How to Watch Dozens of TV Channels for Free? Read the Guide!

In Bolesławiec, you can receive 29 Polish, 18 Czech and 12 German channels for free—a total of 59 different programs. How can you do it? Simply connect an external metal aerial to your television. That is all. Television will be free.

The simplest option is to point the aerial towards Jelenia Góra. You will then receive all the Polish and Czech programs. If you add a second aerial and point it towards Zgorzelec, you will additionally receive German channels. The signals from the aerials must then be combined. One important note: if you point the aerial towards Polish or Czech transmitters, the aerial elements must be arranged horizontally, as in the photograph accompanying the article; if you want to receive signals from German transmitters, the aerial elements must be positioned vertically, meaning the aerial must be rotated by 90 degrees.

Kanały telewizyjne możliwe do odbioru na terenie Bolesławca • Photo author: Krzysztof Gwizdała

Practically any aerial can be used for reception, even an old one that has not been used for some time. If you want to buy a new one, it costs between PLN 30 and 50. The aerial can be installed on a balcony or by a window. Everyone has the right to do this, and the property manager or housing cooperative cannot prohibit it.

The aerial must be connected to the television. If someone has an old receiver that cannot receive digital programs, they can buy a tuner, which costs between PLN 70 and 100. How can you check whether the television itself is sufficient? If the television packaging or instruction manual says “MPEG-4”, everything is fine. The television will receive the signal directly from the aerial, and there is no need to buy an additional tuner. You can also ask a family member or friend to check online, by entering the television’s name and model number, whether it supports “MPEG-4”.

More and more people are installing their own aerials in the Piastów housing estate. “I had cable TV, but PLN 600 a year is too expensive for me. I used to watch Azart-Sat as well, but now it is mostly reruns, and there is not even a news presenter anymore. I spent PLN 35 on an aerial and now I have television for free,” says Joanna from Gałczyńskiego Street in Bolesławiec.

“There will be some changes now because they sold the cable company to someone. They want me to sign a two-year contract and pay PLN 49 a month. That comes to almost PLN 1,200. I will terminate the contract in September and install an aerial pointing towards Jelenia Góra so I can watch television for free. The Polish programs are more than enough for me,” says Henryk from Jana Pawła II Street.

The Polish programs include public television, film channels and plenty of music channels. There is a sports channel and a news channel. The Czech lineup is similar. You do not need to know the language to listen to music from our southern neighbors, especially since they often play European hits.