Smooth Landing After Cutting the Cord

News2u

A $1500 savings after dumping satellite 13 months ago has paid for our new 65” Samsung SUHD flatscreen. Course, it took me 6 months to get off my lazy a_s and mount an antenna outside.

Spent about $50 on parts and followed step-by-step YouTube video.

Climbed into the attic and tied everything together using existing coaxial runs from the old dish to 3 rooms — home theater, master and guest bedroom.

Each flatscreen instantly started pulling in 100% signal strength from the city’s cluster of towers about 15 miles north of us. 

Nicely anchored on the same foot mount where the old dish used to sit. Good riddance.

SmokeyPitt

Nice! That is a cool project. It looks like something on an old sci-fi movie set but I like it!

caliking

Nice! 

Seems like the cops are on to you though

News2u

caliking said:

Nice! 

Seems like the cops are on to you though

"There is nothing wrong with your television. Do not attempt to adjust the picture. We are now in control of the transmission."

News2u

SmokeyPitt said:

Nice! That is a cool project. It looks like something on an old sci-fi movie set but I like it!

The HD local station reception is uncompressed, delivering a much fuller, dynamic picture. No lie. Wish I'd have done it 5 years ago instead of just talking about it. But streaming wasn't then where it is now.

Photo Egg

Can you post a link to the custom work you did for youtube please.

Kayak

Very cool. What make/model is that antenna? What did you have to learn from the video?

News2u

Photo Egg said:

Can you post a link to the custom work you did for youtube please.

caliking said:

Nice! 

 Punch in Danny Hodges ultimate antenna. He is the guru of antenna builds. He's out of Macon Georgia...a good old boy with lots of cool stories to tell while he's teaching you. 

Photo Egg

News2u said:

Photo Egg said:

Can you post a link to the custom work you did for youtube please.

caliking said:

Nice! 

 Punch in Danny Hodges ultimate antenna. He is the guru of antenna builds. He's out of Macon Georgia...a good old boy with lots of cool stories to tell while he's teaching you. 

Thank you...

northGAcock

Can you swing by my place and show me how it is done?

News2u

caliking said:

Nice! 

Seems like the cops are on to you though

Photo Egg said:

Can you post a link to the custom work you did for youtube please.

Photo Egg said:

Can you post a link to the custom work you did for youtube please.

 I will figure this thing out yet, guys.
 "There is nothing wrong with your television. Do not attempt to adjust the picture. We are now in control of the transmission."

News2u

Photo Egg said:

Can you post a link to the custom work you did for youtube please.

 Punch in Danny Hodges ultimate antenna. He is the guru of antenna builds. He's out of Macon Georgia...a good old boy with lots of cool stories to tell while he's teaching you. 

News2u

northGAcock said:

Can you swing by my place and show me how it is done?

 Trust me, if I can do it anyone can. I  probably watched those videos off and on for about six months before I said, hey, what have I got to lose?

News2u

Kayak said:

Very cool. What make/model is that antenna? What did you have to learn from the video?

 Basically what parts I needed. It's really a bunch of PVC pipe, T connectors, wire cage mesh, a couple of transformers, and some angle aluminum. Since no 2 roof mounts are going to be the same, that's about all you need to devise on your own. 

Legume

I hope that's not the only channel you get.  Better donate fast, miracles are first to donate first to get miracle.

News2u

Legume said:

I hope that's not the only channel you get.  Better donate fast, miracles are first to donate first to get miracle.

We definitely get all of the major independents and the network affiliates in crystal clear high-definition. We pull in stations we didn't even know were out there.  Not that I'm a super fan of commercial TV; I absolutely cannot stand commercials. But I do like to get the local and network news. And no more rain fade.

northGAcock

News2u said:

Photo Egg said:

Can you post a link to the custom work you did for youtube please.

 Punch in Danny Hodges ultimate antenna. He is the guru of antenna builds. He's out of Macon Georgia...a good old boy with lots of cool stories to tell while he's teaching you. 

Outstanding....may have to pay him a visit and visit the Allman Brothers Museum at the Big House along the way.

HellrodKC

What streaming services do you have? Wife and I are investigating dumping Direct TV and have been looking at Sling TV as a replacement to go along with Netflix that we currently have. 

YEMTrey

Been looking at Playstation Vue for a while and figuring out if I can make it work. 

mtasker

I have had sling tv and playstation.  I prefer playstation vue.  more channels and like $5 cheaper.

SoCalTim

Nice, you've gone this far ... maybe you could go just a bit farther and get  Amazon's Fire Tv and download Kodi (W/Exodus)  Free EVERYTHING including all the live sports and premium cable channels your eyes can handle.

Botch

Congrats, @News2u
I did the same thing about five years ago, and was very happy.  Then two years later the PBS station started having problems, then CBS, then a year later I couldn't pull anything OTA.  I purchased a better antenna (after checking all wiring), still nothing; I've had to go back to Dish just to get the major channels.
 
I've had antenna experts out to adjust, fiddle, try things, no one can figure out why I can't get OTA anymore.  Kind've a pisser that I'm willing to be happy with just the major networks, and then can't get them!  
 
Does your antenna include any kind of amplifier?  

Toxarch

SoCalTim said:

Nice, you've gone this far ... maybe you could go just a bit farther and get  Amazon's Fire Tv and download Kodi (W/Exodus)  Free EVERYTHING including all the live sports and premium cable channels your eyes can handle.

You know that's not legal, right?
Also, the Wookie build is something you might want to look into.

tarheelmatt

Toxarch said:

SoCalTim said:

Nice, you've gone this far ... maybe you could go just a bit farther and get  Amazon's Fire Tv and download Kodi (W/Exodus)  Free EVERYTHING including all the live sports and premium cable channels your eyes can handle.

You know that's not legal, right? 

Toxarch

The old antennas that most people had on their roof 30 years ago actually do a really good job of picking up HD signals. And you don't have to mount the antenna on your roof, but I like the use of the old dish mount. I have an old school antenna and it's mounted in my attic. Previous owner had it in the attic hung from the rafters. I get great signal and I'm 44 miles from the broadcast towers.

News2u

northGAcock said:

News2u said:

Photo Egg said:

Can you post a link to the custom work you did for youtube please.

 Punch in Danny Hodges ultimate antenna. He is the guru of antenna builds. He's out of Macon Georgia...a good old boy with lots of cool stories to tell while he's teaching you. 

Outstanding....may have to pay him a visit and visit the Allman Brothers Museum at the Big House along the way.

I'm sure Danny's got directions to the Museum.

News2u

Photo Egg said:

Can you post a link to the custom work you did for youtube please.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2-mW-3iG4s

This is an edit for clarity: I haven't posted anything to YouTube, just followed Danny Hodges' posts.  He must have on the order of 90 videos.

The link about is Hodges' ULTIMATE ANTENNA, That Part 1; then watch Part 2. He's the funniest guy; he'll have you in stitches.

News2u

Here's a link to about 30 pictures I took during my ordeal (kidding, wasn't hard to do at all). You may find helpful. This is the right link. I initially posted the wrong one.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B7jna1TA6qhhV0oxNzFuOFZ1YTg

Before this project I'd never soldered with a BernzOmatic propane torch.

News2u

Here is basically what you'll need. And you only have to build one reflector. I have 1 aimed south for Gaineville's stations.

liquidicem

We went the same route last year.  The big thing we were missing was the ability to record and fast forward through commercials.  I picked up an OTA DVR called Tablo and couldn't be happier.  We miss a few of the satellite channels but found that most of what we watch was available for free over the air and the Tablo makes it accessable on our schedule.  

News2u

HellrodKC said:

What streaming services do you have? Wife and I are investigating dumping Direct TV and have been looking at Sling TV as a replacement to go along with Netflix that we currently have. 

I got DirecTVNow when it launched in December with lifetime promotional price of $35/month with no contract. The Sling TV app, which I had been using, was not user friendly in the slightest. However, I read this week where Sling TV has changed the way its guide works. DirecTV NOW, I like. They've even thrown in HBO free for an indefinite period. I have 4K Netflix and Amazon Streaming. With more than 100 channels and ESPN, I figured I couldn't go wrong. A little bit of a learning curve, but that's streaming as it evolves....unavoidable.