Off Air Reception-What DID we do before ever getting cable?

[Icangelp]

I was a child of the 50s and my Grandpa lived in southern Indiana. He had a metal tower that seemed to a kid to be 100 feet tall, and a giant antenna with a motorized rotor. I can only imagine the cost he had in the system. I wasn't allowed to touch the rotating direction knob on top of the set, but did get to watch some very good TV while I was visiting.

Here are the stations I remember he could get around 1954. Who knows what other channels he got, after all I wasn't allowed to DX, not that I knew what that meant:
Indiana
Bloomington WTTV
Evansville WFIE
Indianapolis WFBM
Indianapolis WISH
Princeton WRAY
Kentucky
Henderson WEHT
Louisville WAVE
Louisville WHAS
Ohio
Cincinnati WLWT
Cincinnati WCPO
Cincinnati WKRC
Missouri
St. Louis KSD

Oh, yea. It's true, in the early days of TV we even enjoyed watching test patterns with the profile of the American Indian. After all, the stations didn't come on until after 7:00 and went off by midnight.

 

[w9wi]

The origins of cable TV were to provide programming to those in outlying or mountainous areas with very poor to no reception. The concept was great and benefitted many people who otherwise wouldn't have any TV so to speak. The trend for the last few years has been to cut back on some of the semi local broadcast stations and adding stations that are shopping or religious based or stations that show pure crap. Plus a number of the cable stations take up large blocks of paid programming. Assume the average cable bill is $50 mo of $600 a year. If you pay for cable for 30 or 40 years, that cost is $18-24000. (probably could take a real nice, LOONG vacation with that cash.
My questions are what kind of off the air reception you had before getting cable? What kind of reception COULD you get if you dropped cable and spent the entire $600 for an off air system? Is cable a necessity where you live?
We get at least 15 stations off the air with rabbit ears (and clearly) in central Mass yet we have cable. Where I previously lived in Rutland, MA the number was closer to 30 (we had 5 ABC's and 5 NBC's as an example.)

Rabbit ears reception up here (25 miles from the towers) is somewhat problematical - I get seven analog stations with varying degrees of snow and computer noise and really only two viewable digitals. A modest outside antenna, however, will deliver all seven stations with perfect analog signals, an eightth perfect analog signal, ten perfect digital signals, and ten more perfect digital subchannels. Plus a pretty good second ABC analog signal and a fairly viewable additional religious analog signal.

At the house I grew up in, you can get eleven perfect analog signals with rabbit ears. Three more come in with varying degrees of noise. You also get eleven perfect digital signals, plus at least 13 additional digital subchannels. (for a total of 24)

If cable bills showed how much you were spending per year (rather than per month) subscribership would plummet!

 

[landtuna]

The original poster is attacking the cable/satellite argument from the reception angle only. There is another very good reason to subscribe.

I live in a metro area where both analog and digital OTA TV is available and one needs only a clean coat hanger for reception. Nevertheless, I subscribe to satellite TV because I watch primarily the niche programming available only on cable/satellite service (Discovery, Military, TCM, Speed and History). I watch very little OTA programming except sports.

The couple of dollars per day I spend on my satellite service I consider a good deal even though I would prefer not paying for programming I don't watch (the majority of my tier in fact).

Broadcast TV has declined dramatically in diversity and quality over the past decade and appears to be in virtual free-fall. I can see in the not-so-distant future I will not be watching OTA TV at all.

 

[fybush]

The best person I ever worked for is Stan Coning at WCTM Radio in Eaton, Ohio. I have always liked to go up and visit him. One summer evening while I was at his house, we turned on the TV. He did not have cable, just an antenna and rotor, but was able to pick up something on each VHF TV channel - and with a movement of the rotor, sometimes two stations on the same channel.

My take on this was it wasn't anything special. Being in that location meant most of these TV stations could be seen on a regular basis with an antenna (which wasn't far off the ground) and using a rotor.

Small world...Stan's been a friend of mine for a long time, too.

My in-laws are in Fort Wayne, where the nearest full-power VHF stations are more than 100 miles away. When I first started going there in the early 90s, I had fun watching at night with nothing more than rabbit ears on the second floor of their house. The lineup looked something like this:

2 WDTN Dayton
3 WWMT Kalamazoo
4 WTTV Bloomington
5 WMAQ Chicago
6 WLNS Lansing
7 WHIO Dayton (clear and in color)
8 WISH Indianapolis
10 WILX Lansing
11 WTOL Toledo
13 WTVG Toledo

I can only imagine what a decent rooftop antenna might have done when the trop was kicking in...

 

[radiorob2.0]

From my location about 30 miles south of Indianapolis in martinsville indiana,,Using Rabbit ears gets us only channel 4 6 8 and 13 all pretty snowy,,, but with a 50 ft rotor antenna all the Indy Channels are clear,, we also get CH 2 WTWO terre haute as well as CH 10 and UHF 38 from terre haute, Sometimes if we are lucky we get CHANNEL 3 WAVE as well as WHAS 11,, both in Louisville,, both snowy and often in Black and white,, ive picked up Fox 41 and BIG 58 from Louisville as well,, but rarely... One time our CH 10 got whiped out during E skip, and with the antenna pointed South East was able to receive CH 10 WIBR from,,,, I think Knoxville Tennesse... I later found out that the tower for that station is one of the highest around at 17oo and some odd feet... BTW,, Knoxville is 372 miles away.

The tower that held the record is no longer used by Channel 10. They moved to Sharp's Ridge to be with the other Knoxville TV stations. The tower still stands and is used by the former WBIR-FM now WIMZ. There is a thread on the East Tennessee board discussing the history of why the tower was built.

 

[kd8hho]

well, i still use the indoor rabbit ears, but ihave noticed over the last year it seems the analog stations maybe dropped power down cause i dont get good signals anymore my location Anderson,Indiana

in 2007 this is what i got

chan--call-location
4 WTTV bloomington fuzzy watchable
6 WRTV Indianapolis fuzzy watchable
8 WISH Indianapolis clear
13 WTHR Indianapolis clear
20 WFYI Indianapolis clear
23 WNDY Marion (tower on 246th st cicero,in i beleve) clear
29 WTTK kokomo clear
32 ????????????? something was there verry faint pic in the snow. sometimes sound
40 WHMB Noblesville fuzzy watchable
42 ???????????? something was there verry faint pic in the snow. sometimes sound
49 WIPB Muncie clear
59 WXIN Indianapolis clear
63 ???????????? something was there verry faint pic in the snow. sometimes sound


today 1/8/2009 my list

chan--call-location
4 WTTV bloomington gone
6 WRTV Indianapolis gone
8 WISH Indianapolis moderate/severe fuzz
13 WTHR Indianapolis moderate fuzz
20 WFYI Indianapolis gone
23 WNDY Marion (tower on 246th st cicero,in i beleve) clear / light fuzz
29 WTTK kokomo fuzzy bad
32 ????????????? gone
40 WHMB Noblesville gone
42 ???????????? gone
49 WIPB Muncie fuzzed
59 WXIN Indianapolis fuzzy bad
63 ???????????? gone

now i have not changed anything with the tv, rabbit ears. ect, it makes me wonder if they havent dropped power to save $ b4 they shut off the analogs in feb.

 

[anotherguyTN]

I had what was Radio Shack's best antenna at the time at my parents' house set up about 30 feet above ground with a rotor and booster. We lived South of Dyersburg, TN and could get the following stations regularly depending on the direction the antenna was facing:

WREG 3 Memphis
WMC 5 Memphis
WPSD 6 Paducah, KY
WBBJ 7 Jackson, TN
KAIT 8 Jonesboro, AR
WKNO 10 Memphis
WLJT 11 Lexington (Jackson), TN
KFVS 12 Cape Girardeau, MO
WHBQ 13 Memphis
WJKT 16 Jackson, TN
WPTY 24 Memphis, TN
WDYR-LP 33 Dyersburg, TN

My parents moved back into Dyersburg in 1999 and my brother lives at the house now. He said that the antenna is in worse shape and that 7, 11, and 16 in Jackson and 3, 5, 10, and 13 in Memphis are all that come in now, and the Memphis stations are snowy. He bought a digital tuner but hasn't hooked it up yet. I figure once the digital transition happens he'll bite the bullet and get a dish since probably all he'll be able might be the Jackson stations.

 

[radioman148]

In the 70s & 80s from 25 miles north of Chicago with a decent winegard TV antenna at about 40ft on a rotor besides all the Chicago stations, I could also get Ch 4, 6, 12, & 18 out of Milwaukee and 3 Rockford, Il stations plus at least 2 from South Bend, Indiana.

 

[schmave]

The best person I ever worked for is Stan Coning at WCTM Radio in Eaton, Ohio. I have always liked to go up and visit him. One summer evening while I was at his house, we turned on the TV. He did not have cable, just an antenna and rotor, but was able to pick up something on each VHF TV channel - and with a movement of the rotor, sometimes two stations on the same channel.

My take on this was it wasn't anything special. Being in that location meant most of these TV stations could be seen on a regular basis with an antenna (which wasn't far off the ground) and using a rotor.

Small world...Stan's been a friend of mine for a long time, too.

My in-laws are in Fort Wayne, where the nearest full-power VHF stations are more than 100 miles away. When I first started going there in the early 90s, I had fun watching at night with nothing more than rabbit ears on the second floor of their house. The lineup looked something like this:

2 WDTN Dayton
3 WWMT Kalamazoo
4 WTTV Bloomington
5 WMAQ Chicago
6 WLNS Lansing
7 WHIO Dayton (clear and in color)
8 WISH Indianapolis
10 WILX Lansing
11 WTOL Toledo
13 WTVG Toledo

I can only imagine what a decent rooftop antenna might have done when the trop was kicking in...

Maybe gr8 or another Dayton-area poster can add to this observation but WHIO has always had the best signal of the Dayton TV stations, even better than those higher on the dial. It's an easy catch in Columbus and is carried on many cable systems beyond the Dayton DMA. I remember watching it in the stands at Cincinnati's Riverfront Stadium when it was an affiliate of the Reds TV Network in the mid-90s.
WTOL and WTVG have great signals from Toledo too and are carried on cable as far away as Auglaize County and Bucyrus.

 

[Cincinnati Kid]

WHIO-TV, Channel 7, in Dayton has always seemed to have a great signal. I remember it being the first TV station outside of Cincinnati I ever picked up when I first started TV DX'ing in the mid-1950's. One of the things people here have tried to receive if for was the University of Dayton basketball games (which the station still airs). Even today, you can see some antennas on homes in this area (you don't see as many because of cable - and those you see, I wonder how many are still connected and in use) pointed toward Dayton. I think their tower is still the highest in the Dayton area. Perhaps someone there could confirm or correct that.

 

[gr8oldies]

No question WHIO's was always a powerful signal. We didn't have the greatest antenna back in the Celina area but 7's was always the clearest signal. I think 2's analog tower may be higher now, however.

 

[w9wi]

well, i still use the indoor rabbit ears, but ihave noticed over the last year it seems the analog stations maybe dropped power down cause i dont get good signals anymore my location Anderson,Indiana

in 2007 this is what i got

chan--call-location
32 ????????????? something was there verry faint pic in the snow. sometimes sound

WLKY Louisville? (I know of no operating analog stations on 32 in Indiana)

42 ???????????? something was there verry faint pic in the snow. sometimes sound

Quite probably Trinity Broadcasting's WCLJ Bloomington. (tower very close to channel 4)

63 ???????????? something was there verry faint pic in the snow. sometimes sound

Quite probably Ion's WIPX Bloomington. Tower adjacent to channels 4 and 42.

It looks like almost all your analogs have dropped in signal strength. While I wouldn't be surprised to see one or two have reduced power in preparation for the digital conversion, I can't see *all* of them doing so. I wonder if your 2007 scan was done in summer, when "tropo" propagation is better and signals are stronger?

 

[kd8hho]

well i know from 2001 till 2007/early 2008 what i listed was everyday 24/7 during summer tropo i could get many many more. (like terre haute, ft wayne, dayton, laff. cincy sometimes south bend / chicago)

 

[kc0ltv]

Interesting thread....

Until about five years ago, only our TV downstairs was connected to a satellite TV (cable is unavailable here), and even then we've gone completely without satellite or cable before more than once. When we first moved here in 1993, we had only our four local VHF stations - KDLH-3 (CBS), KBJR-6 (NBC), WDSE-8 (PBS), and WDIO-10 (ABC). This was with rabbit ears or even less - a coat hanger or pin connected to the TV's antenna port, or with the best TVs nothing at all! Shortly after moving in, we signed up with a scrambled UHF TV service called "BEAM TV". They installed a UHF TV antenna on our roof and connected a descrambler box to our TV. Eight "cable" channels were transmitted. I still even remember them:

15 Sci-Fi Channel
27 CNN
30 TBS
32 USA Network
34 Discovery Channel
38 The Family Channel
56 Showtime
60 Nickelodeon

You could "receive" these channels without the descrambler box, but there was some sort of encryption that distorted the picture somehow. The antenna also gained us K58CM, the local TBN relayer. Like many similar services, BEAM TV went out of business. Around the time their transmitters went dark, I noticed a new channel 21, "KNLD". Only a few hours of programming a day seemed to be transmitted, and the channel was not as strong as other locals. I remember seeing somewhat fuzzy (but still color) Shop at Home programming on them and thinking I might somehow be receiving satellite transmissions with my ancient TV!

We had Primestar for about two and a half years, but disconnected our service in 1998, leaving us again with just the four standard off-the-air VHF channels. Around that time I became a TV DX'ing fanatic, using my super-hot early 80's Zenith Space Command that a vacated apartment tenant had left behind (along with a ton of other stuff he never bothered returning to claim). Over the Summer and Fall of '99 I managed to log around 100 TV stations, all via tropo, as far out as Chicago, Detroit, and Omaha, using nothing else than rabbit ears.

On September 1, 1999, after an unforgettable night of long-haul tropo, KQDS-TV launched where KNLD was testing, on channel 21. The station was affiliated with FOX and from an entertainment standpoint, their launch couldn't have come at a better time for us. That became the main channel I watched.

In 2000 Duluth got another station, this time a low-power channel 12, KDUL-LP. After a few delays, the station launched with regular programming in late August or early September. I had recently installed a large Radio Shack VU-190XR antenna on a rotator to augment my TV DXing abilities, but even with the antenna their signal was fairly weak - watchable, but not up to local strength (as UHF LPTV K58CM was, or nearly was). KDUL ran programming from UPN, America One (or was it AIN?), and a local public access sports show. They lasted roughly a year before their transmitter caught on fire and they went off the air.

We've had Dish ever since late 2000, but I did not have it in my room until about a year ago. Reception without it consists of the same old KDLH, KBJR, WDSE, WDIO, and KQDS, plus K58CM if you have a decent antenna. DTV reception is excellent here with nothing more than rabbit ears, maybe even a pin. In that case the line-up is:

3.1 KDLH (CBS)
3.2 CW+
6.1 KBJR (NBC)
6.2 My 9
6.3 CBS 3 (no kidding; the same as 3.1)
6.4 NEWS (looping local news I think)
8.1 WDSE (same as analog 8)
8.2 PBS HD?
8.3 Create
8.4 MN Channel
10.1 WDIO (ABC)
10.2 Sportsman Channel
21.1 KQDS (FOX)

DTV 38 (VC 8) I can actually watch on my computer with NOTHING connected to the external antenna connection of my Hauppage WinTV-D!
The other channels I got by inserting a little piece of metal into our downstairs Dish Network receiver.

 

[kenglish]

Back in Macon, Georgia in the 1950-1960's, many people had rooftop antennas.

Our neighbor serviced Juke-Boxes, and was a technical guy, so he had a 50-foot tower next to his house, with a huge VHF antenna and rotor. His was probably the best reception, but still, most got:

WMAZ-TV 13 (CBS) Macon
WSB-TV 02 (NBC) Atlanta
WRBL-TV 03 (CBS?) Columbus
WAGA-TV 05 (CBS) Atlanta
GPTV-TV 07 (Educational, pre-PBS) Athens
WTVM-TV 09 (ABC) Columbus
WXIA-TV 11 (ABC) Atlanta
I believe there was a Channel 10 out of Augusta.
In 1968, Macon got it's first UHF, WCWB-TV 41 (NBC).
Around that same time, the state set up it's first network of educationals, and WDCO-TV 15, Cochran came on.

 

[gr8oldies]

Growing up near Celina OH with not the highest rooftop antennas--(VHF aimed toward Dayton and UHF toward Ft. Wayne..most had a 2nd small UHF oriented toward Lima to get WIMA/WLIO but we did not)

2-WLWD (WDTN) weak and with lots of lines and interference especially before it became WDTN and increased power
4-occasional weak Columbus
5-WLWT, CIncy (very snowy)
6-weak Columbus
7-WHIO, Dayton. Strongest signal by far
9-WCPO Cincy (very snowy unless trop was up
10-WBNS Columbus occasionally
15-WANE Ft Wayne
21-WPTA Ft Wayne
33-WKJG Ft WAyne
35-WLIO Lima (weak for us)
55-WFFT Ft Wayne (once it signed on)

When I got my digital box and still lived in Springfield, with rabbit ears i got nothing except WDTN once. Couldn't even get WBDT which is licensed to Springfield. Here in Xenia I can get everything in the Dayton market except WBDT which only occasionally comes in. If I felt like fiddling with the antenna I'd have better luck with it, but all the rest come from the same tower field so I leave the orientation alone.







:

 

[charlestondxman]

In James Island, SC, just S of Charleston, I have one TV up in our room over the garage that doesn't get cable, and this summer, the reception was great up there, as all I had was rabbit ears on the second floor with a RCA TV.

Just with rabbit ears, I can pick up these stations during dead times:

2- WCBD Charleston (strong, a few lines)
4- WCIV (usually good, some interference
5- WCSC (lots of interference, more than other stations)
7- WITV (strongest signal)
12- WJEA (low-powered Spanish station)
16- WJWJ Beaufort (fuzzy, being 43 miles away)
22- WAZS (another low-powered station, but came in well enough to watch)
24- WTAT (good signal)
36- WMMP (very good signal, closest to tower)
42- WJNI (weak signal, fuzzy because of direction)

That is just during a dead time. Any time there is DX going on, the band lights up. I can get 3 and 11 from Savannah, some nights with almost no snow, and I got 22 once. Columbia stations come in often, most of the UHFs (even 57), and WIS comes in often during the summer, sometimes weak, and sometimes like this.

WIS signal with rabbit ears from James Island
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=12832&l=dfd74&id=1391672530

Other times, I can pick up stations from the south, including most of the Jacksonville stations (4, 12, 17, 30, 59), sometimes very well. I've picked up Gainesville's WCJB, and several times, I've picked up 6 and 9 from Orlando (over water, around 294 miles), sometimes with noise, sometimes well. Even on the top floor of the local hospital, you can pick up WFTV and WTLV sometimes during the winter.

 

[kenrayc]

Heres what I get without cable

ANALOG

4-KVHF low power -informercials
8-KSBW NBC Salinas fuzzy most of the time
12- 3 angels net-low power
17 KGET NBC Bakersfield Fuzzy some of the time
18 KVPT PBS Fresno- Clear
21-KFTV UNI Fresno- clear
23-KERO ABC Bakersfield fuzzy some of the times
24-KSEE NBC Fresno -clear
26-KMPH FOX Fresno-clear
29-KBAK CBS Bakersfield clear most of the time
30-KFSN ABC Fresno-Clear
32-KJEO low power local sports variety fuzzy some of the time
39 KMSG Aztec-weak
41-KTFF low power-Telefutura
43-KGMC-Informercials clear
47-KPGE ABC clear
49-KNXT-Diocese-weak
51- KNSO- Telemundo clear
53- KAIL MY Network-clear
59-KFRE- CW clear

DIGITAL
Actual MAPPED
7-KAIL 7.1 My network
9-KFSN 30.1 ABC
20-KFTV 21.1 UNI
28-KMPH 26.1 FOX
34-KPGE 47.1 CBS
36-KFRE 59.1 CW
38-KSEE 24.1 NBC
40-KVPT 18.1 PBS
44-KGMC 43.1 IND
48-KTFF 61.1 Telefurtura

 

[kenrayc]

The last list are the stations I get normally.
this list are those DXing station I have recieved occasionally .

2-KCBS CBS Los Angeles
3-KCRA NBC Sacramento
4-KNBC NBC Los Angeles
5-KTLA CW Los Angeles
6-KSBY NBC San Luis Obispo
7-KABC ABC Los Angeles
9-KHJ IND Los Angeles
10-KXTV ABC Sacramento
11-KNTV NBC San Jose (before it moved to San Francisco)
12-KCOY CBS Santa Maria
13-KOVR CBS Sacramento
31-KMAX CW Sacramento
40-KTXL FOX Sacramento
45-KUZZ MY TV Bakersfield
46-KMST CBS Monterey
58-KBFX FOX Bakersfield

Also many station I've SKYWAVED from other state including KMID 2 Minland TX and KATU 2Portland Oregon and many others.

 

[cyberdad]

Early 60s 40 miles northwest of chicago. Cheap rooftoop antenna.

2: WBBM Chicago Fair
3: WISC Madison, WI Occasional...sometimes WKZO, Kalamazoo, MI
4: WTMJ Milwaukee Fair
5: WNBQ Chicago Fair-Good
6: WITI Milwaukee Fair-Poor
7: WBKB Chicago Good
8: Usually blank...sometimes WOOD Grand Rapids, later sometimes WQAD Moline after they came on.
9: WGN Chicago Good-usually the best signal
10: WMVS Milwaukee Poor
11: WTTW Chicago-Good
12: WISN Milwaukee Fair-Good Best Milwaukee Signal
13: WREX Rockford Fair-Good

My best TV DX was Channel 3 (WEDU?) Tampa, and Channel 2, WESH, Daytona. In those days WTTW (Public TV) didn't broadcast on Saturdays. As often as not, WLUK from Green Bay would be present....sometimes with a very viewable signal.