All this and its free

Well, almost. You have to buy the antennae.

We had a problem with the TV.
The repair guy said “Why don’t you have Cable TV?”
We said “Because we don’t watch that much TV.”
He said “Well, why don’t you have rabbit ears or an antennae?”
We said “Because when the FCC eliminated analog, that wasn’t an option.”
He said (basically) “What are you, frickin’ ignorant or something?”

… well, probably not THAT strongly, but here is the bottom line:

This antenna is pointed toward the towers on South Mountain — This antenna is pointed toward the towers located on South Mountain

Here is a link that will fully explain what DIGITAL TELEVISION really is.

The bottom line is YES, you can still use an antennae to receive FREE television IF you have a digital converter box (knew that) OR a TV that automatically converts the digital signals (didn’t know that). Almost any TV manufactured after 2005 will be capable of converting the signal without a box.

Amazon.com to the rescue! Here is the antennae we purchased: Antennas Direct DB4 Multi-Directional HDTV Antenna which was about $50.

Additionally, we bought a signal amplifier that it turns out we did not need, and a mounting kit, which also we did not need. The antenna comes with a 2.5 inch mounting clamp and will bolt around any post, pole, etc. The higher you can get it the better. With that in mind, since I had already purchased the post, I jerry-rigged an add-on mast to give me an extra 24 inches of elevation. The amplifier, you don’t need at all if you are using less than 50 foot of coax.

With this FREE reception we get 57 channels. Out of this nearly half of them are Spanish channels, but that still leaves 30 channels of local television programming for absolutely nothing per month.

I’ve linked to web sites that you customize for use as your own TV Guide.
ONE :: TWO ::THREE :: FOUR :: FIVE
– Five is actually not very helpful as far as program listings go, but does have some good info.

At this point, I am thinking about eliminating my subscriptions to NetFlix ($12 per month) and Hulu Plus ($9 per month), but I’ll probably hold off to make sure this works as well as I am hoping.

CLICK HERE for the channels we receive in Phoenix

[tv-guide]