43 replies to this topic

[Bubble2Bubble]

Sure I have had Dish Company 1.0 and Dish Company 2.0 but I dumped them because of there price increases!
In my area the new digital signals wont reach me, sure I bought the new converter box and everything but still no signal. I called tech support and they ran my area code and.....Yep ...no signal available here!. The whole Idea was to cut costs so I could afford more scuba diving trips and equipment etc.... I well miss the Undersea Detectives and Man VS Wild and of course Survivor-man series plus other channels like Glen Beck..But a Divers Got To Do What A Diver Needs To Do!



Will You be able to get free tv in your area?

Mike

[Mitch0129]

Sure I have had Dish Company 1.0 and Dish Company 2.0 but I dumped them because of there price increases!
In my area the new digital signals wont reach me, sure I bought the new converter box and everything but still no signal. I called tech support and they ran my area code and.....Yep ...no signal available here!. The whole Idea was to cut costs so I could afford more scuba diving trips and equipment etc.... I well miss the Undersea Detectives and Man VS Wild and of course Survivor-man series plus other channels like Glen Beck..But a Divers Got To Do What A Diver Needs To Do!

Will You be able to get free tv in your area?

Mike, I think all areas will no longer be able to get free TV come next February. It will all be digital. Of course, I could be wrong.

[ScubaPunk]

You poor thing. Want me to tape Glen Beck for you? He's about the only thing I watch on T.V.

[uwfan]

Yeah...who's Glen Beck??

The Denver area will still have a signal if you have the converter box...there's been a huge fight over whether or not a tower could be placed on a particular hill/mountain here...the tower is up and so many like me will still have free TV...such as it is!!

[Landlocked Dive Nut]

I've got DirecTV satellite, so I'm OK for the Feb 2009 issue, and I don't care what it costs - I'm keeping it!
I've got the remote for the first time in 18+ years!

I'll just have to eat Kraft mac and cheese so I can afford my weekly Man vs. Wild......
And yeah, who is Glen Beck???

[Mitch0129]

Well, here are a couple of links related to the Glen Beck show. It is appears to be a national TV show along the lines of Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity.

The Glen Beck Show (Wikipedia Entry)

Glen Beck Offical Web Site

Edited by Mitch0129, 07 August 2008 - 10:40 PM.

[Mitch0129]

This is all reminding me of when a buddy of mine was laid up in the hospital many years ago. At the time, hospitals did not have cable tv, all you had was the broadcast networks. That means he was stuck with only soap operas to watch during the day, no ESPN, ESPN2, Fox Sports Net, or any of the sports channels. I never saw someone so eager to get out of the hospital!

[Landlocked Dive Nut]

That means he was stuck with only soap operas to watch during the day, no ESPN, ESPN2, Fox Sports Net, or any of the sports channels. I never saw someone so eager to get out of the hospital!

EEK! I don't blame him for wanting out!

[pmarie]

Wow!! OK. You have definately got me beat in the rural department. I thought I was more or less isolated. No cable where I am at. I have Dish network. They did contact me and told me that I had to have my boxes changed out and updated though. This has been accomplished and I now have more HD stations; but I still don't watch much TV. I'd much rather be diving!!

[shadragon]

When I moved four months ago I neglected to renew my satellite feed. For that time I really have not missed it. Any TV shows that were an absolute must see I downloaded. I have been a lot more active with canoe trips and tons of diving. No plans on getting TV back any time soon.

[Racer184]

It appears to me on the map that you are about 35 miles from Dallas and about 25 miles from Little Rock, maybe 40 miles from Oklahoma City. I have no idea what the terrain is like, are there mountains in the way? In a flat terrain (like Florida) picking up tv stations within 100 miles is a "piece of cake".

With a $69 antenna and a $80 rotator you should be able to get 20 or 30 stations perfectly. Most people can look this up at www.antennaweb.org However this site is VERY VERY VERY pessimistic. If it shows "none" as in your case in De Queen, AR, try entering a town a bit closer and see what the result is.

I also need to point out that NO homeowners association can prevent you from putting up a tv antenna.
No building codes can prevent you from putting up a tv antenna. (They can require a building permit, but they can NOT incur 'unreasonable' restrictions or delays.) Years ago our Congress ordered the Federal Communications Commission to write rules that override your homeowners association and deed restrictions. The only people that can stop you are your landlord if you rent, or if you are in a designated historical architectural site.

And BEFORE you buy a new antenna. Almost NO ONE in the USA will need a VHF antenna for television. There will be very few VHF tv stations after February. In my location there will only be one VHF station and I can receive that one with no antenna connected. One of the goals when congress ordered the change to digital tv (back in the 90's) was to eliminate VHF tv (channels 2 through 13) and upper UHF (channels 51 through 69). The FCC eliminated channels 70 through 82 back in the 80's (get an old tv that tunes up there and use it to listen to cell phone calls). So when you buy an antenna it is highly unlikely that you will need a VHF capable antenna. This means that antennas will be MUCH smaller and a LOT cheaper since you will not need to receive VHF. Before anyone tries to sell you a HUGE antenna, have them PROVE to you that there will be a VHF tv station on in your area after February. For most of us in the USA we will only need a "bowtie curtain UHF antenna". For example a Channel Master CM4228. This antenna is 5'5" high and 3' wide, approximately $75. If you live within 20 miles of the tv station, you will probably be happy with the Channel Master CM4221 (around $35) which is less than 2' wide and 3' high.

Don't let that last paragraph confuse you. For example, channel 5 is actually broadcasting on channel 55 here, but it still will appear on your remote control as channel 5. (really fine print; channel 5 will be channel 12 next year, that's the only VHF that will be around in our area.)

The biggest difference with ATSC (digital) versus the NTSC we group up with. You either get a perfect picture or none.
No ghosting, no snow, no fade. Perfect or nothing.

Think before buying a 'convertor box'. That expense will convert the new transmission format (ATSC) to NTSC so your existing tv can display it..... display it in the same crummy way that you see the picture now. How much longer will you use your existing tv by spending this money ?

I bought my hi-def digital tv more than 6 years ago. Back then there were very few hi-def programs on, yet within a week I gave away my 32" stereo tv. I just couldn't look at that crummy picture anymore. Now I get 3 times as many channels also. A new digital tv that can display hi-def (and be used as an incredible computer monitor) will cost about $250. Also, a new tv will still have inputs so you can use your VCR or DVD player. Yep, that's quite a few boat dives, quite a few nitrox fills.... but there is nothing on 'cable' or 'satellite' that would make my shell out $900 per year. That's a lot of diving :-)

Edited by Racer184, 08 August 2008 - 06:38 AM.

[Bubble2Bubble]

Racer184

It appears to me on the map that you are about 35 miles from Dallas and about 25 miles from Little Rock, maybe 40 miles from Oklahoma City. I have no idea what the terrain is like, are there mountains in the way? In a flat terrain (like Florida) picking up tv stations within 100 miles is a "piece of cake".

I like your map because I would attend more Dallas HH if it was true, but in reality Dallas is over 200 miles away and between LR and me there is a huge mountain range. all my free TV has been coming out of Shreveport La which is 140 + miles away and on a good day when the Moon is in the 7th house and Jupiter aligns with Mars I can get channel 6 which is NBC aka The Today Show, Law And Order, Jay Leno etc.. and when there is a certain amount of clouds in the sky I can get channel 3 which is CBS or ABC ? anyway I think free TV in my area is toast after 02/09 and I will probably..most likely pony-up and get a Dish...again

Glenn Beck

I'm Just Saying

Mike

[Racer184]

interesting.... googlemaps has a little quirk... at one level of zoom, the map scale is off.

These arent too far, but you have mountians in the way.
KFSM in Fort Smith
KHBS in Fort Smith channel 40

These look like you should be able to receive them.
KSLA in Shreveport
KTAL in Shreveport
KTBS in Shreveport