wrote in message
ups.com...
On Oct 8, 7:52 am, "Pete C." wrote:
Edwin Pawlowski wrote:

"aemeijers" wrote in message

Try cheapest solution first- rabbit ears. Radio Shack, or even local
thrift store. If all the stations you want are within 20 miles or so,
they
may work well enough.

aem sends...

This site just confirmed why I have cable. Nearest stations to me are
28
miles, most are 40, but the ones in my state that I prefer to watch
are all
over 50 miles.

That's a problem in the hilly northeast, not so much in the flatter
parts of the country.


As part of the overall consideration, I'd factor in that NTSC
broadcasting over the air is scheduled to be turned off in less than
18 months. So, at that point, you'd need an antenna appropriate to
received digital, as well as a TV with an ATSC tuner or an external
ATSC tuner/converter to use with older TVs.

Antennaweb.org has lots of good info.


Your points regarding the February 17, 2009 turn off date for analog
broadcasts are timely.

This FCC site has a wealth of information about the transition:
http://www.dtv.gov/index.html

That said I must say that at least in my case, a modest standard UHF antenna
does a great job. I'm 44 miles from most of my OTA (over-the-air)
stations. I have a modest (6' to 8') VHF/UHF directional antenna without a
rotor mounted 4 feet above my flat roof about 12 feet above ground level.
Digital signals are all crystal clear; the worse signal registers 78% signal
strength, most approach 100%. On the other hand the analog signals are
generally poor to mediocre. Admittedly that rating is relative to the
digital reception : ) Another thing your cable and satellite providers
don't want you to know is that the OTA signals will generally provide the
best reception. It's either straight from the source to your antenna or you
don't get it at all. That is, it's either received or not --- discounting
very infrequent pixelation. I receive over 20 HDTV channels via Dish
network and previously got them via Cox cable so this is not hearsay.
Side-by-side, my OTA reception is noticeable better --- even at 44 miles!

Bottom line: don't be sold on "Special HDTV" antennas being pushed by too
many vendors. And yes, rabbit ears may well be more than adequate.

Just my 25 cents : )