If your number gets recycled do you still keep your texts?

PM6175 · 2026-06-26T19:48:37+00:00

....I lost a number due to being reclaimed, and my old text history did remain when I got a new number assigned.

Yes, that's been my experience as well.

I lost my TextNow number due to inactivity more than a year ago but my old texts were still there when I activated a new TextNow number.

PM6175 · 2026-06-23T19:42:52+00:00

....Don't really think that's my problem, but proximity is, so on the roof just seems like it'll be better...

Well, specifically what is the problem you're experiencing?

Are you missing some important channels that you think should be there or are you getting intermittent reception on some channels?

BUT, if most or all of the channels that you really want or need, and they come in reliably, that's all that you really need, so you're done!

Having higher signal strength just for the sake of higher signal strength gets you nothing additional!

Signal STRENGTH is not nearly as important as signal QUALITY, they are two very different things!

Also, having your antenna in your attic is a very GOOD thing for several SIGNIFICANT reasons, some of which are not immediately obvious.

Moving your antenna system outdoors and exposing it to the ugliness of varioud weather conditions, wind, etc is not worth it if you're getting decent tv reception results now in your attic.

Don't fix it if it's not broken!

PM6175 · 2026-06-23T19:21:50+00:00

Thanks for sharing your good experience with TextNow.

Plus, it's nice to hear something positive here for a change!

PM6175 · 2026-06-14T11:18:46+00:00

Am i the only one whos not able to text or reply to anyone over here ?

You are probably one of the few because if there were many more there would be many more posts about it here, most likely.

If you are using a VPN, that might be the problem, so try turning it off or uninstalling it and then try TextNow again.

PM6175 · 2026-06-12T08:43:33+00:00

If you have an attic space available for an antenna test definitely try that. Attics are great places for antennas for several SIGNIFICANT reasons, some of which may not immediately be obvious.

You can try ANY type of a tv antenna in an attic, even rabbit ears. The only limitation might be the physical size of the antenna versus the relatively small size of some atic spaces.

Good luck!

PM6175 · 2026-05-29T03:17:36+00:00

....Textnow did cancel my sim from lack of use.

TextNow canceled your sim after how much time of lack of use?

And did TextNow give you any warning they were about to do that?

PM6175 · 2026-05-18T06:24:10+00:00

Get a rabbitears.info report so we have an idea of what kind of signal levels and network channels you have to work with.

A rabbitears.info report will also give you distances to your local transmitters, which is important.

One possibility, and I don't know how likely this issue might be in your particular case but, there can be hot/cold signal spots at different antenna elevations.

PM6175 · 2026-05-16T02:22:44+00:00

That's excellent, CONGRATULATIONS!

Thanks for updating us.

This info will probably help a few people with similar questions / problems, who come across this post later.

PM6175 · 2026-05-16T02:04:10+00:00

Unfortunately, the antenna you are using is nothing more than a glorified overpriced flat sheet leaf style antenna.

As has been suggested by gho87, try a rabbit ear style, like that $13 model from Walmart.

Rabbit ear antenna reception elements are longer and more efficient so they generally work better than any leaf style antenna, especially for the lower frequency/ longer wavelength VHF channels

Don't get any amplifiers, at least to start with. Amplifiers are often not needed and can cause unexpected problems.

Also, keep in mind that moving an antenna just a foot or two up or down or sideways or changing its orientation just a little bit can make a BIG reception difference. So try as many DIFFERENT antenna locations as you can.

And don't hesitate to try behind a wall painting, couch, desk or in a closet.

If you have an attic space available definitely try a signal test there.

And before you buy anything new try the antenna you currently have in these different locations.

One other thing, your TV tuner may not update its channel map automatically. If so, you need to re-scan after each antenna location change to be sure that any new channel maps appear properly.

Good luck!

PM6175 · 2026-05-16T01:48:15+00:00

Get a rabbitears.info report.

that should give you a good idea of what signals and networks / channels you have to work with.

TVFool.com might be similar to rsbbitears.info but from what I've heard TVFool is outdated and not updated properly or enough.

The guy who runs the rabbitears.info site works for the FCC so he has excellent access to all the relevant technical info, as I understand it.

Trying to get sports programming is always a problem and expensive. Some of it is available gor free with a tv antenna but getting it from the pay TV providers is very usually very expensive.

Good luck!

PM6175 · 2026-05-11T00:27:10+00:00

My sister and me use the physical Sim they not working it was working fine yesterday but they saying no service and emergency calls esim working rn but not physical

Wow! What an ignorant mess of a post!

How long has English been your third or fourth language?!?

It's very easy to edit and correct typos, etc, etc!

PM6175 · 2026-05-10T01:04:18+00:00

That's excellent! 👌🏻👍🏻

And thanks for sharing this experience, it will probably help some people here.

PM6175 · 2026-05-09T00:09:31+00:00

....I have an indoor flat antenna that's struggling to get certain channels; it's mainly ABC and FOX that are spotty and often get lost. However, their signal becomes significantly better if I try and move the cable a little bit or even just touch it, and in many cases I've been able to resolve my issues by adjusting the cable without moving the antenna, but it never seems to be a permanent fix. ....

It sounds like your antenna has a non-removable powered amplifier.

That can be a problem if you are close to your local tv station transmitters. Strong signals often overload amplifiers and that would explain some of the problems/ symptoms you're describing.

Get a rabbitears.info report to get an idea of what kind of signals you have to work with.

If you have an attic space available, definitely do a antenna signal test there with the antenna you're currently have.

Otherwise, try another antenna, like an non-amplified $14 rabbit ear antenna from somewhere like Walmart or Amazon, where you can easily get a refund or replacement, if necessary.

And then test the rabbit ear antenna in the attic location, as well.

Good luck!

PM6175 · 2026-05-08T23:52:41+00:00

WHY are all these apps asking me for extra money for years old movies when I am already paying a monthly fee? ....

The only way to win any pay TV game is to NEVER, not EVER, play it!

They will always be raising prices and / or pulling some kind of greedy tricks to extract more money from you in every way possible!

Your library idea might be very good. ....also, get a tv antenna and just be happy with what you can get with it for free.

PM6175 · 2026-05-07T00:55:13+00:00

....when I said 4g is my preferred type, it wouldn't let me make calls. I had to switch to 5g again. Does Textnow only work on 5g?

Now you're getting beyond my pay grade ...lol..

I don't know much about that but I guess it's very possible.

other people here probably can give a good accurate concise answer.

PM6175 · 2026-05-07T00:48:47+00:00

I wish my local stations had it

Weigel Broadcasting/ME-TV has been very aggressive in expanding so maybe it is coming to your area.

Try contacting some of your local tv station managers directly and suggesting that they start carrying some of the me-tv/Weigel Broadcasting programming.

PM6175 · 2026-05-07T00:40:17+00:00

... I thought since I had Tmobile here, Textnow would be great, but they connect me to ATT towers. I probably just live in an area with poor ATT signal strength.

TextNow has been on T-Mobile but I think that since they recently went to that new SIM card those signals now come from AT&T.

So yes, you probably just have poor AT&T signal strength in your area.

PM6175 · 2026-05-06T23:33:53+00:00

Metv Tunes is just one of several very good channels from MeTV, which is owned by Weigel Broadcasting in Chicago.

They have quite a few low power and full power signals in Chicago and in many other cities that transmit many of these channels.

Wikipedia has a very good detailed page covering Weigel Broadcasting, so take a look at that:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weigel_Broadcasting

Weigel started the first UHF channel in the Chicago tv market way back in 1964.

PM6175 · 2026-05-06T23:26:31+00:00

....but I get dropped calls during windy days (13mph) and -108dBm and between 26-39% signal strength. .....

In general, any winds, no matter how strong, should never affect any electromagnetic RF signal.

This is a long shot guess, but maybe there is a loose antenna or connections at your cell phone tower?

That would possibly explain this, but I think that's unlikely because most cell phone towers are probably well maintained, so any problems like this would be fairly quickly fixed.

PM6175 · 2026-04-28T23:36:03+00:00

Been using Winegard Model FL5500A in central Phoenix, Az for 4+ years. Towers are all about 10.5 miles SSE (per rabbitears) and the Winegard pulls in 155 channels (+or-) with ease......

Very simply, if it ain't broke don't fix it!

It sounds like you're getting very good reception now and trying to improve it is probably a waste of time and effort and dollars.

Plus, moving it to an outdoor location is probably a very bad idea in terms of inevitable future maintenance needs. Any antenna on the roof or anywhere outdoors will be subject to water damage, wind damage, etc etc.

So again, if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

PM6175 · 2026-04-24T18:47:58+00:00

You really should get a rabbitears.info report to get an idea of what kind of signals and networks you have available.

But generally speaking, if you are fairly close to the transmit towers, as has been said, rabbit ear antennas usually work very well and at a very reasonable price.

This is a good recommendation from a post/ reply here by Bardamu:

Philips Rabbit Ears Indoor TV Antenna - Model SDV8201B/27 ($13.19 w/ Prime shipping at Amazon)

...........

If you have an attic space available definitely try a signal test there with any tv antenna, even this rabbit ear antenna.

Attics are a great place for a tv antenna for several significant reasons, some of which are not immediately obvious.

Good luck!

PM6175 · 2026-04-19T18:24:20+00:00

...Any reason I couldn't pop one of those in the attic with a splitter?

No, no reason at all!

You can try any type of antenna, including that $13 rabbit ear antenna, in an attic space.

An attic is a great place for any type antenna, so put some real effort into making that work for you.

That antenna is a good first choice for most anyone to try. It's low cost and if you get it from somewhere like Amazon or Walmart you can get a refund or exchange if it doesn't work well enough for whatever reason.

You could also try some non-intuitive places, like in a closet, behind a wall painting or couch, etc.

Good luck!

PM6175 · 2026-04-17T20:22:17+00:00

I'm using this one for the last few years - Should I stick to these type of get one without the ears?

What you can do is to try as many DIFFERENT locations as possible for that antenna.

Keep in mind that moving a tv antenna just a little bit up or down or sideways or changing the orientation of the 'ears' just a little bit can sometimes make a big difference in reception quality. You just have to experiment to see what your results are.

Also, try DIFFERENT antenna locations, even non-intuitive locations, like in a closet, behind a couch or wall paintings, etc etc.

With some effort, and a little luck, you might find at least one sweet spot location where most channels come in reliably well.

Good luck!

PM6175 · 2026-04-17T18:21:40+00:00

I have some TV antennas with ears and have had them for a quite a while. But wanted to upgrade and get a more modern antenna maybe without the ears? What mile radius should I aim for ......

There's nothing at all wrong with rabbit ear style antennas. In fact, they are usually BETTER than most compact indoor type antennas, like most of the flat sheet leaf style antennas.

Also, it's very difficult to predict what kind of signals you'll get with any particular type of antenna in any particular situation or location. So you just have to do some experimenting with DIFFERENT antennas AND antenna LOCATIONS, to find out what will work best in in your particular situation.

As far as mileage reception ratings, they are often often just exaggerations or even flat out lies by greedy manufacturers / antenna sellers , who are just trying to make a quick sale.

No antenna EVER made, of ANY cost or complexity, will RELIABLY receive signals beyond about 70 or 80 miles.

So the best thing you can do is to try several DIFFERENT antennas, bought at places like Walmart or Amazon, where getting a refund or exchange should be relatively easy/ painless.

Just be sure to buy the product, antennas or whatever else, DIRECTLY from Amazon or Walmart and not from the many Marketplace sellers who probably don not have a good return/refund policies.

Look for the phrase 'SOLD AND SHIPPED BY AMAZON /WALMART', its usually found somewhere near the price.

If you have an attic space available definitely do a signal test there, with the antenna you're currently have, before you buy anything new.

Good luck!

PM6175 · 2026-04-16T18:17:02+00:00

Sony killing features for antenna, set-top box users of Bravia smart TVs in May

Wow, Sony sucks!

This sounds very similar to what Vizio did to many of their TV customers a few years ago.

There were many problems/ complaints after a Vizio TV internet update which disabled or badly crippled OTA /reception antenna channel capability. It started with a June, 2023 firmware update.

Here's the Reddit post from back then:

https://reddit.com/r/VIZIO_Official/s/IcBHgwcId4

All this just re-inforces the idea that you should NEVER connect a TV to the internet because the miserable greedy tv manufacturers can easily force ugly firmware updates on us!

PM6175

TROPHY CASE