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09-09-2014, 11:54 AM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Western Iowa
Posts: 703
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MOHU
Well folks, I've been thinking it over for quite some time. It all started when Direct TV started raising my monthly fee for the service I'm getting. I have a DVR shared between two rooms and the last months bill was $126. Add on top of that, that I haven't really watched that much TV this year, HBO programming is really all not that great anymore, and for the same price I can get both Netflix services, I decided to cut the cord (or move in that direction). I ordered the Mohu Sky 60 amplified attic/outdoor HDTV antenna w/ mount and am waiting for it to arrive later this week.
I know the timing sucks being that football season just started but oh well. I'm not paying $126 (fully expecting that to go up next month) for something I only use a few hours a day at best.
Is anyone else down this path and how's that working out? Over the past 3 weeks that I have had Netflix, I've rather enjoyed watching Adam 12 and Emergency (both shows I loved as a kid) again. I also own two ROKU's so am looking for any al a carte channels that I might enjoy that don't require a "cable subscription" to use.
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2018 Ford F250
2019 Arctic Wolf F295QSL8
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09-18-2014, 06:54 AM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Western Iowa
Posts: 703
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Well I can tell everyone is on pins and needles waiting to hear about how things are going. Here's a quick update. Last weekend we installed the antenna in the attic and ran the cable down through the wall and into the basement area (where the router, freezers and other utilities go) and the signal was great. I got all the stations I ever wanted.
Unfortunately, once I split the signal out and moved the TV into another part of the basement, I was only able to get the lower channels. I have since purchased an amplified splitter and back in business I went. Next step is to get the runs completed to the bedrooms and living room upstairs. I hope it works out. Time will tell.
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2018 Ford F250
2019 Arctic Wolf F295QSL8
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09-18-2014, 01:32 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Splendora, Texas
Posts: 1,314
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I pay over $165 per month for DirecTV on my small ranch in SE Texas. When I suggested that we reduce that the better half had a fit. But I must admit that I enjoy all of the baseball and the boxing on HBO, Showtime and others. I also have Dish TV service for my fiver on a pay for the months that I use it service. When I used regular TV in the RV depending on were I was a got 2 or three channels or if close to a large city I could get as many as 6 or 7. Good Luck
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09-18-2014, 01:54 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: SW Michigan
Posts: 230
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We cut out TV/Cable a couple of years ago and haven't looked back. Never really watched it and thought most programming was of poor taste anyway (man I sound old). We have Netflix but rarely watch it. No cell phone contract either. The savings are awesome.
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09-18-2014, 02:27 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 7,916
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Quote:
Originally Posted by whj77372
I pay over $165 per month for DirecTV on my small ranch in SE Texas. When I suggested that we reduce that the better half had a fit. But I must admit that I enjoy all of the baseball and the boxing on HBO, Showtime and others. I also have Dish TV service for my fiver on a pay for the months that I use it service. When I used regular TV in the RV depending on were I was a got 2 or three channels or if close to a large city I could get as many as 6 or 7. Good Luck
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You can trim that cost some... It appears you have the premier package...as I do. I love movies and "premium series," so it's the only way I can get the movies and series. I am weird because I could care less about the sports stuff. I just have it in the package. I don't care about network either..to many commercials.
Sent from my iPhone using Forest River Forums
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09-18-2014, 03:10 PM
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#6
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Always Learning
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Four Corners, FL
Posts: 21,891
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We cut the cord about 6 months ago. We save about $80/month from it (I had fairly basic cable- no HD TVs). I still haven't gotten an over-the-air antenna. We watch TV through Hulu because we could continue on with many of our shows with it. I don't have Netflix. BUT- I do cheat and we have the various Disney channels through my in-laws cable ID and password. I had to buy a Roku (version 1 because my TV is so old) for one TV and use our Wii for the other.
I have since bought 2 more Rokus for the camper because of my wireless DVD collection setup.
I have also added Amazon Prime to the mix, but more so for the free 2-day shipping when we were gone for the summer than for the TV. But now that I have it, we do watch the TV.
If you have kids, the PBS channels/apps are good and if you can cheat into the Disney channels, the kids may enjoy that.
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09-18-2014, 03:49 PM
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#7
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Site Team
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 10,447
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I tried the local cable for a while but found the equipment to be lacking. I ended up going back to Direct TV since I was familiar with it. As a new customer they gave me 3 months free of sports & movies. They thought I was nuts when I said I didn't want it and to remove it from my contract now instead of waiting to call back in 3 months.
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Great choice for "Living within my means" and camping for one...
Formerly owned 2011 Salem Cruise Lite 20RBXL & 2011 Toyota Tundra Dbl Cab
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09-18-2014, 04:23 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Maryland
Posts: 713
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Toby
Unfortunately, once I split the signal out and moved the TV into another part of the basement, I was only able to get the lower channels. I have since purchased an amplified splitter and back in business I went. Next step is to get the runs completed to the bedrooms and living room upstairs. I hope it works out. Time will tell.
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You need the amplifier that goes right next to the antenna in the attic to boost your signal through out the house. I'll see if I can find the link where I got mine.
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2021 Rockwood Mini Lite 2109S
2010 Toyota Tundra 4WD
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09-26-2014, 06:44 AM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Western Iowa
Posts: 703
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ependydad
We cut the cord about 6 months ago. We save about $80/month from it (I had fairly basic cable- no HD TVs). I still haven't gotten an over-the-air antenna. We watch TV through Hulu because we could continue on with many of our shows with it. I don't have Netflix. BUT- I do cheat and we have the various Disney channels through my in-laws cable ID and password. I had to buy a Roku (version 1 because my TV is so old) for one TV and use our Wii for the other.
I have since bought 2 more Rokus for the camper because of my wireless DVD collection setup.
I have also added Amazon Prime to the mix, but more so for the free 2-day shipping when we were gone for the summer than for the TV. But now that I have it, we do watch the TV.
If you have kids, the PBS channels/apps are good and if you can cheat into the Disney channels, the kids may enjoy that.
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Ditto for me on the Amazon Prime (which I think I'll drop before it renews) and the Roku. I am surprised though to hear that they work at campgrounds. I would think they would block that sort of activity. Good to know. I'll take one along to Amana and see what happens. It will be a good test.
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2018 Ford F250
2019 Arctic Wolf F295QSL8
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09-26-2014, 06:56 AM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Western Iowa
Posts: 703
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lswartz
You need the amplifier that goes right next to the antenna in the attic to boost your signal through out the house. I'll see if I can find the link where I got mine.
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Oh PLEASE don't make me go up into the attic again. I hate going into the attic.
Anyway, here's the latest. Last weekend the amplifier that I ordered came in and I installed it into the basement. From there I ran a line through the basement to both the bedroom and the living room. I started with the living room and to give you an idea how things went, I drilled down through the floor rather than going through the wall and as luck would have it I hit the floor joist dead center. I spent an hour with a stud finder and was able to make it work. I did it all by myself and made several hundred trips up and down the stairs. This is really a two person job.
Moving forward... Here is what I bought. I also put terminators on the unused ports. So far it has worked great with one exception. Two days ago when they were installing the new fascia on the house I lost channel 7.2 which is ME TV (a channel I adore and better than most on Direct TV IMHO). It only came back again after they were done. I'm thinking they were clearly interfering with the signal.
Anyway, things have worked out so well that I pulled the plug on the Direct TV DVR on Monday. By pulling the plug I mean I just yanked the power cord...for now. It's a test. So far no withdrawals.
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2018 Ford F250
2019 Arctic Wolf F295QSL8
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09-26-2014, 07:16 AM
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#11
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Shenandoah Valley of Virginia
Posts: 9,280
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We cut the cord a couple of years ago after Comcast raised my rates 1 to many times.....the last without even notifying me. I called and told them I was going to discontinue their service, but no breaks were offered. When I called to discontinue the service, they were all over themselves with better offers.........too late !!
I installed an outside antennae that picks up 22 channels......some channels are broadcast from about 75 miles away with a small mountain in between. Surprisingly, my trailer sitting in the driveway is the reason I tried OTA broadcast........I could get 22 channels with that, so why pay cable charges if I could get the same in my house ??
We do pay the $8 per month for Netflix streaming, but we would have done that even if we stuck with cable.
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2017 F350 Lariat CCSB, SRW, 4x4, 6.7 PS
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09-26-2014, 07:49 AM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Independence, Kansas
Posts: 755
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We have Dish and guessing we pay around $75/mo. (DW pays the bills). We also have Netflix streaming. I watch ten minutes of news in the morning, Peoples Court at noon and half an hour of HGTV on the weekend. In the evenings it is strictly Netflix, no commercials for me.
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09-26-2014, 09:56 AM
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#13
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Maryland
Posts: 713
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Toby
Oh PLEASE don't make me go up into the attic again. I hate going into the attic.
Anyway, here's the latest. Last weekend the amplifier that I ordered came in and I installed it into the basement. From there I ran a line through the basement to both the bedroom and the living room. I started with the living room and to give you an idea how things went, I drilled down through the floor rather than going through the wall and as luck would have it I hit the floor joist dead center. I spent an hour with a stud finder and was able to make it work. I did it all by myself and made several hundred trips up and down the stairs. This is really a two person job.
Moving forward... Here is what I bought. I also put terminators on the unused ports. So far it has worked great with one exception. Two days ago when they were installing the new fascia on the house I lost channel 7.2 which is ME TV (a channel I adore and better than most on Direct TV IMHO). It only came back again after they were done. I'm thinking they were clearly interfering with the signal.
Anyway, things have worked out so well that I pulled the plug on the Direct TV DVR on Monday. By pulling the plug I mean I just yanked the power cord...for now. It's a test. So far no withdrawals.
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That is great news. Since it works, stay out of the attic.
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2021 Rockwood Mini Lite 2109S
2010 Toyota Tundra 4WD
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09-26-2014, 10:23 AM
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#14
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 3,253
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1 basic cell phone piggy backed on the in laws, no internet, no satellite or cable. I figure the average family of 4 spends close to $400/mo. on all of these services. That pretty much covers our camper payment and what we budget to go camping on.
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09-26-2014, 12:57 PM
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#15
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Junior Member
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: stockbridge geogia
Posts: 19
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We have Netflix and hulu plus on a roku player. We love it. Have not had cable for 4 years now, and don't miss it.
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10-07-2014, 06:18 AM
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#16
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Western Iowa
Posts: 703
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Two weeks now without Direct TV turned on. The power cord is still pulled on the DVR. At some point in time I'll turn it back on, watch or record the movies I had on the DVR and make the call to send it back. So...no regrets yet.
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2019 Arctic Wolf F295QSL8
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10-07-2014, 10:18 AM
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#17
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Member
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 93
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But you'll miss Walking Dead... and American Horror Story... and Falling Skies...
Falling Skies final season is next year, I think Walking Dead the year after, I can live without AHS... maybe in a couple years I'll cut the cord, lol.
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10-07-2014, 11:44 AM
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#18
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Western Iowa
Posts: 703
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I don't watch any of those but I could of sworn that I saw Walking Dead on Netflix last night advertised. I could be wrong about that though. At any rate, I won't miss, missing them.
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