Will Rabbit Ears Work in TV?

[TomW]

...even if you are not a rabbit. Can one receive "any" over the air channels on TV, in TV?

[EdV]

I thought you moved down here to get away from the snow.

[BogeyBoy]

I don't think you'll have much success. I have tried and only get a signal when I put them up in the attic, and even that is not good. I think to get any decent signal you would need a more sophisticated antenna (in the attic or outside on the roof), perhaps with an amplifier.

[Xavier]

I don't think you'll have much success. I have tried and only get a signal when I put them up in the attic, and even that is not good. I think to get any decent signal you would need a more sophisticated antenna (in the attic or outside on the roof), perhaps with an amplifier.

When you tried it were you trying to pull in a digital signal or analog? I've had people tell me that with the digital converter they were able to get more and better reception than they did when the signal was analog. Just curious since I have a couple of digital converters sitting in my desk drawer.

[starflyte1]

We just went thru this last week in our rv-gave up Directv and went to the antenna on top of the rv.

We went to Radio Shack and bought a converter box ($60) and also an amplifier $40) in case our antenna was not amplified (it was). We hooked up the antenna to the converter box and tv and had enough tv to watch. Mostly local stations.

Radio Shack can most likely help with your question, but I think all tvs need a converter box if not hooked up to cable or satellite since the government change last year.

[BogeyBoy]

When you tried it were you trying to pull in a digital signal or analog? I've had people tell me that with the digital converter they were able to get more and better reception than they did when the signal was analog. Just curious since I have a couple of digital converters sitting in my desk drawer.

Initially I tried to pull the digital signal with a digital TV. Then I tried with a converter and analog TV. (Only at ground level.) Same results, very limited reception and only by constantly adjusting the antenna.

BTW - I did go to Radio Shack and asked for their advice. The individual who assisted me said customers have had limited success with over-the-air reception since the switch to digital.

[mgm4444]

only if he's not deaf.......


sorry, I couldn't help myself

[Rag Bagger]

I haven't tried it in TV but at our home up north we use a converter box and old analog TV.

Digital made a huge difference. Many stations came in. All local and PBS came in. With the new digital most of the locals have two or more stations. It seems it either comes in clear or you get nothing. No more snow, it connects or nothing.

We are relatively close to stations up north so I don't know if over the air reception will work in TV. We have Dish in the villages but frankly we watch the networks most of the time. The rest of the programing is just too boring so I would love to get OTA reception in TV.

[TomW]

OK. Thanks. We are moving in increments - going back and forth between TV and IN every once in a while but it isn't worthwhile to hook up Comcast quite yet until we are there all the time. I was hoping we could get something OTA but that appears unliekly.

[JohnN]

we bought a new LG flatscreen LCD and when we cycled through to set up the channels, we get quite a few over the air, maybe a dozen or more - enough for our time here so far. good luck

[Virginians]

If you can golf in TV for free why would you pay big bucks for TV (television)
Of course you can't use rabbit ears, Stations are as much as 60 miles away and in all directions. When we moved to TV in Oct 2009 we had cable for one month paid by previous owner. The quality of the picture was so bad I thought we went back in time 30 years. I ordered an antenna from http://www.dennysantennaservice.com/1073325.html. 2 days later we were back in business. 4 major networks plus PBS and 12 other channels all in HD.
Not only HD but most OTA are broadcast in 1080p while almost all Satellite and cable are not and even HD is extra money. For some reason I am not allowed to insert an image or file so I can't show you a picture of our antenna in TV. PM me and I will send you a picture of our house in TV with antenna.

[garsha]

It is my understanding that Comcast does have a vacation or seasonal program at a much lower rate if you are here enough to warrant that. Otherwise when my husband were only visiting the house for a week or two at a time, we set up a DVD. Not incredibly satisfying but better than total silence when you just want to kick it for an hour or two.

[ricthemic]

If you can golf in TV for free why would you pay big bucks for TV (television)
Of course you can't use rabbit ears, Stations are as much as 60 miles away and in all directions. When we moved to TV in Oct 2009 we had cable for one month paid by previous owner. The quality of the picture was so bad I thought we went back in time 30 years. I ordered an antenna from http://www.dennysantennaservice.com/1073325.html. 2 days later we were back in business. 4 major networks plus PBS and 12 other channels all in HD.
Not only HD but most OTA are broadcast in 1080p while almost all Satellite and cable are not and even HD is extra money. For some reason I am not allowed to insert an image or file so I can't show you a picture of our antenna in TV. PM me and I will send you a picture of our house in TV with antenna.

Thanks, So it it OK to use this in TV? It should be because it looks the same size as the direct tv dish that is all over my neighborhood even mounted on a pipe in backyards. Can you feed more than one TV with a spilter and still get a good picture? Thanks

[Virginians]

I use a splitter, one to DVR and one to television tuner. This allows me to record two shows and watch a third such as Sunday morning at 9:00 AM. Works fine. Yes the antenna is actually smaller than a dish. The law allows any antenna smaller than 3' in diameter. Dish network sells a DVR for OTA that requires no monthly fee (DTV Pal). One of the networks sends a signal to provide tv guide information. It is not as reliable as T-VO but it is free.

[EdV]

....Not only HD but most OTA are broadcast in 1080p while almost all Satellite and cable are not......

Not true, and in fact, quite the opposite:

In the United States, 1080p over the air broadcasts still do not exist as of 2010; all major networks use either 720p60 or 1080i60 encoded with MPEG-2. Satellite service though has many channels that utilize the 1080p/24-30 format.

[rabonkmontage@msn.com]

I use a splitter, one to DVR and one to television tuner. This allows me to record two shows and watch a third such as Sunday morning at 9:00 AM. Works fine. Yes the antenna is actually smaller than a dish. The law allows any antenna smaller than 3' in diameter. Dish network sells a DVR for OTA that requires no monthly fee (DTV Pal). One of the networks sends a signal to provide tv guide information. It is not as reliable as T-VO but it is free.

Do you have or need cable or dish also to receive OTA programs?

[Talk Host]

The law allows any antenna smaller than 3' in diameter. Dish network sells a DVR for OTA that requires no monthly fee (DTV Pal). One of the networks sends a signal to provide tv guide information. It is not as reliable as T-VO but it is free.


Can you tell us more about the 3' diameter rule. I apparently was misinformed. I understood that visible antennae of any kind are not allowed. Many many many ham radio antennas are far smaller than 3' but are not permitted. Some of the ham radio antennas are so small that people "HIDE" them inside their flag poles. If they are smaller than 3' in diameter, they won't have to hide them.

[rabonkmontage@msn.com]

Ham radio antennas might not be allowed because their signal interferes with other signals.

[BogeyBoy]

we bought a new LG flatscreen LCD and when we cycled through to set up the channels, we get quite a few over the air, maybe a dozen or more - enough for our time here so far. good luck

What kind of antenna did you use?

[Virginians]

Not true, and in fact, quite the opposite:

In the United States, 1080p over the air broadcasts still do not exist as of 2010; all major networks use either 720p60 or 1080i60 encoded with MPEG-2. Satellite service though has many channels that utilize the 1080p/24-30 format.

I stand corrected 1080i or 720p. Still cable and satellite can only compare if you pay extra for HD.

Can you tell us more about the 3' diameter rule. I apparently was misinformed. I understood that visible antennae of any kind are not allowed. Many many many ham radio antennas are far smaller than 3' but are not permitted. Some of the ham radio antennas are so small that people "HIDE" them inside their flag poles. If they are smaller than 3' in diameter, they won't have to hide them.

The 3' rule (actually 1 meter) is in the FCC rule you quoted here on 02-17-2008 https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12485&highlight=antenna

The rule was for video only but there have been some additions, not sure about Ham Radios.

[Allen]

...4 major networks plus PBS and 12 other channels all in HD.

Would you mind listing the 4 networks and 12 channels that you are able to get with this antenna?

Thanks!

[Don H]

Ham radio antennas might not be allowed because their signal interferes with other signals.

I don't think you can ban amateur radio antennas because of the "possiblity" of interference. I believe TV bans them for aesthetic reasons. I think that even amateur UHF antennas would be banned in TV if they were actually mounted on the roof. Such UHF antennas can be only a matter of inches long. All the same, if one was noticed the homeowner would probably be asked to remove it. Too bad really as hams can provide emergency communications when needed.

[Xavier]

Would you mind listing the 4 networks and 12 channels that you are able to get with this antenna?

Thanks!

I'd assume that they would be out of Orlando/Daytona just like you would get with Directv. Four major networks are highlighted in red. A few of the other channels are Spanish programming.

NBC WESH 2
CBS WKMG 6
ABC WFTV 9
PBS WDSC 15
CW WKCF 18
AZA WAU 21
PBS WMFE 24
UNI WVEN 26
IND WRDQ 27
FOX WOFL 35
TFT WOTF 43
IND WTGL 45
IND WACX 55
ION ION 57
MNT WRBW 65
PBS WBCC 68
ION WOPX 56

[Virginians]

Xavier is accurate with his assessment. We also get Fox 51 out of Ocala Gainsville. Plus 3 weather chanels. Although NBC 2 always seems to have a strong signal, it is broadcast in a different frequency than the others and is not as reliable at this time.