if that is legit or not. However, we cannot receive a single AM radio station where we live, 45 minutes outside of Philadelphia.

[Susan Unger]

We talked about the same thing for awhile. I asked several folks in our community, and they told me that it wouldn't work. I went into an local mom & pop electronics store and asked what they thought. Their response was interesting.

"If you can get most of the AM radio stations in the middle of the daylight hours, then you will probably be fine."

I don't know if that is legit or not. However, we cannot receive a single AM radio station where we live, 45 minutes outside of Philadelphia.

Is that area hilly?

I ask cuz where I grew up in rural PA we didn't much of anything from 20 miles away due to the hills.

[Jon Bemis]

So... we're seriously considering getting off the Cable/Satellite deal... especially with the advent of DTV over-the-air.

However, I really want to try to figure out if we can make it work before we go spend money on an antenna and a converter box.

Has anyone done this? Any ideas on how to make it work?

Our entertainment center is in our basement, so I'm not sure that a set-top rabbit ears would work. I don't know much about installing a rooftop antenna....

This will work as long as you have an adequate antenna and are close enough to the stations in your area. To help determine what antenna you will need can go to this website:

http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx

It has lots of useful info regarding antennas etc. I live in NW Georgia (very hilly) and can get all the locals but one with a pair of rabbit ears on my hdtv.

[Ryan Scott]

We lived in Northern Vermont when I was growing up and we did alright with the TV stations and a rooftop antenna - I'm pretty sure rabbit ears would have been quite inadequate.

[Gina Stevenson]

We have rabbit ears and a converter box and most everything comes in fine (we are close to the city, but I assume you're not too far). The hardest part is moving the antenna to the right places to get the box to recognize the channels. Once the box knows the channels, it's much easier to get good reception.

Friends of ours have a TV in their basement and the rabbit ears do pretty well for them as well.

Interesting ... do they have one side of the basement open, perhaps (on a hill/whatever)? Here, in the basement it was horrible trying to get anything at all with rabbit ears (on a wee TV by a couple of exercise machines/where laundry is, etc); ended up, I took some of that old-fashioned flat wire (where the wires are about 1/4" apart, on each side of the flat plastic portion holding them together), stripped the ends & wrapped them around the rabbit ears, strung it most of the way up the stairs (as far as what we had would reach), duct-taped to the wall (couldn't put it around the handrail, as that's on the other side of the stairs). Now it gets 2-3 decently, instead of nothing.

[David R. Felter]

We still have the sat for our tv entertainment, but we do use rabbit ears on the family room tv for 2 reasons. First, I ran the rabbit ears' output into the sat box which allows me to record (via the Dish Network DVR). So I can record something from the over-the-air signal and the sat box simultaneously. Second, the hd picture quality is far better over-the-air. There is little, or no, compression, so the picture quality is amazing. Not to mention some of the benefits of sub-channels. Our local CBS station has broadcast multiple games during the March Madness time period on 5.1, 5.2,5.3, etc. Very nice, but only Standard Definition. None the less, it is great to pick and choose games.

Don't be talked into buying more expensive "HD antenna". Any will do. I used the old rabbit ears that we had when we first got married (20 years ago) and they work fine. The only thing you have to have is the digital converter. Most newer tv's (2 years or less) probably have the digital tuner built in. Otherwise you can buy the tuner box.

Someone posted the antennaweb url earlier. That tool is your best friend for setting up the antenna. Keep in mind the wave length of the digital signal is tighter than the analog. This means you really have to be pointed right at the source and hope no big hills/mountains/etc. are in the way. Good luck!!

[Jon Twitchell]

Thanks for the input so far! I've signed up for one of those coupons that the government is giving away... it won't be here for a couple of months(!!!), so I'll wait until then. Once it arrives, I'll go get a tuner/converter box, and then I'll start with rabbit ears. If they don't work, then I'll return them and try an outdoor antenna... if it doesn't work... then, well, I guess I'll try to return it and the tuner/converter box and keep my satellite.