I'm gonna miss network TV

[Blueberry]

DH is planning to make a homemade DTV antenna - apparently even though you can hook normal antennas up, they don't work as well. Our reception can be spotty (largely because of our plaster walls....) If it works, I'll post here as it may help some who are further away.

CA

[Fredwina]

I lost over half the channels in the switchover. Granted, I'm using the old "rabbit ears", but according to the dtv.gov website, I shouldn't count ever watching KCBS(2) over the air

[northstar]

You won't miss it as much as you think you will! We ditched TV in February and don't miss it. Like others, we watch shows online or do Netflix. It's much more fun arranging the living room furniture without the beast.

[smilingcat]

DH is planning to make a homemade DTV antenna - apparently even though you can hook normal antennas up, they don't work as well. Our reception can be spotty (largely because of our plaster walls....) If it works, I'll post here as it may help some who are further away.

CA

Ooo. your DH is an antenna engineer? I know nothing of the black magic. Like to know the physical dimension of his antenna the distances between the emitters and reflectors, width and the diameter of the beams...

Or is he an HAM operator with antenna know how.

KI6YMF (smilingcat)

[Blueberry]

Nope - it's quite easy to do (or so says you tube....) We'll see

[smilingcat]

Nope - it's quite easy to do (or so says you tube....) We'll see

I think your husband need to look up yagi antenna (multi element directional antenna), aperiodic log antenna (also directional antenna). These two types are what I see for rooftop antenna for regular TVs. Spacing of the elements and width are important in getting the right impedance matching for the frequency of interest. And I have no idea of how to figure all that out. It's black magic to me.

I got a pretty good chuckle on some of the contraption I saw. The coffee can. Wow I'm suprised it even picked up anything.

The old gentleman with hot side going to a dish and ground going to the chain link fence

I'm wondering if the old fashioned multi-element TV antenna for your rooftop is still useable. Not sure what frequency the new DTV is being transmitted. If its the same frequency as the old TV channels 2-7 then you should be able to use it.

KI6YMF (my call sign) smilingcat

[Zen]

We don't need special antennae at my house

[mjapple]

Hulu.com is a great way to watch pretty much any show you can think of, and probably many you've never heard of! I haven't owned a TV for years, but do keep up on a few of "my shows" with Hulu. Not as many commercials as regular TV, and no need to schedule your life around programming... nice

[tulip]

I was out of town last week when the change over happened, and so far I haven't missed not having my three channels. My little old TV with rabbit ears is in the closet where it normally resides. I simply refuse to pay for TV! So I'll use my little old TV for DVD-watching from the library, and perhaps I'll check out hulu.com for actual shows if I feel the need.

I don't like cable because you can't move the TV around--it has to remain where the cable is. Well, sometimes I like to watch it in the kitchen, sometimes in the livingroom, sometimes in my room...and I'm certainly not going to buy multiple TVs! I also really, really dislike seeing a TV in the room, even if it's off. I prefer to hide it when it's not in use.

I like to watch TV when I iron. I iron once a week for a couple of hours (yeah, I iron my sheets, so it takes a while). I find it strangely relaxing and gratifying. Maybe I'll catch up on my movie list while I iron, or maybe I'll watch something on the internet.