Hi Moms!!! Thanks to a blown DVR machine and poor customer service from DirecTv, we've decided to get a fancy set of "rabbit ears" for our DTV ready TV. Anyone out there just using an antenna since the DTV switch? We have bought and returned a few already...one of them was great but didn't get ABC and CBS. The other was 20 dollars more and didn't get one clear picture. So we have gone back to the first one, but have 2 weeks to return it if not satisfied. We figured that would give us 2 weeks to look for "the one". So to make a long story short, which ones have you found to work well? Thanks so much!!!
Well, I've had trouble too since the switch. I bought a GE Quantum HD3 antenna from Target for $35 and so far it gets in quite a few channels. It all depends on your area too. My brother bought an RCA amplified from Walmart at about $30 and says it is really good. The walmarts by me were sold out of them the past couple of days though. Good luck in your search.
The best option that I have found is the antenna made from metal cloths hangers I found on YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWQhlmJTMzw
We've been experimenting with antennas for my son's room. So far our old rabbit ears from our old travel tv works best, but is aesthetically displeasing to him (he's paying for the antenna, btw). We've tried out a few and each works about the same, just different ones have been giving different channels better reception. Channel 8 is the worst for just about everyone because their tower is not at Cedar Hill. They are supposedly ramping up their power in an attempt to improve reception, but it has only been a few days.
We're going to wait a few weeks then try again. Unfortunately, I think everyone is just going to have to find what works best for them by trial and error.
Well, I don't know how much this will help, but I can tell you that the antenna is only part of the problem. It has to be facing the right direction, and some channels come from different towers, so you may need to change the direction of your antenna in order to get better reception. Mainly, the towers are in the Cedar Hill area so point them in that direction. Also, a multi-directional antenna will be best. Also very important is how high up your antenna is, how many trees are in your yard, where in the house the antenna is (very interior areas have a harder time getting a signal than areas close to an exterior wall).
We don't have cable of any type and we've been testing out reception with our antenna for about a year now. The short answer is, unless you are willing to mount an antenna on your roof or in your attic, you might have to just suffer with the so-so reception for a few weeks. I HATE our reception but it's better than paying over $500 a year for something that is available for free anyway.
Good luck, hope that helps.
If you are still with Directv call & ask to speak with a supervisor. If you scream loud enough they will put you on an "escalation list" which is the kiss of death to those guys. You just have to throw a fit & stomp your feet enough to get something done. Tell them you are going to call the "watchdog" from Star telegram & I bet that lights a fire under their butts! You could always go with Dish Network too (or at least threaten Directv that you will do that) they will have someone out there in a jiff! Good Luck!
Are you looking to decrease costs as well, or just get good reception? We never had DirecTV, but we used an antennae for years. The house we currently live in had NO reception with rabbit ears (something about our location, maybe down in a recessed area, or the placement of our house, I don't know). So we upgraded to Dish Network. We first tried to get a digital TV package, and they spent 4 hours and could not get reception at our house, so that's why we went to Dish Network. I think the price is pretty comparable to DirecTV and we also have DVR; we have it through a bundle package with ATT so we get even more of a discount. Might be worth looking into. We've been pleased with no problems thus far.
