indoor tv antenna


 
I installed this ChannelMaster 60 mile range antenna in 2015 when we dumped cable. It’s in the attic and we used a website that gave us the exact degrees which to point the antenna to get the most amount of stations available in our region. It’s been perfect since install. And without cable I think we were then saving $150 a month.

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This is similar to the unit I have except mine is double wide - so eight bowtie units and two ground plane grids mounted side by side to an aluminum frame. Mine is also a Channel Master but the ground plane grids are a little different (mine is prob around 20 years old).
 
Yeah, Apex is easy. The antenna farm is about 5+ miles away. I'd be interested to know is he gets the 4 Chapel Hill based NC PBS stations that are a few miles west of me (maybe 20+ miles from him). I know he gets NC PBS as they are re-transmitted from about 12 towers around the state -- I get the signal from one other. He may well get several other stations that are east of Apex a ways.

No asking about that, just a comment.
 
This is similar to the unit I have except mine is double wide - so eight bowtie units and two ground plane grids mounted side by side to an aluminum frame. Mine is also a Channel Master but the ground plane grids are a little different (mine is prob around 20 years old).
It's really amazing how transmission and antenna tech has changed. It was only 10-15 years ago that indoor antennas could only reach about 10 miles -- at least that time is in my memory.
 
No question that most indoor antennas are for "local" channels. 100 miles is a stretch for any antenna. With my 8-bay antenna properly coupled with a large, older "winged" (my term) 100-mile antenna plus amplifier AND a rotor, I could pull in stations from Charlotte 100-125 miles away to the SW. (Our home in the woods really was difficult. Pointing it at a huge oak which was directly in the transmission path was worse than the same roof antenna pointed 20 degrees more north.) Also keep in mind that generally reception will be better if your transmission stations are "uphill" from you. Hard to go uphill from the beach :). (In reality, all your stations are "level" from your location.) Our 500 ft elevation did better when the antenna was focused at transmissions that were at 600+ feet than those that were 250 ft.

It's really amazing the complications the arise with OTA. Cities with their high buildings present all sorts of trouble.
Placing an antenna in attic of our beach house is easily done...not sure it's worth it. Fubo provides Philly sports and hundreds of streaming channels...but at a cost of $75/month...cutting cable TV there saves more than $100 per month even with the Fubo subscription. I'm ok with that for now.
 
This is similar to the unit I have except mine is double wide - so eight bowtie units and two ground plane grids mounted side by side to an aluminum frame. Mine is also a Channel Master but the ground plane grids are a little different (mine is prob around 20 years old).
we are around 35 miles from the main towers locally. i went with the 60 mile range antenna because it was just easier. my original plan was the in-attic mount to see if it all worked well for signal reception and picture quality. out home it the highest home in the neighborhood so we have a very clear line of sight to the main broadcast antennas. if we had experienced some failure or poor signals, i was going to rooftop mount this 60 mile antenna and get more unobstructed signal. thankfully that wasn't the case or issue so we kept the install in the attic. i am most likely taking this antenna to our new home when built. first research indicated no real changes in antenna technology from my 60 mile one from 2015.

channelmaster does make a very high quality product. i'd recommend their solutions to anyone seeking a well made antenna.

i do have channelmaster old DVR+ which is no longer manufactred. it's been great as our receiver/DVR since 2015. so i got my monies worth when we upgrade next year.
 
Jim, I see you listed as Barrington IL. You, are in a sort of fringe area for everything. Though some of the more powerful Chicago stations you MIGHT be able to get, and perhaps one or two of the more powerful Rockford stations (though we don't have a half mile high place to put broadcast towers has as Chicago does). Might even be able to squeak out a Milwaukee station but certainly nothing from Madison WI and certainly not all the channels available OTA with best quality. So either forgo the indoor and go with a good rooftop with rotator or save the $$$ and headache and get FUBO. When I moved here, there was little to nothing available to cable for choices. So, 32 years ago I installed a very large rotator equipped antenna on my roof. It's still there and works well. I can get broadcast from Rockford (obvviously LOL), Madison WI (which in some cases I receive better), occasional Chicago on the lower bands, and some Milwaukee.
That is fed into a TABLO which is in my basement with my network equipment. TABLO feeds my network which then "streams" everything to every TV in the house over my WIFI and LAN. Works great. But, also beware football is going the way of baseball and availability OTA is going away rapidly.
Thanks so it sounds like you distribute thru your home network. All this stuff has advanced considerably!!! I have some homework to do.
 
Streamer here also.
Check out the website tvfool.com for estimated stations in your area.(I used the location in your profile)
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I'm quite a bit more rural in northern Wisconsin and I was surprised at the number of stations I was able to grab with one of those cheap-o flat square antennas inside, thumbtacked to the wall.View attachment 82879

I use a Tablo and the AirTV for Sling.
Thanks for the info. I need to do some research.
 
I don't have a lot of knowledge of Apple products (wanting nothing to do with their architecture). Same goes for Google architecture (in re to entertainment devices) so we have ROKU devices because they're as easy to use as falling off a rock and WAY more versatile than anything else I have tried. They're fast and so simple even my so tech challenged 96+ yo dad was able to operate is able to operate them. And he can barely dial a phone and even with photo icons to show him he cannot operate a mobile phone to even the most simple task of seeing a photo icon on the screen and touching it. So if HE can operate a ROKU interface it is simple :D
We are a roku hose as well. 3 total.
 
Thanks so it sounds like you distribute thru your home network. All this stuff has advanced considerably!!! I have some homework to do.
Yes, and it works REALLY well since you only have to connect the antenna to one application. Your LAN/WIFI does the rest for you. Cool thing is even if you're watching "live" TV, you can still pause it when needed, skip commercials, what have you.
You also can tailor how much capacity to get by simply changing the size of the HDD/SSD (I use an SSD). IIRC, I put a 1TB drive on mine, but quite honestly it was way back in (May?) and I don't even remember what I bought LOL. Wife, likes it as we can set up a profile for her and she can record anything she wants without interfering with anything I record. Though I have to admit I don't use it as much as I did since getting FUBO which has a VERY generous recording allowance.
Also the recordings can be watched any time on any TV in the house with the TABLO app loaded.
 
I don't have a lot of knowledge of Apple products (wanting nothing to do with their architecture). Same goes for Google architecture (in re to entertainment devices) so we have ROKU devices because they're as easy to use as falling off a rock and WAY more versatile than anything else I have tried. They're fast and so simple even my so tech challenged 96+ yo dad was able to operate is able to operate them. And he can barely dial a phone and even with photo icons to show him he cannot operate a mobile phone to even the most simple task of seeing a photo icon on the screen and touching it. So if HE can operate a ROKU interface it is simple :D
Everybody has a view on what they use I had roku sticks not 4k years ago I absolutely hated them the battery life was horrible you were lucky to get a month out of them without needing to swap out batteries and I hated their interface my quess is the newer models might be better than the old ones for battery life. The remote for the apple tv is rechargeable plug in a lighting cable and since we are an apple family plenty of those cables lying around charge for an hour and your good to go for 2-3 months.

Now to be fair to Roku both my daughters have smart TV's which I bought that are Roku tv's and they are fine with those.
 
My ROKU Ultra has a rechargeble remote. I would rather have battery one. The ones I have with batteries they tend to last well in excess of a year, and I just find the interface so much easier than any other OS. Like falling off a rock simple. EVen though I have a Smart Samsung TV, the OS is for crap, slow, balky and horrid to deal with. The only app that works decently is Netflix LOL
 
I have a Nvidia Shield TV since 2016 and they still update it and it is considered the best streaming box by many reviewers. Very happy with it. I also have a Fire TV stick that I travel with and use for Samsung Dex with my S22 to watch my live and recorder shows and movies on my Plex server from anywhere.
 
Mine was a PITA. I installed the antenna in the attic - had to steal power from the attic light circuit - made the attic light switch useless. Bought a long piece of cable. Used a bunch of connecting 4' sections of chimney cleaning rods to push the cable down through two floors to the crawlspace through a HVAC duct space. Tacked the cable to the floor joist and came up through the floor//wall to the TV.
 
we have centered around Apple TV
I have gen 2 Apple TV units which has the old remote which I am used to but the new one is supposed to be alot better. I am waiting for the next gen Apple TV which is rumoured to be coming in March or April. Supposedly the price point for the 64 GB is going to be under 100 bucks which will put it where the Roku Ultra is when its not on sale. I will be upgrading if that is where they price it at, you could buy the new remote and it should work with my model but thats kind of silly at a cost of 59 bucks if I can go to the newest model for $99. Do I need to upgrade probably not but I am 70 now so trying to save a few bucks instead of getting what I want is in the mirror. :)

Besides my wife is still working and probably will be for another 3-4 years she makes good money and works out of the house I encourage her everyday to keep at it. :) :) :)
 

 

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