How far are you from your local channels?I live about 80 miles from Chicago and get mine.With a small antenna that I got at Menards.But I also installed a pre amp I think 6 something gain.It plugs into the wall by the TV and the coax goes in and another coax goes out to the tv.If I unplug the pre amp I get nothing.But when I plug it in I get everything perfect.My antenna is in my attic and not out side.

We have that exact antenna in our attic, but you can put it on the roof too. Works great. We are about 15 miles from major local channel sites. We dropped cable TV 18 months ago. We also got a Channel Master DVR that is only for antenna TV recording. Perfect for our needs.

@ donbren - I was not sure how far away, so I went to one of those websites that estimate the chance of success at getting the signal at your address. It looks like a few channels are 20miles or less away. But for some reason, it only lists 2 channels that I could get with a TV top antenna. 11 channels with an attic mounted. So maybe I could get what I want with just an attic mounted. Some are 40-50miles away that they indicate I could get with a roof mounted antenna.

@nightowl - So after you purchased the antenna, did you have to install it in the attic? We have a cape and there's no attic so to speak. Just an insulated space above the 2nd floor. How many channels are you able to get? I'm just wondering if it's worth it for me, to get 11 channels or less.

Did you find the adjustment to no cable difficult?

Make sure you get a pre amp installed.When I unplug mine.I get nothing and when I plug it back in I get every channel available.The antenna is worthless without it.

Thanks for that advice. These little tips make a big difference.

In the winter when all the leaves are off the trees.I have a more reliable signal strength then during the summer when there are full leaves.Not just my trees but in general.

That's interesting and convenient since I watch more TV in the winter. [g] But if even leaves on trees potentially block the signal, isn't keeping the antenna in the attic being blocked by the walls?

I live in the country so there are no trees to block the signal at my location.However I think that trees in general over many miles drops the signal.Either that or some other type of interference.I feel it is trees since it works well in the winter.But not as well during heavy growth seasons?

If I did not have Directv as my main source.I would put up a tower and a large outdoor antenna.I get my local channels on Directv out of Peoria Illinois to the south west of me.But Chicago locals to the noth are what I want and that's why I have the antenna in the attic.There are territorial rules that will not allow me to get Chicago locals from Directv.If I was 1/2 mile closer to the north I would be eligible for Chicago locals.However some programming is blocked with directv anyway.They replace some programming with infomercial programming.

I can get about 30 channels from the attic antenna.However most of it is old reruns from the 60's like Antenna TV or Spanish programming.I only care about the networks like Fox,CBS,NBC,ABC and PBS and a few others.

I will never give up Directv or some other satellite choice.Because even knowing it is expensive.It is still cheap entertainment.Because we stay home a lot.We seldom travel or go out on weekends.I know many are cutting the cable.There using Hula,Netflix,etc.But that takes data and that is not cheap out here.We have basic cell phones and no landlines.We are limited on band width data for streaming video.We avoid the Smart phone costs and stick with are dumb phones.

My mom has the same problem - she is very close and line-of-sight to transmitters on top of a nearby mountain, yet she has reception problems, even with a roof antenna. The problem is large trees blocking the line of sight. They seem to scramble the signal when the wind blows, so you get pixellation or a weak/no signal message on the screen. I am going to have to get her a preamp too.

Digital TV is different from the old analog. Even though it's broadcast in the same frequency bands, there's a signal strength threshold below which it just craps out, whereas in the old days, the picture would just get more and more snowy.

Donbren - So the obstacle for you using Netflix is having to pay fees for data use? I don't think most people have to do that, right? If I keep internet with Comcast, I believe it is a monthly fee, not a fee based on data used.

Toxcrusadr - I am hoping the pre amp and an attic antenna will do the trick for me. I wonder if you can actually confirm that it will work before you buy the equipment? Perhaps they have a generous return policy if it doesn't.

Yes I have to pay for data.I use a Verizon jetpack Hotspot device.Works good but I only get 12gigs per month.Other options for me are Wildblue or Hughes net.Both are terrible slow and I you go over data allowance they shut you down by slowing it up even more.About the only options out here in the Boonies for now anyway.

Gee that stinks. They keep finding ways to make you pay and often pay more than once. The stations are getting the advertisers to pay, then the providers are getting the stations and the users to pay. It's outrageous!

We put a Clearstream antenna on the roof several months ago. We still have Comcast/Xfinity for broadband Internet and we kept the cable box, but their boxes are no longer anywhere near our TVs and, for that, we are very happy.

We found the guy who installed it on craigslist. He runs a business installing roof antennas and dish antennas. Since the model antenna he recommended was not one he normally carried, he suggested getting it online or from Best Buy (tip: BBUY often has these models in the "open box" sections of their stores as people buy them and find they need a different antenna for their location).

We bought the Clearstream (open box), he put it up, we ran the signal through the existing coax, and we're done. We finally have a picture that is worthy of the TVs displaying it.

That's excellent Steve! I just did some checking today with Comcast, to see what they were going to charge me for stand alone internet. Wow! $80. basically and another $10. to rent the modem every month! That's highway robbery. Prices on everything are just going up too fast. It wasn't that long ago, that it was $49. for internet and I thought that was expensive.

I spent a little time looking for another Internet provider, but everyone on my area that is offering a cheaper price seems to be offering a much lower speed. I checked the speed on my computer this afternoon too and it registered 70Mbps on download speed and 6 Mbps on upload. Then just now it was 37 Mbps and 83 Mbps for download and about 6 Mbps for upload again. How is it that some providers are offering a plan with 5 Mbps? That seems like it would be slower than dial up used to be. Maybe I'm not understanding this.

Steve thanks for the tip on the open box at Best Buy - I would not have thought of that.

prairiemoon2, check the specs and the terms of service carefully when shopping for Internet providers. Also consider just what level of service you might need.

We have Xfinity's "Performance 25" service. We stream video and audio to one (maybe two) devices at a time and have a few computers in the house accessing the Internet. At pretty much any time except TV prime time, the network testing I've done more than clears 25 Mbps. I have no interest in paying Xfinity for a higher level of service; what we have is enough. If you're not streaming video or playing on-line games, you probably don't need even Performance 25.

As for 5 Mbps services, sometimes it's what you can get, especially if you live in a rural area. Sometimes it's the provider being realistic about the minimum performance level. I'd rather a provider be realistic about 5 Mbps rather than hype "up to 25 Mbps" (which really tells me little about the performance). We've looked at other providers, but what kills the deal for us is upload speeds -- I have large media files I need to upload to various places; 1 or 2 Mbps isn't going to do it for me. When some company can offer faster to us, I'll look.

Yes, I will check them all out. I seem to only have two choices and not sure there is a lot of difference, except one requires a 2 yr contract for a minimal savings over the other. But I will read all the fine print too.

I'll ask about the 'Performance 25" to see if it is available here and whether that fits our needs, thanks.

We're not in a rural area by any means, so 5Mbps seems slow, but then again, for me, I rarely upload anything.

Do a SEO search for FCC Transmission/TV broadcast with your zip code and location (latitude and longitude), there are a couple websites that will inform you of the TV signals you should receive, and the strength of the signal, along with recommended height of same, in room, attic, or roof mounted 20' +