The frugal way to do TV...

[Fumesucker]

20. I've done some more research and found out something about the converter boxes..

The converters that were covered by the government rebate had strict standards they had to meet so they are very often much better receivers than the actual HDTV sets..

I didn't go into the masthead preamp in my OP but for fringe reception that can really make a big difference.. Keep in mind though that not all preamps are created equal, the critical measurement for a preamp is the noise figure, you want a preamp with the lowest noise figure you can afford, below 3db is best, some even get down below 1db..

A 3db noise figure doesn't sound like much but it means the amount of noise is actually doubled..

The preamp will to a big extent set the performance limits for your entire system, don't scrimp on the preamp if you're in a deep fringe area...

Here's an interesting article from a manufacturer on getting TV signals at a remote location, these people were getting stations from over 200 miles away in the evenings and nighttime and over 100 miles 24 hours a day..

http://abilityhdtv.com/info/79/