A year or two ago we finally made the switch from getting television off a simple rooftop antenna to using DirecTV (cable is not available in my area).

Overall the experience has been very positive, though certainly more expensive. Being in the Chicago area we can even get the local TV stations via the satellites.

One of the big unexpected things I've experienced with satellite TV is the complete loss of a signal during heavy precipitation (rain or snow).

In the past the local television stations were my primary source of foul weather information. Now they simply can't be depended on to play a part. Instead we have to rely on viewing internet radar maps and listening to local radio stations. Unfortunately, it seems that the best local radio stations during severe weather are the AM stations (WLS, WGN), but during thunderstorms those become very difficult to hear due to the static (from lighting).

My weather radios have some information, but they don't seem to offer up-to-the-minute news like the the TV stations do.

Eventually I may try to run a second coax cable from an antenna on the roof so that I can once again switch to local over-the-air broadcasts, but that's not going to happen anytime soon.

Maybe someday I'll be able to get real-time TV station broadcasts from the internet.