Need recommendation for FTA receiver please(OTA Antenna suggestions)

[oxonian]

Hello friends,

I hope you are doing well. I am located on a wooded lot in Cypress, TX, The next home is a couple of acres away.

Is there some way I can post a TV fool report?

Any suggestions on which antenna would work best?

I can place it indoors or outdoors. I will get a satellite service provider, e.g DISH in due time, but till then, I would like an antenna as I have some guests at my place and they are missing some OTA shows.

Thank you so much,
Oxonian

 

[KE4EST]

What exactly are you wanting to do?
Do you already have an OTA antenna and looking for FTA for missing channels?
...or are you wanting suggestions on an OTA antenna.
You kinda run FTA and OTA together so hard to dis-cipher.

 

[KE4EST]

You can't post a link until you have a few more posts.
You can post it and then wipe out http with hxxp before posting and I can edit it.

 

[iBoston]

I benefited when they went Digital over the air. I went from 3 channels to 19 channels. I have a huge 90 mile antenna pointed to a city that is probably about 80+ miles line of site. I also bought a high quality amplifier that enabled 3 additional channels that i couldn't get without it. I don't know your situation, but it matters what direction your channels come from. I can point my directional antenna 3 different locations. The other two directions only yield me a couple channels each. So, I'm pointed to the City that yields me the best results.

I used TVfool myself about 4 years back when they went digital, and it was a great resource to see what i should be receiving, and the antennas are not that expensive, so i got the biggest i could get and it gave me great results. Between OTA and what i get FTA, i have NO use for Dish or any paid service. But, its a constant hobby. Always gotta tweak something. Although, that's what makes it fun. (well, most of the time)

 

[oxonian]

Hello friends,

I am looking to put an antenna or satellite dish either in my home or my roof, (preferably something that is easy to install, as I am not good with installations, etc!

I want to be able to see the channels that I can get with antenna or satellite dish, without having to buy in a subscription.

I know there are a bunch of channels out there which are provided for free.

I really appreciate your help, I am new to this and want to learn and share.

KE4EST - Can I PM you the link, it is not letting me post it here, even with the replacement you suggested

Thank you so much!
Oxonian

 

[iBoston]

Being your from Texas? Are you fluent in Spanish?? If so, there is a LOT of stuff for KU (small dish) for free.
TVfool is the best for finding OTA.
Lyngsat http://www.lyngsat.com/ is the best for finding your free stuff on Satelite.

 

[iBoston]

Oh, and http://www.dishpointer.com/ is a great resource to see what is available satellite wise line of site from your location.

 

[FTA4PA]

Welcome to Satellite Guys oxonian! I can post your TVFool for you if you PM it to me.

 

[KE4EST]

KE4EST - Can I PM you the link, it is not letting me post it here, even with the replacement you suggested

Thank you so much!
Oxonian

Try to post the link now.

 

[harshness]

FTA is a term usually reserved for unscrambled (non-subscription) satellite channels so you aren't going to find any broadcast network channels (ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, etc.) there.

There are a few FTA receivers that also have OTA capability but the investment is high and you're on the hook for installing both a dish and an OTA antenna.

It may make financial sense to go for DISH or DIRECTV now since you can usually get the equipment and installation for free and significant programming discounts for at least a year.

 

[iBoston]

FTA is a term usually reserved for unscrambled (non-subscription) satellite channels so you aren't going to find any broadcast network channels (ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, etc.) there.

Huh? That's not true. Almost all the network channels are available FTA. Mind you, many are scattered between the Small dish and Big Dish.

 

[oxonian]

Here is my TV fool report

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...5134b4827ae1e3

Thank you everyone for your help thus far

Oxonian

 

[oxonian]

Also, if anyone knows a good vendor to buy this equipment, either online or in person, and even a good technician in Houston, TX to install any equipment which may be complex please let me know!!

Thank you so much

 

[Martyn]

It looks like you should be able to pick up the major network affiliates with an indoor antenna or a small outdoor antenna. If you want everything on that list, you'll need a large antenna on your roof, but if you're happy with local ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox and PBS, a small antenna will be fine. With digital, some of those network channels also carry secondary subchannels, so you'll likely get a few additional stations - probably classic TV shows and the like.

See the color coding at the bottom of the page.

The confusion is because you're asking about over the air (OTA) television, which is ground-based and uses a regular TV antenna.

This group is for free to air (FTA), which is used to describe satellite broadcasts that don't require a subscription.

OTA broadcasts are free, don't misunderstand that, but there is a whole forum for OTA questions on here. If you have specific questions on the antenna, type, cabling or installation, the folks in that forum are super helpful: http://www.satelliteguys.us/xen/forums/digital-over-the-air-television-talk-by-rabbitears.46/

You could also put up an FTA dish system and get several hundred channels, but your local TV stations will not be available. The only way to get local TV via satellite is through a pay service like Dish or DirecTV. An FTA dish will deliver many foreign channels, some international news channels and "feeds" - internal broadcaster transmissions not intended for the public.

 

[Martyn]

Ah, I see you originally posted in the Rabbit Ears forum and they pointed you here. They probably saw FTA in your title and assumed you meant satellite.

Go back and ask again about OTA in Texas and it should be clear.

 

[Titanium]

If you are interested in a FTA (free to air) satellite system, most network broadcast channels are available with a 8-10' C-band dish. Many US, Canada, Mexico and Central/South American networks are free for viewing. For the past five months many of the popular subscription type channels have also been unencrypted and legal to watch, but these premium channels come and go without notice.

The smaller 3' KU-band dish has NBC and PBS plus many sub-channels and international services.

I would recommend that based on your needs for basic local channels to go the outdoor terrestrial antenna route for a good selection of local channels, easy to install and less expensive!

 

[harshness]

Huh? That's not true. Almost all the network channels are available FTA. Mind you, many are scattered between the Small dish and Big Dish.

Are you playing the local yokels from Montana, Arkansas and Wyoming against the TS's full palette of Houston channels?

Given that guests of the TS are involved, I don't think you can reasonably argue that FTA is a particularly user-friendly approach to conventional television viewing.

 

[oxonian]

Hello friends,

Thank you for clarifying the terminology, it really helps. I think the FTA option seems interesting.

Can I get channels like CNN, CNBC, Fox News, FX etc. or are they only available via a company e.g. AT&T, DirectTV, DISH etc.

I tried to search for a list of FTA channels, but did not get any decisive information.

Thank you so much,
Oxonian

 

[armadillo_115]

I'm sorry iBoston...I can only 'Like' your last post once!

And that's all I'll say.

 

[KE4EST]

Hello friends,

Thank you for clarifying the terminology, it really helps. I think the FTA option seems interesting.

Can I get channels like CNN, CNBC, Fox News, FX etc. or are they only available via a company e.g. AT&T, DirectTV, DISH etc.

I tried to search for a list of FTA channels, but did not get any decisive information.

Thank you so much,
Oxonian

Sometimes, but it comes and goes. FTA is more of a hobby, and not to be used for reliable TV viewing.
I think you should start with a good OTA outside antenna, and then go from there.
If you have several guests(RV Park, etc) you can buy a good distribution amp to help if needed. All depends on how many guests.
That is if you are not wanting to go with DISH or Directv at this time.