HD TV antenna

[pjackson8]

Has anyone had an antenna installed on their house in The Villages?
Did you have to get approval?
What guidelines/limitations are there?
Who do you recommend for installation?
Costs involved?

[Mrprez]

There’s been many discussions about this…try the search function.

[JoelJohnson]

For the thousandth time, THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A HD ANTENNA!
They are the same thing as they were back in the day when everyone had one on the roof.
The FCC has the last word on antennas, no one can prohibit them.
For a good review on antennas go to Antenna Man - Cut The Cord (http://WWW.ANTENNAMANPA.COM)

[villagetinker]

I would add to be respectful of your neighbors and not put up a big tower. There have been many success stories of antennas in the attic (did not work at our house), and how to aim the antenna. In general you will need one rated for 75 miles or more and an amplifier if not included with the antenna. I used a 4 port amplifier so that I did not have to install any splitters.

[MrFlorida]

I would not bother, your reception in TV is not very good.

[Bilyclub]

I would not bother, your reception in TV is not very good.

Maybe that's your experience or opinion. I have very good reception.

[jrref]

Right you the Villages can't stop you from putting up an antenna but they can restrict where it is placed on the house and how it's installed. For example if i mount a Dish or TV antenna on a mast on the center post of my front window of my designer home, no good. Common sense rules here. Just look around your area and see how others installed theirs then to play it safe put in an ARC form, get approval and install your antenna. Besides astetics it has to be installed correctly and safely so a storm doesn't knock it down and potentially cause damage or hurt someone.

In NY a couple of years ago, some apartment buildings were able to ban dish antennas installed on apartment balconys because in high winds some came down and hurt people walking below. As long as the apartment building was able to provide comparable service either through multiple cable companies and or a central Dish system mounted on the roof, there was little people could do.

Also today, you can stream almost everything via the internet with a smart TV and or a media player like a Firestick or AppleTV for example eliminating the expense of cable TV, cable boxes, antenna installs and maintenance. But you have a choice now which is better than the way it used to be.

[UpNorth]

I would not bother, your reception in TV is not very good.

Depends where you are located. Higher elevations are better than low valley areas. Line of sight transmission from the towers, so if a lot of stuff is in your way (trees, houses, hills, etc) your reception may not be ideal.

[Happytalk]

[QUOTE=Bilyclub;2075917]Maybe that's your experience or opinion. I have very good reception.

We are looking into getting an attic TV antenna. Can you please share the details of yours, since you seem to have good reception? Location, brand name, range, and do you get all the network channels? Thanks!

[Bilyclub]

[QUOTE=Bilyclub;2075917]Maybe that's your experience or opinion. I have very good reception.

We are looking into getting an attic TV antenna. Can you please share the details of yours, since you seem to have good reception? Location, brand name, range, and do you get all the network channels? Thanks!

It's a DB4E in the attic. They used to be under $100 with a mast. Pointed SE towards the Orlando transmitters which are about 60 miles away. Get 2, 6, 9, and 35 which are the networks with just over 60 channels total. Located between 466A and 44A, North of Brownwood.
https://www.amazon.com/Antennas-Direct-Multi-Directional-Applications-All-Weather/dp/B0074H3IU6

[metoo21]

Private message sent

[Topspinmo]

I would add to be respectful of your neighbors and not put up a big tower. There have been many success stories of antennas in the attic (did not work at our house), and how to aim the antenna. In general you will need one rated for 75 miles or more and an amplifier if not included with the antenna. I used a 4 port amplifier so that I did not have to install any splitters.

Who really looks up let alone at roof or antenna on pole. I see them all over the villages , some at eve line and most at roof line. As cable service approaches 200 plus month going to see lot more IMO.

[Sunshine500]

Has anyone be able to get decent Orlando TV antenna reception from Marion county in The Villages?

[La lamy]

I paid $375 a few months ago for my antenna installation. Very fickle. The Villages is in a difficult place for reception generally, so get the best antenna you can and good luck!

[mbene]

I paid $375 a few months ago for my antenna installation. Very fickle. The Villages is in a difficult place for reception generally, so get the best antenna you can and good luck!

How is your reception? What channels do you get? Where did you mount your antenna, on the roof, in the attic? Where are you located, south, middle or north in the Villages?

[tophcfa]

Tom from Villages audio video installed an antenna with a signal booster in our attic about seven years ago and we get a lot of free broadcast channels from Orlando, including 3 of the 4 major networks. All we have for television is what our antenna brings in and the DVD’s that we watch. Over the years we collected a substantial library of movies on DVD’s from estate sales, usually for 50 cents apiece. About once a year I run the channel search function in the set up menu on the TV to recalibrate the tuner to optimize the broadcast signals it receives. Once, a lightning strike close to the house blew out the signal amplifier but it was an easy fix. I took out the old one and found an exact match on Amazon and swapped it out. I keep another new signal booster handy in case that happens again. Our Villages home is north of 466 and we get a bunch of channels from Orlando, so I would guess the newer homes being built south of 44 (and closer to Orlando) would have no problem picking up lots of free broadcast channels with a properly installed antenna and signal booster.

[Battlebasset]

I posted in a now closed thread about mounting an antenna in the attic and getting 50+ channels. Wanted to follow up to say I believe the heat in the attic fried my preamp, so I have lost all reception.

Going to try again once the weather cools down with one that does not have the preamp built into the antenna. I will put the amp a bit downstream so I can mount it in the (relatively) cooler garage. Hoping I can still get the networks and stronger stations out of Orlando.

FYI, I live in McClure.

[MikeVillages]

Has anyone be able to get decent Orlando TV antenna reception from Marion county in The Villages?

I don't see a reply. Has anyone contacted you or have you installed one? You can send me a PM if you prefer to.

[gego3650]

How is your reception? What channels do you get? Where did you mount your antenna, on the roof, in the attic? Where are you located, south, middle or north in the Villages?
Bj"s had them on sale for a antenna that looks like a figure 8. Get around 70 stations but only about 40 in English. Picture is very good and it is mounted at gutter so not very high at all.

[Ritagoyer]

[QUOTE=Happytalk;2116506]

It's a DB4E in the attic. They used to be under $100 with a mast. Pointed SE towards the Orlando transmitters which are about 60 miles away. Get 2, 6, 9, and 35 which are the networks with just over 60 channels total. Located between 466A and 44A, North of Brownwood.
https://www.amazon.com/Antennas-Direct-Multi-Directional-Applications-All-Weather/dp/B0074H3IU6
We have a smart home in ST. Catherines, can you hook the antenna up to the smart panel and how would you do that.

[retiredguy123]

I paid $375 a few months ago for my antenna installation. Very fickle. The Villages is in a difficult place for reception generally, so get the best antenna you can and good luck!
LOL. I bought one from Best Buy for 12 dollars. I didn't get any channels, but I saved a lot of money.

[TrapX]

The speculation about what can be restricted can be settled by reading the FCC rules. In summary, TV cannot stop you from putting up an antenna where it gets a good signal. It specifically allows TV antennas. Declares things like deed restrictions are invalid. Please read and learn.
Over-the-Air Reception Devices Rule | Federal Communications Commission (https://www.fcc.gov/media/over-air-reception-devices-rule)
h-t-t-p-s://w-w-w.fcc.g-o-v/media/over-air-reception-devices-rule (take out the dashes if link above gets hidden)

[dewilson58]

LOL. I bought one from Best Buy for 12 dollars. I didn't get any channels, but I saved a lot of money.

:bowdown::bowdown:

[Bilyclub]

[QUOTE=Bilyclub;2116584]
We have a smart home in ST. Catherines, can you hook the antenna up to the smart panel and how would you do that.

Depends if the house is wired with RG6 Coax Cable. You can use the CAT5 or 6, but it gets complicated. I ran a RG6 line from the antenna to the box in the garage with all the cables. I don't know how TV is wiring the new houses.

[ThirdOfFive]

Right you the Villages can't stop you from putting up an antenna but they can restrict where it is placed on the house and how it's installed. For example if i mount a Dish or TV antenna on a mast on the center post of my front window of my designer home, no good. Common sense rules here. Just look around your area and see how others installed theirs then to play it safe put in an ARC form, get approval and install your antenna. Besides astetics it has to be installed correctly and safely so a storm doesn't knock it down and potentially cause damage or hurt someone.

In NY a couple of years ago, some apartment buildings were able to ban dish antennas installed on apartment balconys because in high winds some came down and hurt people walking below. As long as the apartment building was able to provide comparable service either through multiple cable companies and or a central Dish system mounted on the roof, there was little people could do.

Also today, you can stream almost everything via the internet with a smart TV and or a media player like a Firestick or AppleTV for example eliminating the expense of cable TV, cable boxes, antenna installs and maintenance. But you have a choice now which is better than the way it used to be.
Guy a few blocks away has one. Looks like the leaning tower of Pisa.

[Snowbirdtobe]

A quick and cheap test is to get a cheap flat panel antenna from Amazon and put it in a window facing southeast. I tried it and get NBC and CBS from Orlando. It gave me confidence to get an antenna company to put in an outdoor antenna. You can find an amplified indoor window mounted antenna from amazon for under $20. Don't be temped by the claims of more distance for more expensive antennas. This is only a cheap test to see if you can get anything. Before you stick the antenna use some blue tape to test position and direction.

[Bilyclub]

A cheap flat panel and $20 cheap antenna cost more than a good antenna. There are webpages and apps that predict what kind of reception, if any you will get.

[TrapX]

A quick and cheap test is to get a cheap flat panel antenna from Amazon and put it in a window facing southeast.

Many glass coatings are conductive, and are RF blocking. That test might not be accurate. Putting the antenna on the outside of that type of window will also not work well either.

[MikeVillages]

As a side note:
According to the fcc website, Orlando has Next Gen TV ATFC(3.0).

You will need a Next Gen receiver to get them.

Apparently it is easier to get Next Gen stations over long distance. I'm new here & don't have my antenna yet.

These are the Next Gen stations they list.

WESH NBC
WKMG CBS
WFTV ABC
WKIF CW
WFCF PBS
WRDQ
WOFL FOX
WRDW FOX Plus

[MorTech]

ATSC 3.0 is the newest standard.

Deployments - ATSC : NextGen TV (https://www.atsc.org/nextgen-tv/deployments/)

The homes south of 466A have foil heat barrier roofs...Attic antennas probably won't work.

[Bilyclub]

ATSC 3.0 is the newest standard.

Deployments - ATSC : NextGen TV (https://www.atsc.org/nextgen-tv/deployments/)

The homes south of 466A have foil heat barrier roofs...Attic antennas probably won't work.


I didn't see any foil and my antenna works fine and I'm South of 466A. So not all unless, somebody cut corners when building my house.

[jrref]

A quick and cheap test is to get a cheap flat panel antenna from Amazon and put it in a window facing southeast. I tried it and get NBC and CBS from Orlando. It gave me confidence to get an antenna company to put in an outdoor antenna. You can find an amplified indoor window mounted antenna from amazon for under $20. Don't be temped by the claims of more distance for more expensive antennas. This is only a cheap test to see if you can get anything. Before you stick the antenna use some blue tape to test position and direction.

Do you realize you can stream many of these network TV stations using free Xumo or Pluto apps on your smart TV? Why go through the trouble of an antenna? Even if you don't have a smart TV you can get a streaming device like a Amazon Firestick very cheap and you are done.

[TrapX]

Do you realize you can stream many of these network TV stations using free Xumo or Pluto apps on your smart TV? Why go through the trouble of an antenna? Even if you don't have a smart TV you can get a streaming device like a Amazon Firestick very cheap and you are done.

It works when there is an internet outage. Zero monthly cost. Amazing picture quality (no additional compression). Alternate sub channels not available elsewhere. Buy hardware to record and retain indefinitely. Use hardware you can view on all every tv, your phone, and remotely.

[MorTech]

I didn't see any foil and my antenna works fine and I'm South of 466A. So not all unless, somebody cut corners when building my house.

The new building codes kicked in when TV was building south of 466A. Both foil heat barrier and heat barrier glass windows. You probably just missed it. You must be just south of 466A

[Battlebasset]

After a few attempts, and a failed antenna with a built-in pre-amp (think the attic heat fried it) I went with a large (7 foot long) Yagi antenna without a built in pre-amp and mounted it in my garage attic. I'm fortunate that the orientation of the house allowed me to fit it between joists and still point it towards Orlando. Also, no metal foil on the underside of the roof to block signal.

Tested the antenna without the pre-amp and had at least one bar on every channel. I then added the pre-amp at the point where the antenna cable entered the garage, and rescanned. I received 70 channels, some that I had not captured in the past. Signal strength for the major network channels between 3 and 5 bars. I had struggled to get channel 9 (ABC) consistently without pixelization, but no longer an issue. FYI, the TV probably has about a 50 foot run of cable between it and the antenna.

Everything purchased on Amazon. Antenna was the Long Range UHF- HDTV 91 Element Yagi Antenna from Steller Labs. The separate pre-Amp was Winegard LNA-200 Boost XT HDTV Preamplifier, TV Antenna Amplifier Signal Booster, HD Digital VHF UHF Amplifier. I already had a mast from the other antenna, so my total cost for everything this go around would be about $100.

I live down in Fenny, so if you are more north "Your mileage may vary" so they say. And if you decide to mount this outside, your neighbors will probably hate you, because it is really big and ugly. But getting it out of the attic would probably help your reception chances.

It doesn't replace cable entirely - no cable news channels, Food Network, ESPN, etc., but if you are OK with that, you can save some money. You can pick up some streaming services for other things. For example, I buy ESPN+ during the college basketball season, and cancel it around mid-March. And ESPN3 is included with Xfinity internet, and probably Spectrum as well. ROKU is my preferred platform (I have a Roku TV), but Amazon Fire and Apple work just fine. If you have Xfinity, they will give your their Flex streaming box for free, and I get their Peacock channel which has live sports, movies, and original TV programming too.

Happy viewing!

[Bikehike]

i dont think it's allowed to mount an antenna outdoors but some do and it's only a problem if someone complains

[metoo21]

i dont think it's allowed to mount an antenna outdoors but some do and it's only a problem if someone complains

FCC and federal law says that no HOA or otherwise can prevent the installation of an over the air antenna.

Installing Consumer-Owned Antennas and Satellite Dishes | Federal Communications Commission (https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/installing-consumer-owned-antennas-and-satellite-dishes)

[schwarz]

I would not bother, your reception in TV is not very good.

Ours has been fabulous for three years with perfect high def.

[Battlebasset]

FCC and federal law says that no HOA or otherwise can prevent the installation of an over the air antenna.

Installing Consumer-Owned Antennas and Satellite Dishes | Federal Communications Commission (https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/installing-consumer-owned-antennas-and-satellite-dishes)

Absolutely correct. But if I can accomplish what I need to with the attic mount, that is my preference. No issue with the neighbors or the spouse about how it looks. It's also protected from heavy rain and wind storms so damage is avoided. And I have seen some pretty sad outdoor set ups that only get worse over time with the rain and wind. If I wanted to live in a junky place, or put a Pontiac up on blocks in my front yard, I would have moved out into the country.

[JCoth1972]

Just get an AIRTV ANYWHERE unit from Winegard.com and connect it to your antenna. Download SingTV on your Smart TV and go with their free package and under Local Channel setup it will connect with the AirTV through your WIFI. This will integrate your local channels with the free cable type channels provided by Sling TV for free into the channel guide once you run the channel scan. The AirTV unit also has a built-in DVR.

[jump4]

My 2015 home in Labelle (between 466A and 44) had foil. At some point, the builder stopped installing the foil barrier. My 2020 house S of 44 (near Everglades Rec.) does not have foil in the attic.

[keepsake]

If you have a metal roof, ignore this.

Why not do a yagi antenna, aimed at Orlando, in your attic ???

I happen to be south of the Villages and get 50 channels from Tampa, off-the-air. Why pay?

[Battlebasset]

If you have a metal roof, ignore this.

Why not do a yagi antenna, aimed at Orlando, in your attic ???

I happen to be south of the Villages and get 50 channels from Tampa, off-the-air. Why pay?

You mean Orlando, right? Not Tampa.

[keepsake]

No Orlando. I am 30 miles south of the Village and 45 miles north of Rvierview (Tampa towers). Orlando has towers closer to you than Tampa. There is an online search (that I used years ago) that will show you the towers vs your location and bearings to aim an antenna at. Also distances with all calc's done for you.

[tophcfa]

Do you realize you can stream many of these network TV stations using free Xumo or Pluto apps on your smart TV? Why go through the trouble of an antenna? Even if you don't have a smart TV you can get a streaming device like a Amazon Firestick very cheap and you are done.

That would require having high speed internet access. When at our Villages home my phone’s data plan is our internet and our antenna is our television.

[Battlebasset]

Do you realize you can stream many of these network TV stations using free Xumo or Pluto apps on your smart TV? Why go through the trouble of an antenna? Even if you don't have a smart TV you can get a streaming device like a Amazon Firestick very cheap and you are done.

Not sure what you mean. The major networks require that you get their channels over the air or via cable/satellite/pay internet app (Sling). There are no free internet feeds of network TV. They shut down Locast about a year ago because they were grabbing the OTA signal and feeding it over the internet. I've seen/used Pluto. No major networks on it.