People Of Hartford: How Are You?

These days TV antennas have been rendered useless with the analog to digital tv conversion that took place in 2009. Those of us old enough can remember playing with the metal rabbit ears (or even classier, a metal coat hanger) as we struggled for reception. Nowadays one can purchase a one inch thick 3D television for under $1,000 and watch sports in high definition. Kids these days have it too easy.



Though the television antennas are now obsolete many can still be seen on top of older houses in Hartford. Some houses, like the pictured house on Barker Street in the South End, have super sized antennas that can only be described as amazing. How tall is this antenna? With that extension on top, we'd have to venture a guess of 25-30 feet. More importantly than how tall is the antenna, what could, or more accurately, what couldn't this monstrosity pick up? While a sensible explanation is that since the South End is traditionally an immigrant heavy neighborhood, the antenna was installed to pick up broadcasts (likely soccer matches) from the owners home country.

A more fun explanation is that this South End resident was picking up extra-terrestrial broadcasts or perhaps even broadcasting a pirate television channel? Seriously, this thing looks more powerful than WNPR's satellites on top of the Dankosky Building. From the old days we remember you could usually get four tv stations using a metal coat hanger as an antenna. Does anyone want to venture a guess on how many channels and the furthest broadcast that could be picked up by this bad boy?