Has anyone had luck with just using an OTA antenna in the tailgate lots to pick up local DM channels (5, 8, 13, 17)? If so, any recommendations on best antenna for pulling in the stations? Our tailgate has been using a Hot Spot the past few years but being a longer tailgating day that adds up and plus people want access to their phone during the tailgate. Just looking at other options when not using a Hot Spot. TIA!
OTA Antenna for tailgate lots
- Thread starter jonnyb21
- Start date
Yes -- it can be done, we used to do it a lot in the donor lots before switching primarily to phone hotspot ourselves. You may have to be picky about where you place the antenna and re-scan the channels until you get all the ones you want (or if you can bring a larger antenna, even better). Want the antenna up on top of something and unobstructed, basically. We still bring a little indoor one as a backup option if phones fail us and it goes on top of our tent. Gets the job done.
Last year seemed much better for Verizon.
Agree. I think last season was the first one where I don't recall running into really any major cell network issues either before or even during games.
I expect that to fall apart during CyHawk, but past that, it's been pretty reliable.
Ames is well within range of about any station with a basic antenna. I think the big 4 use the towers north of Ankeny so you probably could pick those up with a bare wire as an antenna. If the antenna is directional, point it south and should be fine
It's been good for a few years since they installed those extenders or whatever they're called on some light poles. We've been streaming YTTV from Verizon hotspots for several years with no issues
We have had some luck with OTA antennas in the past, but you may have to spend some time with placement. If you have one with a booster & requires power, they seem to work better.
Verizon has been great the last couple year for streaming, but we still take a dish tailgater because Verizon will occasionally buffer in Vet Med area, and people want to use phones. We have plans to try out star link mini for Iowa game because the dish can also be a pain due to trees.
Verizon has been great the last couple year for streaming, but we still take a dish tailgater because Verizon will occasionally buffer in Vet Med area, and people want to use phones. We have plans to try out star link mini for Iowa game because the dish can also be a pain due to trees.
Cell service in the Jack Trice parking lot on gamedays was better for me last year than it is at my place in south Ames the rest of the year.
Cell coverage was vastly better last season. It will be a disaster during CyHawk but thats always expected. We have done an antenna depending on what we are watching, just make sure you don't have anything obstructing, and point towards ankeny like another poster said. It should come in pretty well, especially the Fox/CBS channels. You can use rabbit ears even so don't need anything to fancy
Thanks for the comments. Our tailgate has been using one of our phones (Verizon) as a hotspot and it was much better last year. However, concern gets to be with amount of data it is using on an all day tailgate. I called Verizon and they had options of $35 for extra 5GB or totally up our plan which was going to be minimum $150/month extra. We will most likely to a combination of the two this year.
Think they installed some new towers. I'll take a picture tomorrow of the one where I park for work.
Specifically no. Have never tried to tune OTA channels from Jack Trice, but from our RV experience, skip the omni directional antennas. Every one we have ever tried sucked.
All of those stations are transmitted from the Alleman towers North of Ankeny. Point a directional antenna at ankeny, mount it as high as you can, and you should be good. The crank-out directional antenna on our first camper could pick up those same stations from a campground North of Stuart. It was only 4 ft wide or so.
Rabbit ears would probably be good enough. Telescope them all the way out, fold them down until they are horizontal, and align them to be perpendicular to a direct line to Ankeny. iow, the ears should run roughly NE to SW from JT stadium. Elevate them as high as you can. Advanced technique: retract them a bit for channel 8, and a bit more for 17, and more for 5.5, but don't change where they are pointed and keep them horizontal. You are essentially using your rabbit ears mimic one pair of poles on the attached antenna.
Channel 5.1 is the toughest to bring in because it has the longest wavelength, and requires like a 7 ft wide antenna to pick it up. Instead of 5.1, tune to 5.5, or whatever the duplicate channel is. I think it is transmitted over a UHF channel with a shorter wavelength.
H
All of those stations are transmitted from the Alleman towers North of Ankeny. Point a directional antenna at ankeny, mount it as high as you can, and you should be good. The crank-out directional antenna on our first camper could pick up those same stations from a campground North of Stuart. It was only 4 ft wide or so.
Rabbit ears would probably be good enough. Telescope them all the way out, fold them down until they are horizontal, and align them to be perpendicular to a direct line to Ankeny. iow, the ears should run roughly NE to SW from JT stadium. Elevate them as high as you can. Advanced technique: retract them a bit for channel 8, and a bit more for 17, and more for 5.5, but don't change where they are pointed and keep them horizontal. You are essentially using your rabbit ears mimic one pair of poles on the attached antenna.
Channel 5.1 is the toughest to bring in because it has the longest wavelength, and requires like a 7 ft wide antenna to pick it up. Instead of 5.1, tune to 5.5, or whatever the duplicate channel is. I think it is transmitted over a UHF channel with a shorter wavelength.
H
Last edited:
Yes, Fox Now but it does say “watch live sports by signing into your tv provider”. Wouldn’t that just be YouTube tv and still not having Fox? Maybe I’m completely wrong on that.
Looks like YouTube and Fox did come to a “temporary extension” so we should be good to watch Fox this weekend but who knows for next weekend.
