Over the Air Digital TV
and How to Get it
OTA DTv

PAGE CONTENTS
How It Works -- HD / UHD -- TV & RF Channels -- Get TV with an Antenna -- Connecting -- Televisions

Get free TV with just an antenna. Channels include legacy and a variety of entertainment networks, local stations and more. The number of over the air channels, networks, and viewers, keeps growing. Available channels depends on market area population and ranges from 30 for very small markets to well over 100.

A TV station will transmit up to a 1000 kilowatt signal over the air (OTA) from a transmitter broadcast tower. The station's tower antenna is typically mounted 300 to 2000 feet above the ground. Coverage range varies with tower antenna height and power. Range is typically 60 miles or more for full power stations, to around 30 miles for low power stations. Towers are often concentrated in or near a city. Television transmitters are on an FCC licensed Radio Frequency RF channel in either the VHF or UHF Frequency Band. Most RF channels use an HD high definition signal. A few RF channels use a UHD ultra high definition signal and requires a NextGen television. Each RF channel contains multiple TV channels.

BROADCAST TOWER
TV Station Antenna Up to 1000 kW ERP Range 30 to 60+ Miles RF Channel VHF or UHF Band TV Channels 1 to 20 channels Television System HD or UHD NextGen Some towers have multiple antennas and RF channels.

RECEPTION
ANTENNA • UHF or VHF/UHF Band • Indoor or Outside • Preamp Optional
TELEVISIONS
1 -	HD Television • High Definition (ATSC 1.0) • Receives HD Signals
2 -	UHD NextGen 4k Television • Ultra High Definition (ATSC 3.0) • Receives UHD / HD Signals • Some Channels Encrypted < 2% of TV channels are UHD

HD / UHD Broadcast TV System
All US TV broadcast switched from analog to digital High Definition HD in 2009. In 2017 the FCC approved UHD Ultra High Definition 4k Nextgen broadcast. In 2020 UHD broadcast started increasing, but greatly slowed in 2024, and virtually stopped in 2025. Some stations that broadcast a UHD signal also simulcast an HD signal on a different RF channel and usually from a different tower. Nationwide less than 2% of broadcast TV channels are UHD.

TV Broadcast
June 2026

TV System	TV Channels
HD	33,876
UHD	576*

* 193 Channels Encrypted

RF and TV Channels
The early Analog TV stations (1947 to 2009) used their FCC licensed RF Channel number as their TV channel. One TV channel per RF channel. A Digital Broadcast RF channel can contain multiple TV channels.

TV CHANNEL
Each TV channel, also called virtual channel, has 2 numbers. The first number is the station TV channel, followed by a sub channel (e.g. 10-3 or 10.3). The main TV channel number is the old analog TV channel number for stations that use to be analog. It may or may not (probably not) be the same as the broadcast RF channel number. In numerous cases an RF channel is shared by another broadcaster and will have a different first (main) TV channel number.

RF CHANNEL
The Radio Frequency RF Channel represents the TV station broadcast frequency. The RF Channel will be in the VHF or UHF frequency band. The signal modulation will use either the HD or UHD format. Each RF channel contains 1 to 20 TV channels. Also see Tech/Frequency.

Find TV Channels in Your Area
Use the TV Broadcast Tower Locator to find TV channels near you. Most antenna's are directional and should be pointed in the direction of the broadcast towers. Use the locator generated map to look for potential ground interference, hills, buildings, obstructions and heavy foliage.

Select an Antenna
Select an antenna that matches your location's signal profiles. Note, there is no difference between an Analog and Digital (HD or 4k UHD NextGen) antenna. Digital and analog TV signals both use the same carrier frequencies. Carrier modulation (digital or analog) does not affect antenna reception. See Hardware/Antenna.

GAIN (RANGE)
Published antenna range is often exaggerated and unreliable. Antenna gain is a better measure of antenna performance. Gain is measured in dBi, decibels above or below a lossless isotropic radiator. Gain in dB really means dBi. See Tech / The Decibel (dB) Scale.

Also see Reception / Signal Factors | Signal Strength | Minimum Signal.

FREQUENCY BANDS
TV broadcast are in the VHF and UHF Frequency Bands. All home antennas get UHF, some get VHF-Hi and UHF, and some get VHF (Lo and Hi) and UHF. Note; new TV broadcast stations will be in the UHF band by FCC directive. Also see Tech / Frequency Band.

PREAMP (OPTIONAL)
A preamp, low noise amplifier, can be added to any antenna to pull in weaker signals. Some antennas come with a built-in or detachable preamp. See Hardware/Amplifier.

TV ANTENNA RESTRICTIONS PROHIBITED BY FCC
The FCC prohibits outside TV antenna restrictions. Mast 12 feet or less above the roofline cannot be restricted.

PARTS
Parts needed include an antenna, RG-6 coax cable, AWG 10 solid copper wire, a coax ground block, weather boots, and mounting hardware. Also see Installation / Parts List and Hardware / Coax Cables.

MOUNT THE ANTENNA
Mount the antenna as high as possible, facing the direction of your local broadcast towers. The higher the antenna is mounted the stronger the signal and the greater the range. See Installation / Antenna Placement.

ROUTE THE COAX CABLE
Route coax cable to the antenna. If routing from the outside, create a "drip loop" before the cable enters the house to prevent water from tracking indoors along the wire. Use a power splitter or distribution amplifier when connecting to 2 or more TVs. Long cable runs may require a power amp. See Coax Cable Installation, TV Coax Cables Signal Loss, and Amplifiers.

GROUND THE SYSTEM (Outside Antennas)
Run the coax cable through an outdoor ground block. Connect an AWG 10 copper wire from the ground block to your home's power service ground. See Ground Wire and Antenna Grounding.

CONNECT TO THE TV
Run the indoor side of the coaxial cable directly into the "Antenna" coax port on the back of your television or receiver box.

SCAN TV FOR CHANNELS
Turn on your television, open the settings menu, change the input source to "Antenna" or "Air," and select "Channel Scan". Your TV will automatically search for and save all available digital broadcast networks in your area. Sometimes when a TV station adds a new channel the television will need to be rescanned.

TELEVISIONS Televisions that receive over-the-air TV, most do, will have on the back or side a coax connector for an antenna. It may be labeled "Antenna", "Air", or "RF".

PICTURE QUALITY
Digital TVs receive a perfect picture or no picture. A signal that is weak but just above the TV minimum has the same picture as a strong signal. Signal power that is slightly below the televisions minimum gets a pixilated picture. Just a few decibels (dB's) below the minimum the picture disappears. See TV Minimum Signal .

TYPES OF TELEVISIONS
There are 2 basic types of televisions, High Definition HD TV, and Ultra High Definition UHD TV - also called NextGen 4k TV. All televisions made since 2020 are Smart TVs and can be setup to get internet streaming services.

HD Televisions
Most High Definition HD TVs have an ATSC 1.0 tuner to receive over the air HD television channels. A few HD televisions do not have a tuner and cannot get over air channels without a separate tuner.

UHD NextGen 4k Televisions
A NextGen 4k UHD television is required to receive a UHD (or HD) broadcast.

ENCRYPTED UHD CHANNELS
Some UHD broadcast stations have one or more encrypted TV channels for Content Protection using the Digital Rights Management (DRM) encryption standard. Broadcasters can prevent recording, or set an expiration date on a recording. Programs that can be recorded can only be replayed from the DVR / Tuner that recorded it. Broadcasters can also Block viewers from using Pause, Rewind, Fast Forward, and Ad-Skip. Some encrypted channels require an internet connection to update security certificates as needed. NextGen Televisions made before 2022 may not be able to decode an encrypted channel.

BROADCAST POINTER FOR INTERNET STREAMING
Some UHD TV channels use the internet to point to internet steaming channels. The channels are interactive giving viewers more options. It also makes it easier for broadcasters to track viewers. An over the air signal AND internet connection are required to get the channel.