Tired of spending too much money on your Satellite TV bill? Well for around $50 you can purchase and easily install an HDTV Antenna that will give you quality HD TV programming. Of course you will not get as many channels as before using DirecTV, but there are hundreds of channels available broadcast into the airwaves for free from the stations you already know and love. This is a tutorial for most people who can no longer afford the cost of satellite television. Cancelling DirecTV or Dish Network will save you from $75 to $300 dollars a month. Admit it, most of the channels that you are paying your hard earned dollars for are completely worthless. Cancel the service, buy an HD Antenna, and get Netflix. You will not miss most of the TV you watch and you will be saving mountains of money per year. So ditch the monthly bill and follow our tutorial below for saving your money…
Step 1: CANCEL SATELLITE TELEVISION
Step 2: Buy an HD (High Definition) Television Antenna.
Here is the HDTV Antenna we purchased from Amazon for around $50 dollars.
(You may also need a coax cable splitter, antenna amplifier signal booster, or new coax cable)
Step 3: Remove the cone and place the HD Antenna on your existing Satellite Dish.
Step 4: Install the U-bolt that is included with the antenna and secure it tightly in place.
Step 5: Connect the already existing coaxial cable to the HD Antenna.
(The cable is already going from your TV from the dish, so just disconnect and re-attach to the hd antenna)
Step 6: Check all connections to make sure everything is secure and tight.
Step 7: There should already be a coaxial cable going into your home from the roof.
If it was disconnected then look along the side of your home for a connection like this and plug back in.
Step 8: The next process involves finding out which direction in the sky your local channels are in.
You will need to point your antenna in a certain direction for best reception depending on where you live.
Go to Antenna Web, FCC DTV MAPS, or Antenna Point and type in your info to find out which way to point your HDTV antenna.
Once you have the correct direction located, point your antenna/dish in that direction.
Step 9: Turn on your TV and set it to “Antenna” and let it “Find” the available free stations.
Then check the signal meter to see if it is strong.
If all is good you are done! Free HDTV!
HDTV That is broadcast free is from 720p to 1080p HD quality!
Of course you do not need an old dish to install a new HD Antenna.
You can install one in your attic too if you desire.
But remember that HDTV Antennas work best when attached to a roof and there are no obstructions.
Here is a small chart for “how to connect and combine signals from 2 antennas facing different directions” if needed.
Written by Keith Schneerer
Certified Appliance Tech · Founder, RemoveAndReplace.com
Keith has spent 30+ years repairing machines, starting as a military mechanic and later maintaining food processing equipment before moving into appliance repair. He founded RemoveAndReplace.com to share field-tested repair advice.
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I have ended my TV service with Comcast but I still have internet with them. So, from the Electric pole to my house is 1 line and then a 5 way digital splitter – 1 is cable coming in and 4 going out to each room in my house. Looks like they have split off one line in Main room with Big TV & Internet ( my problem). I want to use existing cable line & splitter to hook up my new MOHU SKY 60 Outside Antenna (with amp) and Channels device. This is a multi-directional HDTV Antenna with a remote ( like cable) that gives you a Channel Guide. I want to know if I can plug outside Antenna into one of the 4 room lines that is not the main internet line and it will make the other 3 rooms come in. I know that one that has a splitter with internet on it- Ill have to run a separate line to TV possibly with another splitter. Any help with this would be great!! I think im on the right track, but if not let me know . Thanks so much.
Just cancelled DirecTV!!!! I currently have the HD dish on the side of my house and the local tv station antennas are up on a mountain about 10-20 miles away. I have a couple of questions for you. I have ordered the RCA antenna you recommended, will I need to get an amp for this or will this be all I need? Also, there are multiple cables connected to the Directv dish, can I use any of those to connect the antenna? Thank you for your time.
OK I am new to this. I moved into this house and the house already has 3 satellite dishes attached to it. is there a way to combine the signal? I ask because according to Antennapoint.com with my direct address plugged in and it says the closest transmitter is 32 miles away and up to 60 miles away. So what would I need to get the best reception?
KIRO-TV CBS 39 7.1 UHF 1000.0 kW Seattle 32.04 mi 195.95°
KONG-TV IND 31 16.1 UHF 700.0 kW Everett 32.08 mi 195.41°
KING-TV NBC 48 5.1 UHF 960.0 kW Seattle 32.08 mi 195.41°
KOMO-TV ABC38 4.1 UHF 1000.0 kW Seattle 32.11 mi 195.65°
KCTS-TV PBS 9 9.1 VHF 7.49 kW Seattle 32.69 mi 191.59°
KMYQ MY NETWORK 25 22.1 UHF 1000.0 kW Seattle 32.70 mi 191.50°
KSTW THE CW NETWORK 11 11.1 VHF 14.74 kW Tacoma 32.72 mi 191.58°
KHCV AMER1 (CH 44-1); AZTECA AMERICA (CH. 44-2) 44 45.1 UHF 240.0 kW Seattle 40.80 mi 166.82°
KWDK REL 42 56.1 UHF 144.0 kW Tacoma 40.80 mi 166.82°
KUNS-TV UNIVISION 50 51.1 UHF 240.0 kW Bellevue 40.80 mi 166.82°
KWPX ION 33 33.1 UHF 178.63 kW Bellevue 40.81 mi 166.75°
KTBW-TV TRINITY BROADCASTING NETWORK 14 20.1 UHF 90.0 kW Tacoma 46.92 mi 218.59°
KCPQ FOX 13 13.1 VHF 23.07 kW Tacoma 47.22 mi 219.17°
KVOS-TV IND 35 12.1 UHF 612.0 kW Bellingham 51.40 mi 323.92°
KBCB IND 19 24.1 UHF 165.0 kW Bellingham 51.82 mi 323.50°
KBTC-TV PBS 27 28.1 UHF 47.2 kW Tacoma 57.69 mi 196.29°
Great read, thank you very much for putting this up. I have three tvs in our house. I have one tv receiving 27 channels and one receiving 7. Any idea why this could be happening?
Thanks,
Scott
Melissa,
What you have explained is very doable. Use the highest quality splitters and possibly an amp if signal is weak. Here is a step-by-step process for installing an antenna in your attic.
-RR
Can I do something similar (using the old satellite cables/hookups) but place the antenna in the attic?
What would an attic installation involve (step-wise) that might be different from everything described above. The current satellite dish sits right above our garage. Our attic entry is in the garage. I’m thinking I’d have to remove the coax from the satellite dish (and roof) and find where it enters the house and see if I have a direct line from that entry point to run the cable to the attic. Does that sound doable? I realize an attic install depletes signal, but I already get a few stations just with rabbit ears, so I think I’ll be fine signal-wise.
Kevin,
Most of the things listed will not make much of a difference. If you get an amplifier, then you can experiment with moving some components around and fine tuning. An amplifier will help. How many channels are you currently getting and how is the picture quality?
-RR