Computers & Electronics

Best cheap OTA setup for home hdtv?

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  • Mar 13th, 2014 10:20 pm
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Deal Fanatic
Apr 15, 2004
5264 posts
125 upvotes
Nepean

Best cheap OTA setup for home hdtv?

I dont want to install an antenna ontop of my roof and make my house ugly.

Just something beside the tv or by the window.

Thanks
heatware available upon request
9 replies
Deal Fanatic
User avatar
Jul 2, 2001
5602 posts
4000 upvotes
GTA
If you want all the channels you have no other choice, ugly houses are hot now...
Deal Guru
Oct 9, 2007
10000 posts
1378 upvotes
Kanata
Check out some of the homemade antennas people have rigged up in their attics. You'd be amazed what some people can get with some scrap wood, a coat hanger and some duct tape...

https://www.google.ca/search?q=DIY+OTA+ ... oat+hanger

If you have a cable run from the attic down to the basement or other floors, you may be able to use that in order to conceal most of the coax cabling. Just be sure to have a mask on if there's insulation up there and not to trample anything down. Any savings you get from the DIY project would soon be lost due to the diminished insulation factor...
Deal Addict
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Aug 13, 2012
3282 posts
1046 upvotes
Toronto
Outdoor antennas aren't that bad, I bought one and placed it on the balcony. Getting 23channels including some us channels
¯\_(・_・)_/¯
Deal Fanatic
Apr 15, 2004
5264 posts
125 upvotes
Nepean
shabby wrote: If you want all the channels you have no other choice, ugly houses are hot now...
I don't need all the channels, aiming for around 5-8 channels... Just need global cbc all the news channels are enough
heatware available upon request
Deal Addict
User avatar
Aug 13, 2012
3282 posts
1046 upvotes
Toronto
Check your location for channels using tvfool.com, if those channels are available you might just buy indoor antenna
¯\_(・_・)_/¯
Deal Guru
Oct 9, 2007
10000 posts
1378 upvotes
Kanata
bpopd wrote: I don't need all the channels, aiming for around 5-8 channels... Just need global cbc all the news channels are enough
I use a Mohu indoor leaf antenna and I get 4-5 channels in my Nepean basement. I did just as well with the $10 jobber I bought at Factory Direct which was similar to the $3 RCA ones they had at Dollarama for a while. I get CBC and TVO crystal clear (way, WAY better than with Rogers HD) and a few french channels that do me no good. Go to tvfool.com

http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=1557
Member
User avatar
Jan 14, 2010
320 posts
108 upvotes
Ottawa
I'm using a home made antenna in the South Keys end of Ottawa, it gets me all the channels (save maybe 2-3 which I get 80% of the time). I think just about any indoor antenna will work just fine for your purposes, so long as you can find a decent place to put it. I find the position of the antenna matters greatly when you have a cheap one indoors. I would look for something cheap to build yourself, or pickup a low cost one and give it a shot. If you desire more, then you can invest more into it.

You definitely do not need an outdoor antenna if you're in Nepean. The only benefit you might gain from one is some US channels, but even they might be hard to pickup from here.
Penalty Box
User avatar
Apr 25, 2013
7398 posts
1338 upvotes
bpopd wrote: I dont want to install an antenna ontop of my roof and make my house ugly.

Just something beside the tv or by the window.

Thanks
Those funky dish ears popping up everywhere are uglier, I usually associate these people as your average Joe Blow on the street with no technical background willing to dish out $$$ because he doesn't have a clue of whats out there !
[IMG]http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/201 ... log480.jpg[/IMG]

I associate these people as highly technical and intelligent beings that I can associate with !
[IMG]http://www.teehanlax.com/blog/wp-conten ... as_v01.jpg[/IMG]

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