Sure just like in the old days lol you can use an antenna in the house, on the TV, outside etc. As a result you will be able to get a range of channels. Moving the antenna around can tune in other channels. We use one in the rv when we don't have our direct TV dish set up with us. There are small flat ones that you can stick up in a window or set one in the attic. It's absolutely legal and free except for the cost of the antenna. If you have a foil radiant barrier lining in the attic you may have trouble using the antenna in the attic. You can mount one to a satellite dish mount if you have one.

This is the one my neighbor has and he really likes it.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HSMK5A8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_nsKdzbV5T5E94

26 years ago we purchased one @ K-mart. It folds out like big wings and it's installed in our attic. We get 23 stations with it...at NO charge.

Of course they are legal! Funny how cable companies have convinced us that cable is the way to go.

I cut the cable last February, finally, and feel liberated. I bought a $18.00 antenna from Target, hooked it up (3 seconds flat) and get 43 channels. Do check out the site maddielee posted because you want to know first how many channels you can access in your area.

There are also several other websites on this topic if you do a search about cutting cable. I started one several months ago that grew pretty big as I recall.

Along with my landline which I dropped a year ago, cable is something I don't miss at all.

It does depend on how far you are from your broadcast TV stations. The further you are, the worse the reception.

I am like others above, no fee, and plenty to watch.

Of course, am not a sports fan, and don't want to watch that... and I don't get it anyhow... same with DYI, and HGTV and plenty other premium pay stations.

Moni

I have never had cable. Just rabbit ears or an outside antennae. I live very near Houston, and get about 80 channels. Some are in Spanish, some Viet Namese, some religious, etc. Movie channels. I have never had very much interest in television. For me, it is mostly a night light...volume turned to mute. My husband likes old westerns (I hate them) but he falls asleep and I change the channel.

We live in the middle of no where and without cable we only get 1 channel. Wish we could get away from cable.

I just looked at that site that tells me how many channels I can get in my future home. 28... that would be good. Although I suspect the actual number could be a few less. The only premium channels I'd care about no longer offer lots of great programming (History, HGTV, Food.)

I just checked my current location. The website says nothing can be reliably received! And I'll be more rural when I move!

I don't watch much TV... I can get the news from the Internet (BBC, NPR, CNN), and from an occasional newspaper, and from the radio I get headline sorts of news (WCBS news radio, NYC, which I won't have after I move). Not interested in sports (a few Olympics events tide me over!), and I'd rather choose my movie to watch without depending on TV to proffer some limited offering. However, with retirement, there may be one or two things I'd like to investigate!

Great! Lots of sites to check out; that will be my "entertainment" this afternoon.. My grandson came by and hooked up a $20 WalMart set and it does work, but gets only one channel, "NBC." Not. exactly what I'm looking for.

I appreciate all the helps and sites you all posted. I had no idea what was available sans channels, after having Directv for 15 or so years. I do think Directv is probably the best, but the price compared to what is offered now is ridiculous.

We had a roof antenna for years. Problem was that in wind storms (which are often in this area), it would often get disconnected and my late husband was terribly afraid of heights (I didn't want him up on the roof anyway). It got to the point we were paying more to get it fixed than we would have for basic cable. I also wanted cable high speed internet so I have both - on cable I only get the 3 networks plus PBS and that is sufficient for me. It beats rabbit ears and a nuisance antenna on the roof.

We've used a roof antenna for several years, and get the ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, CW, 2 PBS stations, plus two more. Fortunately all of the stations broadcast from the nearly the same location and are all in the UHF band so a narrow-angle, high-gain, UHF-only antenna worked quite well.

At our new place, although it is much closer to town it is also in a bit of a valley so using just the set-top bowtie antenna doesn't work very well. I borrowed an amplified indoor antenna with lights and buttons and a swiveling panel that looks a little like a satellite dish, however it performed much worse than the simple bowtie antenna. Just a day or two ago I moved the bowtie antenna upstairs using a 75 Ohm coax cable, and all 9 channels come in reliably.

When I lived in a development that had a HOA, the HOA rules prohibited having a roof top antenna, however upon researching it I discovered there is (or was at that time) a federal law that overrides and invalidates all such HOA rules.

I put up a roof top antenna a few months ago at our new house 40 miles NW of San Antonio. The San Antonio TV antennae are located about 30 miles SE of San Antonio, so I needed a big antenna to pick up the weak signals. With one TV hooked up it worked fine, but with a TV in the kitchen, bedroom, office, and TV room, I needed two amplifiers. It gets 40 HDTV channels including the digital side channels on the local affiliate network channels. For example 9.1 (PBS), 9.2 (PBS in Spanish), 9.3 (PBS Kids), 9.4 (Create). NBC, CBS, ABC, and several independent channels have similar digital side channels, all in HD.

So I have taken a look at every thing that has been mentioned. Of course a lot of it, most of it, is 'way over my old grey head. May just wait until June when my son will be here for my birthday and he can help me decide what to do. Thanks again.

Regular indoor antennas have an effective range of not more than 20 miles depending on conditions. To go beyond that distance requires better designs such as a rotatable Yagi. These are much larger than "rabbit ears" and are usually are elevated on a tower or roof top. Also, these should have lightening arrestors installed. Tower bracing may be required.

I do not recommend attic installations due the potential for lightening strikes. If a lightening bolt decides to strike the antenna, the roof will not offer any impediment relatively speaking, and the bolt will punch right through the roof often starting a fire.

I am 17 miles from most of the broadcast TV towers and do well enough with an indoor antenna, except most of my house has aluminum siding and that can cause trouble.