Using an over-the-air antenna and plugging it directly into your TV’s coax input is a great way to get free, live channels. If you’re new to getting TV over the public airwaves, there are some basics you need to know about how antennas work, both generally and specific to the digital TV era. Outdoor antennas, especially rooftop ones, are always best, as indoor antennas have limitations. However, setting up a rooftop antenna may not be feasible for everyone.

If you live in an older apartment building, you might have access to a shared rooftop “master antenna” — look for a coaxial cable feeding your apartment separate from the cable hookup — though those are increasingly rare. Most likely, you’ll need to buy or borrow an antenna, but getting the right kind can be confusing, especially if you’re old enough to remember the analog era.

In the analog era, the prime channel spots generally occupied by the biggest stations were on the more established VHF band (channels 2 through 13), with the newer UHF band (channels 13 through 69) home to smaller stations. However, digital signals tend to work best over UHF, so most American stations are broadcast over UHF, but not all. Some areas, like New York, have VHF stations. (The ATSC standard allows for “virtual” channel numbers to be displayed instead of the RF channel number, which is why nobody’s onscreen channel number changed.)

To figure out what kind of antenna you need, you can enter your address at AntennaWeb.org or check out our list of five of the best TV antennas on the market.

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