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A downright awful economy probably means some cutbacks in your own home.  Plenty of folks have suggested dropping your cable or satellite television service.  I totally agree.

Can you cut the cable?

First take stock of how much television you watch.  I’m a television junkie, so this first step may be a bit of an eye opener.  What programs do you view regularly?  You may be pleasantly surprised that you watch a lot of shows on the major broadcast networks.  Sure, there may be shows you like on other networks, but there are plenty of ways to enjoy those programs.

Researching your antenna

If you’re alright with cutting the cable and putting up an antenna, you definitely want to do research.  AntennaWeb.org is the site to consult to determine your antenna.  If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to get away with a standard amplified antenna in your home.  If you’re like me, you’ll find that you need a larger antenna with an amplifier.  

Even old rooftop antennas can pick up digital signals.  One of the more confusing things with the digital transition is that the ads talk about getting a signal from over the air as an issue.  That is not really the problem.  The real issue is having a digital tuner to make sense of the signals—try explaining that to the masses.  

Getting your antenna

Get an antenna.  I picked up one via Freecycle.  The fellow who gave me the antenna asked, “What exactly are you going to do with that antenna?”  I laughed and told him, “I’m going to watch TV with it.”  He gave me a weird look and I drove off.  Don’t underestimate Freecycle or your local Craigslist for free or cheap antennas. 

You can pick up any number of antennas online.  If you need an amplifier, look for something with the most gain.  I found an amp from Radio Shack that claimed a gain of 30dB and it really helped out my signal.

Obtaining a signal

Direct your antenna towards the transmitters—you can find that info from AntennaWeb.  To keep your signal strong, you’ll want the shortest cable run without things like splitters in the way.  The longer the run, the more signal is lost.  Splitters also decrease signal strength.  If you have a strong signal, then you ought to be able to afford splitting the signal.  

For setting your antenna up, you’ll definitely want a partner.  As you move the antenna, you’ll want to find out if you are actually doing well or not.  You can use a Slingbox and a laptop to determine the same thing if your television gives data about signal strength.

It’s worth it

Setting up an antenna can be somewhat difficult and time consuming if you are far from the originating signal towers.   Don’t let that you dissuade you from setting it up.  It’s definitely worth the effort.  Come back later and I will have another installment showing you how else you can get video for less than your cable bill.