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Alternatives to Cable Television

#42
After much fooling around with a diplexer & two of those flat antennas, I found the sweet spot in a corner. I guess the corner causes the signal to concentrate in that location maybe.
I was just about ready to return the lot & suffice with paying $20/month for basic cable, when I found that tiny little spot that works with only one antenna & I can get all the major channels, and one not so major.

ABC
CBS
NBC
FOX
Me TV
CW
There are also two weather channels, but I never watch those.
 
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#43
There was a relatively long line at Comcast today, and everyone in front of me had a big bill to pay, to reconnect their services.
The gal at the desk told me it's because 90% of their customers during tax season are there to reconnect their services after getting their tax returns.

If you can't afford to pay a monthly cable bill, why would you reconnect it on the one month you're able to afford it?
That makes absolutely no sense to me, but I did my own dumb bit when I got home.

I wasn't happy with the location of the antenna, so I put on a signal amplifier.
I moved the antenna to what I thought was a more pleasing location, and it seems to work fine on all channels.
So then I straightened out all the wires & taped it all to the wall to make it look nice.

I sat down & tuned to FOX, but it wouldn't tune in. I moved the antenna all around, nothing!
So, I ended up putting everything right back like I had it.
 
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#45
5544 said:
Do a google search for "Cutting the Cord"
Click to expand...

I don't think any of these results are what you're talking about:

upload_2016-2-9_15-41-36.png



Update on my cord cutting, which were near fruitless, since I just added more cables.

I finally ended up with a the Mohu Leaf:

HDTV Antenna - Leaf Ultimate Indoor HDTV Antenna | Mohu

leaf-ultimate-2_3.png


It's the bee's knees as far as I can tell.


I checked out my "Watch List" on Comcast.com, and the only things that have been cut off was Nova & TWD.
So, I can still watch Vikings online.

I told myself I was going to watch less TV, but I've spent every waking moment trying to stream online content to my TV. Chromecast & Amazon Fire Stick were dead ends, so I will be adding more cable, the 9 foot HDMI cable that I use for putting content up on my TV.
 
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#48
Those are all great activities for getting away from the boob tube, for people who own pets & motorcycles & actually have someone to call on the phone. Oh, they should probably enjoy fishing too, LOL.

I have been watching less TV now, simply because there's not something interesting on 24/7 & it's a little bit of work to dig up something online to watch.
That being said, I'm about to catch up on The X Files & Hollywood Game Night, which I missed earlier this week.
 
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#50
wraub said:
Might not work for your situation, Pilgrim, but the OTA antenna I use is a DIY solution that is about as easy as it gets- might work for someone here:

1. Get a standard RG6 co-ax cable, the kind that goes from the wall jack to the cable box (or tv). Threaded jacks at the ends, 3-6 feet long. Invalid Link Removed
2.From one end, measure 10 inches, and from this point cut off the outer cover, shield, insulator etc, leaving only the solid copper inner core sticking out.
3. Thread the other end onto your TV and scan for channels and see what you get.

You may need to find the best position, mine is 6 feet and lays behind the TV.
Went from no channels at all to over 20.

Have found some more complex ways to improve on it, but this simple thing really can work well.
Click to expand...


Interesting idea, and easy enough to try. I have spare RG6, coax ends and the crimping tool all in the garage. I've made my own coax cables (RG59 and RG6) for years, so having the ends and crimping tool was very convenient. I also have the stripping tools etc. for the coax. I'll be very surprised if it beats a digital-capable antenna in the attic 20 feet above ground, but that antenna was routed into the house wiring via twin-lead, so the integrity of that system is questionable.

BTW, Wraub...how far from the broadcast antennas are you? As I noted earlier, I'm 60+ miles away.

I'll give it a try for grins. Nothing to lose!
 
#52
Killed_by_Death said:
I've got everything but the crimping tool, and those aren't cheap.

I doubt something that simple would work for me anyway. There's some horrible Radio Frequency Interference coming through here.
Click to expand...

A 6' RG6 cable from Home Depot would be cheap...and given the idea, you only need one connector on it.
 
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#53
I have 4 rolls of coax cable, 10', 20', 30', & 40 or 50'.
They all already have the compression fittings on both ends.
I guess I should have tried cutting one for this experiment.

I'm too stingy about the connector ends, because I am pretty sure it won't get all the channels I'm able to get with my Mohu Leaf antenna.

I went through a few store-bought antennas before finally getting the Mohu which works the best.
I'm able to get PBS stations with Mohu & I was not able to tune those in with the other antennas I tried.
I don't' watch PBS, except for the Kennedy Center Honors, but it's nice to know this antenna can get those programs when the others could not.

My EMI/RFI problem is pretty serious, and I had to drag the antenna up as high as I could get it to work.

Oh, I see what you mean now, DOH!
Just buying a short piece to test if it works.


edit/add:

Knowing what little I do about radio waves, I seriously doubt that 10", or a foot, of exposed center conductor is going to be a good antenna.
It might work if you're in a city environment with plenty of signal strength.
My nearest station is 30 miles to the North. The next is 40 miles away & on the other side of a mountain.

My stepdad got lucky with his $18 antenna from Walmart. It's the old rabbit ear style, and he can get 20 channels with that. It says right on the box that it's only good for 25 miles.
I should add that he's in a rural environment, but in a different state.
 
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#56
Killed_by_Death said:
Knowing what little I do about radio waves, I seriously doubt that 10", or a foot, of exposed center conductor is going to be a good antenna.
It might work if you're in a city environment with plenty of signal strength.
My nearest station is 30 miles to the North. The next is 40 miles away & on the other side of a mountain.
Click to expand...

That's my concern. I'm 60 miles from the nearest TV station.
 
#59
Pilgrim said:
Interesting idea, and easy enough to try. I have spare RG6, coax ends and the crimping tool all in the garage. I've made my own coax cables (RG59 and RG6) for years, so having the ends and crimping tool was very convenient. I also have the stripping tools etc. for the coax. I'll be very surprised if it beats a digital-capable antenna in the attic 20 feet above ground, but that antenna was routed into the house wiring via twin-lead, so the integrity of that system is questionable.

BTW, Wraub...how far from the broadcast antennas are you? As I noted earlier, I'm 60+ miles away.

I'll give it a try for grins. Nothing to lose!
Click to expand...

Nothing to lose is actually the reason I tried it, and I was pleasantly surprised. Definitely worth a try, especially if you already have the needed supplies.

And, according to the antenna locator thingie, I am 25 miles away from the nearest towers.
So, may not work as well for you, but, hey, nothing to lose, right?
 
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