The cord is officially cut! No more cable TV!

[QuarterMillionMan]

Thanks disneysteve. I plan to sign up for both the orange & blue package for $50, so LAL, ESPN would be included (it may not have been included in years past). Actually LAL, ESPN & CNBC are my main 2 channels that I must have so those 2 channels and were the first 2 channels that I looked for. CNBC is not in either package but can be added on as a news package for $6 which is worth it so I'd be adding it. As for local channels I see it'll included NBC & FOX (no ABC, nor no CBS). I guess adding ABC & CBS to Sling might have increased their costs so it's not included. My OTA antennae can catch those 2 but if a bus or truck or plane crosses the signal it interrupts the reception but I'll learn to live with it or down the road I'll cancel and get something else which comes along. Disneysteve how do watch ABC or CBS?

[disneysteve]

Disneysteve how do watch ABC or CBS?

We don't.

Actually, I think my wife may occasionally watch something on the ABC app but I'm not sure. We really aren't network TV people, even before we cut the cord. The only thing she really misses is Good Morning America. She switched to the Today show since that's on Sling but she doesn't like it nearly as much.

We tried an antenna but it was just so finicky and it didn't get ABC anyway, which is a known issue in this area with their broadcast signal. We did Locast for a while until they shut down due to some court battle that they lost. There is another one called LocalBTV which we had used a bit but I haven't gone to in ages so I'm not sure how it's working these days or what channels it includes.

I would say probably 80+% of our viewing is Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+. The rest is some other stuff like History (I love American Pickers), Food Network, the Today show in the morning, and the random occasional other stuff just flipping channels (which rarely happens now).

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Thanks disneysteve. I plan to sign up for both the orange & blue package for $50, so LAL, ESPN would be included (it may not have been included in years past). Actually LAL, ESPN & CNBC are my main 2 channels that I must have so those 2 channels and were the first 2 channels that I looked for. CNBC is not in either package but can be added on as a news package for $6 which is worth it so I'd be adding it. As for local channels I see it'll included NBC & FOX (no ABC, nor no CBS). I guess adding ABC & CBS to Sling might have increased their costs so it's not included. My OTA antennae can catch those 2 but if a bus or truck or plane crosses the signal it interrupts the reception but I'll learn to live with it or down the road I'll cancel and get something else which comes along. Disneysteve how do watch ABC or CBS?

Did you manage to get the sports? Most of our friends have found disney+ covers espn and then the local football can be covered by YoutubeTV, AppleTV, or Sling

[QuarterMillionMan]

My Spectrum billing cycle ends Oct 10 so about Oct 1, I will cancel and shortly thereafter sign up for Sling and use disneysteve's friend referral code. I'll be getting both the orange & blue packages so it'll include ESPN and other sports channels.

[QuarterMillionMan]

Oct 9 is when my Spectrum cycle ends so about 1 week before that date I'll sign up for Sling using disneysteve's friend referral and get Sling working before cancelling my Spectrum. Upon clicking the link it asked for my email then subsequently they sent this email which I'll use to activate Sling. I'll post later again after I activate it. BTW, last year when I signed up for Mint mobile using another person's friend referral code, I messed up and we both missed out on the $25 credit. I even tried contacting Mint's support services asking if they could rectify it but they said no can do. I won't be making that mistake again w/Sling. With Cricket wireless this past July 2022, I was able to correctly apply another person's referral code and we both got the $25 credit.

[QuarterMillionMan]

[james.hendrickson]

Whats this? How'd you get this credit?

[QuarterMillionMan]

Happy to oblige James, but some previous back history to this story. July 2021 thru July 2022, I was with Mint mobile. Then I decided to switch to Crickett wireless in July 2022. I asked the forums members here if anyone had a friend referral code for Crickett wireless but no one had Crickett wireless. So I went to Youtube and researched all the Youtubers who posted videos on Crickett wireless and came across Lady Red who I've never met before and contacted her to inquire if she still had Crickett wireless for her friend referral code which she sent to me. So I activated Crickett wireless using her friend referral code and we both got $25 credit.

[james.hendrickson]

Happy to oblige James, but some previous back history to this story. July 2021 thru July 2022, I was with Mint mobile. Then I decided to switch to Crickett wireless in July 2022. I asked the forums members here if anyone had a friend referral code for Crickett wireless but no one had Crickett wireless. So I went to Youtube and researched all the Youtubers who posted videos on Crickett wireless and came across Lady Red who I've never met before and contacted her to inquire if she still had Crickett wireless for her friend referral code which she sent to me. So I activated Crickett wireless using her friend referral code and we both got $25 credit.

QMM - way to be frugal when you're doing sign ups. Nice job sir.

[QuarterMillionMan]

Doing my research on OTA antennas and came across this video which points out some reasons ABC (parent company Disney) has bad reception nationwide. Being an apartment dweller myself, I'm limited to junk indoor antennas. I wish I could install a roof mounted antenna but I will be trying different indoor antennas to catch ABC. This coming Tuesday or Wednesday will be when I sign up for Sling TV.

How ABC O&O TV Stations Failed OTA Antenna Viewers - YouTube

I'll post again after I activate. Often on other boards people say they'll do something and later leave it in limbo. It's a huge let down. I'll keep to my word.

[QuarterMillionMan]

Antennas Direct ClearStream MAX-V Indoor Outdoor HDTV Antenna, UHF VHF | eBay

I ordered this $70 indoor antenna, supposedly one the best indoor antennas. I have the leaf $15 antenna but it is supposedly the worst. The best would be an outdoor antenna and the bigger the better and mounted on the roof. Apartment living sucks but when life gives you lemons make lemonade.

[james.hendrickson]

Antennas Direct ClearStream MAX-V Indoor Outdoor HDTV Antenna, UHF VHF | eBay

I ordered this $70 indoor antenna, supposedly one the best indoor antennas. I have the leaf $15 antenna but it is supposedly the worst. The best would be an outdoor antenna and the bigger the better and mounted on the roof. Apartment living sucks but when life gives you lemons make lemonade.

QMM - how about not getting TV and investing the money into a dividend paying stock instead? Or reading good books instead of watching tv?

[QuarterMillionMan]

Ha-ha, that is not easy to do. That's like telling a smoker or drinker that they need to quit and it is bad for them, lol.

[james.hendrickson]

Ha-ha, that is not easy to do. That's like telling a smoker or drinker that they need to quit and it is bad for them, lol.

I know, and I feel like a total hypocrite as I binged watched some lame german mini series last night on netflix instead of working.

[scfr]

We have an antenna installed in our attic. It is an Antennas Direct bowtie, with VHF add-on. We have 2 TVs, one old one upstairs and a "smart" TV downstairs. We paid someone to install and adjust the antenna. When it was first installed, we couldn't get PBS on the downstairs Smart TV, but we could get it on the old upstairs TV. But on the upstairs TV there was one network we couldn't get (forget which one) that we could get downstairs. The antenna guy was perplexed. DH watched a bunch of YouTube videos then crawled in to the attic and adjusted the antenna, and now we get all OTA channels on both TVs. We also have a bunch of Samsung TV+ channels on the smart TV, and I'm now getting Paramount+ free because I'm a Walmart+ member. (I have the Walmart+ membership for grocery delivery to my mom's house.) On top of that, I get DVDs and Hoopla digital content from my local library. Way more content than is good for me! When we had a windstorm recently the OTA channels cut out periodically, and we think we get occasional airplane interference, but it's not the end of the world. Monthly cost is $0.