Receiving Over-the-Air (OTA) TV
With an Antenna
Over 99% of U.S. TV households have access to at least one local digital TV station and 89% can get
five or more stations.
Did you know that over-the-air tv reception gives you
the best picture quality? Over-the-air antenna reception is the best way to receive HDTV signals at the full resolution!
Cable and satellite offer a lot of channels, but in order to have so many channels they have to compress their transmission signal and that diminishes the picture quality.
Cable and satellite also have bandwidth limits so they might not carry all the local channels in your area, or might not have them in high definition (HD).
You may be able to receive out-of-town channels with the right antenna and reception conditions and watch sports channels that are blocked out in your area.
The icing on the cake is that you can get free digital TV channels! Of course you have to purchase and install an indoor or outdoor antenna.
If you have a digital TV with a digital tuner, then you’re set. If you have an analog TV set, you will need a Digital TV Converter Box.
How do I receive the over-the-air TV signal?
The TV signal broadcast is considered to be "line of sight." Receiving dependable reception past the curvature of the Earth (which is about 70 miles) is difficult.
If there are obstructions such as mountains or tall building between the broadcast tower and your antenna, it can cause reception problems.
You will need to locate the TV broadcast tower that transmits your local stations. The easiest way to get that information is to visit
You will see a list of both analog and digital TV stations. Each station is color-coded showing which type of antenna you will need.
If you live in a small town or in a rural area, you might want to receive TV stations from another city. A properly installed, high-quality antenna can frequently receive digital stations that are over 50 miles away.
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