Trying to find a cable alternative...zip 18328

[jeffm]

The continual rising cable prices have me seeking alternatives. The best option would be over the air free television. However, I am not sure if I live in an area that would receive sufficient signal to make this worthwhile. I live in Dingmans Ferry, PA 18328, coordinates 41.205922,-74.940099. It is a very mountainous, and forested location. I went on TV Fool and this is the report....

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapp ... b6be7f7d67

Antennaweb however tells me that there are no available stations for my location.

What I would like to do is put a sufficient antenna on the roof to hopefully pull in the NYC stations, as they seem the most likely to work. There are other stations in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area, but they are less powerful signals compared to NY. I would hope to receive at least the standard networks, i.e. CBS, NBC, Fox, ABC, etc. from somewhere.

My question is: What kind of antenna system would best do the job for me, keeping in mind the trees and hills that are present. I do not want to invest the time and money involved to install an over the air antenna if it does not have a reasonable chance of success.

Thank you for any advice.

[jeffm]

Oh yeah, also, I will be hooking up to 2 LCD HDTV's. If I am able to get reception, does getting HD reception require a stronger signal?

[tigerbangs]

NYC is going to be tough where you are: you will need deep-fringe antennas and lots of altitude. I believe that you'll see WABC, WPIX and WNET without too much trouble, but I am in doubt about WCBS, WNYW, WNBC and WWOR, as they are on UHF, and their signal strengths in your area aver poor enough to call into question whether you could rely on those signals.
My deep fringe prescription would be your best bet, but I am not promising miracles because of the hills in your area.

You really need good VHF reception as well as UHF reception in your area if you want to see all of the NYC stations. I would use my own deep-fringe prescription: A Winegard HD-1713 VHF high-band yagi plus an AntennasDirect XG-91 UHF antenna mounted on the same mast Separate the two antennas by 4', with the X-91 at the top of the mast. Combine the signals from the two antennas using a Channel Master Titan 7777 preamplifier, which has separate VHF and UHF antenna inputs. Wire the antennas using high-quality RG-6u coaxial cable, and feed the output of the preamp to it's power supply, which must me mounted indoors.

[chum1976]

Jeff, I live in south central PA and like you have hills all around. I was supposed to pick up anywhere from 4-6 stations and can only pull in one. I was paying a small fortune for Dish network and had enough. The only option I have is to order the basic cable package for $19.95 a month. I have 3 tv sets so there would be no charge like dish network. Using your zipcode I see blue ridge cable offers the same package for almost the same price. They may offer you a really good deal to sign up.

[jeffm]

If it is a VHF vs UHF thing, then what do you think my chances would be at getting WBRE and WYOU from the Scranton area? They are not strong, but they are channels 11 and 13 respectively. I know that would also involve a rotor, as its in the opposite direction of NY.

[tigerbangs]

Based on te TVFool.com report, NYC will be a lot stronger than Scranton-Wilkes Barre: I wouldn't expect reception from there.

[jeffm]

Thank you so much for the insight and expertise. At least now I can make an informed decision on what to do.

[tigerbangs]

I wish I had better news....