Archive for the ‘Free To Air’ Category
OTA Antennas
In this age of cable television and satellite dishes, we tend to forget that television stations still broadcast their signals and that we can watch free television, if we have the proper antenna.
OTA antennas are designed to pick up local broadcasts for television. If you are near any major city, you will be able to receive the local stations, which will show most if not all of the three major networks. While you may not have access to thirty stations, many people find that OTA antennas bring in all the television that is necessary for their family. If you want to add movies to the line up, then use your CD or Blue-ray machine and buy or rent the movies that you want to watch.
Although the larger rooftop antennas are still available, you will also find much smaller OTA antennas that are especially designed to receive digital signals. These antennas may be as small as 10” x 20” and can receive digital signals from as far away as 50 miles. A slightly larger version can receive signals from up to 65 miles. If the covenants of your subdivision do not allow for rooftop antennas, these small antennas can be mounted in the attic or used indoors.
Another great feature of these smaller antennas is that they are multi-directional. This means that you will not need a rotor motor to turn the antenna in order to receive the best signal for each station. The beam width of each of these antennas is about 70 degrees.
If you live more than sixty miles from the nearest broadcast tower, then you will need to choose a uni-directional antenna. Due to the curvature of the earth, you will need to mount that antenna as high as possible so that the signals are not blocked by the earth itself. This setup will also require a rotor motor to aim the antenna toward the signal.
If you have an older analog television, you will also need a converter box. These converter boxes change the digital signal into a signal that can be used by an analog television. Although the US government gave coupons that were worth $40 each for up to two converter boxes, this program ended July 31, 2009. Converter boxes are still available at retail stores for under $50.
Enjoy television as it was meant to be, free. Buy an OTA antenna and never pay for cable again. If you are tired of paying expensive monthly bills for limited channel viewing and sketchy local satellite service, you can enjoy great entertainment on a budget with an OTA antenna. Systems such as the Incredible FTA satellite services will provide you with everything you need to get set up, from a dish to the receivers. You no longer need to worry about hidden taxes and fees. You won’t have to pay extra for the movies you love or the pay per view events you want to see. It’s all free with the help of FTA satellite systems.