Any free options available?

  • dumples@kbin.social
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    10 months ago

    What over the air antenna do you use? Thinking about getting one but the last one I used was spotty at best.

    • Banzai51@midwest.social
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      9 months ago

      Look up antennaweb.org, like others have said.
      I use this one: GE Outdoor HD Digital TV Antenna
      You don’t need to spend big money in order to get a great antenna. There are no specialized antennas needed for HD or 4k. Any antenna claiming range over 80 miles is making, being charitable, dubious claims. If it looks like a dildo, it will be a lousy antenna.

      The new wrinkle to the modern antenna game is the transition to digital. You’ll need a digital tuner to watch OTA now. Lots of TVs have them built in, so you can plug the antenna directly into them. If your TV doesn’t, or you want to stream the OTA channels within your house you’ll need a digital tuner like the HDHomeRun Flex 4k (4 tuners built in).

      And the same downsides of antennas from back in the day are still a problem today. If you live in a rural area far from the broadcast centers, you’ll have trouble picking up signal. If you live in a hilly or mountainous area, you’ll have issues. If your local broadcasting areas are all spread out around you instead of one general area, you might have to pick and choose what you actually can pick up.

      • dumples@kbin.social
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        9 months ago

        I live in a major metro area so directions shouldn’t matter and I only need a small omnidirectional. I really don’t want to install one on my roof but I can that being the main recommendation. I would much rather install it on the TV I need when I need it. Since it’s like once or twice a year.