# Disconnected Cable TV / Search For Local Channels ??



## GrayHair (Apr 9, 2015)

I doubt it. TV antennas are designed to be efficient in TV frequency bands and inefficient outside TV bands. Combined with an impedance matched transmission line (coaxial cable), they provide the path to get the signal to your TV.

 
You can go to *TV Fool*, enter your address and get a report of what channels you might receive.


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## SPS-1 (Oct 21, 2008)

You will need an antenna, but you don't need to put up a tower or mount it to your chimney. Google "rabbit ears antenna". Sure, you will get better reception with an antenna on a 30 foot tower, but the indoor rabbit ears will work fine if you have nearby transmitters.


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## Colbyt (Jan 27, 2014)

It depends on whether the locals in your area are using the VFH or UFH band.

The first step is to tell you TV to search for broadcast channels. This is done in you TV menu. There is no such thing as an HD antenna. An antenna is an antenna. A pair of rabbit ears, an old UHF indoor antenna or even a metal coat hanger bent into a 12" circle combined with a coax converter (300 OHM to 75Ohm) and a short length of coax may be all you need.

The converter is required because modern TVs only have coax inputs.

I have a homemade antenna in the upstairs of my house that pulls 18 stations with a better signal quality than we can get from the cable company. Not bad for something made from scrap #10 copper wire, some boards and a few screws.


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## SPS-1 (Oct 21, 2008)

Rabbit ears are commonly sold with coax cable output, so it should plug right in. But around here, all stations now transmit a digital signal. If your TV is more than roughly 8 years old, you probably need a digital to analog converter box to use the signal.

Where are you located?


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## NorPlan (Nov 24, 2014)

SPS-1 said:


> Rabbit ears are commonly sold with coax cable output, so it should plug right in. But around here, all stations now transmit a digital signal. If your TV is more than roughly 8 years old, you probably need a digital to analog converter box to use the signal.
> 
> Where are you located?


 Flat Screen TV.. Eastern Ontario..(Rural / Shadow of the Peace Tower..lol..) As I said we still have the Apple TV / Netflix hooked up.. I had thought there was a way of Clicking On another Setting to be able to bring up a local channel..


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## SPS-1 (Oct 21, 2008)

There is a "setting". You will find an "input" setting for where the TV gets its signal. You have several different inputs --- probably one or more HDMI inputs, internet input, probably component input, possibly S-video input, possibly composite input, and an antenna input. On the TV menu, you can select which input you want to view from. So if you want to view over-the-air channels, you select to view from antenna. But you still need some signal going to that input, and to get a signal to the antennae input, you need an antenna.


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## diyorpay (Sep 21, 2010)

To make the input setting change from 'cable' to 'tv', use the original tv remote control. 

If you can connect a 10 to 20 foot piece of old coax cable to the back of the tv and hold the other end near a window (tape it to the window?) facing the towers, you may get some transmission signal. can test by scanning for channels. 

If you are willing to butcher the window end of the cable by cutting off the screw in part, peel back a bit of outer casing, pull some of the shielding shrands into a solid 'cable', separate that from the center solid wire and expose some, you've built a really crude antenna that should get an even stronger signal.

If you still have the satellite company cable going to your rooftop, you might consider using it on your chimney or other roof location with a small antenna or try it from your attic even. Just connect that cable to your tv's co ax antenna input.

Colbyt is right that any clear HD signal you can pull in over the air is not compressed in any way by a cable or satellite company and is therefore clearer.


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