Yay for Free TV!

For the past two years, we've chosen not to have cable or satellite. It no longer fit our budget and it seemed like a vortex for laziness. We also had a slight falling out with the company over a bill and cut our ties immediately...which ended up being a blessing because we really needed a break from it any way. We also don't have internet for budget reasons but decided we wanted it when we moved into the cabin. After countless calls to countless companies we found our attempts were futile...apparently too many people are using up space on the satellites and no company will provide us service. Needless to say, it has been a VERY quiet and peaceful, sometimes boring year at the cabin.

We actually were able to receive satellite TV signal (go figure) but still didn't want to fork over the $100+ a month for the 3 channels we actually watch. So we've been making great use of bargain movies and old series on DVD to curve our boredom (the sun goes down at 5:30 so we can only work outside for so long). For Jarrod's birthday, his mom got him an antenna (which looks nothing like the bunny ears I grew up with), we attached it to our TV with RG6 coax cable and BOOM! We've got like 30 channels and connection to the outside world we've been without for years! We really don't want to fall into the laziness vortex we used to live in but I have to admit that it's pretty nice to vegetate in front of the TV for an hour or two at night after dinner. We finally get to be in on the news when it happens and check the weather in the morning which is awesome! We've been so disconnected for the last year that it almost felt like we lived in a different world than everyone else...totally shocked to hear about shootings that happened the previous week or a state of the union address that we missed. We were VERY grateful for the quiet, news-less bubble we lived in but are glad to be back in the know.

ANY WAY, we used RG6 coax cable so that it could go outside but if you live closer to the TV stations, you could probably keep the antenna inside. The instructions say it doesn't matter where you point it because it has 360 degrees of signal but we live far enough away from the stations that I think it matters. We also used those little cable hook things to attach it along the wall and beams of the porch. We get all the local channels except one that is kind of spotty (which happens to be the one with our favorite shows so at least it'll keep us from getting too addicted). It's kind of ugly up there on our roof but I know we'll get used to it and we had to put it where the mini lions couldn't fight it. Plus, the cost of the "antenna" is about as much as a month and a half of satellite TV (and we didn't even pay that because it was a gift!). That alone makes it worth it to me...save that money! It doesn't have recording capabilities but for an added price you can get a DVR or Tivo that gets the job done. Some recording devices require a monthly fee but some are just an upfront cost. A lot of them connect to wifi for streaming capabilities but since WE DON'T HAVE INTERNET, we don't have to worry about that! We haven't ordered one yet but if we do, I'll let you know how that goes. :)

We are so excited to get these local channels and even more excited that it's free! One step closer to becoming self sustained and off the grid.