Amazing how more power the TV & Radio(am/fm) were allowed the broadcast by the FCC. Now the reduced power restrictions & indoor antenna are subject interference. An outside, more powerful antenna helps. Its our government Bureaucracy FCC, other agencies reducing our power to live & enjoy life. We the People know, those that pay attention will see the way out of this. Jan 20th 8 days away from a new beginning.
I would like to see an up to date video on the best antenna for some different situations. As an example. I live in an apartment where antennas are not allowed to be mounted on the balcony. I currently use and have used a Mohu Leaf for the past 6+ years. Is there anything newer that might help me pull in a couple of more stations?
@joshuaguenin9507 I don't know about that. I'm just wondering if there are any better options for those types of antennas out there. I would think products improve over the years, antennas included.
No, an apartment generally cannot completely prevent you from mounting a TV antenna on your balcony due to FCC regulations, specifically the "Over-the-Air Reception Devices Rule" (OTARD), which prohibits restrictions that impede the installation and use of antennas for receiving television signals; however, your lease agreement may specify restrictions on where and how you can mount an antenna on your balcony, and it's always best to check with your landlord first.
@@JCSWW He means "Antennaman" the RUclips channel. That channel should have all the information you need. He will even (for a fee) give you custom recommendations for over-the-air antenna reception for your location.
The problem with an OTA antenna is that a lot of people live in apartments and are unable to install an outdoor antenna. It also prevents indoor antennas from picking up channels due to where their apartment is located and/or due to the building material in their homes. This is why I think that free OTA local TV channels should put out apps that allow viewers to stream their channels live for free online. Of course they won't do that because it wouldn't be as profitable as charging cable and streaming services retransmission fees to carry their channels on their services. So until someone is able to event a way for indoor antennas to receive an OTA signal no matter where it is place in a home and no matter the building material said home is made out of, a lot of people will still pay for cable and other live streaming services in order to get local OTA channels.
Nice info on this channel. I used to live in Kentwood, MI, and now live in the Traverse City area. This year, I'm spending the winter in Tucson, Arizona, depending on my Roku to watch all my favorite streaming shows.
I enjoyed your discussion on using an antenna. I would think an outside antenna would be the best but what about an inside antenna for those of us that an outside antenna is not an option. Do you have any recommendations on what to look for in a good inside antenna.
I use two $8 antennas I bought from Walmart and have been using them for over a decade. ABC and Fox only come in at 720p, and PBS and the other non local channels broadcast at only 480p. NBC, CBS, and the CW do get 1080p. No 4k at all. So not always the best resolution, but at least I get just enough of them.
I don't get that when people say they can't get any OTA channels. It's likely they can. They managed to figure it out in the 1960's and 1970's. Sure, you might not get channels with a 12" flat antenna tucked behind your TV, but you can likley put a bigger one of the roof and get it. Some people even put up towers for antennas back in the day, but I get that's a little more involved than most people want to get into.
Apartment building and your unit is facing south and the stations are north. If you have indoor apartment access with a hallway you are on the wrong side of the building.
Some apartment buildings in NYC area had a large antenna on top of the building that served every apartment. Residents could hook up using a plug inside their apartment and connect to their TV. In the peak cableTV era, building managements removed those antennas and the plugs were replaced with cable connections for cable and internet. So unless you're on the correct side of the building (only 1/4 to 1/2 of the apartment units will be so situated), you will be lucky to get more than 1 or 2 OTA channels, despite what the web-based antenna availability sites say. And those channels, since they're digital, will freeze and blink so often it's not worth it to watch. There may be a specialty indoor antenna that may work to pull in a few more OTA channels, but it would take buying and trying--who knows--hundreds of them to find one that works.
It is really frustrating to see people try once and say, "Antenna doesn't work for me." For me, it was trial and error. You have to move the antenna and rescan it as many times as possible to find the best location.
I use an antenna, but find it a bit sketchy. NBC signal ia not pointing in my direction and only get pixalated reception. ABC, CBS are OK with NPR being the best signal. And the other 10-15 stations that get picked up are marginal at best.
been using an antenna for years now to get local channels after I dropped cable, mine looks like a joystick and it was only $15, its not like those huge rabbit ear antennas from 2 or 3 decades ago, I saved so much money from not having to get these channels through a streaming service
When I switched several years ago, I tried an antenna but it didn't work for me. I live just inside the city limits of a midsize city. Maybe the antenna I tried wasn't the best. But, the resolution of the channels that I could get looked so bad as to be unwatchable.
I live in central New Jersey. I have an indoor Antennas Direct antenna 📡 with a 60 mile range. I cannot pick up two channels. WPIX-TV, Channel 11, known as PIX11 (the CW owned-and-operated station owned by Nexstar Media Group, Inc.) and the Mickey Mouse Channel, abc7, WABC-TV, Channel 7, the ABC flagship/network O&O, both in New York City. ☹️ BTW - I picked up 64 channels.
Luke, I completely disagree with you that the vast majority of people can get their local through an antenna. The fact that 90% of people lice in an area that is close enough for antenna coverage does not mean that those 90% CAN get local channels. I think you fail to realize that between 35% and 45% of people (depending on what study you look at) live in an apartment or condo. While apartment owners and condo associations cannot prevent them from putting up an antenna or satellite they can determine where it's placed. This means that up to 2/3 of those apartment and condo dwellers are not facing in the right direction to be able to get those channels. Also, there's no real way to account for this but even if you have a balcony where you can put an outdoor antenna facing the right direction if it's backed up to a line of trees that becomes useless. Lastly there are just some networks that unless you can put an antenna on the roof you are not going to get a signal no matter what. AT one point I lived just 24 miles outside of DC. Depending on which way I pointed the antenna I could sometime get the ABC station out of Baltimore in Northern Virginia. No matter what I did I could never get CBS or NBC and because I lived in a condo I could not put an antenna on the roof. I now live in a townhouse and can do that if I want to but there are still millions of people who live close to the towers that cannot use an antenna to get all of their locals then when you add the people who live further away or are surrounded by natural barriers I'd say it's not a correct statement to say that the overwhelming majority of people can use an antenna.
I live on Cape Cod. All our local stations are in Boston. It does not happen on Cape Cod with an antenna. It just doesn't. And if somebody could enlighten me and how it does I'll be thrilled
With a more powerful antenna it probably should. Well according to many who have them. That is what about 70 miles away? Personally I haven't had any luck picking up channels that far away from me.
@artdogg50 I've tried a few of them. None of them work. I can get my local stations on the apps that I have downloaded on my fire stick. I can't watch my sports and you know what that's okay. It's not the Earth shattering thing that I thought it was going to be. But I can watch all the rest of it just like a couple of the shows or a week delayed or whatever and that's okay
HD Homerun or Tabloo. They take an antenna's signal and output it via ethernet cable. I was able to get that to work with a wifi repeater and a 5 ghz mesh cube. Both have ethernet ports. About 5 feet of cables. An antenna on an old camera tripod in a bedroom. The signal goes to the router. I use a HD Homerun. You watch TV from the antenna via their app. Currently their Windows App is garbage, something changed. But, phone, Smart TV, Fire Stick, Android Tablets, Fire HD Tablets, all work. The antenna is hooked to nothing but a Mesh Cube. The Mesh cube and router are only about 30 feet apart. But. I would have had to lay about 80 feet of ethernet cable to hard wire it to the router.
Luke if your viewers keep asking you this question, don't you think 🤔 it's time for the president, or congress to step in and fix this problem. Because your solution are not what your viewers want. I want a stand alone local package which has 4 abc 4nbc, 4fox , and pbs. I personally think 🤔 the reason the don't is complete what cutting the cord really mean. THIS IS THE REASON I ENJOY LOCAST , THIS WOULD be great with a tablo, or plex .
I miss Locast. The gov should mandate that all the cable channels and streamers (that offer full packages including locals) offer a local package with the local TV broadcast/OTA stations, that is available directly over the web or on an app. It should be free, but I'd pay a couple of bucks for it.
How to watch these channels for free? Answer go buy a a antenna run channel scan. Even a bad antenna picks up strong signals. If you get a good antenna then you probably get 50 channels.
@jimtrue1465 yes it will you just have to invest in a real outside antenna on a structure. My grandmother lives in the middle of nowhere but has a 500 dollar steel structure with the antenna on top. She gets only 20 channels but it's fine for her. It's her only choice because no Internet and dish will come to her rural country house. On the bright side she owns a lot of land for basically nothing in comparison to city prices
All "free" TV, OTA or streamed, is nothing but garbage (reality and reruns). I used to like local news, but it too is garbage now. I only use OTA to watch football.
If we had a good antenna where I am would get the local PBS station, and I think the local CBS. I am waiting until I find a home before investing in an antenna. Area I am looking at homes is roughly 30 miles closer to the TV stations. I use News On and Local Now for news. Haystacks for clips. At 42, I am tired of living in the a town of 700.
Here, outside Kansas City, I get 75 to 85 OTA channels with $40 indoor antenna with a booster. I loved firing Comcast and letting RUclips Tv go.
@BigFluffyPup I'd luv and indoor antenna but I'm in the middle of nowhere. Literally lol
Thank you Cord Cutters News. :)
Amazing how we are going back to the 1970s to watch TV.
Amazing how more power the TV & Radio(am/fm) were allowed the broadcast by the FCC.
Now the reduced power restrictions & indoor antenna are subject interference.
An outside, more powerful antenna helps. Its our government Bureaucracy FCC, other agencies reducing our power to live & enjoy life. We the People know, those that pay attention will see the way out of this.
Jan 20th 8 days away from a new beginning.
I would like to see an up to date video on the best antenna for some different situations. As an example. I live in an apartment where antennas are not allowed to be mounted on the balcony. I currently use and have used a Mohu Leaf for the past 6+ years. Is there anything newer that might help me pull in a couple of more stations?
sounds like you need antenna man
@joshuaguenin9507 I don't know about that. I'm just wondering if there are any better options for those types of antennas out there. I would think products improve over the years, antennas included.
No, an apartment generally cannot completely prevent you from mounting a TV antenna on your balcony due to FCC regulations, specifically the "Over-the-Air Reception Devices Rule" (OTARD), which prohibits restrictions that impede the installation and use of antennas for receiving television signals; however, your lease agreement may specify restrictions on where and how you can mount an antenna on your balcony, and it's always best to check with your landlord first.
check out Tyler the Antenna guy
@@JCSWW He means "Antennaman" the RUclips channel. That channel should have all the information you need. He will even (for a fee) give you custom recommendations for over-the-air antenna reception for your location.
The problem with an OTA antenna is that a lot of people live in apartments and are unable to install an outdoor antenna. It also prevents indoor antennas from picking up channels due to where their apartment is located and/or due to the building material in their homes. This is why I think that free OTA local TV channels should put out apps that allow viewers to stream their channels live for free online. Of course they won't do that because it wouldn't be as profitable as charging cable and streaming services retransmission fees to carry their channels on their services. So until someone is able to event a way for indoor antennas to receive an OTA signal no matter where it is place in a home and no matter the building material said home is made out of, a lot of people will still pay for cable and other live streaming services in order to get local OTA channels.
Nice info on this channel. I used to live in Kentwood, MI, and now live in the Traverse City area. This year, I'm spending the winter in Tucson, Arizona, depending on my Roku to watch all my favorite streaming shows.
I get 4 channels OTA where I live....BUT I don't watch sports or local news....so all good.
Only if you live close to the towers. I’m about 70 miles from towers
I enjoyed your discussion on using an antenna. I would think an outside antenna would be the best but what about an inside antenna for those of us that an outside antenna is not an option. Do you have any recommendations on what to look for in a good inside antenna.
I use two $8 antennas I bought from Walmart and have been using them for over a decade. ABC and Fox only come in at 720p, and PBS and the other non local channels broadcast at only 480p. NBC, CBS, and the CW do get 1080p. No 4k at all. So not always the best resolution, but at least I get just enough of them.
I have too
I don't get that when people say they can't get any OTA channels. It's likely they can. They managed to figure it out in the 1960's and 1970's. Sure, you might not get channels with a 12" flat antenna tucked behind your TV, but you can likley put a bigger one of the roof and get it. Some people even put up towers for antennas back in the day, but I get that's a little more involved than most people want to get into.
Apartment building and your unit is facing south and the stations are north. If you have indoor apartment access with a hallway you are on the wrong side of the building.
Some apartment buildings in NYC area had a large antenna on top of the building that served every apartment. Residents could hook up using a plug inside their apartment and connect to their TV. In the peak cableTV era, building managements removed those antennas and the plugs were replaced with cable connections for cable and internet. So unless you're on the correct side of the building (only 1/4 to 1/2 of the apartment units will be so situated), you will be lucky to get more than 1 or 2 OTA channels, despite what the web-based antenna availability sites say. And those channels, since they're digital, will freeze and blink so often it's not worth it to watch.
There may be a specialty indoor antenna that may work to pull in a few more OTA channels, but it would take buying and trying--who knows--hundreds of them to find one that works.
I've done that for many years now with a $3 antenna in the Chicago burbs
I get Fox, NBC, ABC, CBS, PBS etc with a Mohu indoor antenna. My residence faces South which helps.
I’d like to see a video of the options for a DVR app using an antenna.
With many TV stations adding DRM to ATSC 3.0, how long will OTA still remain free? Our government MUST step in and put an end to DRM on OTA.
@James.Bizzell it will always be free. By law airways must always broadcast in case of a national emergency.
It is really frustrating to see people try once and say, "Antenna doesn't work for me." For me, it was trial and error. You have to move the antenna and rescan it as many times as possible to find the best location.
I use an antenna with a Tablo TV. I get all my locals so it works good for me and I can still record
I use an antenna, but find it a bit sketchy. NBC signal ia not pointing in my direction and only get pixalated reception. ABC, CBS are OK with NPR being the best signal. And the other 10-15 stations that get picked up are marginal at best.
been using an antenna for years now to get local channels after I dropped cable, mine looks like a joystick and it was only $15, its not like those huge rabbit ear antennas from 2 or 3 decades ago, I saved so much money from not having to get these channels through a streaming service
antenna wont work here pal. live 90 miles east of st louis wh at else do i use.or no kelp for me............
When I switched several years ago, I tried an antenna but it didn't work for me. I live just inside the city limits of a midsize city. Maybe the antenna I tried wasn't the best. But, the resolution of the channels that I could get looked so bad as to be unwatchable.
I live in central New Jersey. I have an indoor Antennas Direct antenna 📡 with a 60 mile range.
I cannot pick up two channels. WPIX-TV, Channel 11, known as PIX11 (the CW owned-and-operated station owned by Nexstar Media Group, Inc.) and the Mickey Mouse Channel, abc7, WABC-TV, Channel 7, the ABC flagship/network O&O, both in New York City. ☹️
BTW - I picked up 64 channels.
Luke, I completely disagree with you that the vast majority of people can get their local through an antenna. The fact that 90% of people lice in an area that is close enough for antenna coverage does not mean that those 90% CAN get local channels. I think you fail to realize that between 35% and 45% of people (depending on what study you look at) live in an apartment or condo. While apartment owners and condo associations cannot prevent them from putting up an antenna or satellite they can determine where it's placed. This means that up to 2/3 of those apartment and condo dwellers are not facing in the right direction to be able to get those channels. Also, there's no real way to account for this but even if you have a balcony where you can put an outdoor antenna facing the right direction if it's backed up to a line of trees that becomes useless.
Lastly there are just some networks that unless you can put an antenna on the roof you are not going to get a signal no matter what. AT one point I lived just 24 miles outside of DC. Depending on which way I pointed the antenna I could sometime get the ABC station out of Baltimore in Northern Virginia. No matter what I did I could never get CBS or NBC and because I lived in a condo I could not put an antenna on the roof. I now live in a townhouse and can do that if I want to but there are still millions of people who live close to the towers that cannot use an antenna to get all of their locals then when you add the people who live further away or are surrounded by natural barriers I'd say it's not a correct statement to say that the overwhelming majority of people can use an antenna.
We need more antennas out there because some of us are on the end of a market
I bought a Tablo to stream my antenna and it still won’t work
I live on Cape Cod. All our local stations are in Boston. It does not happen on Cape Cod with an antenna. It just doesn't. And if somebody could enlighten me and how it does I'll be thrilled
With a more powerful antenna it probably should. Well according to many who have them. That is what about 70 miles away? Personally I haven't had any luck picking up channels that far away from me.
@artdogg50 I've tried a few of them. None of them work. I can get my local stations on the apps that I have downloaded on my fire stick. I can't watch my sports and you know what that's okay. It's not the Earth shattering thing that I thought it was going to be. But I can watch all the rest of it just like a couple of the shows or a week delayed or whatever and that's okay
Thanks 👍🏽 appreciate you sharing information
OTA! 👏
i tried attena and only got 12 channels and only 1 local
The problem with antenna is your have wires and the tv is stationery
HD Homerun or Tabloo. They take an antenna's signal and output it via ethernet cable. I was able to get that to work with a wifi repeater and a 5 ghz mesh cube. Both have ethernet ports. About 5 feet of cables. An antenna on an old camera tripod in a bedroom. The signal goes to the router. I use a HD Homerun. You watch TV from the antenna via their app. Currently their Windows App is garbage, something changed. But, phone, Smart TV, Fire Stick, Android Tablets, Fire HD Tablets, all work. The antenna is hooked to nothing but a Mesh Cube. The Mesh cube and router are only about 30 feet apart. But. I would have had to lay about 80 feet of ethernet cable to hard wire it to the router.
@dlewis9760 awesome
ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and CW will never offer a free streaming version of the network because it would cost the networks too much
prime time shows are streamed free after a week on their websites
Luke if your viewers keep asking you this question, don't you think 🤔 it's time for the president, or congress to step in and fix this problem.
Because your solution are not what your viewers want. I want a stand alone local package which has 4 abc 4nbc, 4fox , and pbs.
I personally think 🤔 the reason the don't is complete what cutting the cord really mean.
THIS IS THE REASON I ENJOY LOCAST , THIS WOULD be great with a tablo, or plex .
I miss Locast. The gov should mandate that all the cable channels and streamers (that offer full packages including locals) offer a local package with the local TV broadcast/OTA stations, that is available directly over the web or on an app. It should be free, but I'd pay a couple of bucks for it.
How to watch these channels for free? Answer go buy a a antenna run channel scan. Even a bad antenna picks up strong signals. If you get a good antenna then you probably get 50 channels.
If you live too far away from the broadcast towers, no antenna will work.
@jimtrue1465 yes it will you just have to invest in a real outside antenna on a structure. My grandmother lives in the middle of nowhere but has a 500 dollar steel structure with the antenna on top. She gets only 20 channels but it's fine for her. It's her only choice because no Internet and dish will come to her rural country house. On the bright side she owns a lot of land for basically nothing in comparison to city prices
Thanks..but no one wants to watch that garbage.
Speak for yourself
Amen!
All "free" TV, OTA or streamed, is nothing but garbage (reality and reruns). I used to like local news, but it too is garbage now. I only use OTA to watch football.
@@csimet good for you
Then why click on the video?
No thanks.. Not into commercials and "Programming"
Then why not just skip the video?
If we had a good antenna where I am would get the local PBS station, and I think the local CBS. I am waiting until I find a home before investing in an antenna. Area I am looking at homes is roughly 30 miles closer to the TV stations. I use News On and Local Now for news. Haystacks for clips. At 42, I am tired of living in the a town of 700.