Cutting the cord

[gfretwell]

Just a little wire

[Adam Kubias]

I'm satisfied with a mast too. A shingled attic will take out about 30% of reception. Why do anything to a maximum of 70% efficiency?

[micky]

Cheaper, quicker, easier, safer, less maintenance, do-able in a rental house, and in many, most, or maybe almost all cases fully sufficient to get all the stations one wants.

Far quicker, easier, and cheaper.

If it is insufficient, nothing stops one from installing a mast or tower later. But one has to ask himself if that added 30% will bring in more stations or will it just reach a doughnut shaped area of farmland beyond the city whose stations you get with the attic antenna and 20 miles short of the next city.

[micky]

First, I answered your question.

To drag Jesus into this in the way you did, I think means you've reached the second level of snottiness.

That's for you to say about yourself. It's not for you to be dismissive of people who don't have the money you do.

A used HD TV for 20 dollars at Goodwill???? If so, you were lucky. Most people don't have time to go to Goodwill over and over until they find a good deal like this. Some have 2 jobs. If not, it's a pointless remark.

[JAS]

I understand where you are coming from, My wife and I are both 73 and this year are out of pocket drug charges is around $900.00 per month. She was diagnosed with Parkinson and the med is $478.00 per month and her diabetics med is $345.00 and then mine. Our Part D pays nothing for her meds and no aid as long as you have Medicare. If you were like some that did not try to pay there own way of course there is help. We have had to cut way back and drop anything that is not necessary. I am still working when I can but not on any company insurance since I am part time.

[micky]

$35 on Amazon. But I'm glad you warned me, and the other guy, in advance.****

But you have to use them even where it's dry? I gather the answer is yes.

And do these also require the compression tool?***

***The text doesnt' say... Well it doesn't say on the ad page, but in the questions it pretty much says yes.

I ask because they are called "Snap and Seal" which makes them sound like they go on easily, like Tupperware lids. Of coure the next two words in their name is "Compression Connector" but, always hopeful, I'm thinking maybe that means "serving in the role of a compresson connector".

****"Wait a second, Alice" as Ralph Kramden might say. I was using examples from when I got cable, but I was only giving advice on running his antenna cable into the house. Standards for that haven't changed.

But I'm glad you warned us because I might get cable again someday.

[clare]

The question is a bit ambiguous. He CAN use the existing cable in the house for his antenna, but it MUST be disconnected from the cable TV/internet connection. If he disconnects the cable at the first splitter, connecting only the internet to the incoming cable, he CAN connect the antennae to the remaining installed cable. Just needs the proper balun to adapt the antenna to the cable if the antenna is the common 300 ohm twinlead instead of the 50/75 ohm co-ax

[clare]

Those are the connectors - and yes, they need the "compression tool"

[Arnold Ziffel]

Would you like to cure that diabetes?

[dadiOH]

If you haven't all ready done so, you might want to investigate the Medicare Advantage plans available in your area, especially their drug formulary and charges for same. IME, they are often far cheaper than with straight Medicare and no supplemental insurance needed.

[sam E]

[snip]

Unexplained "NO" answers are usually wrong.

It is possible with the proper filters, although you'd have to know the frequencies involved (don't forget the cable internet uses separate downstream and upstream channels).

However, it'd be easier to put in a separate cable for the modem.

[SPAM DELETED]

[hah]

[snip]

Quad Shield cable does need different connectors. There should be no need to use QS except for very long runs or in unusually noisy environments.

[Mark Lloyd]

[snip]

And that setup may not work because of interference.

You would need a suitable filter so the OTA channels aren't entering the cable from the cable company. Depending on the frequencies involved, this could be an expensive filter, and subject to change (when the cable company changes the channels your cable internet uses).

It's still be easier to use a separate cable for the internet.

[clare]

If you ever want to use it for digital TV or interner, you will want QS. Up here the cable company rips out anything else and replaces it with QS cable.

[Mark Lloyd]

[snip]

If the signal is strong enough, 70% will give you a picture EXACTLY like

100% will. An attic installation may be preferable in other ways.

[micky]

Come to think of it, that's the advantage of digital, if the signal is strong enough. Since the value can only be 0 or 1, whichever it's closer to (or whatever other standard is used) it will be interpreted as a 0 or 1. I'm sure it's smart enough that, if the signal is at 70%, it doesn't just call everything below 50% zero and everything between 50 and 70 one. Instead it would note the maximum signal strength of 70, and call everything 35 or above 1, and everything below 35 zero. (or use a method parallel to whatever method or standard is used with stronger signals. )

[Bob_Villa]

Hey, don't strain yourself! The digital information is delivered by a carrier frequency...if that carrier is within limits all the digital information will be intact.

[bob haller]

cable happens to use the same frequencies as commercial airliners do, which is why cable operators sometimes replace entire neighborhoods of main cable lines.

they survey areas looking for stray signals.....

dont mix cable and tv antennas, run a seperate cable!

[Ralph Mowery]

That is right. Analog signals get snowy if the signal level is weak. The digital signal strength does not mater as to quality of the picture. You either have enough signal for the receiver to work or you get a blank screen. Under some fading conditions you may see the picture look like square blocks and frozen up. That is where the signal totally goes away. It does not mater if you have 100% 0r 10 % signal, if it is enough for the circuits to get the information, the quality will be the same.

[Mark Lloyd]

[snip]

I have digital TV and cable internet (15Mbps). The outdoor cable the company installed in about 2001 may be QS (although I think it is not). I installed all the indoor cable, NONE of which is QS. There's even a little RG59 (very short runs). It all works fine.

Your cable company may use QS because it's what they have (they're using it for outdoor runs too). That doesn't make it any better.

BTW, HD isn't noticably better on a small screen.