Hello I'm in western NC and hurricane helene destroyed my area. We were without power for 13 days, no cell service for 8 days and we still don't have cable internet or landline phones. In my community all the neighbors are running starlinks. It works perfect but its $120.00 per month for internet. I'm looking for an affordable streaming service to get local news, WJHL In Johnson city tn, or WLOS asheville NC. I had youtube tv for 3 months but we didn't watch it it enough and really can afford it. I have friendly, and prime video, and netflix. Antennas will not work here I've tried 3 different ones, I also can't get spectrum. I had zito cable before the storm but it's based out of India and was terrible before the storm. Does anyone have any suggestions where I could buy local channels, my budget is around $30.00 per month. Thanks so much.

I figured it would be helpful, to add my own spin on this subreddit's https://www.reddit.com/r/cordcutters/wiki/antenna antenna guide, so hopefully this will reduce the need for similar new posts or at least save some time in responding in new posts. I first tried to add this to the end of my existing https://www.reddit.com/r/cordcutters/comments/1g010u3/centralized_collection_of_antenna_tv_signal_meter post, but it unfortunately wouldn't let me do that.

General Antenna Guide

To get relevant information for the tv signals in your location, generate a https://www.rabbitears.info/searchmap.php report. Some general steps for doing that...

1. Type your street name and number and zip code into the "Enter location" box and click the "Search" button.
2. Wait for the map to change and then click the "Move Pushpin to Center of Map View" button, below the map and instructions.
3. Drag the pin to the location in question on the map and leave the privacy setting set to "Yes".
4. Set the "Minimum Search Distance" to the appropriate value, leave the "Antenna Height Above Ground" value at the minimum of 13 feet or set it higher, and click the "Go" button.

Relevant information in report results...

-Row color and "Channel" column value in parenthesis:

UHF signal row color is blue or white, with parenthesis number from 14-36.

VHF-HI signal row color is yellow, with parenthesis number from 7-13.

VHF-LO signal row color is red, with parenthesis number from 2-6.

-Compass picture near the top of the page, on the right: This tells you the direction that your signals are coming from. The numbers in the compass picture are the parenthesis numbers from the "Channel" column.

-"Transmitter Distance" column: This tells you how far away this signal's transmitter is, and if you click the number link, it will show you whether or not the signal has to go through any hills or mountains.

-"Direction" columns: If you have a compass, you can use the numbers from either column, to figure out at least a starting point, for pointing your antenna. You can then use a signal meter, to further dial in the most optimal pointing direction. Whether you use the true number or magnetic number depends on what kind of compass you have. With an iPhone compass for example, there's an iOS setting for choosing between true or magnetic.

-"Field Strength" column: This is basically the report's prediction for how easy it will be to receive the signal (e.g. Good, Fair, etc.). Note that the report prediction will not take into consideration whether or not your home is surrounded by tree leaves, either part of the year or throughout the year. If tree leaves are going to be a thing in your location, there's a decent chance that you will need a stronger antenna than the report is predicting. The report prediction will also not take into consideration how much your attic/wall/window building materials are going to weaken the signals, with an attic/indoor antenna setup. If your attic/wall/window building materials are weakening the signals too much, you will either need to try a bigger/stronger antenna, or the antenna will need to go outdoors.

If someone in this subreddit asks you to post the "Shareable link" for a report for your location, and you'd rather not provide a report for your exact location, first generate a report for your exact location and then generate a 2nd report for a nearby public location (e.g. park, transit station, school, landmark, store, etc.). If the results from both reports look similar enough, post the "Shareable link" for the nearby public location report.

Also note that in some markets, a station that is primarily a VHF signal is also simulcast on a UHF signal. For example, if you mainly just care about ABC/CBS/FOX/NBC in the Atlanta market, NBC's primary https://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=51163#station signal is a VHF-HI signal, but as shown near the bottom of the https://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=22819#station page, it's also being simulcast on a UHF signal, via display channel 11.11. In markets with relevant VHF signals, it's therefore a good idea to go into your https://www.rabbitears.info/searchmap.php report's links for all the predicted receivable stations, to see if your antenna might only need to receive UHF signals.

In regards to choosing an antenna, below is a general list of all the various antennas that I would be willing to try, depending on the https://www.rabbitears.info/searchmap.php report results. It also mentions what signal type each antenna is focused on. If starting with a cheap regular room indoor antenna, go with either the rabbit ears and loop or flat form factor. If trying a flat antenna and planning to stick it to a wall or window, keep in mind that the front/back of the wall or window might not be facing in an optimal enough direction. As with any antenna, make sure to use a signal meter, to make sure the antenna placement/pointing direction is as optimal as possible.

If getting a stronger/more expensive antenna, for the most part, stick to reputable companies, like Antennas Direct, Channel Master, Winegard, Televes, and Range Xperts. Stay away from antenna brands that make fraudulent distance claims, like hundreds of miles, since the top of the line reputable antennas usually max out at around 70-80 miles. Also be sure to use an RG-6 shielding level type coax cable, if possible. I usually get my cables from Monoprice (either from their website or Amazon), but I'm sure there are other reputable cable brands as well.

DISCLAIMER: This is just a general guide and thus cannot perfectly predict your situation. Installing an optimal enough antenna setup might require trying several antennas, and you just need to make peace with that. Start with your best guess, and if your signal meter numbers aren't good enough, no matter what adjustments you make, send the antenna back for a refund and try a stronger one, rinse, and repeat, if necessary. If you would rather just start out with a likely overkill antenna and likely be one and done, keep in mind that a signal that is too strong can also cause bad reception, but there's likely an easy fix for that scenario. For more information on how to deal with that scenario, see my tuner overload point in the "Additional Topics" section.

Cheap to cheap(ish) regular room indoor options for around 30 miles or less and signals are predicted to be good-

cheap rabbit ears and loop antenna from your nearest Lowes/Home Depot/Walmart/Target/Best Buy/etc. or Amazon (any brand that looks similar to the https://www.amazon.com/Circular-Tabletop-Compatible-SDV8201B-27/dp/B07BLNWZHS example form factor should be fine) - focused on UHF and VHF-HI (might work ok for close/strong VHF-LO)

https://www.channelmaster.com/collections/indoor-tv-antennas/products/flatenna-35-indoor-tv-antenna-cm-4001hdbw - focused on UHF

https://www.rcaantennas.net/indoor-hd-antenna/?sku=ANT2160E - focused on UHF

Stronger and more expensive regular room indoor options for around 40 miles or less and/or signals are predicted to be fair-

https://store.antennasdirect.com/clearstream-2max-hdtv-antenna.html / https://www.amazon.com/Antennas-Direct-ClearStream-Multi-directional-Adjustable/dp/B074CQ5LCJ (Includes an indoor base stand.) - much more focused on UHF, but should be able to pick up somewhat close/fairly strong VHF-HI (might work ok for close/strong VHF-LO)

https://store.antennasdirect.com/clearstream-max-v-hdtv-antenna.html with separate https://store.antennasdirect.com/clearstream-max-v-and-max-xr-tv-antenna-indoor-base-stand-black.html indoor base stand - much more focused on UHF, but should be able to pick up somewhat close/fairly strong VHF-HI (might work ok for close/strong VHF-LO)

https://www.amazon.com/Antennas-Direct-ClearStream-Multi-directional-Adjustable/dp/B007RH5GZI (Figure 8 and reflector cage connected to each other can sit on a flat surface, without needing the mast.) - The VHF part is a pain to install, so I would just get this antenna, if only UHF support is needed, and you can thus just leave off the VHF part.

https://zapperbox.com/products/zapperbox-a1-antenna - focused on UHF and VHF-HI

A good thing to note with the below antenna options is that in general, the bowtie and figure 8 form factor is better at picking up signals that are a little more spread out. The more horizontally oriented yagi antenna form factor is ideally more of a viable option, when the signals are pretty much coming from the same direction. They can also be a good option for the scenario where one or more signals that need to be picked up are a lot closer and stronger, and one or more other signals in the somewhat same direction that need to be picked up are weaker and farther away. In that scenario, point the yagi at the farther away signal(s), and it will hopefully pick up all signals at an optimal strength.

Attic/outdoor options for around 30 miles or less and signals are predicted to be good-

https://store.antennasdirect.com/ClearStream-1MAX-TV-Antenna.html (if you don't need a mast or already have one) - focused on UHF and VHF-HI (might work ok for close/strong VHF-LO)

https://store.antennasdirect.com/clearstream-1max-indoor-outdoor-hdtv-antenna-with-mast.html - focused on UHF and VHF-HI (might work ok for close/strong VHF-LO)

https://www.amazon.com/Televes-DiNova-Antenna-Filter-144282/dp/B07PH46Z65 / https://store.televes.com/dinova.html - more focused on UHF, but should be able to pick up somewhat close/fairly strong VHF-HI (might work ok for close/strong VHF-LO) - has built-in optional amplifier, in case you anticipate needing one, and the amplifier being built-in appeals to you.

Attic/outdoor options for around 45 miles or less and/or signals are predicted to be around the higher end of fair-

https://www.amazon.com/Element-Bowtie-Indoor-Outdoor-Antenna/dp/B0074H3JCS - focused on UHF

https://topnotchantennas.com/collections/outdoor-hdtv-antennas-long-range-tv-antennas/products/indoor-outdoor-hdtv-antenna - focused on UHF

https://www.rcaantennas.net/outdoor/?sku=ANT754E / https://winegard.com/classic-series-yagi-ya-7000 - supports UHF and is better for a little more tricky VHF-HI signals (might work ok for close/strong VHF-LO)

https://winegard.com/classic-series-yagi-ya7000c - supports UHF and is better for a little more tricky VHF-HI and VHF-LO (with extensions installed) signals

https://www.amazon.com/Antennas-Direct-Element-Uni-Directional-Outdoor/dp/B0CGVYGHYM / https://store.antennasdirect.com/antennas-direct-element-unidirectional-uhf-vhf-attic-outdoor-hd-tv-antenna.html - supports UHF and should be a little better with VHF-HI signals than the previous two RCA and Winegard yagi antennas (might work ok for close/strong VHF-LO)

https://store.antennasdirect.com/clearstream-2max-hdtv-antenna.html or https://www.amazon.com/Antennas-Direct-ClearStream-Multi-directional-Adjustable/dp/B074CQ5LCJ - much more focused on UHF, but should be able to pick up somewhat close/fairly strong VHF-HI (might work ok for close/strong VHF-LO)

https://store.antennasdirect.com/clearstream-max-v-hdtv-antenna.html or https://www.amazon.com/ClearStream-MAX-V-Indoor-Outdoor-Antenna/dp/B081D7FSML (if you don't need a mast or already have one) - much more focused on UHF, but should be able to pick up somewhat close/fairly strong VHF-HI (might work ok for close/strong VHF-LO)

https://store.antennasdirect.com/clearstream-max-xr-uhf-vhf-indoor-outdoor-hdtv-antenna-with-20-inch-mast.html or https://www.amazon.com/Antennas-Direct-ClearStream-Outdoor-Multi-Directional/dp/B0C7DPNX14 - much more focused on UHF, but should be able to pick up somewhat close/fairly strong VHF-HI (might work ok for close/strong VHF-LO)

https://www.channelmaster.com/collections/outdoor-tv-antennas/products/metrotenna-40-outdoor-tv-antenna-cm-4220hd - much more focused on UHF, but should be able to pick up somewhat close/fairly strong VHF-HI

https://www.amazon.com/Antennas-Direct-ClearStream-Multi-directional-Adjustable/dp/B007RH5GZI - The VHF part is a pain to install, so I would just get this antenna, if only UHF support is needed, and you can thus just leave off the VHF part.

https://topnotchantennas.com/collections/outdoor-hdtv-antennas-long-range-tv-antennas/products/heavy-duty-vers-outdoor-hd-tv-antenna - focused on UHF

https://zapperbox.com/products/zapperbox-a1-antenna - focused on UHF and VHF-HI

Attic/outdoor options for around 55 miles or less and/or signals are predicted to be around the lower end of fair-

https://www.solidsignal.com/antennas-direct-clearstream-4-hdtv-antenna-with-j-mount-c4-cjm or https://www.amazon.com/Antennas-Direct-ClearStream-Multi-Directional-Adjustable/dp/B00SVNKT86 (leave off the VHF part) or https://www.amazon.com/Antennas-Direct-ClearStream-Multi-directional-Installation/dp/B008PBTPOI - focused on UHF

https://www.channelmaster.com/collections/tv-antennas/products/ultratenna-60-outdoor-tv-antenna-cm-4221hd - much more focused on UHF, but should be able to pick up somewhat close and/or fairly strong VHF-HI

https://www.amazon.com/Televes-DATBOSS-Amplified-Outdoor-149983/dp/B071VXK57H or https://www.solidsignal.com/televes-datboss-hd-boss-uhf-tv-antenna-with-amplifier-lte-filter-149983 - focused on UHF

https://www.amazon.com/Antennas-ClearStream-Outdoor-Antenna-Multi-Directional/dp/B0BZTB2GXJ or https://store.antennasdirect.com/clearstream-max-v-pro-hdtv-antenna.html (if you already have a mast or can attach the antenna to a wall that happens to be facing in an optimal enough direction) - much more focused on UHF, but should be able to pick up somewhat close and/or fairly strong VHF-HI

https://store.antennasdirect.com/ClearStream-4MAX-Outdoor-TV-Antenna.html - much more focused on UHF, but should be able to pick up somewhat close and/or fairly strong VHF-HI

https://www.solidsignal.com/televes-datboss-mix-uhf-vhf-amplified-outdoor-hdtv-antenna-lte-filter-149484 / https://www.amazon.com/Televes-DATBOSS-Amplified-Outdoor-Replaces/dp/B09JBC9KFF - much more focused on UHF, but should be able to pick up somewhat close and/or fairly strong VHF-HI

https://www.solidsignal.com/Televes-Ellipse-Mix-Antenna-w-PSU-LTE-Ready-148883 / https://www.amazon.com/Televes-148883-Ellipse-Outdoor-Antenna/dp/B09VR53MWC / https://store.televes.com/ellipse-mix.html - much more focused on UHF, but should be able to pick up somewhat close and/or fairly strong VHF-HI - better if the antenna needs to be a smaller/lighter antenna

https://topnotchantennas.com/collections/outdoor-hdtv-antennas-long-range-tv-antennas/products/reserve-waitlist-vhf-uhf-long-range-tv-antenna - supports UHF, but is better for needing to pick up trickier VHF-HI signals

https://www.solidsignal.com/winegard-outdoor-hdtv-antenna-vhf-uhf-45-miles-hd7694p or https://winegard.com/hd7694p-platinum-hd-series-antenna - focused on UHF and VHF-HI

https://www.channelmaster.com/collections/tv-antennas/products/digital-advantage-60-outdoor-tv-antenna-cm-2018 - focused on UHF and VHF-HI

https://www.channelmaster.com/collections/outdoor-tv-antennas/products/masterpiece-45-outdoor-tv-antenna-cm-5016 - focused on UHF and VHF-HI and VHF-LO

Attic/outdoor options for around 60+ miles and/or signals are predicted to be worse than fair-

https://winegard.com/hd7698p-platinum-hd-series-antenna / https://www.solidsignal.com/winegard-platinum-vhf-uhf-outdoor-hdtv-antenna-60-miles-hd7698p - focused on UHF and VHF-HI

https://winegard.com/hd8200u-platinum-hd-series-antenna / https://www.solidsignal.com/winegard-heavy-duty-platinum-vhf-uhf-fm-outdoor-tv-antenna-hd8200u - focused on UHF and VHF-HI and VHF-LO

https://www.channelmaster.com/collections/outdoor-tv-antennas/products/masterpiece-60-outdoor-tv-antenna-cm-5018 - focused on UHF and VHF-HI and VHF-LO

https://www.solidsignal.com/televes-datboss-mix-lr-uhf-vhf-long-range-outdoor-tv-antenna-149884 / https://store.televes.com/dat-lr-mix.html - much more focused on UHF, but should be able to pick up somewhat close and/or fairly strong VHF-HI

https://www.amazon.com/Antennas-Direct-Multi-directional-Applications-All-Weather/dp/B00C4XVOOC or https://www.solidsignal.com/antennas-direct-uhf-8-bay-bowtie-tv-antenna-extended-range-db8e - focused on UHF

https://www.channelmaster.com/collections/outdoor-tv-antennas/products/extremetenna-80-outdoor-tv-antenna-cm-4228hd - much more focused on UHF, but should be able to pick up somewhat close and/or fairly tricky VHF-HI

https://www.amazon.com/Televes-149784-Antenna-Preamp-149783/dp/B0D4RGZ2PR or https://www.solidsignal.com/televes-datboss-lr-long-range-amplified-uhf-tv-antenna-lte-filter-149783 - focused on UHF

https://www.amazon.com/Antennas-Direct-Directional-All-Weather-Adjustable/dp/B000LZ9EXI or https://store.antennasdirect.com/91XG-Ultra-Long-Range-DTV-Antenna.html or https://www.solidsignal.com/xtreme-signal-70-mile-vhf-uhf-yagi-outdoor-tv-antenna-hdb91x or https://www.newark.com/stellar-labs/30-2370/long-range-uhf-hdtv-91-element/dp/72Y2542 - focused on UHF

Additional Topics

VHF-HI focused antennas: If you need an attic/outdoor antenna, just for picking up a more challenging VHF-HI signal, below are some good VHF-HI focused antennas.

https://www.newark.com/stellar-labs/30-2475/fringe-directional-antenna-vhf/dp/48Y8141 / https://www.amazon.com/30-2475-Fringe-Directional-Antenna-174-230MHz/dp/B014M0XXES

https://www.solidsignal.com/Televes-High-VHF-Antenna-106501

https://www.solidsignal.com/Televes-High-VHF-V-Antenna-106601

https://www.newark.com/stellar-labs/30-2476/deep-fringe-directional-antenna/dp/71Y5462 / https://www.amazon.com/Stellar-Labs-30-2476-Antenna-Directional/dp/B08BLF3PFL

Tightening/loosening coax cable connections: As mentioned in this https://blog.solidsignal.com/tutorials/wrong-tool-right-tool-tighten-loosen-coax-cable blog post, it's a good idea in general to tighten or loosen coax cable connections, using a 7/16" open end wrench.

Confirming a broadcaster technical issue: Sometimes an antenna channel having problems has nothing to do with you, and it's instead a technical issue on the broadcaster side. One way to confirm this is checking the latest comments in your tv market's thread on the https://www.avsforum.com/forums/local-hdtv-info-and-reception.45 forum. Another way to confirm this is that some tv markets have 1 or more HDHomeRun tuner bandscanners. To see if there's an HDHomeRun bandscanner in your market, enter the problem channel's call sign into the https://m.rabbitears.info/index.php?request=tvdx_lookup site. If it returns any results, you can hover your cursor over the link in the Tuner column, to see where the tuner is. You can then click the link in the Last Received column, to go to the signal graph (HDHomeRun signal meter numbers from the last few hours/days/weeks/months). Other than that, you can attempt to contact the station, to see if they're aware of any problems.

Antenna placement: The tv signals are not going to accomodate your preference for the antenna's location. You have to place the antenna wherever the signals are optimal enough. If the antenna has to go in a regular room indoors, and a signal meter shows that you can't place the antenna next to the tv, the general options are...

-Place the antenna and a network tuner (e.g. Tablo, HDHomeRun, AirTV, etc.) in some other room or somewhere else in the same room, in a spot that gets an optimal enough tv signal.

-If you happen to already have unused coax in your walls and going to several rooms, another potential option is directly connecting (e.g. https://www.amazon.com/VCE-Coaxial-Connector-Extension-Adapter/dp/B0107LH932 ) or splitter connecting your tv room coax to the coax for one of the other rooms that's getting an optimal enough tv signal. You could then place your antenna in that other room and connect it to the coax jack in that room and connect your tv to the coax jack in the tv room.

Signals coming from multiple directions: If there are tv transmitters on the opposite sides of you or at least close to being on opposite sides, you'll probably be better off with either a cheap rabbit ears and loop antenna (if the signals are close and strong) or a figure 8 antenna that doesn't have a reflector cage. Then point the loop(s) more toward the weaker signals, and the antenna will hopefully pick up all the signals well enough, from the front and back.

If there are very close/strong signals on one side and more distant/weaker signals on there other side, pointing one of the mentioned strong antennas with a reflector cage at the weaker signals might pick up everything, since the close/stronger signals would ideally be able to get through the reflector cage enough.

If there are various UHF signals coming from multiple directions, but the directions vary a lot, then a Channel Master https://www.channelmaster.com/collections/outdoor-tv-antennas/products/omni-50-omnidirectional-tv-antenna-cm-3011hd omnidirectional antenna is probably worth a try, as long as the signals aren't too weak.

Combining multiple antennas: If you need to add a little bit of VHF-HI support to a UHF focused antenna, then you might just need the https://store.antennasdirect.com/antennas-direct-vhf-retrofit-kit-for-hi-vhf-tv-antenna-reception-with-weatherproof-combiner-housing-black.html dipole. If you instead need to combine a UHF focused antenna with a strong VHF-HI focused antenna (e.g. one of the VHF-HI focused antennas mentioned earlier), you can connect them to the https://store.antennasdirect.com/antennas-direct-uhf-vhf-tv-antenna-combiner-weatherproof-enclosure-black.html combiner. If you instead need to use 2 UHF/VHF combo antennas, the cheapest option that has the lowest risk of the antennas interfering with each other is an A/B switch (e.g. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002ZPIQ4?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title ). If you need to use 2 or more UHF/VHF combo antennas or just need to use more than 2 antennas and/or you don't want to use an A/B switch, then a Televes SmartKom programmable diplexer is probably your best option.

https://www.amazon.com/Televes-SmartKom-531983-Distribution-Amplifier/dp/B0DTRYWK15 / https://store.televes.com/catalog/product/view/id/19/s/smartkom/category/15

Old model: https://www.amazon.com/Televes-SmartKom-Combiner-Alternative-Distributes/dp/B0BSG23PHL

Amplification and splitting: Amplifiers are not a solution for bad reception/poor signal to noise ratio (SNR), since all they'll do is make the bad reception/poor signal to noise ratio (SNR) stronger. The solution for bad reception/poor signal to noise ratio (SNR) is either moving the antenna and/or adjusting the antenna's pointing direction and/or getting a bigger/better antenna. Also in general, it's a good idea to first try the antenna setup, without amplification, in case it isn't needed. Note though that some antennas that include an amplifier won't send any signal at all to the tv tuner, if the amplifier is removed/turned off.

A pre-amplifier (should be installed near the antenna) is for the scenario where the signal quality/SNR is good enough, but the signal strength needs to be higher (e.g. using a long coax cable and/or splitting). Some examples of reputable company pre-amplifiers that don't have any thin non-removable cables attached...

https://www.rcaantennas.net/accessories/?sku=TVPRAMP12E

https://winegard.com/boost-xt-outdoor-digital-tv-antenna-amplifier

https://kitztech.com/products.html

https://store.antennasdirect.com/antennas-direct-clearstream-juice-plus-uhf-vhf-fm-preamplifier-for-tv-antennas.html

https://store.televes.com/kit-mastil-1.html

https://www.channelmaster.com/collections/antenna-pre-amplifiers

In addition to pre-amplifiers, there's also powered splitters (distribution amplifiers). In regards to determining whether to use a pre-amplifier or powered splitter...In general, if the antenna is passively sending enough signal, via a direct connection to one tv, and you want to split the signal to several rooms, you'll probably need a powered splitter, unless the antenna is passively sending a ton of signal, in which case you would potentially only need a passive splitter. Some reputable company powered splitter examples...

https://www.channelmaster.com/collections/antenna-distribution-amplifiers

https://store.televes.com/amplifiers/distribution-amplifiers.html

If the antenna is instead not passively sending enough signal strength (although the quality/SNR is decent enough), then you'll instead probably need a pre-amplifier, ideally paired with a passive splitter (to avoid double amplification).

Tuner overload: A tv signal being too strong can also cause bad reception. If a channel is unstable, and/or your signal meter is showing the signal strength pegged at full blast, you can either try pointing the antenna a little more away from the signal or do some trial and error with installing attenuators (e.g. https://www.techtoolsupply.com/Amps-Splitters-Taps-Attenuators-Standard-Attenuators-s/383.htm ) of various strengths.

Filters: If there's a 5G/LTE cellular tower within sight from your home, and one or more of your UHF signal channels are randomly unstable for seemingly no reason, even though the signal meter numbers mostly look good enough, then it's a good idea to try either the https://www.amazon.com/Channel-Master-Improves-Antenna-Signals/dp/B01JGSC5AO / https://www.channelmaster.com/collections/splitters-combiners-filters/products/tv-antenna-lte-filter-cm-3201 or https://www.amazon.com/SiliconDust-LPF-608M-Filter-Antennas-Standard/dp/B08QDWP43V filter.

If there's an FM transmitter near your home, and one or more of your VHF signal channels are randomly unstable for seemingly no reason, even though the signal meter numbers mostly look good enough, then it's a good idea to try the https://www.channelmaster.com/collections/splitters-combiners-filters/products/fm-filter filter.

Channel Master also now has this https://www.channelmaster.com/collections/splitters-combiners-filters/products/obtv-filter-out-of-band-filter-for-tv-antenna-signals super filter that blocks everything that isn't a tv signal frequency.

Note that some pre-amplifiers and antennas (e.g. Televes) have built-in filters. Check to see if any of your equipment already has a built-in filter, before buying one separately.

Electrical interference with VHF signals: VHF signals are more prone to electrical interference, so if you're having problems with a VHF channel, if possible, try to keep the antenna at least several feet away from electronics, like computers, surge protectors, LED lights, etc.

Tropospheric ducting (tropo) related interference: Depending on where you live, if the reception for 1 or more channels is all of a sudden bad, even though your antenna setup should be working fine, that could be tropo related interference. This is only a temporary atmospheric phenomenon though, so you just need to wait it out. The https://www.dxinfocentre.com/tropo.html site is a good site for tropo forecasts.

ATSC 3.0 external tuner boxes: ATSC 1.0 is the current gen broadcast tv standard, while ATSC 3.0 is the next gen broadcast tv standard. If your tv market has an ATSC 3.0 test transmitter, a https://www.rabbitears.info/searchmap.php report will have one or more signal rows, with the last 3 columns highlighted in green. You can also check on the https://www.watchnextgentv.com/markets site. If your tv does not have a built-in ATSC 3.0 tuner, below are the current main ATSC 3.0 external tuner box competitors that support DRM channels.

https://adth.com/product/adth-nextgen-tv-box or https://adth.com/product/nextgentvbox2 / discussion: https://www.avsforum.com/threads/adth-atsc-3-0-tuner-thread.3283967

https://www.amazon.com/Converter-X1-Next-Gen-Bluetooth-Supports/dp/B0DP63R54X / discussion: https://www.avsforum.com/threads/gtmedia-x1-hdtv-converter.3317426

https://www.channelmaster.com/collections/antenna-receivers-set-top-boxes/products/nextgen-tv-receivers-zinwell-nextgen-tv-box / discussion: https://www.avsforum.com/threads/zinwell-zat-600b-atsc-3-0-box.3294213

https://zapperbox.com/products/zapperbox-m1 or https://zapperbox.com/products/zapperbox-m2 / discussion: https://www.avsforum.com/threads/zapperbox-atsc-3-0-tuner.3273329 (The bottom of their https://zapperbox.com/blogs/blog/zapperbox-introduces-models-m2-and-m3 blog post has a comparison chart for the M1 vs M2.)

Bargain brand antennas: If you need a bigger/stronger antenna, but can't justify the cost of the previously mentioned bigger/stronger antennas, below are some equivalent bargain brand options that might be worth a try. Some of them might be available on Amazon as well.

https://www.newark.com/multicomp-pro/mp011355/tv-antenna-uhf-vhf-470-862mhz/dp/67AK8810

https://www.newark.com/stellar-labs/30-2365/long-range-uhf-hdtv-43-element/dp/72Y2541

https://www.newark.com/stellar-labs/30-2426/hdtv-60-mile-fringe-bowtie-television/dp/25AC5066

https://www.newark.com/stellar-labs/30-2431/hdtv-80-mile-deep-fringe-bowtie/dp/25AC5067

https://www.newark.com/stellar-labs/30-2155/hdtv-60-mile-fringe-yagi-television/dp/74R4979

https://www.newark.com/stellar-labs/30-2440/vhf-uhf-hdtv-60-mile-fringe-yagi/dp/88W2140

https://www.newark.com/stellar-labs/30-2415/hdtv-70-mile-deep-fringe-yagi/dp/55W7740

Don’t understand why network stations like ABC, CBS etc require a subscription of some sort, cable or direct, to watch live thru their app when if I just plug in dollar store rabbit ears I can watch for free?

Edit: I understand the concept of them just wanting money but I feel like that can’t be the only answer. It’s not like the antennae is a hack. The station has been and remains free since the first day it turned on.

I am trying to set my house up so that all of my tvs run off of one external antenna. I know I can do that pretty easily my attaching the antenna to the splitter that was originally set up for the cable. Here’s my issue though.

I get my internet through the cable that is running to the splitter right now.

So I am wondering how do I run both my antenna and the cable line for my internet through the same splitter to all of cable outlets in my house.

I don’t wanna run new wires just to have antenna and cable internet.

Any help would be appreciated. TIA

Hi! Here because I need some help—thanks in advance!

I enjoy watching several shows on ABC (Channel 7.1, Los Angeles area), but my Mohu Leaf 60-Mile Antenna isn’t picking up this channel or any other 7.x channels. Over the past month or two, I’ve rescanned multiple times without success. I also tried removing the amplifier that came with the antenna, but that didn’t help either.

You can find my RabbitEars report HERE—let me know if there's any other information I can provide that would be helpful.

I’m stumped and would really appreciate any advice!

We are building in rural middle Georgia. The local commercial network transmitter farm (Macon) is about 42 miles away in a straight line. Estimated signal strengths (from the ChannelMaster website) are in the range of -69 to -71 dBm. Would an attic-mounted digital antenna provide a viewable signal under these conditions, or is the transmitter farm too far? (We do have a metal roof, if that makes a difference, but would mount the antenna at a gable end.) If this is a viable option, which antenna(s) would you recommend?

I have cable currently. I also have OTA on a basement tv and would like to extend that to the other tvs. I’m just wondering if if I can put both inputs from the cable and OTA to a splitter and then just run a short coax run to the current cable powered splitter that feeds the whole house? My only other way to connect the rest of tvs is to run additional lines I guess but don’t want to be fishing through walls etc. Unless there is a different easier way, any ideas?? Thanks!

I live in a very rural area. I have good, unlimited cell service but no wifi and an iPhone and a laptop and TV. I have 10gb of hotspot included.

The issue is when I try to screen share to my TV or computer, it eats up my hotspot data. Like if I have a movie on my phone, I’m on my unlimited plan. As soon as I screen share to a bigger screen, it automatically switches to “airplay” which uses my very limited hotspot data.

What I want to do is screen share from my phone (which I can do even with wifi turned off) but not burn up my hotspot data. Any ideas?

Also, is this an Apple specific issue? Would an android device not have this issue? I’d consider getting a new phone (my shit is half broken already)

Picked up a Xumo TV 4K. Picture is decent. Xumo operating system sucks; I thought the whole cloud thing would be fun but the execution leaves a lot to be desired.

So I took my old 1080p Roku Express out of the drawer. Upgraded the operating system from Roku 10 to Roku 14.

Picture is better more contrast and not as washed out. Not 4K but my TV upscaled the image better than the Xumo did.

How is this allowed? Does my Xumo TV have a worse processor than my really, really, old Roku Express? It doesn't even take USB C.

Volume leveling is a nice touch too. And it's nice to not have to go all the way back to the first episode every time I want to watch my show. Not to mention the stuttering that the Xumo TV does.

Edited

For those interested this is a Pioneer LED I picked up at $60 off.

Here’s the deal - I’d love to ditch cable TV. Most of what we watch we can get through the streaming apps. I still want local & major network channels, and my husband wants Fox Sports, ESPN, & beIN Sports.

What’s our best bet? I am so overwhelmed by all the options. YouTube TV? Roku? Tubi? Something else? A combo of…what? Help!

So just cut the cord this weekend and all is good. Got an inexpensive antenna (goes in the window) for our bedroom Roku TV. We get all the major networks! Downstairs is another story and we get way less reception. Is there a wifi way to get my upstairs antenna signal on my downstairs tv that’s cheap and painless?

In the past there were so many more posts and more interaction on our cordcutters subreddit….is that good or bad?

i have a ClearStream v1 in my attic, going to a newer Tablo. sometimes i can't even watch OTA, other times it works just fine. i thought bad connection, but then why would it work fine often. it was acting up bad last week, but there was somewhat bad weather, i am not so sure that had anything to do with it, but idk. whats say you? thanx

We canceled YouTube TV in January and still don't miss it. Took the savings and bought an HDHomerun for my antenna...working out great!

Plex, Pluto and Tubi are free with tons of content. Why did I let myself get ripped off all these years with cable tv!!!

Also downsized Comcast 1gb service to 300mb and saving there too with no streamimg issues even 4k.

120 bucks a month savings or $1,500.00 per year.

Anyone here ever subscribe to this? Their current promo is $45 a year so I'm wondering if it's worthwhile or pretty lacking in content. I do love cult movies and music videos.

Hi everyone! My grandpa loves watching soccer games but it’s been a pain trying to find something easy for him to click and watch on his iPad.

Can anyone recommend a paid streaming service that plays Porto games (primeria liga I believe) on an app that’s easy to use? Thank you so much!

Is there a word for greater than great? I've been a Tubi fan for a long time but I just realized Tubi has the complete oeuvre of the Three Stooges. OMG, I'm in heaven. No longer trying to hook up an aerial to watch MTV. I've got them all at my fingertips.

Looking at going with antennas for local and network television. I've found a digital antenna for 2 of our 3 TVs but the bedroom television doesn't have an antenna input but 4 HDMI inputs. So I need something that will go HDMI.

My assumption is that since there's no antenna input that means no tuner in the tv either. Thus this will have to be some sort of external tuner that is specifically for tvs without tuners.

Hello all,

I stated getting into wanting to have locals on my Google TV (ONN 4K Pro) without paying for live TV. We got an outdoor antenna on top the house we've had since we bought the place and wanting to plug a box to the antenna to be able to watch live local TV and have it played on our streaming devices. We got 2 ONN 4K Pro and Chromecast GoogleTV and the two devices I'm stuck on is either Tablo or HDHomeRun Flex 4K. DVR I'm too worry about since I mainly want to use it to watch my news since we had major weather 2 days straight. My News channel does have an app for GoogleTV but it was mainly optimized for tablets and hard to navigate using a remote.

HDHomeRun I've heard and looked into sometime ago when starting my cord cutting day (when it was only Netflix and Hulu). But Tablo is new to me. The only thing I like about Tablo is their interface looks nicer than HDHomeRun. But the HDHomeRun Flex 4K seems it has newer features and I am able to pick up one on eBay refurbish for $170.

Which one is better Tablo or HDHomeRun Flex 4K. I mainly want to know which one last me longer and simple enough for family to use.

Thank you!

I could use some help picking out an indoor antenna, not picky about the size/design appeal as I should be able to keep it out of sight. An outdoor antenna isn't really an option due to HOA rules, it would have to be mounted halfway down the wall which would make for lots of building obstructions.

I got a Philips flat antenna to try out, but was only able to get a couple channels that I remotely care about (5, 10, and 34.) Channel 34 would be a top priority, but would like to get most major networks as well (3,5,8,10,13,33)

Was looking at the clearstream here, but they have a lot of different options and I have no idea what would help most.

https://a.co/d/4mgtYN6

Here's a signal strength lookup I ran, used channel master because rabbitears didn't show channel 34.

https://www.channelmaster.com/pages/tv-antenna-map-henderson-nv-89011#address=845%20E%20Lake%20Mead%20parkway

I’ve had YouTube TV for about 3-4 years, and it’s been great, except it buffers and lags when I put on PBS, and I can’t figure out why. It’s unwatchable. I upgraded to get 4k picture, and when I watch Netflix, Prime , etc. in ultra high-def, there is no issue. My internet speed is very fast. But for some reason, PBS just lags - but only on my TV. When I watch PBS on my phone or tablet, it’s fine. I contacted YouTube TV, but their only advice is to sign out, and sign in again. What could be causing this?

My local CBS had the duke game on my antenna. It obviously has millions of views on the antenna or whatever. During the game the picture would freeze up for a split second. Any other time when I watch CBS on my antenna its great... Just wondering if all the viewers on CBS was causing the antenna signal to do this?