Cabless at last

[hrj]

So you know how back on March 17 I cancelled my cable TV service? They finally -- after almost three months -- disconnected me. (I've been getting it "free" for the last couple months.) Since my current tv set didn't come with an antenna, I now have to actually acquire one, which may be amusing since I suspect most electronics shops assume that everyone has either cable or satellite service. The most efficient thing will probably be to get something I can mount up on the roof and run a line down along the same path the cable service wires run. Hmm. It occurs to me that with a little ingenuity, I might be able to use the existing wire, if it's possible to splice the right sort of connector onto the end lying across the roof. I shall need to look into this.

Comments

[johno.livejournal.com]

Have you at least upgraded to a digital TV? Next Feb there will be no more analog broadcast TV.

You should be able to tap into your houses cable to distribute the antenna signal with simple tools and maybe some adapters.

[madfilkentist]

There's no need to buy a whole new TV. The feds are giving away coupons to subsidize the needy makers of D-to-A adapter boxes, and in many cases the coupon covers the whole price or close to it.

[hrj.livejournal.com]

I don't have any particular need to buy a digital TV, although this is probably a good time to look at digital converter boxes in combination with the antenna. My deep dark secret is that I've never bought a new tv in my life. I received one new as a present, I had one long-term loan that was eventually returned to its owner, my current main tv was the legacy of an ex-girlfriend who had been "storing" it at my house and decided she didn't want to bother retrieving it. The one tv set that I've actually bought was a small portable I got at a rummage sale so I could have a set in my bedroom (where I use it primarily as an insomnia treatment).

[herveus.livejournal.com]

You should be able to find a "real" TV antenna. Radio Shack still sells them, last I checked. I'd also visit antennaweb.org. You put in your address and it shows you what grade of antenna you need to get which stations, including the bearing and range to the transmitter.

It may well be possible to reuse the existing cabling as well.

[cellio]

I just bought an amplified indoor antenna to try out (got it at Best Buy). Regular rabbit ears don't do enough for me, so I'm trying this before going up on the roof. The guy in the store thought it would work, and I can return it if not. (Haven't hooked it up yet.)

[wulfsdottir.livejournal.com]

When we were living in Denver, we hooked the TV into the cable despite not ordering service, and essentially turned the house into an antenna that way. Granted, yours may not be wired in the right way for that to work, but you might see what your reception looks like without having to spend the cash on a hat rack. I have no idea whether that method would still be functional when the switch to all digital finally arrives, though.

[ldyanna.livejournal.com]

When we turned our satellite off a few months ago Crimson was able to buy an indoor antenna at Radio Shack. We don't get perfect reception but we can watch a few channels.

[hrj.livejournal.com]

I have a good sense of which channels I can get based on the bedroom tv (which just has the basic rabbit-ears type) -- and when I moved into this place, I went for several years without cable without feeling any pain. I should be able to get all the major networks and the couple of Bay Area-specific stations, as well as at least two PBS stations.