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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Simon,
In theory it should. The only way to know for sure is to just try it out. If it does not work properly, adjusting some things will help.
-RR
the nearest i found with google map is around 38 miles, does the DVB-t2 decoder will work with this HDTV antenna in my countries Malaysia?
Simonleecs,
Yes you will need the amp and booster to get best signal. You should be okay. How far are you from main TV transmission towers in Malaysia?
-RR
I’m from Malaysia and I have yet to measure the distance for TV. What is the minimum distance for this?
*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_in_Malaysia (most of the tv channel in here)
*http://www.geocities.ws/fahmispellman/televisyen.html (This is the Frequencies in my country and i was in “Selangor & Kuala Lumpur” area)
I notice some need purchase “Preamp kit” or “Booster”, do i have to use this to receive HDTV channel or normal channel ?
Simon,
From your preparation list, you should be perfectly fine. As for the decoder, DVB-T2, what country are you in and how far away from the center of the city are you?
-RR
Hi,
I’m preparing all the stuff for this DIY project and i’m not sure if i miss out anything or not working later.
Please let me know if there is any step went wrong for this
1) I have a Satellite Dish and i’m going to purchase the RCA antenna on internet as you mention and setup it later just like you on the picture.
2) I’ll connect the coaxial Cable to the RCA antenna and connect it to my TV antenna input.
3) I’ll start search TV channel for available channel.
*MY country is using DVB-T2 decoder, will this DIY project will work on here?
Riley,
Yes hook it up just as the old dish with all 4 coax into a splitter. You have the right idea.
-RR