Tom researched it extensively and drafted all the steps below, so YOU can do it, too!
(Just a note, like satellite dish tv, if there are storms, the signal can get scrambled for a couple of seconds, so if you put on Closed Captioning, you can still catch all the dialog).
Just print out Tom's instructions and follow along.
Tired of paying for cable TV? We were so fed up with the exorbitant cost of
our cable bill each month that we made the decision to disconnect from our
local cable provider, return all of their equipment, and get over-the-air high
definition television (HDTV) for free.
That’s right, at no cost. Here’s
what we did.
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| GE Pro Attic Mount TV Antenna, |
Go to the Amazon.com website and shop for an antenna. The cost can range from as little as $20 to
as much as $70. They’re all pretty much
the same, so an antenna that costs somewhere in the middle will work just
fine. Here’s the one that we got:
GE Pro Attic Mount TV Antenna, Digital, HDTV Antenna, 4K 1080P VHF UHF,
Compact Design, Mounting Pole Included, 33692
$30.39
Since we were installing the antenna inside the attic, I
also ordered a signal amplifier. You may
not need one and you’ll be just fine, but I wanted to ensure that we would pick
up as many free channels as possible.
You will need a power source in the attic to plug in a signal amplifier,
so if you don’t have an outlet, and don’t plan on having one installed, then
skip buying a signal amplifier. Here’s
the one that we got:
Winegard LNA-100 Boost TV Antenna Amplifier, HDTV Signal Booster, HD
Digital VHF UHF Amplifier, Indoor HDTV Ultra Low Noise Amp (USB Power Supply)
$27.66
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| Winegard LNA-100 Boost TV Antenna Amplifier |
Assemble the antenna following the manufacturer’s
instructions. It took me about an
hour. Next, install the antenna following
the manufacturer’s instructions. We
mounted it upside down using the mounting pole provided, and attached it to a
roof rafter. I ran a new cable from the
antenna to the location of the signal splitter installed by our cable provider. We have 3 TVs in our house, so there is one
port on the “input” side of the splitter and 3 ports on the “output” side of
the splitter. On the “input” side of the
splitter, I disconnected the cable that came from the cable TV company, and
installed the amplifier (the piece in the shape of a “J” in the image above). On the other end of the amplifier, I
connected the new cable that I ran from the antenna. I didn’t have to do anything to the “output”
side of the splitter. Then I plugged the
USB power cord into the amplifier, and plugged the amplifier into the
outlet. And because I have a touch of
OCD, I neatly stapled all of the cables to the rafters and framing in the attic,
using insulated stapes used for telecommunications wiring. Now we’re all set. That’s pretty much it for the installation.
Next, you will need to determine which way to point the
antenna. This is the website I used: http://www.overtheairdigitaltv.com/tv-station-locator-tool/
Type in your address and zip code in the prompt fields. In the top right corner, immediately above
the location map, click on “Make Radar Plot.”
The site will produce an image like this:
So for our address, most of the TV stations are located just
slightly to the east of true north, and just slightly to the south of due
west. I opted to point the antenna north
because it looked like there were more stations clustered in that general
direction.
Next, you will need to rescan or reinitialize your TV so
that it receives input signals from over the air, and not from a cable provider’s
tuner box.
Once the TV has been reinitialized, it’s time to adjust the
direction of the antenna. Have someone
watching the TV as you attempt to fine tune the exact direction in which to
point the antenna. Once the picture
quality suits your preference, tighten the set screws on the mounting pole to
fix the antenna permanently in position.
It’s as simple as that.
You will be amazed at the picture quality, and best of all, it’s free. No more monthly cable TV bill.
