I'm trying to help my mom improve her TV reception. The cheap antenna she has is awful. I'm hoping to stay around $50 if possible but could spring up to $100 if necessary. I'm gathering from reading posts that I should stick to name brands. The rabbit ears report is helpful to me to know what direction to point but the rest isn't very useful to me as a novice to decide what hardware is suitable and not overkill. It would be ideal if there is an indoor solution that would get decent results. She lives in a travel trailer so there is no attic. Outdoor isn't impossible but going to be much more difficult.

Any advice is much appreciated. Thanks!

https://www.rabbitears.info/s/1860592

Any recommended ATSC mobile hardware for handheld devices?

I was looking at the MyGica PT681/PT682C ATSC Tuner, but reviews are somewhat dismal for the most part and got zero response from an inquiry from MyGica.

10+ years ago I switched to internet streaming services like Hulu & Sling as a way to save money. Now with all the price increases + subbing to multiple services (Paramount for Trek, Disney for Star Wars, etc) I’m spending the SAME as basic cable ($80).

No savings

I'm trying to get an indoor antenna to get ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX. I tried out this cheap one from Walmart since it said it had a 25 mile range and I'm just past that distance for most of the stations (Rabbit Ears map here). It seemed to work ok, but the signal was a bit weak and seemed to get a bit choppy depending on where I positioned the antenna.

With the field strength being "good" for all of the stations, should I just get another cheap antenna that is rated for a bit of a longer distance? I read on some other posts that the antenna mileage ratings are pretty unreliable so wasn't sure if it was worth going for a higher-range one or if I should just try to get this one positioned really well with some trial and error.

Would love suggestions for specific models if possible, but also appreciate advice on whether certain types of antennae could be better for my situation.

Hi,

I'm about to cut the cord because my RCN/Astound cable price has gone up $100 in the last four months alone. It's now nearly $400. I've looked at a few replacements and think that I'm going to get Youtube TV but all of them just keep getting more and more expensive. I was always told that the biggest cost for cable was sports channels and I'm guessing that is a big reason why pretty much every streaming company is also going up. It's like you can't find one anymore that's not offering at least ESPN and the like, and probably live NHL, NFL, prizefights, etc. So, in the end, everyone ends up subsidizing the people who want those packages. Will the time ever come where that won't be the case? I follow Canadian Junior hockey and pretty much nothing else, and that's not exactly standard fare. I'd like to find a streaming service that would finally be a la carte.

I'm asking here because I assume that there are those of you who are pretty plugged into what's coming down the line. It just seems so stupid that streaming seems to want to follow the same business model as cable. People are leaving cable for a reason.

Thanks.

Hello all,

I am in the process of figuring out what antenna to buy based on the guides here, but unfortunately ran into a problem with the rabbitears searchmap. The best I can get is fair with a majority in the poor or bad range. Based on this, should I go for an amplified antenna? Ideally, this would be something indoors if possible.

Here is my rabbitears link if that helps: https://www.rabbitears.info/s/1836177

Thank you!

https://preview.redd.it/f6ftiby5s28e1.png?width=1061&format=png&auto=webp&s=7313574178f16c9526639b9ad8c11a2e601e12f4

Here's a link to my rabbitears.info report.

Shareable link: https://www.rabbitears.info/s/1859371

I am only interested in receiving:

5-1 (32) - Most important channel

8-1 (34)

10-1 (29) - Least important channel

12-1 (21)

Transmitters are located from aprox 66 degrees True based on my location. I have a clear line of sight to the transmission tower located 3.2 miles from my house.

Using my TiVo, I've tested signal strength at the antenna for all the above. All are acceptable except 5-1 (32). Below are the signal strength numbers. I tend to trust the numbers because 5-1 periodically breaks up, sometimes so badly my TiVo stops recording a scheduled show. An acceptable number would be at least 70.

5-1: 56

8-1: 91

10-1: 84

12-1: 92

Negatives: long cable run, antenna in attic, two tuners in the TiVo.

Positives: Transmitters are located near 66 degrees True, 3.2 miles from my home with a clear line of sight to the towers from my house.

I had a theory about why I get good reception on three of the four channels, with one (5-1) much worse. But it was not accurate. That theory was based on my misunderstanding of UHF/VHF which was corrected in my last post. Thanks u/Equivalent_Round9353

Seems like holding all things constant, my reception of 5-1 should more closely resemble the other channels.

But it doesn't.

I'm not experienced in this area, so it's likely I am missing something. I am out of ideas for troubleshooting the bad reception of 5-1.

Suggestions/ideas on next steps much appreciated!

I haven't had satellite tv since my dad unsubscribed from Dish 11 years ago. (For context, I still live with him, my mom, and brothers). Sometime in 2016, we tried out Sling TV, but it was for six months only. Over the years, I tried out a free trial for DirecTV Stream and Fubo TV. I recently tried out a free trial for YouTube TV and I was considering subscribing in the future, but after finding out that they will raise their monthly price to $83, I changed my mind. In 2020, I discovered Locast and used it as a way to watch all the broadcast networks until they shut down in 2021. A tv antenna is out of the question for me because I live in a somewhat rural area so it won't work. So what is an alternative for me? Because my dad isn't going back to Dish and I am definitely not resubbing to YouTube TV.

Hulu Live local channels question

Thinking of switching over from YouTubeTV and I have a question on how does Hulu Live determines your local channels?

Our issue is that we use Verizon LTE home network and apparently our IP address is located in a different part of the state. We’ve had issues with paramount and peacock apps giving us the wrong local CBS/NBC channels because they base the location of our IP address location. YTTV works because I can verify our actual location by going to “tv(dot)youtube(dot)com/verify” on my cellphone.

Does Hulu Live have something similar to verify your actual location so we can get our local channels?

I hope this all makes sense.

Question in title. The TV I'm getting has the new tuner built in

I want to have a channel guide that I can integrate multiple paid and free sources and see everything in one user interface guide like cable TV has. Which app has the greatest flexibility for this? Thanks in advance

I am trying to set up an Antenna (Clearstream 2Max) to get the local basics (mostly the networks), but I am missing some that I can’t make sense of. I am getting ABC and NBC but not CBS or FOX in spite of being well within range and with what I believe to be an overkill antenna. I have run my coax from the antenna to an HD HomeRun (plan was/is to use Plex for DVR), as well as directly to the TV from the antenna thinking that HD HomeRun or Plex was the issue and in either case I get the same channels. Any suggestions would be welcome, and thanks for your attention!

https://www.rabbitears.info/s/1858785

Hello, just ordered a tuner card for my Plex server but need help with what type of antenna I should get for the attic. Not sure if it's needed but the tuner I will be using is WinTV-dualHD Dual Tuner model 1657.

https://www.rabbitears.info/s/1858769

https://www.rabbitears.info/s/1858646

I want to be able to watch NFL so need nbc/fox and it looks like nbc shouldn’t be too bad but the nearest fox station says it’s bad. I’m hoping something can be done.

I live about halfway up a forested hill in my area. I am assuming I need an outdoor antenna and maybe raise it a bit off my house with some sort of mast? Maybe an amplifier? I’m in a single story home.

What's the best streaming service to get if I want to watch football (soccer) and the NBA? For football (soccer) I want to watch Manchester United mainly, the Premier League/along with cup competitions, UCL, Europa League, and also Serie A?

I’m done with Verizon. I paying a fortune and we watch maybe 3 channels. I would greatly appreciate any help.

This is my rabbit ears info https://www.rabbitears.info/s/1858518. I’m not far from NYC and am considering the antenna for local channels. I have Peacock, Hulu, Disney and Netflix.

On Black Friday I subscribed to lifetime Plex, thinking it would be my DVR but now I’m reading about the need for something like HD home run but I don’t know why. I’m super confused What exactly does it do? Where would I install it? I have 3 televisions, what will I need to support them?

Any advice, video support, anything, is appreciated

Canceled Comcast after 20 years!

I feel like this is an obvious question, but I'm going to ask anyway. I have a ClearStream 4MAX COMPLETE UHF VHF Outdoor HD TV Antenna. I live in Williamsburg VA and I sort of live in a "dip." I'm surrounded by trees and in a low point. Williamsburg is about 35 miles from Richmond towers (give or take) and 40 miles from VA Beach/Portsmouth/Norfolk towers.

I've got my antenna up and I get MOST channels just fine. However, the only station I want if Fox for football. By moving the antenna towards the Richmond station I kind of get it if conditions are perfect. Then I'll move it the other direction towards Portsmouth and it's the same; it kind of comes in. Cloud cover and rain will often degrade the signal just on these channels.

My antenna is currently on a 5 foot mast from a dormer. It's not at the peek of my roof because the main roof is STEEP and I also don't have a way to get from my front porch roof to the main roof. Will adding another 5 feet to my current mast seemingly help get these channels better?

Kind of an odd request for this subreddit, I know, but I figured someone here might know and I don't think there are other well-populated subreddits for OTA TV enthusiasts. I'm making a little web app that'll take a user's location and give them a list of channels they can receive from their location. I've been able to find callsign and transmitter location data, but I haven't been able to find anything for digital subchannels outside of rabbitears.info, who say they get their data from the FCC!

I can't find it in the LMS database, but if anyone knows where to look, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Problem: I want to receive channel 5-1 (Low VHF), 10-1 (High VHF), 8-1 (High VHF), and 12-1 (High VHF). I don't care about any other stations.

I have done the usual trouble shooting including talking with a broadcast engineer at channel 5-1. He says he is puzzled about why channel 5.1 signal strength is so much lower than the other channels. Troubleshooting has eliminated antenna aim, long coax run, attic location.

My antenna is a ClearStream 2V UHF/VHF rated at 60 mile range, described as:

• indoor/outdoor
• multi-directional
• frequency: Hi-VHF 174 – 216 MHz / UHF 470 – 608 MHz
• beam Angle: 70 Degree Horizontal Reception Pattern
• peak Gain: UHF: 10.4 dB / Hi-VHF: 3.1 dB

Transmitter details:

• 5-1 (Low VHS): 66.3 degrees, 3.2 miles from my house
• 10-1 (High VHF): 161.9 degrees, 14.4 miles from my house
• 8-1 (High VHS): 66.1 degrees, 3.2 miles from my house
• 12-1 (High VHF) 66.3 degrees, 32. miles from my house

Acceptable signal strength is 70 or higher. Antenna signal strength measured by a TiVo with two tuners is:

• 5-1 (Low VHS): 61 (peak)
• 10-1 (High VHF): 84 (peak)
• 8-1 (High VHF): 91 (peak)
• 12-1 (High VHF) 92 (peak)

I have done the usual troubleshooting. Currently, it looks like the above signal strength numbers are about as good as I will get.

Everything is currently acceptable except channel 5-1. Unfortunately, channel 5.1 is the most important.

I'm suspicious that the trouble I'm having with channel 5.1 might be related to my antenna's ability to capture both Low VHF and High VHF, even though the antenna is described as suitable for both.

Comments/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I am stuck!

Introduction

With the recent price increases for YouTube TV and other streaming cable options, a lot of people have been looking to make changes that will save some money. If this is you, or if the topic interests you, read on.

This will be a long post. However, I hope if you’ve made it this far you take a few minutes to finish what you started. I’m turning off ^((some of)) my sarcasm ^((very difficult!)) to primarily help you save money. Secondary to that, though primary to me, is the point of this diatribe:

YouTube TV, Hulu with Live TV, Fubo, Sling, etc…are cable.

“I’m shocked!”, you proclaim, “I’m a cordcutter!” I mean, yes, in the strictest interpretation of the phrase. However, by now you’re probably understanding why some of us never considered these services to be anything but cable. Annual price increases, temporary/permanent loss of channels, and increasingly stale content. Some of us were woo’d by cheap access to local sports that disappeared a long time ago. Others answered the siren song of cable for $35 per month. But today, at the end of 2024, you’re a sucker.

I can tell you’re skeptical and/or angry. “I’m angry!” you say. Or I imagine you saying. Please count to 10 and follow my logic on why you should consider cable both not to be worth emptying your pocketbook every month, and how cable has made itself so bloated as to feel like you’re missing out if you don’t subscribe.

And if one of these vMPVD’s (YTTV, etc) is your only way of viewing local channels, don’t feel as bad as everyone else I’m addressing.

A Bit About Me

I’m your senior mod on this subreddit, but don’t let that fool you. 

The hard work of u/justathoughtfromme and u/AutoModerator is what really keeps this place humming along and somewhere you want to visit regularly. I do, however, have quite a bit of experience with this. But first, some history:

Dating myself, I grew up with antenna in my bedroom and cable in the living room. This was before the modern ‘expanded cable’ that includes hundred(s) of channels. This was back in the 90s when cable was somewhere around 30-40 channels. As a kid, I used exactly two cable channels: Cartoon Network and Nick. Also MTV for Beavis and Butthead, but don’t tell my mom.

My dad used several more channels. He liked watching CNN when it was the only Cable News Network ^((did you know that’s what it stands for?!)), HBO for a few movies and shows ^((there was only one HBO back then!)), and his sweet, sweet ESPN ^((again, there was only one!)). Also ESPN stood for Espanol back then. I’m not sure why they covered sports.

How Is This Relevant?

“You grew up with cable, and you seem like you were an annoying kid, what does this have to do with anything?” Good question, jerk. 

I wanted to bring (most of) you back to a simpler time. Back when you weren’t missing out on hundreds of channels, but maybe half a dozen or so. And on top of that, they all played reruns all day until about 7p. That’s when the good stuff hit for an hour or two.

This is completely unlike today where reruns on most cable channels are 24x7. Don’t believe me? Check the schedules for Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, AMC, or any other of your favorites.

So please allow me to arrive at the point: cable is a comfort. A luxury. And like most comfortable luxuries, it’s very expensive and provides nearly no benefit. Let’s run through the numbers. And for sake of argument, I am assuming anyone who’s read this far has or is interested in using an antenna for their local channels.

Sports (!!)

This is the topic, right? The thing that by not having cable, you will ^((potentially)) have no reason to live. I will get the obvious part out of the way immediately: if you must have access to every big event or every single game for your team(s), have no friends, and no local sports bars…you need cable. I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

However, I think most people are not that invested. If I miss a handful of my teams’ 82 NBA or NHL games, I’m not going to lose any sleep. Hell, until this year I missed almost 100% of them!

I have no one else to use as an example except for myself, so here is what is available to me to watch this week without a vMVPD:

Free
Local Teams

• Capitals @ Stars (Victory+)
• Maple Leafs @ Stars (Victory+)
• Rangers @ Stars (Victory+)
• Clippers @ Mavs (ABC)
• Clippers @ Mavs (OTA 29.1) ^(You read that right. They play twice in one week!)
• Bucs @ Cowboys (NBC) ^(Somebody help me.)

Unlocal Teams

• Marquette @ Xavier (Fox)
• Texans @ Chiefs (NBC Sunday Night Football at 12p)
• FCS Football Championship (ABC)
• Mississippi State @ Memphis (CBS)
• SMU ^((boo)) @ Boston College (CW)
• Steelers @ Ravens (Fox)
• Kentucky @ Ohio State (CBS)
• Indiana @ Notre Dame (ABC - CFP)

Pay
Local Teams

• Mississippi Valley State @ North Texas (ESPN+)
• Appalachian State @ North Texas (ESPN+)
• Houston Christian @ North Texas (ESPN+)
• Montana State @ TCU (ESPN+)
• Arizona @ TCU (ESPN+)
• Evansville @ UT-Arlington (ESPN+)
• UT-Arlington @ Liberty (ESPN+)
• UT-Arlington @ Texas State (ESPN+)

Unlocal Teams

• Many, many NHL games (ESPN+)
• A metric ton of NCAA BB (ESPN+)

That’s a lot of sports! If I watched all of that, my wife would leave me. I pay for ESPN+ as part of the triple bundle, but would pay the $11/mo anyway to follow my school. You may not even be interested in any of that and can use that cash to buy a value meal instead!

Everything Else…Except Movies

Let’s be honest. Most people end up subscribing to cable for sports. There are a handful who subscribe for cable news (you poor suckers). In which case, I say these are all free without any judgement of your political lean: CBS News 24/7, ABC News Live, NBC News Now, PBS NewsHour, LiveNow Fox, Blaze Live, OAN Plus, NewsMax 2, and probably other random junk that barely qualifies as news. Ahem. “But what about my local news?” Literally any FAST app: Pluto TV, Roku Channel, Tubi, Plex, etc is going to have multiple options for your local news. I use it every morning to watch the local NBC news before my two year old daughter overpowers me and switches it to Bubble Guppies on Nick Jr. Pluto.

Ok, so now we have the big two out of the way. What about the rest? “How do I get the following channels: HGTV, Discovery, Food Network, etc” First of all, I’m gonna slap you. I hate this question. But second of all! If you truly cannot live without this ^((drek)) stuff, all of this is available on Max, for example. You need only pay $10/mo instead of $83.

But further to the point, are you really sitting there on pins and needles waiting for the latest Beat Bobby Flay: Holiday Throwdown to drop? If so, wow. But if not, there is so much home and garden content available for free across all the different FAST services, that again, there’s no point in paying extra. Same goes for if you’re watching reruns of whatever. Love King of Queens, The Conners, Kids in the Hall, Kim’s Convenience, Frasier, Better Call Saul, CSI, NCIS, Charmed, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Forensic Files, Snapped, etc etc etc…? It’s all free. All your childhood reruns? Andy Griffith, Addams Family, Munsters, Rifleman, Brady Bunch, I Love Lucy... Don’t pay for that stuff. 

Movies

How will I watch something as good as (checks today’s FX schedule…) Die Hard (1988), League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003), Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018), Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), Iron Man 3 (2013), Jumanji 1 (2017), Jumanji 2 (2019), or Christmas with the Kranks (2004)?! Don’t watch League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, you psychopath.

Here are just a handful I picked from FAST:

• Die Hard (1988)
• Interstellar (2014)
• The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
• No Time to Die (2021)
• The Social Network (2010)
• Se7en (1995)
• John Wick 1-3 (2014-2019)
• The Departed (2006)

etc etc.

Conclusion

Joking aside, my point in this absurdly long post was not to proclaim that you can get the exact same content as cable for free. My point is that for as little as $11 (or $0!) someone like me can be thoroughly entertained with old, recent, and new content while still having access to ludicrous amounts of sports, news, movies, and Cake Wars.

If you were to add a Tablo or similar DVR to this, you could also have ‘cable-like’ access to your local major channels (Fox, NBC, ABC, CBS, PBS…CW?)

It goes without saying that most major new shows now, at best, have a day of exclusivity on cable. The vast majority, however, are exclusive to services like Netflix, Apple TV+, Prime Video, Disney+, Peacock, Paramount+, etc. If you choose to supplement your experience with any of those, you’re sure to have way more than enough new content on a regular basis.

So please, dear reader and loyal subscriber of this subreddit, consider saving some cash instead of running to the next lowest priced vMVPD. You could use that money for important things, like buying presents for your kids or lottery tickets!

Thank you for reading this far. Save money, be excellent to each other, and have a Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays! Not both, though. Pick one.

My basic rabbit ears are getting my "good" UHF channels as expected but are struggling with the ABC and CBS affiliates. My understanding is being physical channels 8 and 9 they are VHF.

My TV shows them getting "one bar" of signal and they come in with a bit of artifacts so hoping a slightly better antenna will help. Amplifier just makes artifacts worse. Apartment living so outdoor mounting is not an option.

Anyone have a recommendation for indoor VHF antennas? I see the clear streams are popular here but their VHF elements look on the short side.

Been a few year.. But have a meter dish on a motor mount. Hasn't been turned in over ten years. Curious if it would e en work after this long of being exposed to the elements for so long. But I wish to mount it elsewhere. Different location. So is the an app that could let me know what satellites might be seen from my position. I appreciate it depends on mounting location. But let assume it's start point is the standard sky setup and rotate from there. If it nerds to be on a pole above the roof line then that maybe considered but not garenteed as not my property..

I used to have Fire sticks on my TVs but since I got a 55” TV a few years back, just have been using the lousy TCL Google TV interface (I know, I know) which is prone to delays and connectivity issues.

I’m moving into a new place in a few weeks and getting a new TV for the living room (TBD, open to recommendations under $600), but looking for a good streaming device.

There are so many brands — Fire, Roku, Chromecast, Apple — and so many devices within those brands that I’m kind of overwhelmed.

Any advice? Mainly just use my TV for video games and movies/TV, nothing special, but sound, 4K (Dolby??) image, and smoothness/lack of delay or lagging are my priorities. No cable other than sports on YouTube TV from time to time.

Thanks!

I'm out of network for my home team and I want to watch them play. I prefer live but also don't mind watching games after they are done as long as I'm watching a complete game and not a collection of highlights. So I think my best option is NFL+ premium at $15/mo. I just had a few questions about it.

1. The yearly plan is $100. Since the NFL season is 4 months minus playoffs, why would anyone pay a yearly subscription? Am I missing something here? Seems like paying $60/year ($75/year withbplayoffs) from monthly subscription is the way to go.

2. If I start my monthly subscription this Saturday then will my $15 go until the end of Dec or will it last through the mid January 2025? Trying to see if I should just wait until Jan to get more value for my $15.

3. My plan is to subscribe and pay for Dec and Jan. (Hoping the team reaches Super Bowl and will watch it with my family.) Then I would cancel the plan and restart it in Sept. Does this sound reasonable or would NFL+ hate that for some reason?

Sorry if these questions sound like they have obvious answers but never did this before so I want to make sure I know something before starting the plan. I've read stories about how people got bad resolution, framerate, and challenges with canceling so was a bit worried.

Thanks.

Currently have Sling, and the main channels I watch are TBS, USA, Discovery, Fox News and maybe a few others. Any other streaming options out there? I'm sick of all these prices increases, especially when we get nothing extra in return. I had YTTV years ago, and it was fine, but I'm not about to pay 82 bucks a month. I don't think there is any easy way to get all the channels I like for a reasonable price (other than Sling). When I'm watching live TV, it's usually either Fox News, or Monday Night RAW/AEW Dynamite/NXT.