I’m rural and don’t get much with my antennae that’s supposed to be good for 150 miles - local Atlanta channel 2 comes in clear but that’s all.
Any idea where I could get an old school big dish? If I can find the dish, what kind of receiver would I need?
Uh, no way is 150 mile reception (unless you are having a “skip” night) likely.
A broadcast antenna (actual radiating elements) 2000 ft. above average terrain has a radio horizon) service range of about 63 miles. A tall receiving antenna will help, mostly by getting you above some of the local “clutter”, and by extending the radio horizon slightly. (Approximately, for the latter, add your antenna height to the broadcast antenna’s height.)
https://www.everythingrf.com/rf-calculators/line-of-sight-calculator
You will be better off with a good antenna (say, Stellar Labs # 30-2415 or 30-2370, or equivalent of similar design: see my post 92) on a tall tower, with a rotator, than a dish at a manageable height (assuming your “house” is not 50 ft. tall, with a spot on the roof you can place the dish.)
The dish will also be very directional —good for gain & multipath, but a pain to point, esp if you have multiple stations at varying directions. If you have a tall house and can work some sort of turntable for the dish - well, maybe...
Even then, 80 miles is probably tops under most atmospheric circumstances.