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Guys. We ditched cable months ago. We had a indoor antenna at the place we just lived at. We just moved into our house that had a larger older outdoor antenna above the house. Question is, can we use that older antenna? Or is there better ones now? We are getting crappy reception on the nbc channel out here.
 
You need a Digital Over the Air antenna. The old VHF antenna does not receive the frequencies that TV stations use now. Look on Amazon or Walmart web sites for one. Radio shack will also have one. Theres actually quite a few stations available depending on your location.
 
Outdoor will always be better.

I put up a decent one several years ago when I was living in the city. Cost for mast, mount (chimney), antenna and cable was roughly $100.
 
Yeah am in the same boat flippen Comcast Ixfinity WTF you want to call them just plain sucks! I just need to find a good internet provider and all will be good. Am tired of paying those asshats every month.....
 
I need to read the link, but where did you get the parts for the outdoor antenna? How much did it cost? Is it hd? These indoor ones are pretty lousy.
The HD part is dictated by whether or not it is broadcast in HD. Where I'm at, the networks broadcast most stuff in HD, like sports. ABC,NBC,CBS, And FOX all offer it. The GH picks it up just fine.
I bought the parts at my local ACE hardware, using 14ga copper from 14/2 house wiring for the antenna portion. I used hardware cloth as the backstop/reflector rather than the type shown in that link.

Here is another build, where the guy went with a double bay GH design instead of the single bay. His instructions are actually the ones I followed, even though I only built half (single bay) of it.
<broken link removed>

PS: one note. The GH only picks up UHV signals. Check your available broadcasters to see if they transmit in VHF or UHF. VHF will require a supplemental type suitable for VHF signals.
 
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So do you have to have eye shot of the antennas they are pointing at? Meaning you can see the huge radio towers on the hill?
How much did it cost to build? I already have a pull to attach it to.
 
The old antenna should be just fine. Saying that only a "HDTV Antenna" works is, for the most part, a myth.

Check this out if you don't believe me. Or google it.

http://www.dennysantennaservice.com/1161550.html

I'll second this site as a good source. Go through the steps. The map where you enter your zip code will tell you what stations you can get, and how good their signal will be. It will also tell you what antenna(s) you need to pick up those signals for your location.

I'm using a combination UHF/VHF set of antennas on the same pole with an antenna combiner and a pre-amplifier. I'm 30 miles from Portland and down in a valley. I still get 27 channels, most of them rock solid. I use Amazon Prime and iTunes with an AppleTV module for downloads and rentals. The only thing I miss is ESPN and it's just not worth the extra $70 per month to get it through cable.

Some tips:

1. Use RG-6 cable for everything. Ditch any RG-59 in your system.
2. Make your cable runs as short as possible.
3. Get your antenna as high in the air as you can.
4. Try to keep clear air between your antenna and the stations you're trying to pick up. No trees or buildings.
5. If you hunt around in the menu system on most DTVs you'll find a signal strength meter that displays on the screen. Use it to aim your antenna.
6. Antennas, even really good ones are usually $100 to $200. Don't scrimp.
7. If you need an antenna rotor, because all of your stations are not in the same direction, they make really good wireless ones now that are integrated with the antenna itself.
8. IF all this is just too confusing for you, hire a pro. It's worth a few hundred dollars in equipment and labor to ditch the $100 a month the cable/satellite guys extract from you for the garbage they deliver.
 
So do you have to have eye shot of the antennas they are pointing at? Meaning you can see the huge radio towers on the hill?
How much did it cost to build? I already have a pull to attach it to.
I think I spent about $22 on it, but I already had some of the parts, like some of the frame parts, the fasteners, the wire, the balun etc. I bought the pole, but would have had to regardless.
I do not have "eye shot." I am 50 miles out of PDX.
I built the GH because it has higher gain than most of the commercial antennas.
 
I have the DB8e antenna in SW PDX. Pulls in 48 channels with no static. Worth the $138 Ebay price. Added a TIVO Roamio for $15/month and it is all good. Goodbye Comcrap.

DB8e Antenna.JPG
 

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