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Digital Rabbit Ears
updated: Jan 10, 2013, 4:50 PM

By Edhat Subscriber

Have any readers tried using digital "rabbit ears" for TV reception in Santa Barbara? I have an HDTV that I would like to use only to view local channels and regular broadcast networks. All the antennas I've looked at say it depends on the local reception. Any input? Thanks.

Comments in order of when they were received | (reverse order)

COMMENT 362295	2013-01-10 04:59 PM
I have them and just get Channel 3 (ABC). A few other channels come in, some spanish but I don't watch any of them.
COMMENT 362302	2013-01-10 05:14 PM
Yes, in Goleta the only significant channel yuo get is the local ABC. You get lots of channels in other languages, and RTV, but ABC is the only major network.
COMMENT 362309P	2013-01-10 05:32 PM
If you Google "tv antenna map" there are some Web sites that will let you input your address and map for you what channels are the strongest and what strength antennas you need. One such site is www.tvfool.com. Of course, you can always do the wire coat-hanger on the curtain rod. :-)
COMMENT 362316	2013-01-10 05:44 PM
We have it also. We get channel 3, 6, RTV, The CW a few PBS and KCET stations. And we LOVE not paying almost $90 per month for TV!!
BURNTTHISTLE	2013-01-10 05:47 PM
Actually it does depend where you live and where I your house the TV is. For about $10 you an buy some simple ones on line and get 2-10 channels the problem is most are Hispanic which is ok also PBS If you spend $30-50you get more and if you get a out door or attic antenna you could get possibly 20 or more
DAT WUT SHE SED	2013-01-10 05:49 PM
We have it in the Mesa and get the same channels as 316. All in HD. Still have Dish for premium channels, but free PBS is better than Dish's SD PBS. Husband has gone thru 3-4 antennas to get what he likes.
COMMENT 362325	2013-01-10 05:58 PM
I purchased the "rabbit ears" from radio-shack here in town for only $10! You are to place it as high as possible in your home and fuss a bit with it before receiving any channels. I have about 10 channels all in HD and dont pay a dime!
COMMENT 362340P	2013-01-10 06:39 PM
Kudos to 316 & 325. That's good to hear.
MACSCIDOR	2013-01-10 06:40 PM
No TV antenna information here -- but you should check out earlier Edhat posts under "Antenna Adventures" for July 2010, etc. "For those Edhat readers who use an antenna for TV reception, what adventures are you having?"_ Also, search for John Wiley posts on this topic: he has a special low cost TV antenna set-up and explained his equipment. I pay for Cox basic cable TV [$31/month with a Cox box that enables me to get the local 'public access' channels 20, 19, 18.] But to my amazement _the box allows me to view *three* PBS channels: KOCE Ch 10 (Orange County), KCET (Independent) Ch 129, and PBSW Ch 105. I have to switch between the three to view my favorite selections.
COMMENT 362343	2013-01-10 06:43 PM
hope they work better 'n that digital rabbit's foot I had
COMMENT 362351	2013-01-10 06:58 PM
it depends on where you live in. if u are in a canyon you are will waste your money- save your receipt
COMMENT 362399	2013-01-11 07:38 AM
In the flats of Noleta (Near Magnolia Center) with a $110 antenna mounted 15 feet above the peak of the roof of a two story house on a rotator with a $50 low noise preamp, I was able to get nearly 200 channels at various times if I pointed the antenna carefully. Out of those, we watched KEYT (two channels including RTV), and a local repeater for KCET (four channels including W) and occasionally a half a dozen stations from LA, San Diego, and Tiajuana when they came in plus KSBY when they were on the air. In other words, with the best set up you are likely to achieve, you can pick up more channels than Cox sells, but most of them only come in when the weather is right, many are dupicates of each other, most are foreign language or otherwise limited in their appeal, plus you have to crown your home with "big ugly". Rabbit ears (or a well-bent coat hanger) will give you almost half what you get with the killer diller roof top special - we just gave up and subscribed to Cox.
COMMENT 362400	2013-01-11 07:42 AM
We live on 154 and can't get anything. We used to get San Diego,but not any more
PATRICK	2013-01-11 08:00 AM
We dumped our TV when things went digital, so I am kind of out of the loop, but what is RTV?
COMMENT 362431	2013-01-11 08:51 AM
If you have an HDTV, you can plug your TV into the cable and then look for channels up in the 100's -- the numbers are really weird, like 104.6, 111.3 but you will find all of the local channels plus some other good ones.
COMMENT 362499	2013-01-11 11:31 AM
As stated above, I get those 7-10 stations and started watching Spanish Language stations (including a PBS station) and have steadily improved my comprehension over the past couple of years. Those crazy Telenovelas!
COMMENT 362549	2013-01-11 01:23 PM
RTV is Russian TV.
COMMENT 362591	2013-01-11 02:47 PM
Never tried using an antenna to get the miniscule amount of free TV that's available. That's because I studied hard in school, got a great degree and a great job that pays me enough to afford cable.
COMMENT 362617	2013-01-11 03:25 PM
I would rather have a live rabbit than cable.
COMMENT 362626	2013-01-11 03:51 PM
549- No, it's not Russian TV. It's Retro TV, where they play a lot of older shows... The Saint, Highway to Heaven, the Adventures of Black Beauty, Lassie, Starsky and Hutch etc...
COMMENT 362646	2013-01-11 05:32 PM
Nothing can keep Dan away from the TV antenna thread. You can have your live rabbit. I opt for a wide choice of the best programming out there. PBS sucks. So does ABC. And I don't speak spanish. That's why I have cable, and don't mind paying for it. Plus, I would never give up my DVR. Best invention ever.
COMMENT 362672	2013-01-11 06:52 PM
646, 40 years ago my dad would walk into the room where we were watching a tv with 5 channels. He would say to us, "What's on the idiot box?" He was so right. The more things change, the more things stay the same.
MACSCIDOR	2013-01-12 07:30 AM
I forgot to mention that my $31/mo Cox cable box also allows me to view the University of California (UCTV) Channel 72, with a variety of content-rich hours. (I love how enthusiastic researchers are about their topics_and the explanations of their search and analytical methods.)
COMMENT 362749	2013-01-12 08:30 AM
Amazon Prime or Netflix, Hulu+, a Roku or Apple box, and an AM radio tuned to KNX 1070 for chemical, biological, or nuclear incidents is all you need.
COMMENT 362838	2013-01-12 01:40 PM
362749 - Yeah, and you can live a very long time on just water and rice. Doesn't mean that's how I want to live my life.

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