How much would/did you pay for OTA?

[Kevin S]

Specific costs to OTA setup include:

$65 for Wade 1483 4bay antenna
$18x2 for 2x10' masts
$10x2 for 2x10' electrical conduit fabbed up for lateral support
$15 for 75' RG6 outdoor cable
_______________
$136+tx = $156.40 total



My location makes this a simple but effective setup

If you want to include the Home Theatre that is a different story (about another $5000) - but that is there whether you get OTA or Sat/Cable so its somewhat irrelevant.

[gmd]

Appears like some of you guys started from scratch.

In my case, an ATSC tuner was all that was required...

-gmd

[tataynik]

Originally Posted by Kevin S

If you are fortunate enough to live in a good area for OTA, it is fairly cheap. My complete OTA setup cost me $140

I like the sound of that ($140). I have been reading about OTA and would like to get my feet wet, so to speak. Can you tell me what your set-up is. TY

[hugh]

tataynik, the major cost is the antenna which can be a few bucks to a few hundred depending on what you need.

My recommendation is check the OTA threads relevant to your area and see what people are using there and what they are receiving.

[tataynik]

Originally Posted by hugh

tataynik, the major cost is the antenna which can be a few bucks to a few hundred depending on what you need.

My recommendation is check the OTA threads relevant to your area and see what people are using there and what they are receiving.

I live in Brampton and based on the postings for Brampton/Missisauga area, the receptions have been good. I dont really need much, just a few HD channels & I'll be happy. That is why the $140 set-up sounded good to me. Any recommendations?

Just read "Kevin S"'s post on another thread, I guess his $140 was just the antenna.

[stampeder]

tataynik, read through the READ THIS BEFORE... thread in the OTA Forum.

http://www.digitalhomecanada.com/for...31&postcount=1

When you are done reading that, download the Antenna Chart PDF file also available in the OTA Forum.

http://www.digitalhomecanada.com/for...ad.php?t=37629

When you've gathered that info just compare it with what others have said in the Brampton thread and post any questions you might have into that thread.

[Kevin S]

Originally Posted by tataynik

...Just read "Kevin S"'s post on another thread, I guess his $140 was just the antenna.

That covered the Antenna (Wade 4bay 1483), 2 10' 1.25" masts (stacked), and 75' of outdoor RG6 cable. I added a couple supports for another $20 afterwords. Posts from another thread have been added here now - my specific breakdown is above (post 32).

Hope this helps.

[Simmer]

I'm with Kevin S:

$65.00 for Wade 1483 4bay antenna - NuTech
$14.95 for 75' RG6 outdoor cable - NuTech
$16.87 for a 10' mast (cut to 5') - Home Depot
_______________
$96.82+tx = $111.35 total

Contrary to stampeder's recommendations in the post below I installed the antenna in the attic over my garage.

http://www.digitalhomecanada.com/for...ad.php?t=29559


I live ~40km East of Kitchener, which is ~95 km from the Buffalo transmitters and ~55km from TO. If I point at Buffalo I still get enough signal from TO to get a total of 14 DTV stations using the ATSC tuner included in BEV's 9200 PVR. All the major networks in HD plus a few others.

No tower, no rotor, no weather concerns, no "eyesore" complaints from neighbors. Plus I can record on the PVR.

Maybe I will cancel the $10/month I pay BEV for the HD channels ...

[blakew]

well, I started out by getting the ATI HDTV Wonder $150US incl shipping (from an online store in NY). That wet my appetite for DTV, so I went and bought a 32" Sony Bravia XBR which has a built-in ATSC tuner for $4000 after tax and 3yr Futureshop warrenty. I then bought the Winegard Sharpshooter for $100US (from an online store in IL).

So if I convert all costs to CDN, it comes to $4,300. If you don't count the TV, it's just $300. Not bad, considering I can record HD on my computer, and play it back on the TV, since it's hooked up to my computer.

[stampeder]

Originally Posted by blakew

If you don't count the TV, it's just $300.

Nope, we don't count the TV or other HT gear, just the OTA equipment so that people know realistically what to expect for it.

[tataynik]

Thanks to DHC and all the helpful people in here, I am now a happy and proud OTA'er. With the weather starting to turn for the better, I may one day venture up (my roof) and complete my install. Right now I have my CM4221 peaking out in a south easterly direction from a 2nd floor window. Grabbing most Toronto channels & some Buffalo channels (got WGRZ for 1 day and WKBW is very moody) I'm sure they'll all come in when the CM4221 is up on its proper perch.

Sammy SIR TS160 $ 70 (ebay)
CM4221 + 18" wall bracket $90
10 Ft mast $ 15
DSS Install kit $ 10

-------
Total $185

[cbrandt]

$175 for CM 4228 and Tripod
$20 for 100' of RG-6
$10 for cinder blocks to hold the tripod down
$7 for a mast
5 hours of install time.

We don't have cable, so it will pay for itself in a couple of months. Especially with HD content.

[roger1818]

I paid about $100 for my omni-directional antenna in the attic and maybe $10 or $20 for various cables. If I can ever convince my wife to let me put the antenna on the roof (she is satisfied with our reception, but I would like to make it better), I will need to add the cost of a mounting kit. This is for analog reception.

[WZ1]

To me it is more than just free tv, its a hobby! It is soo much fun trying to see what you can pickup on a nightly basis, following the ducting reports etc, i guess its truly a bug that some people including myself have gotten.. and i dont plan on losing!

So far..

Samsung SIR351 - $230 (new in box, warrently bought local)
CM 4221 - $65 (yaamon)
2 foot Tripod - $30
RG6 Coax - $2
Hobby to last a lifetime.. $priceless$

total: $327 CDN + a hobby that brings me hours of fun.


When first experimenting.. i spent some cash on other receivers i didnt need, but i have since sold them and recovered all the money spent.

327/12

$27.12 per month for a year.. after that free...

[timbo]

Well, I'm a little embarrassed to say how much I've spent. $1100 +

Seeing as it was spent over the course of the last year or so, the damage was not so hard to take.

I started out with a $300 Humax tuner and a $50 RCA antenna. This first taste of ota, in particular the HD, was enough to whet my appetite.

My set up has graduated to a proper tower install this past month. A good used tower $120, plus $150 for a professional install. I was fortunate to find a true pro with 45 years experience who still climbs.

My gear gets the DHC OTA'er seal of approval. (I think)
CM4228 ant., CM9521a rotator, RG6 with proper boots, and the whole gamut of ground wires/clamps/arrestors/rods.

A second Humax tuner for $250 feeds the tv in the family room.
Of course, there is always a couple of bucks spent on odds and ends that never make it into the system. Those won't be wasted; they'll be donated to a good friend's setup.

Was it money well spent? Yes. I enjoy using the ota gear very much.
(As we know, a fool and their money are soon parted.)

I'm not sweating the expense, however. To put it in some kind of perspective; I paid $90 U.S. per round of golf X 6 rounds this past February while at Playa Grande, Dominican Republic. Yes, it was worth every single greenback.

Like WZ1 has said in the previous post, it is a hobby and I've got the bug also.

The tower went up those several days ago when we were experiencing the very active tropospheric skip. The weather here in the GTA was damp and foggy at night and into the mornings; then warming to brilliant sunshine and unseasonally high temps for November. You can imagine my pleasure when the first channel scan picked up Rochester along with everything else.