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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Hello. A couple things: I have seen it asked but a couple times but am still not clear. My DirecTV was connected to 4 tvs. If I hook up the antenna to the coax going from the dish to the house will it be able to transmit to all 4 tvs? It seems like the DirecTV signal came in and was able to be split to the 4 tvs so the antenna signal should be able to as well, right? Also, I had heard that by definition, the dish does amplify the signal to the antenna (if placed properly), the same way it amplified the DirecTV signal to the eye.
Thank you.
Tim,
Not required but…. you could have a grounding block wired to a ground rod before the antenna wire enters your home. It won’t necessarily prevent all damage from a direct lightning strike, but it will help.
-RR
Richard H,
A splitter and amp will work perfectly. You may have to tinker with the signal for awhile to get it perfect. Remember to use good high quality cables, splitters, and amps.
-RR
I have a Dish Network Dual LNBF. 4 cables run to this dish and back to an outside splitter. When I terminate Dish they will want all their equipment returned. How to attach these 4 cables or what type of splitter do I need? Do I need an amplifier?
Do I need to ground the antenna or is the satellite already grounded?
Chris,
You may need an amp, test out first.
Use the cable that supplies the main TV input.
-RR
AJ,
Use the main TV line coming into home for the HD antenna. Go from there and if there are issues reply back and we will look into it further for you.
-RR