8.25.2012

Stop paying for cable tv, here’s how

In order to work on my home and diy projects, I have had to cut out some expenses. Last year at this time, I said goodbye to cable television and saved myself about $75 a month.

Trust me, as someone that grew up on cable, it scared the pants off of me. As a family, we weren’t spending much time watching tv, instead favouring our computers and Netflix.

Here is something that most people don’t know: Advertisers pay for the programs you watch on tv, not the cable companies, the cable companies only bring the signal to your home. With the switch to Digital programming, getting tv programming for free got a whole lot easier.

This is what I did to get free tv shows.  I purchased an indoor/outdoor antenna. and since my lcd tv is an older model and did not have a digital tuner in it, I also purchased a digital tuner.

If you can see past the dust, you can see just how clear my tv picture is. And it’s in High Definition.

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All I had to do was connect the converter to my tv via a coaxial cable, then another coaxial cable to the antenna.

Total cost, $70! It paid for itself in one month!

I get digital (many of the stations are in high definition) tv for free!  I love how free feels :)  

There are several factors that will determine how many stations you will receive, such as your proximity to digital over the air signals, and where you place your antenna.  I am not an expert, I only know what has worked for me. 

There is an excellent article on how you too can get your tv programming for free here

Let me know if you have any questions, I’d be happy to answer (leave an email address if you don’t have one attached to your profile). I hope that I have been able to save you some money.

Update: Some of you asked which model of antenna I have, but you did not leave your email address to respond to.

This is the model I have, but there are lots and lots out there!  Go to your local electronics store and you will easily find them in all shapes and sizes and price ranges.


Eaglestar PRO Digital Indoor / Outdoor HDTV Antenna

HDTV Indoor/Outdoor
Passive Antenna
Anti-UV coating and waterproof design lightweight. Compact size and easy to install with dipole in-built for the excellent UHF and VHF band signal reception
Frequency Range VHF: 174-230 MHZ, UHF: 470-862 MHZ
Antenna Gain VHF: 30 dB, UHF: 36 dB
Impedance 75 Ohms
Noise Figure ≤ 3.5 dB 

11 comments:

  1. lucky lady being in an area where you can pick up signals that way. I cut the Bell Expressvu cord last month and discovered the wonderful world of free movies on YouTube, Netflix for 7.99 per month (well worth it!!!), all the HGTV Canadian programs for free, CTV shows all online for free, etc, etc. Unbelievable that we paid that much money! Now all I need is something to stream the signal wireless from my router to my tv and a little remote control & I can stop using my laptop as my tv - lol!

    Cheers and YAY for us.

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  2. Great idea! Making me reconsider. Our cable bill is over $100 dollars : (

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  3. How many stations do you get? I'm confused how this works?

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  4. I canceled my cable too, as I pretty much just don't watch TV and was getting progressively more disgusted with the terrible programming. That being said, I miss Mike Holmes. :)

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  5. Wow, I had no idea this was even possible. Thanks for the info.

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  6. What is the brand of the exact antenna you have? I would LOVE to save an extra $75/mo but I want to get the right brand.

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  7. amazing.... can't believe I haven't heard about this before!

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  8. Yes, please share the name and model of your antenna!!! We shut the DTV off last week and miss the local channels.

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  9. Where did you buy yours? I've checked online at BestBuy, HH Gregg, Target, and Walmart and haven't found anything :( I would like to get the model you have since I know it's been successful. If I can't find it, do you have any other recommendations?

    My email is jessj_817@yahoo.com

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  10. I had no idea! What a clever girl you are to have figured that out! I'm definitely looking into this. Thanks for the heads up!
    Debbie

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I appreciate your comment love.

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