Cancelled our cable...now what?

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gardengirl

Member
Hi all,

A few months ago, we cancelled our cable service with Metrocast. (Just found that we weren't watching much TV and it seemed like there wasn't much on.) Turns out we do miss watching it a bit, but not enough to fork over those rates. Still, it would be nice to have some of the basic channels for news, area sports, etc. Any ideas? I've heard coworkers toss around different ways to watch TV through the internet. But, is there anyone down here who just uses an antenna and tries to pick up a signal? If you're not a dish/cable customer, how do you get in your TV fix?
 
1

1stGenSMIB

Active Member
Televsion networks still broadcast FREE signals over-the-air (and the primary channel usually in 720p HD)...they are just 100% digital now, and most (but not all) in the UHF band. You have to be able to receive OTA signals by using a TV with an ATSC tuner (most newer flat screens have them, some of the very early ones did not, and 99% of tube TVs do not). There are also "set top" external tuners that will plug into older TVs or even say a dumb computer monitor..these run in the $40 range.

I live near the Solomons bridge, and I can receive most of the DC channels most of the time. If you are down here, you will need a GOOD combo hi-VHF & UHF fringe antenna with an amplifier and even better a rotator to fine tune the signals, although even my fringe UHF antenna can usually be pointed between DC & Baltimore and get most channels from both cities. Weather also can play a factor in this, I tend to do better with overcast skies, which I think help bounce signals, since I am NOT QUITE line of sight with my antenna height.

The actual strongest signals in the SoMD is from Easton, and also sometimes TV from Salisbury & Richmond come in, hence the need for a rotator to spin the antenna and pick & choose the stations you want to receive.

Start at tvfool.com. Insert your address, and let it give you a list of possible channels. It has a google earth based terrain map, and takes all this into account when calculating strength for you. You can play with antenna heights (mine is 50ft. above ground level) which is really the key as to whether this will work for you..some people just have bad terrain near them which can be an issue. If I was across the street in my neighbor's yard up on the hill, I could get my antenna 30' higher! :(

There was another long thread on here a couple years back with good info...if I can find it I'll link to it.

edit - here ya go - only 5 posts, but lots of details..http://forums.somd.com/threads/290121

We can get into more detail if needed..I left some stuff out...like the FCC changing their minds in the middle and leaving some stations in hi-VHF (channels 7 -13) hence the need for a combo antenna..or separate Hi-VHF & UHF antennas, since I initially bought a UHF only antenna like 8 years ago & then had to buy a hi-VHF to get those reliably. :strangle:
 
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b23hqb

b23hqb

Well-Known Member
PREMO Member
gardengirl said:
Hi all,

A few months ago, we cancelled our cable service with Metrocast. (Just found that we weren't watching much TV and it seemed like there wasn't much on.) Turns out we do miss watching it a bit, but not enough to fork over those rates. Still, it would be nice to have some of the basic channels for news, area sports, etc. Any ideas? I've heard coworkers toss around different ways to watch TV through the internet. But, is there anyone down here who just uses an antenna and tries to pick up a signal? If you're not a dish/cable customer, how do you get in your TV fix?
Click to expand...

All you'll benefit from with no cable are increased brain cells and improving synaptic activity. Good for you. Plus probably, what - an extra $150 per month?
 
G

gardengirl

Member
sastanley, awesome information - thanks! It sounds like we may need to upgrade our TV since it's not a flat panel. (Yeah, we're out of date with a model from 2006.) I'm searching Best Buy and Amazon for antennas that fit your description -- for a hi-VHF UHF fringe antenna. I'm guessing all of them are outside mount models? Is there any model you could recommend that could be used inside the house?

b23hqb -- that's what we figured...and the extra $$ is being put to good use.
 
keekee

keekee

Well-Known Member
Good Riddance!

gardengirl said:
Hi all,

A few months ago, we cancelled our cable service with Metrocast. (Just found that we weren't watching much TV and it seemed like there wasn't much on.) Turns out we do miss watching it a bit, but not enough to fork over those rates. Still, it would be nice to have some of the basic channels for news, area sports, etc. Any ideas? I've heard coworkers toss around different ways to watch TV through the internet. But, is there anyone down here who just uses an antenna and tries to pick up a signal? If you're not a dish/cable customer, how do you get in your TV fix?
Click to expand...

We got rid of ours a couple of years ago.
We still have a TV, and we watch DVD movies sometimes in the evening.
Other than that, I can always find something better to do than sit in front of a screen and get fed propaganda and advertisements.
Whenever I'm out and there is a TV on, and I see the crap that's on cable - I'm so glad we got rid of it!
In my opinion, it's a waste of money, and a waste of precious time.
 
merc669

merc669

New Member
BernieP said:
and if you are in St. Mary's your only source of network access with enough bandwidth is (drumroll) Metrocast.
Click to expand...

Very true. And I have had no issues with Metrocast. I seldom get a pause in a program due to buffering unless its a program I watch that is from outside the U.S.. And then its short normally. Its not the perfect solution but overall after 11 months without any TV. It does work and is cost effective overall....
 
1

1stGenSMIB

Active Member
gardengirl, I got most of my equipment at solidsignal.com. Most of the junk around sold around here will be useless given our geographical challenges related to the DC/Baltimore TV towers . I am sure if you contacted a professional, they could help you decide if it was worth it. I don't know Carlton mentioned above, but it sounds like a good place to start. I am kind of a renegade and I like to experiment with this stuff more as a hobby, and learn about stuff myself..hence the lack of 100% coverage. By the way, a $40 ATSC tuner box could be connected to your older TV and decode the digital signals for you.

Putting an 'outdoor' antenna say, in the attic, is perfectly acceptable, but the wood and other house pieces will interfere with the strength & integrity of the signal. Getting it high enough for Line-of-sight (LOS) to the tower(s) is really a key element to success. That is difficult when we are 65+ miles away. My mother-in-law had one of those $35 indoor HDTV antennas and it hung on the wall in the bedroom! The damn thing worked, but she was just a few miles from the towers in Jacksonville, FL.
 
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Dakota

Dakota

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I also have a "cutting the cord" thread with some antenna information in it. I am interested in what model people are using in our county, their review and new technology. Although I think I have a great antenna.... there just might be something better.

BernieP said:
how much do you save if you still have to pay Metrocast for the internet service and subscriptions to Netflix and RedBox?
Click to expand...
Bernie,

Most are going to pay for internet anyway. I have a top internet service and pay $69-70 a month. TV Service with Metrocast cost at least another $80 a month plus whatever the price of a box costs. Netflix is less than $10 a month and worth every penny, IMO. I find myself watching that more than I do Directv. I need to watch Marco Polo since a few said they really it.
 
Dakota

Dakota

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Dakota said:
really it.
Click to expand...

insert the word "like" in between those 2 words. :doh:

Also another series I got off HBO Go was Game of Thrones... HBO will be a stand alone streaming service this April which is about the time I have seriously considered getting rid of Directv and I do want HBO as a standalone.

I cannot say enough good things about having an OTA antenna. I will often turn on the Escape channel just for noise in the house and having the all day weather channel is also nice plus your standard 4, 5, 7, 9 and PBS.

A friend of ours moved to France and they pay something like $85 a month for incredibly fast internet, TV, a house phone and 2 cell phones with 3 GB of data.

We Americans are getting ripped off. :ohwell:
 
merc669

merc669

New Member
Dakota said:
I also have a "cutting the cord" thread with some antenna information in it. I am interested in what model people are using in our county, their review and new technology. Although I think I have a great antenna.... there just might be something better.


Bernie,

I need to watch Marco Polo since a few said they really it.
Click to expand...

Marco Polo is outstanding! Reminds me of Shogun a long time ago and Game of Thrones without the Magic and Dragons. Well worth it just for this. But Greys Anatomy, Orange is the New Black. Makes it even better.

I also have the top Tier of Metrocast. Plus I have Netflix and Hulu+ and Amazon Prime. I already pay for Prime for shopping. But Netflix is about 8 and so is Hulu+. I was paying 150 for Direct plus the 70 for Internet. So figure maybe saving about 100 to 120 maybe a month. I can live with that....
 
1

1stGenSMIB

Active Member
Dakota, my UHF antenna is the Antennas Direct 91-XG. One of the reasons I liked it was really high gain, but low wind profile as well. When this was the only thing on the pole, I had an offset about 7 feet up on the side of the house, but no other guy wires or anything, and it worked out great.

My hi-VHF antenna which I had to purchase after the FCC decided to continue broadcasting ch 7-13, is a Winegard YA 1713. Still pretty low profile, but there is nothing elegant about two antennas stacked together on the roof with a rotator, so now I have guy wires too. My rotator is a ChannelMaster CM9521A and I have the ChannelMaster 7777 amp, which had a separate VHF & UHF input when I bought mine, which made connecting two antennas easy.

I do not have personal experience with it, but I hear the Channel Master 4228 is also a good antenna.

If I didn't already mention it in this thread, tvfool.com is a good place to start..they use google earth to create a terrain map to help determine signal strength to the location you specify. (edit - I did already mention it..)
 
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Dakota

Dakota

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I have this one...

http://www.spectrumantenna.com/Long-Range-High-Gain-Outdoor-HDTV-Antenna-SP613-p/sp613.htm

If you search around, you can find coupon codes and they have sales, often. I paid about $70 for the package and it comes with a power amp that enables me to connect another TV. I placed that box by our main TV in our living room and the 2nd hook-up, I used a splitter and connected our surround sound (for FM radio) and connected it to my TV tuner in my PC to record live TV. All these things are along the same wall. This is an idiot proof system - easiest of all but I would NOT recommend it if you plan to connect a TV in another room. I will also say that the antenna itself feels cheap and I would be concerned if it was outside all the time. I am having wind issues which cause me to drop signal on channel 4 whenever the wind blows. Otherwise it was worth what I paid for it. :lol:

My husband stumbled along another antenna at Best Buy for $60 something, on sale - http://www.amazon.com/Antennas-Dire...419034545&sr=8-2&keywords=clearstream+antenna He connected 2 rooms in our house and used a channel master 7777 amp to do so. I get all the channels but 4 in those rooms.

Our antennas are in our attic. In the spring, I want to move the Clearstream 4 outside and slide the Spectrum down to the vent (keeping it in the attic for reasons I stated, which I believe will improve signal and allow us to pick up a few more channels). Since both are in the attic, we had to slide the Spectrum nearly to the middle of our attic to avoid interference with the Clearstream but when we started all of this, we were just experimenting.... now I think we are more serious about getting this to work better.
For many, the paid TV is an expense you can do without.
 
Dakota

Dakota

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merc669 said:
Marco Polo is outstanding! Reminds me of Shogun a long time ago and Game of Thrones without the Magic and Dragons. Well worth it just for this. But Greys Anatomy, Orange is the New Black. Makes it even better.

I also have the top Tier of Metrocast. Plus I have Netflix and Hulu+ and Amazon Prime. I already pay for Prime for shopping. But Netflix is about 8 and so is Hulu+. I was paying 150 for Direct plus the 70 for Internet. So figure maybe saving about 100 to 120 maybe a month. I can live with that....
Click to expand...


Now I cannot wait to start watching Marco Polo... I love those sorts of shows. I did watch the 1st & 2nd season of "House of Cards" and found myself irritated and angry thinking about all the deception in our government. Yes... it is all totally real to me. :lol:
 
Dakota

Dakota

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Also note when I say I...I...I... the 1st antenna I did by myself because my husband was sort of detached from the idea. He didn't take an interest until he saw the channels I picked up with the 1st one that he decided to get a 2nd antenna and learn more about them. Now he is encouraging his parents to rid themselves of paid TV because they do financially struggle now that they are retired.
 
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