[TheBattman]

“digital TV antenna”....??? Why? There is no functional difference between “regular” TV antennas and so-called “digital” -— it is nothing but marketing. My Mother-in-law happily continues to use her same outdoor antenna she has had since LONG before the digital switchover. She gets lots of channels for free.

[HiTech RedNeck]

What used to be old fashioned VHF channels 2-13 that used large antennas are now transmitted in digital format in the UHF band which uses small and bow-tie antennas. If M-I-L has a UHF element on her external antenna, this is what is now getting the digital channels, even those called 2-13. In areas that had no UHF, now a UHF antenna will be needed.

[upchuck]

My Mother-in-law happily continues to use her same outdoor antenna she has had since LONG before the digital switchover. She gets lots of channels for free.

Since the broadcasting stations changed their broadcasting frequency when they converted from analog to digital, I suspect either:

1. Your mother-in-law bought one of the converter boxes the government was selling for $40, or
2. she has bought a digital TV that receives the digital signal natively