Cutting the cable! TV cable that is

[Grimly]

This is all very interesting stuff. I did a lot of online research before selecting my antenna.
I really was tempted to make my own. I watched a bunch of YouTube how to videos and there were some guys living in very rural areas getting very good reception with home made bow tie antennas mounted on 20’ poles.
Any they really are a Sunday afternoon project.

I've only just noticed this is an old thread, but no matter...

Here, the TV companies dropped the VHF service and all went UHF about a decade ago. It was half-and-half prior to that. SImultaneously the digital services started up.
I had an old MMDS dish kicking around, and since I'm only 30 miles from the nearest TV transmitter I realised I could use the dish as a UHF reflector, so mounted a 900-ish MHz folded dipole at the focal point of the dish and mounted it in the attic. The gain of the dish (about 27dB (claimed) compensated for the signal loss of receiving through the roof structure.

That does me for terrestrial TV, but I barely ever watch it anyway. I'm hooked up to several freebie European satellite streams, but barely watch anything on them either. The vast majority of my viewing is downloads I've missed when they've been on broadcast telly or old movies.
I don't think I've sat through a TV advert in years.

 

[joebgd]

My cable bill is out of control, I don't have a movie channel package either, I watch tcm, history, toon, discovory, animal, travel channel etc..
My big question is, what do you do for internet and wifi?

 

[thuban]

joebgd, There is not a cheap way to do it but there are many more expensive ways. I purchase my internet through a phone line. Then I bought an Amazon fire stick that works on the same internet phone line and buy the $14 buck a month service. So I have Amazon TV, You tube is free but with adds and many more free channels. I'm a member of Amazon Prime for free shipping so I get the Prime channels from that. So for about $100 a month and that's less than DISH or Direct TV. At one time I had to have Direct TV for my business plus all my home stuff. No more, so I'm happy as a clam.

 

[halfmile]

AT&T U-Verse is finally on it`s way out. I finally bought the Samsung 75" QLED and the 5.1 surround sound bar. Tons of free stuff already on this TV. Last month my cable/internet bill was $157. Next month my Internet-NETFLIX-Discovery+ will be around $70. I still have to get a antenna for some local stuff. Now all I have to do is figure out how to pry the remote out of Glenda`s hand.

 

[Mailman]

I still have to get a antenna for some local stuff.

Don’t forget to add a ground wire to your antenna, so some errant lightning bolt doesn’t blow up your nice new TV.
I bought a roll of 10 gauge solid copper core wire off of EBay and ran the wire from my antenna down to my electric panel conduit that ran down into the ground. Alternatively you can drive a long metal stake into the ground and run the ground wire to that.

I also added a grounding block.

 

[jetmechmarty]

I already pay $175 per month for horrible internet. It's satellite based, with a dish in the yard and limited data. Because the Buffalo Bills got into the playoffs after a 25 year absence, I subscribed to YouTube TV. My wife likes having TV channels, so I'm stuck with it. I expect to be in the Starlink beta test. I sent him my money.

 

[Grimly]

Don’t forget to add a ground wire to your antenna, so some errant lightning bolt doesn’t blow up your nice new TV.
I bought a roll of 10 gauge solid copper core wire off of EBay and ran the wire from my antenna down to my electric panel conduit that ran down into the ground. Alternatively you can drive a long metal stake into the ground and run the ground wire to that.
View attachment 188795
I also added a grounding block.
View attachment 188796

I sidestepped the problem by having an antenna in my attic, well away from any lightning danger.
One of these...

There are thousands of them lying around these parts, since the microwave distribution system went toes-up in 2016 (and before). I picked this one up for free and there are many more mouldering in sheds, barns, or still attached to chimneys. Nobody knows what to do with them, but they're still very very useful for TV frequencies and anything from around 400MHz to over 2GHz.
To buy one would be well over a hundred quid. Free is good for a dish with 24db of gain. I'm picking up a cracking TV signal through two thicknesses of roof structure.
It was easy enough to simply make a flattened loop element and mount it at the focal point.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multichannel_Multipoint_Distribution_Service

 

[Team Junk]

Being in the attic does not protect the antenna from being struck by lightning. Trust me on this one.

 

[Grimly]

Being in the attic does not protect the antenna from being struck by lightning. Trust me on this one.

If this one is struck, I'd accept that God hates me.

 

[Team Junk]

As a firefighter I have been in several houses with a big smoking hole in the roof. You could clearly see the route of the romex by the darkened trace on the sheetrock on the ceiling. My house and antenna tower get struck with some regularity and have found that lighting loves the outer shielding in coax.

By the way you might try uhf sized loops instead of the cat whiskers. I find they work better.

 

[Team Junk]

There are thousands of them lying around these parts, since the microwave distribution system went toes-up in 2016 (and before). I picked this one up for free and there are many more mouldering in sheds, barns, or still attached to chimneys. Nobody knows what to do with them, but they're still very very useful for TV frequencies and anything from around 400MHz to over 2GHz.

Awfully small for UHF parabolic. Don't think your seeing much gain there. 3db from the reflector maybe. The 21db is at 2ghz

This is what a UHF tv parabolic looks like.

http://www.rocketroberts.com/cm4251/cm4251.htm

 

[Grimly]

Awfully small for UHF parabolic. Don't think your seeing much gain there. 3db from the reflector maybe. The 21db is at 2ghz

This is what a UHF tv parabolic looks like.

http://www.rocketroberts.com/cm4251/cm4251.htm

Funnily enough you're not the first to say it shouldn't work.
And yet... it works brilliantly.

 

[YAM277]

There is a great source for most questions on youtube from "Antenna Man" (no joke)
His videos inform us on grounding techniques, which antennas to avoid or throw away! (On Amazon)
and his service can be purchased, though many of us here don't need it! Self explanatory advice is provided for free!!!
Including which websites to load up apps on your smart phone for keying in direction for signal strength. Save me a bundle on the first try!
17 channels up here in the boonies!
https://www.youtube.com/c/AntennaMan

 

[halfmile]

I bought the PingBingDing digital ultra HD amplified 4K motorized with remote 360 degree 300 mile outdoor antenna for a meager 29.95 with free delivery. What could possibly go wrong? Nothing. I actually get 46 channels. Along with the built in stuff Samsung has I have Sling Blue and Netflix. My total bill each month is $51, plus $46 for internet. The 75" QLED Samsung is not big enough though. The new 2022 tv`s come out in March and a 85" or bigger is on the way. I`ll fully surrender the 75" to Glenda and hog the new tv for myself. I will put up another PBD antenna for the new tv and installation of Sling and Netflix on another device doesn`t cost anymore. (or so they say).

 

[halfmile]

I took half the money I had put back to finish my Last Tracker build and invested it in this 85" QLED TV. No more girly, artsy craftsy, wholesome, love story, food channel BS for me. From now on its blood, guts, and loud racing engines just like God intended television to be in the first place. Glenda is now in complete charge of the 75" on the left.

 

[mrtwowheel]

I bought the PingBingDing digital ultra HD amplified 4K motorized with remote 360 degree 300 mile outdoor antenna for a meager 29.95 with free delivery. What could possibly go wrong? Nothing. I actually get 46 channels. Along with the built in stuff Samsung has I have Sling Blue and Netflix. My total bill each month is $51, plus $46 for internet. The 75" QLED Samsung is not big enough though. The new 2022 tv`s come out in March and a 85" or bigger is on the way. I`ll fully surrender the 75" to Glenda and hog the new tv for myself. I will put up another PBD antenna for the new tv and installation of Sling and Netflix on another device doesn`t cost anymore. (or so they say).
View attachment 208385

I put up my 2nd one of these antennas on the tower yesterday. I have one pointed at Fort Wayne, 60 plus miles away, and one pointed at Toledo, also 60 plus miles away. I'm using an A/B switch. With the two antennas I get about 90+ channels. The rotator on these is only good for aiming while setting them up. I don't turn them after initial aiming because it is impossible to know where it's pointed unless you can turn it while watching the antenna. The cable connection is very fragile, I broke the first one and bought another, but hey, $150 antennas are fragile too.

 

[halfmile]

I have`nt moved my antenna since I first got it aimed either. Can`t see the TV and antenna at the same time. The A/B switch seems like the way to go. I might try that myself when I put up the other antenna.

 

[mm1ut1]

I got rid of cable two years ago. Since I live halfway between two cities I have two antennas. Local business installed it. Total cost was under $500.00. We get 26 channels. We also got Roku with Netflix and Hulu . We use our daughters password so it’s free. Certainly don’t miss the cable bills! Wish I had done it years earlier.