This post is to thank WRAL, the CBS affiliate in the RTP area, for our free antenna. I learned about their giveaway promotion in February, and after finding out that it was a legitamate offer, applied.
Why would we need an antenna when we already have a satellite system? For one, our Dish HD system only carries the local ABC and NBC stations in HD. We’ve been using an indoor antenna for CBS and FOX, and while it works most of the time, whenever it gets windy we have problems. And of course it always gets windy when you actually want to watch a certain show. An antenna also provides a backup for times when our satellite reception is interrupted by thunderstorms. Third, HD seems to look better over-the-air (probably due to lower compression) and we can pickup alternate digital channels that cable and satellite generally don’t transmit. For example, during March madness CBS transmits all the games on its over-the-air digital channels. All in all, with digital broadcasts there are a lot of good reasons to have an antenna.
So a few weeks later I came home to a large box on our porch- our new antenna (a Channel Master 4228)! Over Easter my dad helped me install it in our attic. We’re now receiving a near perfect signal for both CBS and FOX, and a more stable backup signal for NBC and ABC too.