Need OTA advice please

[hahler2]

Hey guys. I'm new to OTA stuff and at the moment I am completely lost. I am thinking about cutting the cord, but I don't want to give up my local channels. The problem is I live in a very rural area and there is not much for options. Here is the tv fool findings.

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id=5134d7fd7d9472

I know that PBS, CBS, and ABC can be picked up fairly easily. But I'm wondering if it's possible to get FOX and NBC? I know nothing about antennas so any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[egnard]

Hey guys. I'm new to OTA stuff and at the moment I am completely lost. I am thinking about cutting the cord, but I don't want to give up my local channels. The problem is I live in a very rural area and there is not much for options. Here is the tv fool findings.

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id=5134d7fd7d9472

I know that PBS, CBS, and ABC can be picked up fairly easily. But I'm wondering if it's possible to get FOX and NBC? I know nothing about antennas so any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Go to the fcc site: https://transition.fcc.gov/mb/engineering/dtvmaps/

Put in your zip code and move the map to your location to get and idea of what's availble at your location.

 

[hahler2]

Ok. That map said that KTTM (which is FOX) is available but is listed as weak signal. Nothing for NBC. I'm thinking it probably isn't worth it since I won't be able to reliably pick it up. Might just go all online streaming using a combination of cbs all access and Hulu plus. Only thing I would give up would be NFL and local news. Local news isn't a big deal because that can be looked at online. Only thing that would suck would be the NFL. I'm a huge Vikings fan which is why I wanted access to Fox.

 

[fred555]

I see you getting CBS and PBS, the rest not so much.

 

[KE4EST]

Yours looks as bad as mine. If you put up a good outdoor yagi you may also get FOX.
You just have to access how much you want to spend and try.
Because you may spend the money and time with little return.

 

[Trip]

A few notes:

It looks like CBS and PBS would be pretty straight-forward.

KABY dismantled their tower since it was about to come down on its own, so ABC is gone for the time being. Time will tell if they bother to rebuild, and then it would depend on where they build.

Fox is probably available from KTTM or K39CZ-D but you'd need a good antenna.

NBC looks like a lost cause. If you're really interested in going full bore into it, they are available on FTA satellite (that's a different forum on SatelliteGuys).

- Trip

 

[Scherrman]

Find a way to get a good uhf/vhf antenna up in the air and run a cable from it directly to a TV. Do a channel scan and see what you get. If you don't get anything move the antenna and try again.

 

[cpalmer2k]

That's a pretty sad TVFool. I'd consider sticking with some form of pay tv if I were you

 

[fred555]

NBC looks like a lost cause. If you're really interested in going full bore into it, they are available on FTA satellite (that's a different forum on SatelliteGuys).

OTA is not your only option as Trip mentioned. I cut the cord with an antenna and had about 20+ stations OTA.
Went with FTA satellite and now have 60 plus really good free satellite stations from all over the country and the world.

 

[KE4EST]

Yes, NBC is not at all hard to get with an FTA system. May be something you at least want to look at.
We have a dedicated forum on here just for FTA.

 

[hahler2]

Thanks for the advice guys! I will look into the FTA. I'm giving up on OTA for now. Just doesn't seem worth it to me for 2, maybe 3 stations.

 

[Mr Tony]

That's a pretty sad TVFool.

latelly that seems to be the theme here...real bad tvfool reports

I'd consider sticking with some form of pay tv if I were you

I agree. Dish Welcome Pack is $20 a month and includes the locals (in HD) and some cable stations

 

[cpalmer2k]

latelly that seems to be the theme here...real bad tvfool reports


I agree. Dish Welcome Pack is $20 a month and includes the locals (in HD) and some cable stations

I'm with him on this one. FTA is great, but nothing is guaranteed to stay permanently and you might invest more than your return. Of course that depends on whether you can tolerate SD vs HD, how many TVs, etc. You could buy a 211z, pay the one time $40 DVR fee and come out really cheap if a full featured multi-tuner DVR isn't important

 

[fred555]

FTA is a fun hobby for the tinkerer types. If you don't know a screwdriver from a ratchet, then maybe not a good choice.
But the learning part is interesting too.

 

[mikekohl]

Find a way to get a good uhf/vhf antenna up in the air and run a cable from it directly to a TV. Do a channel scan and see what you get. If you don't get anything move the antenna and try again.

Everyone is giving up too easily and the above is good advice.
And you cannot always believe everything on .TV Fool.
There is a relay for NBC in Aberdeen on uhf Ch 33.
If you can get other relays/translators from Aberdeen using a healthy sized
UHF antenna and a preamp, your situation is not as bad as one might think.
This is pretty flat country, and unless you are in a low spot, it would most certainly be worth considering
Check out the attached PDF file that I prepared for the state of South Dakota.

 

[Mr Tony]

There is a relay for NBC in Aberdeen on uhf Ch 33.

you sure? because Trip's site and the FCC say its still in analog.

 

[Trip]

There is a relay for NBC in Aberdeen on uhf Ch 33.
If you can get other relays/translators from Aberdeen using a healthy sized
UHF antenna and a preamp, your situation is not as bad as one might think.

K33DT is an analog translator at this time. More importantly, ABC is not currently available as I noted; they do have an STA for a much lower power facility which will not make it to Ashton.

As I said, PBS and CBS are fine and dandy, as they're full power stations in the area. Fox will be manageable, most likely, with a good outdoor antenna, but probably via KTTM (pointed the other way) as opposed to the Aberdeen translator. ABC and NBC are currently out of reach OTA.

- Trip

 

[Mr Tony]

K33DT is an analog translator at this time.

Thank you for confirming that. I know Red River has apps out there for most of their translators and figured there were no digital facilities built yet

 

[hahler2]

I think Trip has pretty well nailed it. I was not aware that ABC was down. I think I read that some where but had forgotten it. The joys of living in the middle of nowhere! I looked into FTA. It's cool and would be a lot of fun because I do enjoy tinkering with gadgets. However I don't think it would meet the family approval. So for now, I'm going to stick with Dish and maybe drop down to a lower package to save some money until my contract is up. Then, once it's up I may go with some combination of either the Welcome pack and Netflix or Sling and Hulu ect. Both of those options have their pros and cons that's for sure. Again, I really appreciate all the advice!

 

[Mr Tony]

I think Trip has pretty well nailed it. I was not aware that ABC was down. I think I read that some where but had forgotten it.

coming up on a year now
http://www.satelliteguys.us/xen/threads/kaby-abc-aberdeen-sd-off-the-air.346559/

So for now, I'm going to stick with Dish and maybe drop down to a lower package to save some money until my contract is up. Then, once it's up I may go with some combination of either the Welcome pack and Netflix or Sling and Hulu ect. Both of those options have their pros and cons that's for sure. Again, I really appreciate all the advice!

Happy to help!
You can drop to Welcome Pack before your contract is up