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TV Fool Review

Depends

Should I use TV Fool?

Locate TV transmitters, choose antennas, look at coverage maps, and optimize your HDTV setup. - tvfool.com

· 1 month ago

Free and unusually detailed for antenna aiming, but multiple users report it is deprecated, stale, and partially broken. Try RabbitEars.info or AntennaWeb first; use TV Fool only as a cross-check.

Confidence

Medium. Based on ~30 public sources, mostly Reddit, AVS/digitalhome forums, and TV Fool's own pages. No official pricing, security, or company data; many sources are dated, so accuracy claims are mixed.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support quality
  • Security postureNo security evidence found

Pricing

$0

Free

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes

Best for

  • Cordcutters picking an antenna
  • DIY antenna aiming and pointing
  • RF enthusiasts wanting per-station signal detail

Not for

  • Anyone needing current, maintained station data
  • People who want a quick simple channel list
  • Privacy-focused users
  • First-timers unwilling to learn dB signal reports

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

Site reportedly deprecated; channel data may be stale, so verify against

medium

Signal finder and Google Earth downloads reported broken or moved

medium

No official support channel; only community forum answers

low

Privacy-focused users flag concerns; details unclear in sources

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Predicts per-station signal strength (NM numbers) widely used by installers
  • Shows transmitter direction, distance, and coverage maps for aiming
  • Exports transmitter and coverage maps to Google Earth
  • Users found it more granular than AntennaWeb in head-to-head tests
  • Still cited by PCMag, Tablo, and Crutchfield guides

Cons

  • Reportedly deprecated and unmaintained for years
  • Users report accuracy problems and missing local stations
  • Signal finder tools reported broken at times
  • Steep learning curve; beginners need guides to read reports
  • Longtime users cite many database errors

Sources & method

- 8 sources - No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

official x1review x6news x1

Key stats

  • Value for money: 5/5

    Rating

  • $0

    Starting price

  • 8

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 5/5. Free tool with detailed signal output
  • Ease of use: 2/5. Reports need guides to interpret
  • Feature depth: 5/5. Propagation modeling, Google Earth exports, signal predictions
  • Support quality: 2/5. Community forum only; tools reportedly broken
  • Security posture. No security evidence found
  • Free Price No paid tiers found in evidence
  • Deprecated Status Per user reports, 2024
  • OTA signal locator Category Cited by PCMag, Tablo, AVS Forum

Pricing

Free

$0

  • Signal locator reports
  • Coverage maps
  • Google Earth map files

Security

No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

What users say

Long the cordcutter standard for signal analysis, but recent users report stale data, database errors, and broken tools.

“TV Fool has been deprecated for many years now.”
Reddit, r/cordcutters
“TV fool doesn't even show the NBC affiliate located in our town!”
Reddit, r/cordcutters
“There are many errors in the database used by TVFool”
TV Fool forum
Full analysis

Based on ~30 public sources, mostly Reddit, AVS/digitalhome forums, and TV Fool's own pages. No official pricing, security, or company data; many sources are dated, so accuracy claims are mixed.

Free and famously detailed, but users say it's deprecated and stale. Try RabbitEars first; keep TV Fool as backup.

Methodology

Based on ~30 public sources, mostly Reddit, AVS/digitalhome forums, and TV Fool's own pages. No official pricing, security, or company data; many sources are dated, so accuracy claims are mixed.

Read how a report is made.

Sources

  1. TV Fool official sitetvfool.com
    official
  2. Privacy-Focused Alternative to TV Fool (deprecation reports)reddit.com
    review
  3. PSA: TVFool is no longer accuratereddit.com
    review
  4. Best antenna pointing sites (broken tools)digitalhome.ca
    review
  5. TVFool database errors threadforum.tvfool.com
    review
  6. Newbie guide to TV Fool signal analysisreddit.com
    review
  7. Antennaweb vs. TV Fool comparisonsatelliteguys.us
    review
  8. The Ultimate Cord Cutter's Guide (PCMag)pcmag.com
    news

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