Like many of you, I live in a rural area and have satellite television. I have no complaints about DirecTV. It's great. My problem is that anytime it rains hard (sometimes just when there's a slight breeze) I'll lose signal. Anybody got any experience with digital antennas? I'd like to still be able to pick up local stations during bad weather. Any general recommendations or advice? Also, are local stations the only thing that comes in via antenna?
Yes local ("local" being defined as one you can pick up) is all you'll be able to get using an antenna. All stations broadcast a signal, just like they did in pre-cable days, and just like radio stations do. The difference is that all television is now digital, where it was analog before. You'll almost certainly be able to pick up the Hattiesburg station (unless you live in a low area with trees all around); Jackson stations would be very marginal. Try the antenna web.org link given above and it'll give you an idea of what sort of antenna you'll need.
I live in a low area, with tall tress all around, and am maybe 15 miles from the Huntsville television transmitters. And I have trouble getting a good signal, even with a supposedly good attic antenna. So it all depends on your surroundings. I can't get any other stations at all.
I use the over-the-air signal as a backup whenever there is a loss of the Dish signal because of rain or low, heavy clouds, and now all the time for CBS since the local CBS station and Dish are in one of their contractual disagreements at the moment.
