Antenna in SoMd...

[Hessian]

I am getting really fed up with my Comcast bill. I love the channels but the basic is way over 100.00 with my web connection too. I plan on slashing the cable bill and replacing it with an antenna. BUT...Who has walked this road before? Good antenna systems? Too much interference? Lightning hazzard?
How many stations can you get down here witha top antenna system? (I do have decent elevation (180 ft)

Please....I could use some advice on this.

 

[K_Jo]

TV is way too important to mess around with an antenna. Stick with Comcast. Give up food.

 

[Mikeinsmd]

Antenna is going to limit you pretty much to 4, 5, 7, & 9. Way over $100.00 doesn't sound right. I have GMP and I pay $80.00 for basic with my internet.

 

[Nickel]

Stick with Comcast. Give up food.

 

[K_Jo]

 

[vraiblonde]

Hessian, have you thought about a satellite dish?

 

[Hessian]

Sorry Vrai...haven't put too much thought to that option. I have memories of ugly 6ft dishes that got feeds of Uruguay Soccer and Sesame Street in Urdu.

Do you have one? Cable networks badmouth them based on tree interference & storm interference...What is the experience of some of our SoMders?
How much does Dish cost???


Now another antenna question: Living near the Bay...wouldn't I get Easton, Baltimore, Fredericksburg,..local programming--so instead of the typical "Big 4"...I'd expect to get 12-15???

 

[ohstate]

I've had Directv since 1999 here in southern Calvert. Comcast was terrible when we first moved here. The cable would cut out in storms and the selection was terrible. I wanted college football, and I can now get it with Directv and the ESPN Gameplan (costs extra). With Directv, I get the local stations (DC) and several hundred more. Their basic package begins around $40, with about $12 more for the local channels, and I pay more for an HD package. I also pay $5 a month for a second receiver.

When I first got HD, I tried the antenna route, but I live in a little valley with lots of trees. I had Davis antenna come down from Waldorf to do a survey, and they couldn't pick up a signal anywhere at my house, even on the roof with a 10 foot pole. So my only options are the dish or cable, and the dish beat out cable years ago.

I've only lost the signal a few times since 1999 (maybe once a year) due to storms. Typically, it will fade out for 10-20 minutes while the worst of the storm is in the direct line between my dish and the satellite. This usually happens in the summer, but once I had to go wipe off about 10 inches of snow that had accumulated on the dish to clear up reception - but it was still getting a picture, just fuzzy. Compared to cable, which would go out in a storm and stay out for a day, Directv wins this battle.

The dish installers will survey your property to see if you can receive their signal. My (second) dish is now on the roof (the first was not, but adding HD required a different line of sight to the sky, so they moved the dish).

I highly recommend Directv. They run deals all the time, so you should be able to find a sale.

Good luck!

 

[hwyman3]

I've had Dish network since 2000. Like the earlier post said, I maybe lose signal once a year. I have it on 2 televisions with all the channels except for the premiums (HBO, Cinemax, etc.) and my bill is around $50.00/month.

With the Antenna, you may pull down Baltimore, but about the only stations available from the Eastern Shore would be in Salisbury. Not sure how well those would come in.

 

[aps45819]

I used an antenna for years and it worked fine. Get the top of the line color antenna from radioshack and add the high gain amp. Pulled in all the DC and Baltimore stations nice and clear. Add a rotor and you might get Norfolk and Richmond.
Only problem was hearing taxi cabs and the aircraft at pax every now and then.

 

[Kizzy]

I am getting really fed up with my Comcast bill. I love the channels but the basic is way over 100.00 with my web connection too. I plan on slashing the cable bill and replacing it with an antenna. BUT...Who has walked this road before? Good antenna systems? Too much interference? Lightning hazzard?
How many stations can you get down here witha top antenna system? (I do have decent elevation (180 ft)

Please....I could use some advice on this.

First, you have to look at what is your HS Internet and what is your actual cable coming into the house. You can get "just" cable for about $15.00 a month, last I checked. It gives you all the local channels. I think 16 total channels. That is all you are going to get. Your HS Internet, if I remember correctly, run $44.00 a month, therefore, you will drop your monthly bill roughly $40.00 a month. I do not see where you save ANY money with direct TV or any other method beyond cable. It seems to me that it would be an incredible pain in the ass to have to be concerned with the amount of dishes you have.

In this day and age, everything cost money. We have cell phones, Internet, cable, and well, I cannot think of anything else, that is above and beyond what my parents had when I was growing up. You add the two together and we pay around about $200 a month, just for technology. Well computers, printers, supplies, which is why I still happen to be up. I am putting all my work files on ZIP, which is much easier than lugging my laptop back and forth from work, and I'm printing business cards. Technology cost money.

 

[LeroyCRE]

If you really enjoy TV stay with cable/SAT. Call Comcast and get your bill straight. Sounds like your paying too much. I get HD/internet/DVR/HBO/MAX/on-demand all for $80(new customer deal) If you thinking about HDTV..cable all the way!!! SAT has HD but cable has many more HD channels including HD locals. No HD locals with SAT unless you plug the rabbit-ears into your HD tuner. I had that setup down in FL. just my .02. OBTW..my Direct TV HD tuner is up for sale.

 

[willie]

If you really enjoy TV stay with cable/SAT. Call Comcast and get your bill straight. Sounds like your paying too much. I get HD/internet/DVR/HBO/MAX/on-demand all for $80(new customer deal) If you thinking about HDTV..cable all the way!!! SAT has HD but cable has many more HD channels including HD locals. No HD locals with SAT unless you plug the rabbit-ears into your HD tuner. I had that setup down in FL. just my .02. OBTW..my Direct TV HD tuner is up for sale.

Leroy, for what you are getting, it will cost well over $100 when the incentive is over and to some, it will be worth it. My cable is $96 with internet and basic plus tier one. No ppv.
Hessian, There are very few (none for me) outages for cable anymore as you already know. I've got a very good amplified antenna for one TV and it is good for Richmond, D.C. and Baltimore local news and regular network TV. The antenna gives you much less than basic cable. If you go dish and keep cable internet then the internet price will jump and you'll be back where you started but with two bills.

 

[Railroad]

Sorry Vrai...haven't put too much thought to that option. I have memories of ugly 6ft dishes that got feeds of Uruguay Soccer and Sesame Street in Urdu.

Do you have one? Cable networks badmouth them based on tree interference & storm interference...What is the experience of some of our SoMders?
How much does Dish cost???


Now another antenna question: Living near the Bay...wouldn't I get Easton, Baltimore, Fredericksburg,..local programming--so instead of the typical "Big 4"...I'd expect to get 12-15???

DirecTV is fantastic! We love it! And our bill is like, $40 a month. Problem, though, is you'd lose your cable Internet access if you discontinued your ComCast setup. Of course, I went with satellite for that, too (DirecWay), and love that, but it's for my business and is kinda pricey compared to cable or DSL (good luck getting that).

 

[Tonio]

I've had DirecTV for a year and I think it's a lot better than cable. It comes with the TV guide and search functions from the remote, something that GMP never had when I was a subscriber.

 

[Fred Hoeck]

DirecTV

Had Cable, pre GMP. Added DirecTV before they had local, then dropped cable when all local since picture much better. Have two receivers, HDTV, Tivo, etc. Can already get NBC and Fox networks on HD along with Universal HD, HDNet, HDNet Movies, ESPNHD, HBOHD, DiscoveryHD. DirecTV launching more satelites for more local HD, but network is network. They have ABC and CBS but blocked here since can only offer in markets where network affliate is network owned.
Big plus with DirecTV is that they carry more local channels then Cable did, especially channel 56 from Northern VA. They carry Deutsche Welle programming in German and English along with other international programs in many languages and English.
BUT, if you want HighSpeed Internet, it is another $59/mo. already paying $89/mo for two receivers, HBO, Starz, HD package and Tivo, so it may not be cheaper, but better.

 

[Oz]

 

[somdcrab]