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I'm in a new area, only watch TV occasionally, and so I'm exploring the possibility of getting an antenna for all my TV (no cable, no satellite) and radio. I already have a Panasonic plasma HD so I could watch OTA HD signals (I think?) if I could pick them up. I went to antennaweb.com and the stations I'm most interested in are pasted below. Most seem to fall in the blue "medium directional antenna with pre-amp" category; most are 40-60 miles away. Stations are split between ones north of me and those south of me, so I probably need a rotator. I'd also like to get FM signals since the reception is poor here.
In lieu of $600+ a year for satellite service, I'd be happy to invest in a top-of-the-line set-up to get basic TV. However, I know nothing about antennas.
---Do you have hardware recommendations for antenna, pre-amp, rotator, and anything else I need?
---Also, is there a "guide to antennas" somewhere on-line to read?
---Finally, where to buy?
Thanks!
red - uhf WHUT 32 PBS WASH DC 30° 43.5
red - uhf WDCA 20 MNT WASH DC 30° 43.5
red - uhf WDCW 50 CW WASH DC 35° 45.0
blue - uhf WETA 26 PBS WASH DC 30° 43.6
blue - vhf WJLA 7 ABC WASH DC 32° 43.1
* blue - uhf WJLA-DT 7.1 ABC WASH DC 32° 43.1
blue - vhf WTTG 5 FOX WASH DC 31° 43.4
blue - vhf WRC 4 NBC WASH DC 32° 42.4
* blue - uhf WRC-DT 4.1 NBC WASH DC 32° 42.4
blue - vhf WTVR 6 CBS RICHMOND VA 195° 55.8
blue - vhf WRIC 8 ABC PETERSBURG VA 201° 60.5
blue - uhf WRLH 35 FOX RICHMOND VA 206° 62.3
blue - vhf WWBT 12 NBC RICHMOND VA 196° 60.1
blue - uhf WCVE 23 PBS RICHMOND VA 201° 60.5
blue - vhf WUSA 9 CBS WASHINGTON DC 32° 43.1
* blue - uhf WUSA-DT 9.1 CBS WASH DC 32° 43.1
* violet - uhf WHUT-DT 33 PBS WASH DC TBD 32° 43.1
* violet - uhf WTTG-DT 5.1 FOX WASH DC 31° 43.4
* violet - uhf WETA-DT 26.1 PBS WASH DC 30° 38.3
In lieu of $600+ a year for satellite service, I'd be happy to invest in a top-of-the-line set-up to get basic TV. However, I know nothing about antennas.
---Do you have hardware recommendations for antenna, pre-amp, rotator, and anything else I need?
---Also, is there a "guide to antennas" somewhere on-line to read?
---Finally, where to buy?
Thanks!
red - uhf WHUT 32 PBS WASH DC 30° 43.5
red - uhf WDCA 20 MNT WASH DC 30° 43.5
red - uhf WDCW 50 CW WASH DC 35° 45.0
blue - uhf WETA 26 PBS WASH DC 30° 43.6
blue - vhf WJLA 7 ABC WASH DC 32° 43.1
* blue - uhf WJLA-DT 7.1 ABC WASH DC 32° 43.1
blue - vhf WTTG 5 FOX WASH DC 31° 43.4
blue - vhf WRC 4 NBC WASH DC 32° 42.4
* blue - uhf WRC-DT 4.1 NBC WASH DC 32° 42.4
blue - vhf WTVR 6 CBS RICHMOND VA 195° 55.8
blue - vhf WRIC 8 ABC PETERSBURG VA 201° 60.5
blue - uhf WRLH 35 FOX RICHMOND VA 206° 62.3
blue - vhf WWBT 12 NBC RICHMOND VA 196° 60.1
blue - uhf WCVE 23 PBS RICHMOND VA 201° 60.5
blue - vhf WUSA 9 CBS WASHINGTON DC 32° 43.1
* blue - uhf WUSA-DT 9.1 CBS WASH DC 32° 43.1
* violet - uhf WHUT-DT 33 PBS WASH DC TBD 32° 43.1
* violet - uhf WTTG-DT 5.1 FOX WASH DC 31° 43.4
* violet - uhf WETA-DT 26.1 PBS WASH DC 30° 38.3
8 Replies
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2941 views
K
I'm in a semi-rural area, so:
---buildings: none
--- trees: yes, in the area but my house is on a mostly open 4-acre lot, clear view to most of the sky.
---hills: none to the south, small incline to the north
---mountains: no
I'm a big Netflix fan, which is how I survive w/o cable or satellite!
I'm in a semi-rural area, so:
---buildings: none
--- trees: yes, in the area but my house is on a mostly open 4-acre lot, clear view to most of the sky.
---hills: none to the south, small incline to the north
---mountains: no
I'm a big Netflix fan, which is how I survive w/o cable or satellite!
I'm in a semi-rural area, so:
---buildings: none
--- trees: yes, in the area but my house is on a mostly open 4-acre lot, clear view to most of the sky.
---hills: none to the south, small incline to the north
---mountains: no
I'm a big Netflix fan, which is how I survive w/o cable or satellite!
OK , I am going to guess you need the most " powerful " antenna you can buy , without going so far as to look like a NASA ground station .
As I said , maybe 2 antennas & forget the rotor ? Think there is another thread on this forum about combining signals , might check it .
Also , plan on maintaince , sooner or later the sunlight will get the better of either the coax or some of the plastic insulators on the antenna .
Figure out how high you can get the antenna & still be practical .
Figure out the path for the coax or coaxes . Buy GOOD coax .
You may need a pre-amp , but I know next to nothing about them .
When it comes time to aim the antennas , either temporiarly locate a TV outside or scrounge up some walkey talkeys to communicate between you at the antenna and your partner at the TV , inside the house .
If none of this yealds satisfactory picture , you might go to the FTA forum and consider that route . There are a few HD channels broadcast in the clear . And several standard definition " local " channels in the clear . Ans some sports feeds in the clear .
Wyr
The Richmond stations have been HD for several years. I prefer using two antennas with an A/B switch. The DC stations are better run, and I prefer their local news. However, I'll flip over to Richmond to find out-of-market NFL and College Football games...
Staff member
HERE TO HELP YOU!
Cutting Edge
Sometimes a thread gets so many posts in it that is can cause issues for the server so that why today we introduce The Song Name Game Part 3!
So let the game continue!
The last song was added by Bobby who posted...
One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters
CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!
Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game
Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.
Example:
Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow
Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio
Another example:
Ride the Lightning -- Metallica
Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne
Get it?
An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....
So let the game continue!
The last song was added by Bobby who posted...
One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters
CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!
Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game
Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.
Example:
Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow
Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio
Another example:
Ride the Lightning -- Metallica
Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne
Get it?
An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....
68701 Replies
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2682418 views
Staff member
Pub Member / Supporter
Please post your remote make/model here and any details of your issue. We are looking to collect as many examples as possible. I may reach out to you for your receiver number, but please do not post it here.
If you've already reported this to me, please repost it here so I can track all instances in one thread.
Thanks!
Brittany
If you've already reported this to me, please repost it here so I can track all instances in one thread.
Thanks!
Brittany
26 Replies
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1101 views
Yea, I've only been a CIO for the last 30 years!
Trust me, when something important breaks, they get to own it!
My Hopper 3 updated itself to H713 last week and the IR issue is worse now. On H711, I could be on an SD channel for several hours and the IR side of my H3 would still be responsive without my having to tap the View button on my Pronto Pro every 15 minutes. Now, if I stay even on an SD channel without tapping the View button at least once an hour, it becomes unresponsive to my Pronto Pro without tapping the View button at least 5-20 times, just like on the HD and 4K channels. So, H713 actually made the issue worse. 
brittanygarden
brittanygarden
Pub Member / Supporter
Pissed off at the crappy healthcare costs
My health Insurance renewal for 2027 just came in. Going from $827 a month to $1,187 a month. Deductible going up a $1k to $9,350. Max out of pocket also going up $1k to $11,000. Doctor co-pay of $40. Urgent Care co-pay $50. ER 50% coinsurance after deductible. That's all in network. Out of network is double, should it be needed.
Have to think about this. I'm really tempted to just go without now. I only go to the doctor once or twice a year. I pay out of pocket for Tirzepitide and can do without the Rosuvastatin (crestor) now. Really tired of spending over $10k a year and getting nothing out of it.
After years with Blue Cross I switched last year to Ambetter as my Blue Cross premium was going from $1200 to $1800 for a Silver plan and the Bronze plan was still going to be $1300 at BCBS. Ambetter was $827 for the same coverage with a Bronze plan. Didn't think it would jump this much so soon.
I'm guessing a Silver plan is probably over $2,000 a month for 2027.
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Such a scam. Healthcare.gov shows me cheaper individual plans available for 2027 from ambetter that ambetter doesn't show on their website. Looked it up. I've spent $68,000 in premiums the last 5 years and got nothing out of it except a few doctors visits and labs.
I have Dish with Hopper3. I choose to get local channels OTA and had a "guide list" established at my previous home. Having moved a few miles away, I wanted to update the list by appending a couple new stations via a rescan. As many would know, some stations come in with the UHF/VHF antenna aimed in one direction, while others come in better with a different direction.
Unfortunately, when a scan is done (bringing in 25-30 stations for that particular antenna aim), the dialog screen does not present the established guide list; it presents an empty field to the right that the scanned stations may be selected one by one and added to the empty guide. But because of antenna aim, some stations originally saved are missing, and would have to be retrieved with a different antenna aim. But as I explain, if a 2nd scan is done with a different antenna aim, the stations saved from the first scan are lost.
It troubles me that Dish didn't develop software that would allow a user to simply append only 1 or 2 channels to the established list.
Any thought on this? Has anyone experienced this or heard of this from others?
Unfortunately, when a scan is done (bringing in 25-30 stations for that particular antenna aim), the dialog screen does not present the established guide list; it presents an empty field to the right that the scanned stations may be selected one by one and added to the empty guide. But because of antenna aim, some stations originally saved are missing, and would have to be retrieved with a different antenna aim. But as I explain, if a 2nd scan is done with a different antenna aim, the stations saved from the first scan are lost.
It troubles me that Dish didn't develop software that would allow a user to simply append only 1 or 2 channels to the established list.
Any thought on this? Has anyone experienced this or heard of this from others?
1 Replies
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54 views
After having continuing trouble with my eight+ year old Dell Inspiron laptop I am looking to hopefully catch a good deal on new one. My options to buy is Costco and Sam's Club. It seems like a lot of new laptops are 2 in 1 which I do not need. I use the laptop to mainly surf the web and keep up with my finances, money and bills. I would like to have at least a 15" screen and having a touchscreen is a plus. The keyboard would need to lighted also. I don't game any. It would have to be Windows instead of and not Mac. The brands I see the most are Asus, Dell and HP. My two last laptops has been Dell's. Of these brands are there any standouts over the other brands. My budget (hopefully) is $600+-. Also while researching I noticed that do not have ethernet ports.
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141 views
Pub Member / Supporter
Lifetime Supporter
Dang female lions don't mess around when it comes to their kiddos....aka whelps.
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Vvefv5xW77s?feature=share
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Vvefv5xW77s?feature=share
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29 views
Supporting Founder
Pub Member / Supporter
Apple Fall Hardware Event takes place today, September 9, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. PT / 1:00 p.m. ET. It marks the debut of new CEO John Ternus and the expected reveal of Apple's first foldable phone.
139 Replies
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2052 views
S
when was the last time they innovated something
I'd probably say when they came up with their M-series of processors with integrated memory. That allowed Apple to get away from the inefficient Intel CPUs that were limiting their notebook computers.when was the last time they innovated something
Supporting Founder
Really excited for this season with Kentucky having a new coach and some really exciting recruits. Probably won't last long, but here's hoping this season is great.
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3084 views
..I hate playing in Ames.
I hate playing in LA ...
Buckeyes had 2 weeks off and came out and looked absolutely terrible ... broke in a new Freshman Qb, but that wasn't the worst part ... undiscipline play, at last count they had 10 penalties.
Freshman in the end of the game trying to play catch up, had a lot of Over throws ... Bucks lose ...
#1 Miami struggled but pulled away in the end beating North Carolina by 3 ...
Tuesday the CFP brings out thier Playoff Top 12 again ... Buckeyes should drop from #2 to about #22 (they won't) had they had thier Starting QB, it would have been a different game ...
They could lose the rest of thier games at this point.
My in-Laws came from Iowa, she was a graduate of ISU. Unranked Iowa teams beat the #24 and #25 teams on Halloween.
And I heard that your QB made a poor choice after scoring the tying touchdown, leading to a fifteen yard penalty on the ensuing kickoff. The Cyclones were then able to take advantage of the resulting field position to get close enough to score the winning field goal.
In a NCAA Football season of bizarre endings, this has to rank right up there.
I had an old Wireless Joey replaced by a Wireless Joey 4 (Android TV) - still have a Hopper 3 without the Hopper Plus. What do I have to do to get the EPG to show channel logos instead of "Dish"? This is annoying as hell and it's been this way for over a month…
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36 views
Lifetime Supporter
Looks like dish is Bankrupt. Filling tomorrow Tuesday June 30th
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14619 views
S
www.aboutamazon.com
Amazon to acquire Globalstar and expand Amazon Leo satellite network
Globalstar satellites, radio frequency spectrum, and operational expertise will enable Amazon Leo to add Direct-to-Device (D2D) services to future generations of its low Earth orbit satellite network.
www.aboutamazon.com
S
www.foxnews.com
SpaceX reportedly seeks 80,000 cell sites to become a wireless carrier | Fox News
SpaceX is reportedly pursuing 80,000 cell sites to turn Starlink into a wireless carrier that could compete with Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile for cell coverage.
www.foxnews.com