Put that antenna up now before the snow comes

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You know it’s coming. There’s no sense in pretending. If you’re in the northern half of the country, it won’t be long before that white stuff starts falling. Personally I have always believed that “snow” is a worse 4-letter word than most of those others.

That’s right, winter will be here before you know it. Those warm fall colors and comfortable temperatures will give way to biting cold, sleet, and whiteout conditions. Autumn really is antenna season. I said it over two years ago in a weekly podcast.  This is the time, before you settle in for a long winter’s nap, for you to get stuff done up on the roof, and you owe it to yourself to put in an antenna if you haven’t already!

An antenna is reliable and cheap

When the storms come, you could lose cell service. You could lose internet. You could even lose cable TV, and if you have a dish, you might not want to be up there getting the snow off it every hour. That’s why an antenna is a great alternative. Broadcast TV is the most reliable form of video — it’s not subject to congestion or cut cables. Most TV antennas don’t accumulate snow like dishes do, either.

Not only that, antenna TV has no monthly fees and is completely free to use once you put that antenna up. If you’re stuck in the house with nothing but a generator, you might not want to fire up all your home electronics, but a small TV connected to an antenna will help you make the most of the little power you have without forcing you to, well, read books.

An antenna gives you vital information.

Twitter is great for learning what your favorite celebrity is wearing. News sites are pretty good, but what if the internet’s down? You could be stuck at home with no internet and no phone. If that’s the case, you’re going to want to listen to the radio and watch TV. Radio reception’s usually pretty good with the small radio in your emergency kit (there is one in your emergency kit, right?) but as for TV, most people who don’t live in the city will want to put an antenna up outside so they can stay connected when they need to. Remember too that Congress requires TV stations to report important information. Twitter doesn’t have that requirement.

Getting antenna TV everywhere is easier than ever.

With a device like our new AirTV, you connect the antenna to one location, make sure there’s good Wi-Fi in that location, and you can get antenna TV on every TV in your house (using a streaming box) or on your phone — anywhere in the world — using your cell data plan and a free app. It’s a revolution in TV watching that will change the way you look at TV antennas forever.

Putting up an antenna’s easy… if you do it now.

There’s no magic trick to mounting an antenna to your eave or strapping it to the chimney. Point it in the right general direction, ground it properly, and run the cable inside. There’s nothing more to it. Of course, all those tasks are a lot harder when it’s -20 degrees out and snowing “like a mother.” That’s precisely the wrong time to put up an antenna. The right time to put up an antenna? When the temperatures are mild, the days relatively long, and you have a little time before the holiday rush. Why put it off.

It’s true. Autumn is the right time for putting up an antenna. When winter comes you’ll kick yourself if you haven’t done what you need. That’s where your friends at Solid Signal come in… take a look at the great prices on our best antennas! We make it easy for you to get dozens of channels of free TV, all winter long and beyond!

About the Author

Stuart Sweet
Stuart Sweet is the editor-in-chief of The Solid Signal Blog and a "master plumber" at Signal Group, LLC. He is the author of over 10,000 articles and longform tutorials including many posted here. Reach him by clicking on "Contact the Editor" at the bottom of this page.