What's a guy gotta do?

[mannye]

I need to get off the directv habit but I have 5 TV sets that need to be fed the OTA signal. Most of the cabling issues are already dealt with as I plan to use the coax going to the three dishes (two small and one large HD dish) to connect the OTA antenna.

I have one Omnidirectional OTA outside antenna that's OK but still has trouble with some channels. I think it's a Wineguard 4400. I'm in Miami Beach on the west side of the island and if i'm going to stop suckling at the teat of satellite TV I need to find a rock solid solution that gives me every channel all the time with no rotating or other fiddling. The wife and kids are NOT tech nerds like me and just want to turn on the TV, raise and lower the volume and change channels...no rotating, no A/B switches, etc.

Considering I spend over 100 bucks a month on pay TV, my budget for eliminating it is pretty high but so are my expectations.

I've gone through several indoor solutions none of which work well and at least three different outdoor soutions, again all of which are left wanting in one way or another. I don't CARE if it's a sleek disc or a massive jumble of aluminium rods As long as it works. About the only limitation I have is the length of the mast, but I can go up to 8 to 10 feet if I have to.

Any advice will be welcome!

 

[mike123abc]

Checkout tvfool.com (TV signal locator) and see what it recommends for your address. You can post your results here and get feedback on different antennas that people here have tried in similar situations.

 

[mannye]

Thanks! Will do!

OK... the results are here:

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id=1ddaa19b4ad29c

 

[boba]

You have 5 TV's do they all have ATSC tuners built in, what makes are they?

 

[mannye]

They all do.. Three of them are Samsung one is a "Hanspree" and one Panasonic. The three Samsung models are a 55 LCD a 32LCD and a newer 32 LED... the Hanspree is a 32 LCD and the Panny is the oldest and smallest at (I think) 24...(kitchen TV) None are "smart" except the new LED. There is a 6th "TV" but that would only be used for occasional events like sports.. a Panny FP that's used primarily for watching movies BUT... I just realized I would probably want to go into the HTPC which as two additional tuners... so we're talking 7 total Tuners...

 

[boba]

Try a Winegard HD 1080 it should handle both VHF and UHF and 328-339 degrees should cover where you need to aim

 

[mike123abc]

Your tvfool reports seems to indicate all the locals in green would be easy to pick up, without a huge antenna. If you want the distant ones yellow+ you will need a bigger one. But, it looks like you have the big 4 close and easy to pickup. With the transmitters less than 15 miles away I would not be surprised if rabbit ears work.

 

[No Static At All]

The best bang for the buck antenna that will supply both a robust VHF & UHF signal is the HBU-22. You could use the more expensive ANT-751 if aesthetics are a concern & achieve just about the same level of performance. The ANT-751 should be available locally at most Walmart & Best Buy stores. The HBU-22 should be carried at most Radio Shacks. Both are available online for about half the price if you don't mind waiting a few days for delivery.

All of your local signals are coming from the antenna farm right next to Dolphins stadium. You have a LOT of receivable channels that should be very reliable with the RIGHT antenna.

Good luck!!

 

[sportsfan42]

Your tvfool looks way better than mine and I live in a valley with mountains and ridges. You can look at my thread and see what I am dealing with. I'm sure you wouldn't need antenna facing different directions but you can buy the ANT751R from Walmart shipped for like $37.95. They were out of stock so I paid a few dollars more from Amazon as I couldn't wait. I can vouch for them, they work well as you can see on my reports from tvfool and antennaweb.org, your distances are half of mine or more.

 

[mannye]

Thanks everyone! Aesthetics are not a concern at all. It's at the back of the house, not visible from the street and really not visible from the backyard either, so I don't care how ugly the thing is. Besides, an old style TV antenna kind of appeals to the vintage nerd in me. I'll start with the Radio Shack HBU-22 and see how that does. I'll post this weekend if I can get it all squared away.

 

[mannye]

Hey! Thanks to everyone! I went with the Wineguard HD 1080 and it brought in everything nice and clear. Many at 90+ strength and a couple at 100% (according to the tuner on the Hanspree TV anyway) Done!

 

[boba]

Hey! Thanks to everyone! I went with the Wineguard HD 1080 and it brought in everything nice and clear. Many at 90+ strength and a couple at 100% (according to the tuner on the Hanspree TV anyway) Done!

Congratulations, I'm glad my suggestion is also working for you.

 

[Mr Tony]

Hey! Thanks to everyone! I went with the Wineguard HD 1080 and it brought in everything nice and clear. Many at 90+ strength and a couple at 100% (according to the tuner on the Hanspree TV anyway) Done!

glad its all working out for ya

 

[mike123abc]

Hey! Thanks to everyone! I went with the Wineguard HD 1080 and it brought in everything nice and clear. Many at 90+ strength and a couple at 100% (according to the tuner on the Hanspree TV anyway) Done!

It is nice to receive OTA for free. I hope you are able to cut your cable/DBS bill down to size now, or eliminate it.

 

[mannye]

It is nice to receive OTA for free. I hope you are able to cut your cable/DBS bill down to size now, or eliminate it.

Yes indeed ! That's the plan. I've been on the broadcast side of TV for 20 years and if anyone knows how good OTA can look it's me. I've always said that the best thing that can happen to TV in modern times is for people to realize just how good free OTA can look. I'm old enough to remember that most people originally went to cable because of the hoops they had to jump in order to get a decent signal... that's no longer the case.