Thank you: Posting your TVFool.com scan tells me a LOT. While it is true that the transmitters are only a mile and a half away, they are all low-powered translator channels, designed to cover only a few miles, hence, the actual signal strength of the stations at your house is equivalent to living 35 or so miles from full-powered transmitters. Yes, you definitely need to use an outdoor antenna in tis situation. If you are not currently using RG-6 coax cable, I strongly suggest that you change over your wire to coax cable, as twin-lead deteriorates badly after only a few years. You have described a preamplifier in your original post, and a preamplifier will definitely help you when dealing with long cables and splitting signals to multiple TV sets. A preamplifier is NOT a substitute for a good antenna or good cabling, but, when the other antenna components are optimized, the preamp can make the difference between seeing a digital signal reliably and not seeing it at all. As for changing over twin-lead to coax, the best bet is to use a bauln transformer, which attaches to the antenna terminals of the antenna and converts the cable at that point. If this was my choice, I would use the following components: a NEW VHF-UHF antenna like a Winegard HD-7082P or a Channel Master Crossfire 3679. I would replace all the existing cabling with satellite-grade RG-6u coaxial cable, and use a high-gain preamplifier like a Winegard AP-8275 or a Channel Master Titan 7777. Use only a high quality, low-loss 1 gHz of better splitter with enough outlets to satisfy your needs in the household. Once installed, this system will insure excellent long-term reception of all your local stations. Adding an antenna rotator will allow you to find stations from other locations, as well. Check out these internet suppliers for antenna products: http://www.solidsignal.com http://www.summitsource.com http://www.warrenelectronics.com http://www.starkelectronic.com

I'm not an antenna expert, but I don't think it would be a good idea to try to mix the antenna and cable signals. The problem is they may interfere with each other and you won't be able to see either one very well. If you want to try it, get a 'cable splitter' and run it backwards: connect antenna and cable to the 'outputs' and connect TV to the single 'input'. If it works, great. If this doesn't work, it would be better to run a separate cable from the antenna to the TV. If there are two antenna inputs on the TV (usually labelled A and B), you can switch between sources with the TV remote. If not, get an 'antenna switch' to set next to the TV and flip it as needed. This may be a bit cumbersome with an attic antenna and two TV's. If you're handy you could run cable inside the walls to the outlet boxes, and replace the single outlets with double outlets - labelled as to which is which, of course. I plan to do the last option myself, because you never know when the cable will go down, and you can still see over the air in an emergency.

I watched it when the show first started. Then, I couldn't afford cable any longer. I'm using OTA antenna now and am quite content with it. There are so many OTA channels in Houston to entertain me 24/7. Once in awhile, I do miss shows such as this one and Leverage. Eventually, the OTA channels will show reruns of it as they're doing with Leverage.

Codes say that CATV, dish, OTA antenna, and phone installers must use the single point earth ground. Same ground also used by AC electric. Unfortunately this does not happen for many reasons. For example, technicians do not even know what impedance is; therefore do not appreciate the importance of that earth ground and a short as possible hardwire that is not inside metallic conduit. One cable installer literally routed his ground wire to dirt in a porch flower box. Two Comcast installers, who had just come from a lecture, were drinking coffee. As I explains this stuff, one would turn to the other and say, "So that is what they were saying." Installers had assumed, for example, that a coax wire into a second floor could go straight in. And its ground wire routed two plus stories down to the earth ground. If not obvious (due to impedance), that coax must first route down near the earth ground before rising back up to enter the second floor. TV cable has best protection by connecting directly to earth. Other incoming wires must connect via a protector. A commodity called a 'whole house' protector is easy and obvious. Simply go to any big box hardware store or electrical supply house and ask for their 'whole house' protector. That is consumer level (TVSS, arrester, SPD, surge protector) protection. Every effective protector has a dedicated wire for that low impedance (ie less than 10 foot) connection to earth. Not wall receptacle safety ground - earth. Since a typical surge (ie lightning) can be 20,000 amps, then a minimal 'whole house' protector is 50,000 amps. What else must one know? What can best fit in a breaker box or meter pan? An honest recommendation is defined by specifications. What else would anyone need? All numbers are layman simple. 50,000 amps defines a protector's life expectancy over many decades and multiple surges. That low impedance (ie hardwire has no sharp bends) connection to and quality of earth ground defines protector effectiveness during each surge. Ethernet ports already have robust protection (typically rated at 2000 volts). A protector at each port is ineffective. It obviously has no low impedance connection to earth. If an ethernet wire leaves / enters a structure, then an ethernet protector with that dedicated (often green) ground wire must also connect low impedance (ie less than 10 feet) to the single point earth ground - at that service entrance. Ethernet wires inside a building need no protection. Because effective protection means no surge current inside. Nothing based in science and numbers disputes that. Experience says nothing if one did not / cannot trace a surge to locate a reason for failure. No damage to one appliance protected by a plug-in protector says anything useful. Also called cherry picking - a classic example of junk science reasoning. One can only say that protector was effective if every other appliances is destroyed - without exception. How did so many less robust appliances without a protector survive? What protected a dishwasher, door bell, furnace, every GFCI, refrigerator, LED & CFL bulbs, vacuum cleaner, dimmer switches, microwave, clocks, garage door opener, central air, and every smoke detector? Were those protected by invisible protectors? If not, then a conclusion was made by 'cherry picking'. Ignoring every example that contradicts that observation. Nobody can honestly say a plug-in protector did protection using observation. But we traced damage by literally replacing every IC. By restoring all electronics that never failed again. What did we learn? In one classic example, plug-in protectors compromised (bypassed) superior protection inside all powered off computers on a network. A few plug-in protectors destructively earthed a surge through all powered off computers on that network. One excellent outgoing path was a phone line via another computer's modem. And yes, we even repaired that modem - it never failed again. So yes, adjacent (plug-in) protectors can even make surge damage easier. We did not use observation or cherry picking. And our conclusions were also confirmed by numbers from datasheets. Martzloff, in his first conclusion in his 1994 IEEE paper, defines quite bluntly what 'point of connection' protectors can do. Conclusion: 1) Quantitative measurements in the Upside-Down house clearly show objectionable difference in reference voltages. These occur even when or perhaps because, surge protective devices are present at the point of connection of appliances. More. Observation defined in an IEEE brochure notes an attached TV was not damaged. That protector did not earth a surge destructively through its attached TV. Instead, is earthed that surge 8000 volts destructively through a TV in the next room. IEEE even gives a number - 8000 volts. Another example of why observation (without learning facts and numbers) results in junk science conclusions. Facts (and experience) says a plug-in protector can even cause damage to other nearby appliances. A plug-in (point of connection) protector should never be used without a properly earthed 'whole house' protector. An IEEE Standard defines how much protection - more numbers. A properly earthed 'whole house' solution does 99.5% to 99.9% protection. So yes, even a 'whole house' protector is not perfect. Meaning a plug-in protector might do another 0.2% protection - while costing tens or 100 times more money per appliance. IEEE then says Still, a 99.5% protection level will reduce the incidence of direct strokes from one stroke per 30 years ... to one stroke per 6000 years ... Protection at 99.5% is the practical choice. Any recommendation without perspective (numbers) is best treated as a despicable lie. Show me any science or spec numbers that justifies a plug-in protector? Good luck. Even its manufacturers do not make that claim. Conclusion only from observation is classic junk science. One said he had no damage for three years. Fine. Potentially destructive surges occur maybe once every seven years. Another number that exposes junk science reasoning. Effective protection always answers this question. Where do hundreds of thousands of joules harmlessly dissipate? Answer, that applies to every protector, is obvious and simple. A protector is only as effective as its earth ground. I can easily double number of reasons for that conclusion - with specifications and citations. Hearsay, wild speculation, advertising, and subjective reasoning never create an honest recommendation. Did this stuff for quite a few decades. Too long to be scammed by products from APC, Belkin, Tripplite, Panamax, Furman, and Monster. Informed consumers buy products from other companies known by any guy for integrity. How many more reasons does one need to ignore soundbyte lies - and learn from over 100 years of well proven science. A protector is only as effective as its earth ground. OP asked, "Does anyone have any experience". Yes.