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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L Drew,
No you do not. It is not a legal matter. No need to worry. You own the coax running through your walls, they don’t.
-RR
Today is Feb. 3, 2015. Bought the antenna you recommended and am having a guy connect it on Feb. 7, 2015, which is the ONLY day he has to give me. Legally, do I have to cancel my Direct TV BEFORE I can disconnect the satellite and use the existing cable for my antenna? Thanks for your prompt answer!
Pete,
Not necessarily. Most coax cable lines carry both signals. If there is a splitter it probably means that one line feeds into one room and one line to another. Do you have 2 coax hookups behind one TV? Do you have multiple rooms for coax hook up? Your cable layout may be different than most, do some tests to see.
You may also want to look into an amplified powered splitter to boost both signals.
-RR
I currently have internet and cable TV provided over the coax cable coming into my house. There is a splitter from the main cable provider feed that then goes to the 2 feeds into my house. I disconnected each feed on the house side of the splitter – one at a time – and figured that one of the lines is for my internet. Can I assume the other line will provide TV and that is what I should hook my antenna to?
Did this last week when I moved to a house. Well worth it. Now I actually talk to people instead of staring at a whenever possible. No $120 bill either; down to $40 for just internet. Only thing I did different (not sure if better or worse) was removing the entire satellite dish portion and reused the mast. I get the basic 5 major networks and a few odd ones in between. Not as many as some, but enough to find entertainment for free. I still have Netflix to supplement. Also took the TV out of the bedroom. Walls look cleaner and now I have one less thing keeping me up at night.
Thomas,
It may help the signal, you may need to move the old dish toward the towers in your area if you try it. If it does not work as you wish, take the dish off and use the mount.
-RR
Will the old parabolic dish help the HD antenna pick up a better signal in anyway? Or is it better to just remove the dish and use the mount?
Thanks,
Thomas