Charter makes...Part Deux.

[Jim O'Dell]

Ok, the cable TV is going to have to go. Finally called yesterday and guess what? The reason I lost 40 channels I've been getting for over 7 years is because I didn't have that package and they just found out about it! So I guess the jokes on them...I've been getting something for free! Yea right. To keep what I've been getting, plus the internet, would cost 135.00 plus taxes per month...Ain't gonna happen.

So, I've been doing some research and I'm going to try my hand at a home made HD antenna. Lots of information out there. I've got a design I'm going to try, but thought I'd ask if anyone here has built one and what your experiences are. There is a torn up antenna mounted to the chimney that I can attach the HD antenna to that will get me 25 or so feet above the ground. Still lots of trees that will affect the signal, but hopefully it will work good enough for a decent picture.

Second question is, is there any other service or device that would allow me to get Fox Sports Southwest, maybe a couple ESPN channels, USA Network, The Food Channel, The Weather Channel, and maybe the DIY Network (HGTV has lost themselves in buying houses). If the HD antenna works, I'll have all the major networks available. I could purchase the Hulu service. There are devices, I think Roku is one, that talk about being able to get TV shows through the internet, but I haven't found a listing of what that entails yet. Need to do some more research. Thanks! Jim.

[Myk Rian]

A UHF antenna like this works pretty well. I'll look for the plans.
http://i938.photobucket.com/albums/ad222/MykRian/misc/20130126_221851.jpg

[Jim O'Dell]

Myk, I've found plans for a larger unit and already have my wires cut. Just need to get some other supplies. You say it works pretty good? That's what I'm looking for. That and how to get the sports channels. Tried to watch the Stars hockey game online, but downloading the program didn't get me the video, so I just listened to the audio part of it. It was the Star's announcing team like is on FSSW. Thanks! Jim.

[Matt Meiser]

I'd be interested Myk. We still use an antenna for our locals with a special tuner from Directv that integrates to our DVR. Our tower antenna is getting pretty bad so I'd like to take it down in the spring.

[Chris Damm]

It will depend on how far you are from the signal. The nearest station is about 40 miles from me and I've built 2 different antennas and neither worked very well. I took the best designed one to my son's house (10 miles from tower) and it worked quite well.

[Eduard Nemirovsky]

Jim, you can check online, sites like "antennaweb dot com", for a signal in your area.
Ed.

[Myk Rian]

I'd be interested Myk. We still use an antenna for our locals with a special tuner from Directv that integrates to our DVR. Our tower antenna is getting pretty bad so I'd like to take it down in the spring.
I did a Google search for "build hd antenna" and several come up. The one I made can be improved upon by putting a reflector behind it. I just can't find the one I made.
I used 10 or 12 gauge house wire for it. Just stripped down what I needed, and straightened it. After it was all together I soldered the connections. The cable connects to the center lugs with a x-frmr.
Here's a similar one. http://www.mikestechblog.com/joomla/misc/hdtv-antenna/127-build-high-gain-hdtv-antenna-plans.html

[Jim O'Dell]

tvfool.com has a great tool for finding the different stations for your location. Go here: http://www.tvfool.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29 Plug in your address, and it gives you a 360 degree map showing where the transmitters are relative to your location, and a chart that shows the strength you should see and the distance to the transmitter. There are 31 stations with a signal strength under -90dbm and less than 43 miles away. I should be ok if the antenna works as it should.
More interested in how to get sports channels I want, even as a paid subscription. Not sure I want to go the route of the major sports subscriptions because again of price. ESPN has one. Some of their stuff is available for free. I've watched some college basketball that way in the past. Fox Sports Southwest would be my most watched sports channel because of the local pro sports they have contracts with, and they do a good amount of Baylor basketball.
I need to go thru my TV's apps and see what is available there. I know MLB and the like are on there. Need to see how expensive it would be to get them. Here is the site I got my antenna build from. http://www.mikestechblog.com/joomla/misc/hdtv-antenna/127-build-high-gain-hdtv-antenna-plans.html We'll see how it goes. I may go out and get supplies to start on it today. Jim.

edit: Myk, just noticed the site you mentioned for the antenna is the same one I'm following!!

[Matt Meiser]

Thanks for the link. The TV fool site he recommends is handy. All the stations I care about, the Toledo locals are closer than I thought--14.3 to 17.1 miles. The Detroit ones that come on Directv as our "local" stations are close to 50.

[Myk Rian]

The Detroit ones that come on Directv as our "local" stations are close to 50.
Yeah. They're in Southfield.

[Chris Walls]

Jim
We were in a similar position about a year ago. Our tv was dying and I was tired of the cost of the satellite tv . We have no option for cable out here in the township. Our nearest station is about 90 miles or more. So an external antenna would not work for us. I'm not sure it would have changed anything. I just sent the tv to recycle and canceled the service. Can't say that I have missed it much. I do miss watching the news but sometimes it's really hard to watch anyway. It's hard to believe you can get about 150 channels and still have nothing to watch that doesn't insult your intelligence.
Chris

[Ken Garlock]

Greetings Jim.

We need to clear up a few things.

1. James Clerk Maxwell set down the rules for electromagnetic current flow. His rules/laws work in the entire universe. They are called Maxwell"s but he set down the mathematics of how they worked.

2. Your TV signal was generated in compliance with Maxwell's equations. Back in 1930es, a Japanese gentile man devised an antenna that was named after him, the YAGI. It is simple in structure, but requires careful construction based up the part of the radio, TV, spectrum you are interested in receiving. The vast majority of TV antennas used today are a yagi.

3. Given that radio waves act in the same way everywhere in the universe, and that all TV antennas work according to Maxwell's equations, there is no such thing as an HD antenna.

4. Those of you who live in fringe areas do need a normal yagi antenna that is designed for distant reception. You may also need a signal amplifier mounted at the antenna. And of course the higher the better.

Moving on, I have been a Dish Network customer since the first year they were on the air, and do recommend them. Dish carries the FOX sports channels that cover your area. The last I knew, that service was either 5 or 8 dollars a month additional to your regular Dish bill.

[glenn bradley]

Take the plunge. I've been TV-free for over 20 years and it hasn't hurt me a bit.

[Jim O'Dell]

OK, I got the antenna up on the roof a couple hours ago. LOML was working in the front yard, looked up and said: "It's not very pretty, is it?" Well, no it's not. But the big question was, will it work? There was already an antenna up there mounted to the chimney, so I just tagged on top of it. The top of this antenna is about 48" higher than the commercial antenna that was there. I would have tried it, but about half of the feelers were gone, I knew it wouldn't work. But it gave me the wiring, the balun and the amplifier already in place. Took a while to figure out how to access the antenna input on the newer TV. Once I got the channels learned, I have 38 local channels, (15 of which I can't understand what they are saying!!! :rolleyes:) all crystal clear. And I was pointing the antenna (directional design) by memory from where the tvfool.com site and google earth maps said it should be pointed. So if anyone needs to build an antenna, I can vouch for this design. It works!
Now to rebuild with materials that will withstand the elements. The hard part, the cut wiring and soldering will all unscrew and transfer over. Then I'll cut the cable TV. Still need to find a way to do the sports though.
If interested in building one of these, check the link that Myk and I both showed earlier in the thread, Miketechblog.com Jim.

[Jim O'Dell]

Got the Charter bill today.....they charged a 49.99 disconnect fee. :confused: Then credited 20.00 off of it as a special promotion. :confused::confused: You promote a disconnect fee???? I think they've gone mad. Thing is, I'm probably falling into their trap, because I don't feel like fighting them on it. Jim.