[Bilyclub]

Originally Posted by MorTech

ATSC 3.0 is the newest standard.

Deployments - ATSC : NextGen TV

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]

Originally Posted by 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.

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]

Originally Posted by jrref

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]

Originally Posted by Bilyclub

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]

Originally Posted by Bikehike

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

[schwarz]

Originally Posted by MrFlorida

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

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

[Battlebasset]

Originally Posted by metoo21

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

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]

Originally Posted by 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?

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]

Originally Posted by jrref

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.