Free Over The Air Broadcast

Over The Air 

Digital Broadcast Over The Air
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  1. How far away do you live from television broadcast towers in your area, at least for the channels you want to be able to get? Be sure to look for ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, PBS and The CW at the very least. Search results will give you tower distance in miles from your home address.
    Distance
  2. Are the television broadcast towers in your area located in the same general direction, or are some of them located in different directions? Search results will give you tower direction in degrees, clockwise from Due North. Are your desired channels within at least 90 degrees of each other, or are some outside of that range?
    Angle
    Single Tower Location (90 Degrees)
    Single Tower LocationIf towers are in a single location, both directional and omni-directional antennas will provide reception. For the best signal reception from a distance of more than 50 miles, a directional antenna is recommended.

    Multiple Tower Location (180 Degrees)
    Multiple Tower LocationIf towers are grouped in two locations in the same general direction, such as living in a "border" area in which you want to get stations from two different cities, a multi-directionalbay-type antenna is needed.

    Scattered Tower Location (360 Degrees)
    Scattered Tower LocationIf towers are scattered in several locations, you will need an omni-directional antenna. The best use case for omni-directional antennas is within a signal range of 50 miles or less. If more than 50 miles, the best option would be a directional antenna with the use of a remote- controlled antenna rotator.
  3. The majority of television broadcast stations in the U.S., about 75%, utilize UHF frequencies (RF channels 14-51). 23% broadcast over high-VHF (RF channels 7-13), while a very small number of stations, about 2%, broadcast over low-VHF (RF channels 2-6). If you are in one of the rare areas that includes a channel broadcasting over low-VHF, you will need a special outdoor antenna that receives low-VHF in addition to UHF and high-VHF. Search results will give you the frequency of each channel in your area.
    Frequency
Got all of your information? Let's choose an antenna!