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

PAGE CONTENTS
How It Works -- Television Types -- TV & RF Channels -- Antennas -- Sitemap

Get free TV with just an antenna. The right type of antenna pointed in the right direction will get the most channels. Get legacy networks and a large variety of entertainment networks and local stations. The number of available channels depends on market area population and varies from 30 to well over 100 TV channels. The number of over the air channels, networks, and viewers, keeps growing.

1 - How Over-the-Air TV Works

A TV station will transmit up to a 1000 kilowatt signal over the air (OTA) from a 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. Each RF channel contains 1 to 20 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 • Most Broadcast are HD Some towers have multiple antennas and RF channels.

RECEPTION
You need --	ANTENNA • UHF or VHF/UHF Band • Preamp Optional
--	TELEVISION There are 2 types of Televisions
	HD Television • High Definition (ATSC 1.0) • Receives HD broadcast
	UHD NextGen 4k Television • Ultra High Definition (ATSC 3.0) • Receives UHD / HD Broadcast
Audio --	Surround Sound, Stereo Closed Caption (CC)
Information --	TV Channel / Network Resolution / Audio Type Program / Guide / Rating Signal Power / RF Channel

Connect Antenna and Scan for Channels
Televisions that receive over-the-air TV will have on the back or side a coax connector for an antenna. After connecting an antenna you need to go to the TV Menu and Scan for Channels. Sometimes when a TV station adds a new channel the television will need to be rescanned.

TV Connector

Setup TV for Over the Air
1 - Go to: MENU Settings 2 - Go to: Antenna Channels 3 - Select: Scan for Channels

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 .

2 - TELEVISION TYPES

The 2 Types of Television
There are 2 basic types of televisions, High Definition HD TV, and Ultra High Definition UHD TV - also called NextGen 4k TV.

You need a NextGen television to receive a UHD (or HD) broadcast. In 2020 UHD broadcast started increasing, but greatly slowed in 2024, and virtually stopped in 2025. Nationwide less than 2% of broadcast TV channels use a UHD signal. Some stations that broadcast a UHD signal also simulcast an HD signal on a different RF channel and usually from a different tower.

US Broadcast
December 2025

TV System	TV Channels
HD	33,166
UHD	547*

* 176 Channels Encrypted

ENCRYPTED UHD CHANNELS
Some UHD broadcast stations have one or more TV channels that are encrypted 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 - hours to months. NextGen Televisions made before 2022 may not be able to decode an encrypted channel.

BROADCAST INTERNET
A UHD NextGen broadcast internet TV channel is interactive and gives the viewer more options. It also allows broadcasters to track viewers. An over the air signal AND internet connection are required to get the channel.

Smart Televisions
All televisions manufactured after 2020 are smart TVs that can be setup to receive internet streaming services. Some HD televisions do not have an over the air digital tuner and can't get over the air channels, a separate tuner is required. A smart TV with a digital tuner can be made into a basic (dumb) TV by simply not connecting to the internet. See Smart Televisions.

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.

ANALOG AND DIGITAL ANTENNAS
There is no difference between an Analog and Digital (HD or 4k UHD NextGen) antenna. All digital and analog TV signals use the same carrier frequencies. Carrier modulation (digital or analog) does not effect antenna reception.

SIGNAL RECEPTION
Most antenna's are directional and should be pointed in the direction of the broadcast towers. The higher the antenna is mounted the stronger the signal. Rural areas get the best signal, residential areas get a reduced signal, and city areas get a more reduced signal. An indoor antenna can work for towers within 20 or 25 miles. An attic or outside antenna will be needed for longer ranges. See Reception/Signal Factors.

GAIN (RANGE)
Published antenna range is often exaggerated and unreliable. Antenna gain is a better measure of antenna performance. Gain is measured in dBi or dB. Gain in dB really means dBi. See Hardware/Antenna.

ANTENNA FREQUENCY BANDS
TV Broadcast frequencies are in the VHF (Hi and Lo) and UHF frequency bands. Most TV channels are in the UHF band. A home antenna should be capable of receiving the band or bands needed. See Tech/Frequency.

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

SUMMARY

TV ANTENNA RESTRICTIONS PROHIBITED
Over-the-Air Reception Devices Rule
FCC Rule 47 C.F.R. Section 1.4000

The FCC prohibits outdoor TV antenna restrictions. Mast 12 feet or less above the roofline cannot be restricted. Mast higher than 12 feet may be subject to local permitting requirements for safety purposes.