One day in middle school our cable went out and my father built one of these antennas out of a 2x4, some old metal coathangers, and some wire. Worked incredibly well.

Thio Joe, thank you so much, I grew up in the city, but when we moved to the suburbs we needed cable to see tv, but you're one of the few who let's people know that you can get the local channels FREE on an antenna, specialized channels you need cable.

Good, informative video. Gets right to the point. I've been a cord cutter/shaved for some time now. I've learned a lot. I use combinations of streaming services and digital antennas. Even big sports fans have options as far as out of market, live and DVR options. A couple streaming services that weren't mentioned and get you the in between cable channels are Sling TV (my preference) and PlayStation vue. So these, in addition to your network channels, which you can get with an antenna, get you channels like ESPN, TNT, Nat geo, History, TBS, etc.

I almost thought you had reverted back to your former life. So glad you didn't. Now if you could only come up with a way to get Internet service over the air and not have it be a joke. Thank you. Being a newbie as far as technical data is concerned, I appreciate and have learned a good deal from your real and honestly informative videos.

Good job! You answered all the questions I had about a FS TV w/no cable hookup. Gonna give the antenna a try. Hope it works in this somewhat "mountainous" area of NE PA. Thanks!

Tons more info: Joe I would add that there is a third option besides inside or outside antennas. If you have an open attic, you can place your antenna up there to receive substantially longer range signals. Place the antenna (preferably one made for the outside) as close to the wall facing the channels you want and point it in that direction as well (noting that the best antennas are directional). Then run a coax wire to it from your tv / booster. Since your attic is open most of the coax wires should be exposed anyway for easy access. This is a great way to get way better range without mounting outside. You can expect to get close to the range you would for outside mounting as long as the antenna is not facing metal or heavy insulation as it only has to pass minimal thin sheets of wood. Aim the antenna toward the direction of the major city and through the thinnest ceiling or wall thickness. IE don't point it as a main support beam. In addition, if you can avoid pointing it at any major tress that will also help. The clearest path you can make in the first hundred feet the better it will operate. The issue with many indoor antennas is they have to battle the signals from wiring in your walls before they even can access the feeds. Attic mounts negate this issue and also the higher an antenna is the better it works. Indoor antennas are often not directional as well which means they search in all directions poorly. Outside models usually point in a specific direction (usually toward the largest city near you where the channels are located). In all cases directional is longer range. UHF/VHF: I should also point out that your 2-13 channel information is now outdated. As of the digital conversion channel numbers do not dictate feed types. A channel at 4 and a channel at 47 can now operate the same method. Hope that helps.

The audio is very clear on my end, and I love the way you explain this technology which can be so (frighteningly) foreign (at least to me); I'm probably 3x's your age but now know what VHF & UHF means -- thank you. Excellent presentation!

Very good PSA. I've been using one of these antennas for about 2 years and I'm very happy. The cable bill just wasn't worth it for me so I cut the cord and have been using Netflix/Hulu since. I did miss Jeapordy, for example, so I picked up an antenna for around $40 and I can watch Jeapordy, the news, a few classic TV and movie stations and even a few major entertainment networks. Well worth the asking price for one.

I knew about OTA all along ThioJoe and now you make me feel like a dinosaur XD

How many thought this was a joke at first

*This entire video shows your youth.* Lol. Us old folk remember analog broadcast television, before the switch to digital broadcast, so we're well aware of free local channels. Digital broadcasting basically brought you more free channels you were unable to receive through analog. Keep up the great vids, kid. Your IT advice has been very helpful.

Thank you so much for simplifying what is actually needed to watch TV without cable service.

I am reminded of the 'Fox Viewing Positions' gag from Married With Children where the Bundy family had to form a weird circle including their old rabbit ear antennae to watch Fox.

cable companies hate him..

Thank you! One of the most informative videos I've seen on digital antennas! One point you could add would be advice on swapping out the cable that comes with the antenna for RG6 and advising folks to only buy the antennas that don't have a fixed cable so the cable can be swapped. The one you showed was a fixed cable attached to the flat antenna.

I have the new samsung s8+ and i mirror my phone to my smart tv, so I watch free mobile tv like pluto tv and kokotime. Could I hear you preach on more stuff like that! Thanks Joe love listing to you!

In Australia, we only use outdoor antennas to receive free to air TV in High Definition. An outdoor antenna will do a much better job than an indoor antenna. And with streaming services like Netflix it nicely supplements the free to air TV. I can already tune into American radio stations via the internet and some American live TV content is also available. I think it will be a matter of time before everything is streamed making an antenna obsolete.

Good stuff Theo.....Keepum comming..... I remember when everything you watched on TV was in Black and White ... WoW .. Many moon's ago.. Thanks

Mate, I love your videos. Subscribed a few days ago, and I've really been learning some cool new things. Keep it up.

very well produced vedio, clear and not confusing. especially liked the frequency explanation. thanks

Cable tv first started as a way to improve or extend tv reception in areas where reception was poor or non existant due to the limited number of transmitters when tv first started up. All they did was rebroadcast existing stations. As the transmitter network grew cable networks then started to add additional channels you could not receive over the air with an aerial /antenna to give you a reason to be happy to pay for cable in order to receive these extra stations.

Very informative. I currently have 2 without really good results. Thank you.

Good video, Joe. Very helpful. Sounded pretty good even though your fully not set up, yet. Did you stay in, Phoenix? I saw Beverly Hills CA on the antenna site.

I have been using an MOHU LEAF 50 flat plate antenna from Walmart that coat $59.95 for the past 6 months. I live 30 miles Line-of-Sight East of Atlanta and pick up 21 Digital HD channels with all the major ones ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX plus a few movie channels like GRIT, COZI, CREATE, JUSTICE, KNOWLEDGE, BUZZER, KIDS, WEATHER and several PBS Stations. Overall quite pleased with it.

Another Trick that the cable and Dish networks do is to upstream channels with the picture split into 4 quadrants (meaning that the picture is actually 4 pictures all being broadcast at the same time - they split the audio into four separate channels also) so the picture that ultimately ends up on your TV (even if it started out as HD ) has been quartered and compressed. I found some of these channels to have video quality that was barely above VHS standards. (definitely not HD and not even DVD quality)

Damn. This title really sounds like your old videos... EDIT: Whoo! Joe "hearted" (dunno what it's called) my comment. Cool.

No joke, I totally enjoyed learning about this. I pay $130.00 a month hoping to loose that bill with this information. Thanks for your clear instructions. Thank You!

Antenna does work and some are very reasonble in price, I found one that works for 60 mile range. I get 33 channels and good reception unless there is bad weather. But I am not paying Cox big bucks just to watch TV. So in the end I save and still get intertained.

ThioJoe good stuff man Amazing video thank you is good to know.

CAN YOU PLEASE MAKE A VIDEO ON HOW TO TURN MY BICYCLE INTO A FERRARI

I just wanted to say thank you! I've been looking for awhile to find a way to get rid of my cable provider as it is so expensive.

In some regions you can have paid HD TV channels thru antenna. They are decoded using CAM module (Conditional-access module). The CAM is inserted into the TV set so everything is neat and tidy, no external box requiring power and signal cables.

called freview in UK I get 120 channels and about 6 proper hd ones

I'v watched tv via antenna, my whole life.

Thanks a bunch! I'll order the antenna you have and see how it works. I purchased another one and had to return it. I only got 4 channels and 3 of them were for children...go figure!

Hi Thio! I love your videos and learned much from them. I have a question for you, do you know how to get the movies on regular UKposts videos to come through clear? I love to watch the Hallmark ones, but they all come show blurred. I change the definition to the highest setting and videos are still blurred. Thanks!

When I seen the title, I thought "Is it a joke? Oh no he stopped doing some, but it could to be one, maybe yes, maybe no." 😐😂

It shocks me how many people don't know about the free over the air tv broadcasts in the US. I haven't paid for cable for at least 10 years. ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, and PBS are all free over the air, plus some other crappy channels. ABC and CBS are in HD where I live too.

I am of the older generation and have known about "free tv"" for years. I grew up only being able to watch one local UHF station using an antenna. When I was in jr high my parents installed a tv tower antenna. We received an additional 3 VHF channels from a city 50 miles away but because we lived in a valley the video wasn't the greatest. Then came cable tv. I don't remember how many channels we received but for $13.00 a month for crystal clear tv it was a deal. (The tv antenna was replaced with a CB antenna.) Today for tv, phone, and internet for $190.00 for cable is a bit much. I want to switch but am not quite sure how to do it. I'm don't live in a valley any longer but not really sure an external antenna will pull in the distant stations I want. Btw, Joe, thanks for a no bs video. Good job.

I have tried the over-the-air antenna a few years back. It seems to be very sensitive to building locations and obstructions. I live in an apartment and I can only put my antenna inside the apartment or in the balcony. If neither of them are facing the right way, some channels will come in, and others won't. This will change around completely if you're on the opposite side of the building! What apartment buildings need to do is include a default antenna on the very top of the building, and then route cables through to each apartment building to let them access the free channels. The cabling is already done for the cable companies, so maybe they could attach a cable to the antenna as a default source.

Honestly expected this to be a part 2 to your previous videos XD

I have one of those square antennas but I need an adapter for it. 50 bucks at Walmart

I have been using an antenna for years now and I love it. No cable bill. As far as movies go, I just go to my public library and borrow 60 DVDs for free. Movies you can borrow for a week and can be renewed for three weeks and TV shows you can borrow for thirty days and can renew for 90 days. Free and no commercials...

I have used this for awhile, It's good, sometimes the signal is quite clear. Can be quite iffy depending where you are. I am right in the middle of Atlanta and get quite a few, but buildings, whatnot can interfere. It is worth the investment though. I cut cable awhile ago, you can watch current shows with this, so...cool.

I pulled out an old antenna I had sitting in a drawer, works great.

IT WORKED

Hi ThioJoe!! Great videos, wow, mind blown. Would this work the same with fiber optics like FiOS TV?

I am like you; almost don't watch TV at all. I have been looking for such solution for a while. This is great! thanks....

I actually recall having a radio modem when I was younger. This is actually accurate.

Tyvm for this “for real” video. U duped me once so I stayed away from ur videos. But u r brilliant when ur not being silly. Second chances,right, bud?

It's great to watch your videos. Keep up the good job. I will recommend you.

You are a good man Joe. I really enjoy your videos, tips, very useful information :)))

I know how UKposts TV! Wait that's not free...

I'm confused, how can this be a secret to simple scan for channels on a TV, that's how we do it here in Australia!?

Can you suggest a good outdoor wifi booster for RV,s many in the RV community would be interested! Love your channel, Thanks for all the info!

Love it! I'm getting more channels than ever! Thanks, Thio Joe!

Is there a under 5$ antenna? I live 7 meter from my nearest broadcast station

In Germany is it standart

Hey ThioJoe Thank you. We love your videos Respect ♥️

i got a 14, dollar antena and i get the chanels crystal clear, in hd and put the audio out in my surround sound system , incredible , no more monthy fees, love it , i live on a second floor ,

Joe: "Any tv antenna that maybe cost 30 bucks" Me: *yep that sounds free*

Is it valid in India?

Theo get yourself a job with Comcast you will make regional manager Within 6 months you have two brains for the job you're a good technician keep up the good work

thanks Thio Joe, could you please talk about tv boxes?

holy shit this is actually not a joke video

Yeah that might work if you're in a big major city or in the suburbs of one, BUT if you live like 80 miles from the transmitters, like really rural, especially in UHF, where the majority of DTV is broadcasted, btw, which also doesn't bend over mountains or the horizon very good., unless you are installing an antenna on your roof like ths guy mentioned, you're not going to get anything. well okay, to be fair and totally honest, you might get like 2 channels if you have a huge metal antenna, but even then they might not work good and will not be worth it to watch. it sucks because i tried every antenna out there and i HATE IT when people make videos about this saying, "oh you can get free tv with an antenna." or "oh you can make your own to get better reception." that said, if you don't live too far away. back in the analog days, it was pretty easy to get signals from 80 miles away, even with the basic indoor antennas, depening on how rural you were in the analog days, now like for example from my experience, you get ABSOLUTELY NOTIHNG!!! so you are basically obligated to get cable tv. i really hate the fcc for doing this because of reasons i stated above. yes, i kinda of agree with some of it, like analog tv wastes bandwith and they needed to save the radio spectrum to license more people. that's fine, but why not make digital tv work in extremely fringe areas. oh btw, i have the answer to that. the government didn't want to spend money to keep translators running because it would have costed them hundreds of thousands per translator to upgrade them to digital or completely replace them. so the DTV signals are definitely not as strong as analog. i am not trying to say this is impossible or trying to be an asshole saying you can't try, but from my experience, if you live in a rural area, forget getting hdtv for free, because you're not going to really get anything that is worth watching, it will all be pixelated and distorted. i am absolutely sorry. i think that for convenience, all these people that say that you can get hdtv for free should point that flaw out, that it is nearly impossible, to get hdtv signals from 60 to 80 miles away in most cases at least if you live in the mountains around states like NH, ME, VT, VA, or WV. like i sad above, i tried every type of indoor antenna. the only thing i haven't tried, is putting a huge antenna on the roof, and imho, because of what i heard people say about it. i don't think it is worth to even try because i heard people say that the picture will distort and be really jumbled up. oh well. back to cable or satellite for me.

You're an intelligent you man. At the age of 63, I remember TV reception issues from way back. I can't dispute any of what you state, but I can tell you that OTA reception can be extremely expensive for those of us in deep fringe reception areas. I'm some 70 miles away from Indianapolis and from Cincinnati, which would require a 60 ft. tower, top-of-the-line antenna, antenna rotor as I can draw from two different cities, amplfier since the signal for most stations would still require it, and some 100 ft. of coaxial cable. The entire package, with installation, would cost at least $1000. which is cost prohibitive for myself and many others in the same situation. You neglected to mention that UHF doesn't travel as far as VHF with the amount of power. You also didn't state strongly enough the extensive problems that terrain can cause for UHF signals.

Hey Joe, will you ever stream again like the you now streams you used to do

Yes, we do watch Spanish channels!!!

37 Cable company employees disliked this video so far...

This was helpful. Thanks for making it! 😀

Thanks for posting. I’m ordering an antenna right now.

lol, all the people in the comments who think that this is like one of his older fake videos

U deserve way more subscribers

Here in Manchester England I can get most US channels on my Amazon Fire. Only a few (eg. KTLA ) are blocked. Love your vids TJ.

Thanks Thio, lots of good info. I have an Apple notebook, and go to Fla. in winter, I’d like to just pay for HBO now, or Netflix, instead of getting a cable box from Comcast. Can I do that?

Who Would Watch HDTV When You Can Watch ThioJoe

In the UK it is called Freeview

Which antenna do you recommend? 15 miles range or so. Thank you

Thank you for your videos. Can you figure out how to pull in those hard to get stations? My antenna is one you plug in so it uses electrical power to increase reception. But can we go beyond that?

it's fucked up how I got the 65 inch 4k lg TV in the living room and in the rooms they are 43 inches but they from 2016-17 they don't have an antenna connector or VGA and I want VGA for my older laptop

In the netherlands those channels will be recieved via ethernet...

Yeah I tried a cheap little flat black square you pop on the window. It got me China of all places and 3 close-in channels. Your explination for VHF & UHF is helpful. So it's back to the drawing board (take a walk to the store) and get a better antenna .

Thanks for the video.....Personally I have a roof mounted antenna with a booster and I'm able to get 28 channels where I live in Northeastern PA. There are hills and valleys. I'm within 50 miles of the transmitters but my question is ...do you think the type of antenna you have (mouse pad type) in this video would work with my situation? I know I would definitely need a booster which I already have...there's tons of those on Amazon/eBay etc..... I don't want to waste my money if possible.....otherwise I can stay with what I have

Thio: I Realised I Dont Watch Tv So I Cancelled My TV Subscription *Reality* Thio: UKposts Took Away My Ad Revenue And I Cant Afford To Pay For Cable

@ThioJoe How do you get internet service without Cable? My internet service provider is also my cable provider.

This Joe I use a paper clip and I get crystal clear HD picture and sound. I hooked up a stranded copper wire to it and I can get stations up to 75 miles away and our transmitting towers are 35 away. Last night I got 35 channels and in my area can get 19 channels over the air. Some channels broadcast in full HD(1080i)and some are you in HD (720p)and also some in standard definition (480i). I tried a HD antenna and it was a joke. Didn't bring in all the channels. I get premium channels by watching them on my smart TV. I got a Roku TV and it's great.

I’m in a rural area and can only get 3 stations. My antenna looks like your antenna shown on the instructional video. Based on watching your other videos, can I wrap the cords in aluminum or boost it using batteries/flashlight as u have done with other methods of improvement? Love ur teaching videos. Also, have problems of someone shutting down my WiFi at times, how can I stop the blockages?

Does it work in India?

When i thought this was a reupload of a old video

you are awesome!! :-) Thanks for sharing this information. I ditch cable 3 years ago.

We live in same area you do, Joe. If you gave up your cable, who do you use for internet? We'd love to be done with Comcast if there is another way to have a good, fast connection.

Notification squad..where u at?

wait... I thought you were done making troll/joke videos.....

This was actually quite informative, even now

Great teacher and speaker. Thank you.

This has gotta be a joke vid. Who doesn't know about local stations?! :P

Does this work in... Huh I have to change it up a little BANGLADESH?!

Just to note some additional info or any inaccuracies: 1. Unlike analog, digital signals tend to be an all or nothing proposition. Where someone may get analog reception might not get digital reception. 2. Literally no station has used UHF channels 70 through 83 in decades. Those frequencies were reassigned to Land Mobile Radio System in 1983. 3. UHF channels 52 through 69 were sold to cellphone companies in 2009, around the same time the digital television transition happened. 4. In 2011, UHF channel 51 was removed to prevent interference in the 700 MHz band. 5. In 2019, UHF channels 38 through 50 were sold to cellphone companies for use with cellular services. The current UHF channel map is now only channels 14 through 36. 6. There was never a channel 1 in the VHF map, or a channel 37 in the UHF map, to prevent interference with radio astronomy. Channel 1 was removed from service in the US in 1948 shortly before the FCC initiated freeze on new applications for a few years, and Channel 37 was never used in most parts of the world in ITU region 2, including the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Brazil.

Hey ThioJoe I’ve seen this method and looked into making the change this season. The thing stopping me (and what got me hooked for cable in the first place) aside from tuning into movie channels (hbo showtime etc) yet stopping me most of all is maintaining internet ! What solution do you use if not paying for optimum (what I’ve used for years) Verizon or main sources.