Which indoor TV antenna should I get?

[maroonandwhite]

I am looking to get a good indoor antenna to pick up the local Nashville channels. I'll be within 15 miles of most of the major stations. I know you can't beat a good outdoor antenna mounted up high but that's not an option in my rental. I have never messed with indoor antennas but I assume I would want something multi directional. 

 

Any of you guys have some recommendations on what yo look for?

[TNFlyer]

I'm not a fan of the indoor antennas. What I did was hang an outdoor antenna in my attic and I can pickup all the Nashville channels. Check Radio Shack they usually have a small selection of both types. Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

[enfield]

I hung a Winegard omnidirectional in my attic and I pick up Knoxville from 50 miles away. Your mileage may vary.

[Guest Bonedaddy]

Tried a many a different kind and they all suck.

[runco]

These posts may help you:

http://www.tngunowners.com/forums/topic/5498-need-high-def-antenna-info-might-dump-the-satellite/?hl=antenna#entry1017538

 

http://www.tngunowners.com/forums/topic/75059-finally-cutting-the-cable-cord/?hl=antenna#entry1098274

 

http://www.tngunowners.com/forums/topic/62596-tv-without-paying-for-cable/?hl=antenna#entry931316

[Mike A]

After thinking about it off and on for the last few years and with my latest Uverse promotion about to expire I've started prepping for cutting the cord.  I saw some good reviews on the Mohu Leaf and have ordered one as well as an Amazon knock off.  Should have them next week.  From the recent threads, looks like we have a lot of cord cutters here.  Unless someone posts info on the Muhu in the interim, I'll post something after I have a chance to check them out.

Edited January 31, 2014 by Mike A

[Dane]

You can build an antenna for less than $10. Mine is picking up stations 40 miles away. [URL]http://www.tvantennaplans.com[/URL] Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[TacoBubba]

Try a mohu leaf. It receives in HD and is paper thin. I have had one for over a year now and love it. Sent from my SCH-i705 using Tapatalk

[maroonandwhite]

[quote name="Keal G Seo" post="1104025" timestamp="1391166602"]If you are within 15 miles then there is probably cable already run to your house. Get I said cable not cable service. Just plug it into a TV (or converter if you have an old TV) and you should have crystal clear local channels under the must broadcast laws. On top of that they usually take up 1 or 2 channels as preview channels for the subscription required channels. Kinda like a "See what you're missing?" channel.[/quote] Really now? Well that's cool. There are two coax cables coming out of the floor. I was assuming comcast. I'll check that out next weekend when I go up again. That will solve the problem of that's the case. Didn't know that was law. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Motasyco]

I hung a Winegard omnidirectional in my attic and I pick up Knoxville from 50 miles away. Your mileage may vary.

 

Winegard is top quality and a US company.

[maroonandwhite]

[quote name="JkBubba10" post="1104005" timestamp="1391148055"]Try a mohu leaf. It receives in HD and is paper thin. I have had one for over a year now and love it.Sent from my SCH-i705 using Tapatalk[/quote] I like the look of this one and it gets great reviews. How far are you from the broadcast towers? Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[maroonandwhite]

If you are within 15 miles then there is probably cable already run to your house. Get I said cable not cable service. Just plug it into a TV (or converter if you have an old TV) and you should have crystal clear local channels under the must broadcast laws. On top of that they usually take up 1 or 2 channels as preview channels for the subscription required channels. Kinda like a "See what you're missing?" channel.

I did some reading on this and it looks like the provider has the option to scramble/encrypt these channels. Therefor I would probably need their box to decode the signal. They have to broadcast on there service but not for free is what I am gathering. I guess I'll know once I try it out but I don't have my hopes up. I actually found quite a few threads on this on other sites that said it was going away.

[TacoBubba]

[quote name="maroonandwhite" post="1104043" timestamp="1391173160"]I like the look of this one and it gets great reviews. How far are you from the broadcast towers?Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk[/quote] I can pick up a station in Abingdon Va from my home in Unicoi. That's about 60 miles give or take. Amd that's with the really mountainous terrain. Sent from my SCH-i705 using Tapatalk

[Guest RebelCowboySnB]

You can build an antenna for less than $10. Mine is picking up stations 40 miles away.

http://www.tvantennaplans.com


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

I built one of these an it did ok at about 30 miles.

[tnguy]

I did some reading on this and it looks like the provider has the option to scramble/encrypt these channels. Therefor I would probably need their box to decode the signal. They have to broadcast on there service but not for free is what I am gathering. I guess I'll know once I try it out but I don't have my hopes up. I actually found quite a few threads on this on other sites that said it was going away.

I have just the cable internet and the channels are on the cable, including one 3d channel that I really should check out soon as it's apparently going away (if it hasn't already). Don't use it though as the OTA stuff is HD digital and much better looking.

As for antenna, I'm still using the Dish antenna that Dish sent me back when they were having the local channel issues. The dish it's mounted to hasn't picked up anything for about 10 years but the antenna is going strong. I do want to replace it with a decent passive antenna sometime though. Edited January 31, 2014 by tnguy

[maroonandwhite]

I have just the cable internet and the channels are on the cable, including one 3d channel that I really should check out soon as it's apparently going away (if it hasn't already). Don't use it though as the OTA stuff is HD digital and much better looking.

As for antenna, I'm still using the Dish antenna that Dish sent me back when they were having the local channel issues. The dish it's mounted to hasn't picked up anything for about 10 years but the antenna is going strong. I do want to replace it with a decent passive antenna sometime though.

 

From what I have read it's the customers that have no service at all with comcast that are getting the channels cut off; which makes sense I guess. Why should they let us use their lines for free?

 

I just ordered one of the Mohu Leaf's and will report back on it once I get to Nashville next weekend. If it is as good as all the reviews then it should work great. Thanks for the info guys.

[maroonandwhite]

Yes it is up to the companies if they opt for must broadcast. Most do though, here I have around 40-50 channels including the big 4 (Fox, CBS, NBC and ABC). Granted a lot are religious or just local advertisement channels I still get a few like PBS, CW, WB, ION etc with a couple of kids channels.

 

No the provider as in the cable provider doesn't. It is the network's choice. Either they opt for must broadcast, in which they cant ask for money from the cable company for listing their channel as part of packages, or they can opt out and get paid by the cable company to have their channel. Most locals opt for must broadcast because they get more viewers overall and can charge more for local advertising. In this new digital TV age though you do either have to have a newer TV or have one of the digital converter boxes. This isn't the same cable boxes provided by cable companies but rather something to convert the signal from the new digital to the old analog for old TVs. If you are running an old TV you can pick up a converter box on Amazon for sub $50. Might find them even cheaper elsewhere since they have been around a few years now.

 

Well it sounds like you know what you are talking about so we will see! I do have newer TVs with built in digital tuners so that shouldn't be an issue. The upstairs rooms don't have coax ran so I may use the antenna up there assuming this all works out with the local channels. The only other concern is that they won't be in HD over the coax. Would this be the case?

[maroonandwhite]

Oh no, the ones that broadcast in HD are still HD. That is what the digital is for. If you had to convert back to analog for an older TV then it wouldn't be but given the TV itself wouldn't be HD that would hardly be a problem.

 

Ok. I'll let you know how it goes.

[tnguy]

From what I have read it's the customers that have no service at all with comcast that are getting the channels cut off; which makes sense I guess. Why should they let us use their lines for free?
 
I just ordered one of the Mohu Leaf's and will report back on it once I get to Nashville next weekend. If it is as good as all the reviews then it should work great. Thanks for the info guys.

Well, before we went for the internet, the line was physically cut off. They installed a whole new batch of cable and termination box for us.

[tnguy]

Oh no, the ones that broadcast in HD are still HD. That is what the digital is for. If you had to convert back to analog for an older TV then it wouldn't be but given the TV itself wouldn't be HD that would hardly be a problem.

I had the impression that the channels weren't digital when I checked them out. It was only a quick "try it and see" based on what you had written a few months back so I may have to take another look soon.

[BryanP]

Here's a review of several indoor antenna you might want to read:

 

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2013/07/indoor-hdtv-antennas/index.htm

 

You can find out what channels are available and how far the broadcast is from you by way of these pages:

 

http://transition.fcc.gov/mb/engineering/dtvmaps/

 

http://antennaweb.org/

[tnguy]

If that's so, I may have to switch over.

[tnguy]

Wow. Watching the walking dead as it airs. Forgot how annoying and distracting commercials are.

[maroonandwhite]

Just an update. The Mohu Leaf did work but only picked up seven channels. It picked up the basic channels fine but made me wonder how sensitive it may be. A slight movement and it would lose the signal.

 

The GOOD news is that when I plugged into the Comcast cable I was able to get the TV to program 41 channels! About half of them were repeats or dead/scrambled but once I went through and weeded them out I now have all the basics as well as a few other oddball local channels. Thanks for the tip Keal G Seo! You were right!

[downtown]

I made one like the one mentioned in post #7. I'm in Clarksville and I put it in my attic and get some HD channels from Nashville. The main channels I get in HD are 2, 5, 17, 28,30,50, and 58. I lost ch 4, but I really don't watch it that much to stress over it. This is for the TV upstairs. I think eventually, I will try an outdoor antenna and get rid of Directv downstairs. For the reflector of this antenna I used a piece of cardboard covered in aluminum foil. I will try to figure out how to post a pic on here.

 

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