shouldiuse.io

Report

Should I Use TV Fool?

tvfool.com·Analyzed 7 hours ago··Based on 8 sources

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

Depends

Depends

Free and unusually detailed for antenna aiming, but multiple users report it is deprecated, stale, and partially broken.

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

Confidence: Medium

Free

Price

No paid tiers found in evidence

Deprecated

Status

Per user reports, 2024

OTA signal locator

Category

Cited by PCMag, Tablo, AVS Forum

Value for money5

Free tool with detailed signal output

Ease of use2

Reports need guides to interpret

Feature depth5

Propagation modeling, Google Earth exports, signal predictions

Support quality2

Community forum only; tools reportedly broken

Pros

  • Predicts per-station signal strength (NM numbers) widely used by installers
  • Shows transmitter direction, distance, and coverage maps for aiming¹
  • Exports transmitter and coverage maps to Google Earth¹
  • Users found it more granular than AntennaWeb in head-to-head tests⁷
  • Still cited by PCMag, Tablo, and Crutchfield guides⁸

Cons

  • Reportedly deprecated and unmaintained for years²
  • Users report accuracy problems and missing local stations³
  • Signal finder tools reported broken at times⁴
  • Steep learning curve; beginners need guides to read reports⁶
  • Longtime users cite many database errors⁵

Gotchas

  • highSite reportedly deprecated; channel data may be stale, so verify against²
  • mediumSignal finder and Google Earth downloads reported broken or moved
  • mediumNo official support channel; only community forum answers⁵
  • lowPrivacy-focused users flag concerns; details unclear in sources

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

Pricing

Free

$0

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

Security

No known public 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

Alternatives

Compare TV Fool with each alternative.

AntennaWeb

Simpler station list by address; less detail, easier to read

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.

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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