Do Homes Need Antennas Anymore?

dammit on 02/04/2022 - 12:23
Last edited 02/04/2022 - 20:09

I bought a google tv six mths ago and now basically never even connect the coax old style tv antenna cord anymore whenever I move.

I moved into a new house, internet is pretty good (100/40 speeds nbn), so just seem to stream everything or use 9now, 7plus etc through google tv. Also have a new tv (Samsung 2021 the frame).

Is there any need to have antennas anymore? My new house has a giant huge antenna on a pole which is an eyesore and about (edit:10m? https://i.imgur.com/TQlMYVp.jpg) above the house. I’m in metro sydney but in a real gully/valley. I’m thinking of removing it and just having no antenna given it’s probably an accident waiting to happen in a big storm or one day might cause a roof leak from where the wire supports go through the tiles.

Should I remove it or is there some benefit I’m missing to having an old school vhf uhf antenna? I guess the pole may in future be of some use for an external fixed wireless or mobile reception booster but that’s a stretch.

Poll Options

  • 114
    Remove the antenna and pole
  • 341
    Leave the antenna and pole in place
  • 42
    I want candy
Electrical & Electronics Antenna

Comments

  • pepitovfr on 02/04/2022 - 12:35
    -4

    Poll needs one more option:

    Move antenna under roof (assuming you don't have a metal roof)

    That's what I did, no more eye sore but can still view (very) occasional FTA transmission.

    • DashCam AKA Rolts on 02/04/2022 - 13:09
      +8

      Yeah, nah.

      I’m in metro sydney but in a real gully/valley.

    • spaceflight on 03/04/2022 - 13:26
      +28

      Move antenna under roof (assuming you don't have a metal roof)

      Someone didn't install a 10m pole just because they wanted to

      • iDroid on 03/04/2022 - 21:01
        +3

        I bought this damn pole cheap on marketplace and I'm gonna damn well use it.

        • Hangryuman on 04/04/2022 - 11:05
          +1

          unsure which way to go ? - you could pole the public (opinion)

  • El cheepo on 02/04/2022 - 12:44
    +37

    People watch FTA tv?

    • chriskq on 02/04/2022 - 13:24
      +9

      live sport yes, not live FTA as i season record shows via Fetch box.

      • El cheepo on 02/04/2022 - 14:04
        +6

        Fair call, hadn’t considered the sport aspect of it. It is handy for free sports.

        Personally, I’m too lost in my own world of shared streaming services to remember FTA tv so its not even a question imo.

    • ItsMeAgro on 02/04/2022 - 17:11
      +16

      Yeah elderly people and technophobes.

      If you every go over grandmas and actually watch any FTA TV, the ads are now all for stuff only elderly people or extreme bogans would buy.

      • beesa888 on 06/04/2022 - 00:11

        I'm travelling interstate so got stuck watching FTA. I was watching a movie and there was an ad every 3-5 mins during the film. It took over 3.5hours to finish a 2h22m film…

        I'm gobsmacked how they managed to squeeze 1h40m worth of ads making the movie almost unwatchable

      • BHolyCow on 10/04/2022 - 21:42

        Only started watching TV again recently, usually as background noise while I'm working. The ads I've noticed the most are like sports betting apps and food delivery ones, then for some reason they have ones that promote produce like eggs, pork, bananas etc, but no brand or company affliated with those produce besides having the word "Australian".in fromt.

      • El cheepo on 04/04/2022 - 17:07
        +1

        Nope, read it online and watch any online that interests me.

      • Antikythera on 04/04/2022 - 19:04

        live stream SBS or ABC, or more usually, watch first half of the recorded version(s) on iView. I liked SBS site, during lockdown with more time to kill, because PBS and BBC news are also on it amongst many others.

        • Emerald Owl on 05/04/2022 - 20:26
          +1

          All government sources haha

    • [Deactivated] on 04/04/2022 - 17:59

      Yes.

    • HeadTheWall on 05/04/2022 - 08:48
      +2

      Yeah, why not. You get HD quality from the channels (9, 10, sbs etc) whereas on the apps the quality is reduced and it's more grainy
      I record shows and can fast forward through the ads

      • bmxr on 05/04/2022 - 19:02

        This is the only reason we haven't torn our 15m high antenna down too (also in a valley in Sydney). The apps just don't stream in high enough definition (we have 1000Mbps FTTP) to match the FTA HD broadcasts, particularly noticeable for live sport on a 75 inch TV.

        As soon as they are streaming at decent 1080p or 2K, down comes the antenna! Much to the chagrin of the Kookaburras who love perching atop it and diving on the earthworms from above.

    • R4 on 05/04/2022 - 12:42

      When the cricket is on, most definitely. SBS has some good stuff too and ABC news is okay to watch.

      That's it though.

  • MS Paint on 02/04/2022 - 12:54
    +3

    Make a decision and run with it

  • Hithere on 02/04/2022 - 13:06

    is there some benefit I’m missing to having an old school vhf uhf antenna?

    Have a chat with your new neighbours or just have a walk around and see what others in your area have done.

  • SF3 on 02/04/2022 - 13:43
    +6

    Keep it as a lightning rod, but not connect to tv.

    • THICKnSLOW on 03/04/2022 - 09:40
      +22

      Connect direct to Flux capacitor

  • smashman42 on 02/04/2022 - 13:44
    +3

    If you really don't use FTA then yeah, get rid of it.

    I personally still use FTA and would need to keep it (well, technically the wife does, but I manage the HDHomerun + PVR on Linux so keeping WAF high is my problem) but yeah that big arse pole would worry me for storms and stuff too.

  • skid on 02/04/2022 - 13:58
    +8

    Be sure to remove it in a way so that you can replace it if you move. The next owner might think it is a deal breaker.

    • 87percent on 02/04/2022 - 15:08
      +13

      It’s not something you would check when you’re buying a house IMO

      • Tleyx on 04/04/2022 - 13:31
        +2

        People who care would check, people who it's a deal breaker would check

        Lot of sport fans in Oz

    • megadeth on 03/04/2022 - 02:59
      +7

      Dealbreaker… not in a seller’s market!

  • chrisburnett on 02/04/2022 - 14:13
    +52

    If your internet ever has a catastrophic failure you can always watch TV still if you have an antenna. You could watch the news and hear about how long it’ll take to fix the internet connection after some disaster.

    • stephendt on 04/04/2022 - 16:10
      +1

      This is why I have a radio but yeah. This is rather unlikely

      • Sneeze on 04/04/2022 - 18:47
        +5

        Yeah the NBN never goes offli….^&$#@^&$#@^&#@*$

        <NO CARRIER>

  • Baysew on 02/04/2022 - 14:13

    What else will you do with a chimney? (Except at Christmas time)

  • someone else on 02/04/2022 - 14:25
    +28

    Last month, all the communication in the area was lost for a few days, including broadband and mobile network. Apart from not being able to communicate with anyone except neighbours, I couldn't even watch local news because I didn't have the antenna cable. So, I bought the cable.

    I can't say I've been watching local TV since, but it'd be great to at least have that in case something like that happens again.

    • [Deactivated] on 03/04/2022 - 10:10
      -2

      You could also read a book? 🤣
      No difference than a power outage

      • photonbuddy on 03/04/2022 - 10:25
        +5

        You could also read a book?

        You can get local up-to-date news from books now? 😮

        • Vool on 03/04/2022 - 10:38
          +15

          I think they call those newspapers 😉

          • photonbuddy on 03/04/2022 - 11:34

            @Vool:

            I think they call those newspapers

            My local newspaper is rather pathetic these days. It's like there's no news going on around the world, it's so thin.

            Still … not a book 😉

        • T3J on 04/04/2022 - 07:25

          Oh your kindle, yes ;D

          • photonbuddy on 04/04/2022 - 09:55

            @T3J:

            Oh your kindle, yes ;D

            Not sure if you're suggesting to use Kindle for newspaper reading.

            If so … no internet would mean no downloadable content for said Kindle.

            If not … huh?

            • T3J on 04/04/2022 - 10:29

              @photonbuddy: Kindle has inbuilt global 3g (my older model, not the new paperwhites), doesn't rely on your wifi and downloads news content direct if you want. It is possible.

              • photonbuddy on 04/04/2022 - 11:32

                @T3J:

                Kindle has inbuilt global 3g

                How does that help when "all the communication in the area was lost for a few days"?

                • someone else on 05/04/2022 - 15:39

                  @photonbuddy: Exactly… I think @TezzaGippy is having trouble understanding that 3G was not an option…

                  And before anyone else suggests, the pigeons couldn't take messages with the last news either, due to severe weather.

                  • photonbuddy on 05/04/2022 - 16:51

                    @someone else:

                    I think @TezzaGippy is having trouble understanding that 3G was not an option…

                    Tried to be smart … got their head kicked off 🤣

      • someone else on 03/04/2022 - 11:14
        +4

        You are missing the point there.

        I'm not saying I was bored and had nothing to do. I'm saying I was not able to communicate for a few days and had no idea what was happening around me. Also, people were worried about me because all the calls went to the voice mail. They thought I was in a life threatening situation, which fortunately was not the case. If I knew the extent of the problem, I'd try to drive or walk somewhere sooner just to let them know I am fine.

        If you think power outage is the same as not having any kind of communication for five days and not being able to drive anywhere else, you clearly haven't experienced that.

        Some people got stuck and only became aware of the floods when the water was coming through the floor at 2am. For some people that was too late.

        I was not affected directly but towns were flooded and literally under the water, and I had no idea until I managed to drive somewhere else where mobile network was partially available (intermittent very slow 3G but no calls possible). It was raining uninterruptedly so it's not like you can just go for a walk, talk with neighbours, etc.

        I fortunately had power so I'd be able to see that on television if I had an antenna. It's stupid but it's OK when that's the only option. Basic stuff we take for granted because we are online and can communicate with everyone all the time, until we can't.

        I'm actually considering buying an AM/FM radio just in case. 🙂

  • tanksinatra on 02/04/2022 - 15:08
    +11

    Keep it. If the net goes down you'll want it.

  • Spitfire1983 on 02/04/2022 - 15:21

    We haven't had a Antenna for two years in the new house. Doesn't bother us but I cop flack when the in-laws house-sit. I will probably get it hooked up just for them tbh. I would say keep it just in case but it really depends on how much the look of it bothers you.

    • WT on 03/04/2022 - 12:39

      there is a whole generation that still uses antennas and land lines

  • slick7 on 02/04/2022 - 15:47
    +2

    Base of antenna can often rust and cause problems - happened to me and thought there's no way a roof of that age would be leaking… turns out the antenna base was the weak point and the room got flooded

    • WhyAmICommenting on 03/04/2022 - 11:08

      Barge board mount is a great option if you can

  • AustriaBargain on 02/04/2022 - 16:03
    +4

    Leave it in. You might start dating someone who relies on FTA TV.

  • Mechz on 02/04/2022 - 16:08
    +4

    30m seems a bit far fetched.

    • slick7 on 02/04/2022 - 16:32
      +3

      yes, I also thought equivalent 9-10 story building is a bit of a stretch but not as much as scomo's comments about how awesome the Australian economy is at the moment…

    • MS Paint on 02/04/2022 - 17:08
      +1

      It would need several guy wires as well at that height.

    • dammit on 02/04/2022 - 20:09
      +12

      You are right. I exaggerated, I’d say it’s 9m?

      https://i.imgur.com/TQlMYVp.jpg

      It ain’t small that’s for sure.

      • Transient on 02/04/2022 - 23:12
        +10

        That's seriously tall. Mine is about a third that height and secured by 3 guy wires. Had to bring it down to bolt some of the elements back on as some fat ass birds sat on them and broke the pop rivets off. Was a two person job to push it back up right in light wind. Might need a cherry picker or crane for yours to bring it down slowly.

        • cadwalader on 05/04/2022 - 10:15

          I count maybe 10 guy wires for that roof. I'm wondering if the attachment points for those wires could be additional points of failure on the roof. I.e if the wind blows the pole down, it might because it popped one of the roof sections where the wires are attached.

          • Transient on 05/04/2022 - 10:44

            @cadwalader: For mine, the guy wire is connected to an eye screw which is connected to a roof beam via a hole drilled through the roof tile. For OP's some of the guy wires seem to meet at one spot, maybe connecting to a similar eye screw arrangement. If the wood at that point / screw fails then there is no longer any support for those wires so it would be a failure point. Having multiple guy wires connected to the same anchor point increases the forces there. Another thing is that the hole through the tile is commonly sealed with silicone. Over the years the silicone becomes weathered and rain gets through (if not repaired) and may cause roof leaks and the wood at that anchor point to rot.

      • CacheHunter on 03/04/2022 - 09:10
        +3

        Yours looks similar to mine, so 9m. My reception was fine until all of the new apartments went in near Hurstville etc. Apparently we'd need to go at least an extra 3m now. It sucks that reception isn't something that councils or developers even think about, but it is what it is.
        We haven't had FTA for about 6 years now, and have gotten used to Youtube, Prime Video and other free streaming services.
        If you're in an area where development might get in the way and you're not using it, you might as well get rid of the antenna now. Several of our neighbours have taken theirs down. At least two ended up with expensive roof damage after the contractors they got in damaged their tiles while taking them down, so maybe don't go with the cheapest quote if you get someone in to help.

      • Sidor on 03/04/2022 - 09:39

        How are you thinking to have it removed? Yourself or get an antenna professional?

      • GrueHunter on 03/04/2022 - 10:28

        O_O

      • ThadtheChad on 04/04/2022 - 09:22
        +1

        Goddamn, that is one massive ugly-ass antennae.

      • RotundPolarBear on 04/04/2022 - 09:33
        +1

        That's really quite an eyesore. No wonder you are thinking of removing it.

  • Mugsy on 02/04/2022 - 16:46
    +4

    In our recent house build plans, I crossed off 2 out of 4 TV antennae ports and added in more RJ45 LAN ports around the house (still good for setting up wifi repeaters). The wife and I have unlimited NBN and everything we watch is on Youtube incl news streams, or there's another app on the nvidia shield. I suspect this will be the case going forward for most people. Even my folks mainly watch things on their nvidia shield these days rather than F2A TV. It's more convenient.

    I've left 2x TV antennae ports though, one downstairs and one upstairs… just in case the next owner doesn't get NBN for what ever stupid reason but still has a TV.

    • congo on 06/04/2022 - 09:36

      What app do you use on the nvidia shield?

    • RatBargain on 26/11/2022 - 01:58

      Thinking ahead (Also looking to build soon)

      • Leak/point of failure
      • Eyesore
      • Bird perch where they flap, hang out, chirp and shit stain the tiles area like it’s a sport
      • Broadly, iView, SBS, 9Now, 10Play etc. are excellent, reliable, well polished and can still evolve
      • RF FTA broadcasting could soon go the way of the steam engine
      • I can’t imagine anyone asking during an open for inspection when you eventually sell

      And finally
      * The new buyer spending $1-4million? on your home, if an RF antenna is a dealbreaker, they’re not very bright, because installing an antenna is neither hard or expensive

      Just a thought, am I missing any crucial benefits to having one?

  • John Kimble on 02/04/2022 - 17:50
    +5

    Some sports you can't stream because of the stupid rights setup. Eg Big Bash and Ashes etc needs to be FTA and not via 7plus

    https://www.canstarblue.com.au/streaming/watch-big-bash-leag…

    • Mechz on 02/04/2022 - 20:25
      +4

      Unless you spend 2 coffees a week on Kayo.

      • John Kimble on 02/04/2022 - 21:05
        +1

        True, but on top of all the other subs, it adds up!

      • johnwinds on 03/04/2022 - 12:30
        +4

        You'll need much more coffee than that to stay awake during the Ashes.

      • dufflover on 03/04/2022 - 12:42

        Hand in your OzB badge … unless you're willing to pay for my 2 coffees a week or my sub ;)

    • caitsith01 on 03/04/2022 - 22:02
      +1

      Not to mention the AFL grand final which is not on Kayo because reasons.

  • big1964 on 02/04/2022 - 19:07
    +1

    Fta will be around for a long time you must be very young I don’t watch a lot of fta but it’s very easy to change the stations with the remote, plus the channels on my tv are really clear without having to rely on the internet as I have fttn which ain’t that fast nor do I want to pay anymore for data.

    • dammit on 02/04/2022 - 20:13
      +3

      I’m late 30s. I have kayo, Netflix, Stan, Disney plus, Amazon prime video, google tv 🤣 or will torrent something all before resorting to FTA with ads. I will watch FTA live stream over google tv (not antenna), if some breaking news event going on like a bushfire or NRL game if my kayo is expired but that’s about it.

      • fantombloo on 02/04/2022 - 20:37
        +2

        I never watch fta live but record some things on the the pvr. Not gonna pay for a service if it's just for one show I can get on fta.

        • trilby on 04/04/2022 - 11:45

          There is also the ABC which has not ads, although quite a few promos.

      • fredblogs on 02/04/2022 - 22:47
        +1

        how much does that all cost?

        • dammit on 03/04/2022 - 07:48
          +16

          I use turkey Netflix $5.50 a month, got Disney plus free for 12 mths with Telstra phone, Amazon prime I use anyway ($59 a year but got six mth free with Optus sub hub), Stan a family gave me login, kayo I split half with someone on ozbargain oh and I get YouTube India premium for $3.59 family a month and have five other logins I share 🤣

          True ozbargain

      • trongy on 03/04/2022 - 08:01
        +2

        It's your house so do as you please. I'm sure you neighbours won't object if you take it down.

        Personally, I use FTA for one three week period per year to watch recorded Tour de France stages. The SBS streaming service offers playbacks, but the ads are frequent and I can't skip them as I can with an FTA recording.

        That setup looks expensive so if I were dismantiling it I would be labelling the parts and trying to stash them someone out of the way (perhaps under the house or in garage roof cavity) so that it could be re-used if you change your mind or sell the house.

    • Mechz on 03/04/2022 - 03:51
      +6

      'You must be very young' sounds like code for 'I am old and do old things the old way'.

      • GrueHunter on 03/04/2022 - 10:32
        +1

        Onion belts. Zeppelins. We have always been at war with clouds.

  • [Deactivated] on 02/04/2022 - 19:45

    Local news is about all we use free to air for.

  • leelemon on 02/04/2022 - 19:48

    My TV isn't connected to the antenna. We just use digital TV/internet.

  • dammit on 02/04/2022 - 20:08
    +4

    https://i.imgur.com/TQlMYVp.jpg photo of antenna

    • Ginger1 on 02/04/2022 - 20:10
      +20

      God damn that needs to go

    • SF3 on 02/04/2022 - 20:37

      Height of a lightning rod!

    • saltypete on 02/04/2022 - 21:53
      +6

      I don’t think anyone here can compete with your huge antenna….

      • dammit on 03/04/2022 - 07:48
        +19

        It’s not the size of the rod, but the signal your gaining from it 🤣

  • TEER3X on 02/04/2022 - 20:46
    +1

    I'm surprised so many people on here don't have or care for FTA reception, I mean it's not needed obviously, much like anything else really…. come to think of it, not sure why I watch FTA tv at all, it's making me a little mad right now, and I may just rip out the cable… brb

    • gimli on 03/04/2022 - 15:08

      i think ozbargainers are probably more tech adopting crowd. So probably biased perspective.
      i watch FTA because I barely watch TV so not worth signing up to/setting up any paid (or free streaming services).
      Mainly to watch the news live

    • cadwalader on 05/04/2022 - 10:18

      For a long time we didnt really have a TV. We had 32 inch computer monitors so we just watched shows on those. Only when the wife started console gaming during the lockdowns did we cave to get a TV. No regrets though but the couch+TV just makes me want to sleep at the wrong times so I have to manage my duration of use.

  • dcep on 03/04/2022 - 00:24

    try an indoor antenna see if it works

    • dammit on 03/04/2022 - 07:49
      +2

      I can’t even get a 4G phone signal and judging by every house in the street having these huge antennas, I can’t see indoor antenna working. I may be wrong tho :)

    • Sidor on 03/04/2022 - 09:40

      Serious?

    • trilby on 04/04/2022 - 11:48

      I would assume there was a reason for that tall an antenna. You won't get a good signal with just an indoor one.
      I wonder if it has a powered masthead amplifier? Most with that height do.

  • Benoffie on 03/04/2022 - 01:04
    +2

    Why would you take it down? The cost of that set up is substantial and who knows who will live in the place in the future.
    You might not watch FTA but the next person might.

    • dammit on 03/04/2022 - 07:52
      +2

      I don’t plan to sell any time for at least ten years. It’ll be even more redundant then. I’m only wanting to pull it down because we have various roof leaks and it’s one less thing penetrating tiles that I can replace and seal up, plus I worry in high wind or feral weather it may dislodge , one of the guy wires snaps (not sure if they need to actually be maintained) but I’m sure it’s not going to last forever maintenance free. Already two of the vhf prongs have collapsed slightly. Probably from a heavy bird sitting on it. Are they going to fall off completely in high wind and impail someone? Maybe I’m thinking worst case scenario and I can just leave it alone up there doing it’s own thing for years to come and at least if a zombie apocalypse stops the internet I can still try and get some old tv signal ? :)

    • Breno785au on 04/04/2022 - 12:45
      +1

      Imagine telling people I'm keeping that big arse, useless antenna on the roof in case the next residents might want it lol….

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