[CoolPrepper]

Hi All

Today I finished putting up an EZHD TV antenna. Hoping this helps me kick cable, and I also thought is was a good idea from a prepper standpoint. Figured having a secondary way to receive news reports is a good idea. (Will be kicking cable TV, but must keep the internet of course.) I know ham is the big thing when it comes to communication, but this couldn't hurt.

So what are some thoughts on this?
Good Prep, Bad Prep, Not worth it....

Not sure what situation this helps me with, but lets say the economy just completely tanks, comcast goes out of business, then networks... Infrastructure degrades, maybe all that is left is one or two over the air stations.

Of course there is one good thing, if both me and the wife lost jobs, then we could cancel everything and at least still have some TV. (Of course finding a job without regular internet access would be a pain.)

 

[iiioxx]

Good prep. The cable networks depend on wired infrastructure that can be interrupted. Over-the-air is more reliable for emergency broadcasts, and you can bet that in any disaster there will still be some TV stations on the air broadcasting some form of news.

That said, one of the best preps you can do is kick the TV habit altogether. TV is entertaining, but it can also be mind-numbing and addictive. And TV advertisements have one purpose: to convince you to buy stuff you don't need. Whenever people ask me for advice about how to get out of debt, the first thing I tell them is to stop watching TV. Less money spent on worthless consumer crap, more money to spend on emergency preps.

So, yes - the OTA antenna is good prep for an emergency. Now turn it off the TV and put the remote in a glass box marked "break in case of SHTF".

 

[LordOpie]

I hooked up our antenna to a desktop computer and run it through windows 7 media center. I like being able to record and live rewind. if I started over, I'd save the money and get a roku box (made by Netflix) instead and just use Netflix and Hulu with non-recordable over-the-air instead.

 

[CoolPrepper]

Ohh I agree, Netfllix we already have, and is a must for a 3 year old. At 8 bucks Hulu seems like a no brainer. Right now I have Xbox live, so I can use that, but Roku seems to be the way to go for the future. I barely play live anymore.

 

[Tigard]

OTA tv is a great prep item. Might want to consider finishing your installation by getting a 12v TV. Low power draw that can run off a battery ensures you'll be watching TV when others can't.