The Old Antenna - Part 2

This second part of our antenna series of posts, we'll talk about how to get started with antennas as a possible replacement for your cable or satellite subscription.  As mentioned in Part 1, the biggest factor around the antenna as an option is location.  If you live near a major metropolitan area, near meaning inside 60 miles or so, you have a really good chance at getting a fair amount of TV stations.  In the Charlotte, NC area, barring any extreme scenarios, you can realistically expect to receive the local ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS, PBS, and CW affiliates.

Even though that sounds like 6 channels, the beauty of DTV allows those stations to broadcast additional programming through what are called Digital Subchannels.  So take for example the local ABC affiliate WSOC.  If you receive this station you'll get not only all of your typical ABC network programming (Scandal, Live with Kelly and Michael, Good Morning America, etc.)  you can tune to the subchannel which plays a secondary network called LaffTV.  So you're really getting 2 channels from that one station!   The Charlotte area CW affiliate WCCB has 3 subchannels, so you're getting 4 channels all with different shows!

The full breakdown of the Charlotte stations and their subchannels looks like this:

3-1 WBTV (CBS) in HD!

• 3-2 Bounce TV
• 3-3 Grit TV

9-1 WSOC (ABC) in HD!

• 9-2 LaffTV

18-1 WCCB (CW) in HD!

• 18-2 AntennaTV
• 18-3 MeTV 
• 18-4 QVC-OTA

36-1 WCNC (NBC) in HD!

• 36-2 Justice Network

46-1 WJZY (FOX) in HD!

• 46-2 Movies!

55-1 WMYT (MyTV) in HD!

• 55-2 Buzzr

58-1 WUNG (UNC-TV PBS) in HD!

• 58-2 UNC-KD
• 58-3 UNC-EX

64-1 WAXN (TV64) in HD!

• 64-2 GetTv
• 64-3 Escape

So that's 21 channels of programming, with all the major networks in HD.  Not bad right?  That list is really the most basic for the Charlotte area.  Here at CCC HQ I can tune all of those as well as a number of the Greensboro stations.  Now I won't deceive you here, I do have some overlap.  I have 2 CBS affiliates, 2 Fox, 2 ABC, 2 CW, and many of the subchannels have there counter-parts in the other market.   Although the upside is that if for some reason the Charlotte station just isn't coming in very well, the Greensboro one usually is, and vice versa.

Now the thing to remember with the subchannels is that they are not in HD, the picture is still pretty good, certainly worth the price you pay, but it will appear as a SD picture upconverted by your television set.  Upconversion is an entirely different conversation so I'll spare you the details for now.  The other thing to remember is that subchannels often show programming which is older.  LaffTV has several sitcoms from the 90's as well as some B movies in it's rotation.  Others may be very targeted in their audience.  For example you may find a subchannel that displays nothing but children's shows.  Amazing for those with kids, not so much for those without.

Far and away the best resource I have found for determining available television signals in a given area is TV Fool at tvfool.com.  Here you can enter your address and see a graphical chart with where the transmitters in your area are located directionally, as well as give you an idea of which ones you can expect to get given various methods/devices.  This report is for ZIP code 28202.   As you can see plenty of stations are broadcasting over the air in the Charlotte area!

Part 3 of the series will cover how to interpret your TV Fool report and how to use that information in setting up your antenna. Stay tuned!