then you need more than just rabbit ears.. the bigger the antenna, the better the signal...

Cable companies have made a habit of raising rates way past the rate of inflation for so long that it'd be hard to say whether it's due to the DTV transition or just business as usual. But I would concur with the previous post and suggest that if you do not want to pay for cable or satellite TV, invest in an outdoor antenna. Your one-time investment of up to a few hundred bucks would probably pay for itself in six months or less of savings on cable/satellite bills.

Would love to have a roof ant but I live in a condo and the association allows for no outside devices. I may try one of the new larger ceiling types. Thanks, though...

So you can't have a satellite dish either, I take it. That's a shame - the cable company is pretty much the only option, then, unless you can make an indoor antenna work.

I wonder if any of your problem is due to the powered nature of your rabbit ears. The amp could be interfering with the digital signal. In general, my results with amplified indoor antennas has been poor. An amp needs a good signal to work with to begin with, so it's most suitable to boost a signal for distribution to several TVs, not to make a good signal out of a bad one.

How far are the digital stations from your location?

My experience has been just the opposite of yours with powered rabbit ears. It has been so good, in fact, that my receptions for the little TV that I watch has been good. You may be on to something about digital and powered rabbit ears, but the govt says existing antennas shoud be fine. I am only a few miles from stations and thet may be a big plus. I guess we'll just have to wait until next Feb to ascertain the truth of the matter...

As far as a satellite dish is concerned, the FCC says you can have one as long it is installed in an area that is for your exclusive use. It can not go in a common use area.
The housing association more than likely can ban a dish from being installed on the roof or the side of the building.

Why do you need to wait until February? If you have digital signals in your area now, why not try a pair of un-amplified rabbit ears? If the stations' transmitters are only a few miles away, you should not need any type of amp.

Jimisham, I am confused by what you said. If the FCC says you can have a dish, but the homeowners' association says you can't put it on the roof or the side of the building, then how can you have a dish?

Often you can put a dish onto a patio or private yard area. But you gotta have that S/W exposure to receive the dish signal.

ky1124, I'll have to do some searching on some of the satellite forums, but this has come up several times.
The HOA says no, but the FFC rules say yes. Some people have even had to get a lawyer involved if the HOA gets difficult.
jdb has it right as to where a dish can go.
I just found this.

Here is a link that might be useful: FCC Rules

What market are you in (zipcode)? It maybe your analog channels are VHF and your digital channels are UHF. Most of the digital channels are UHF channels, while your rabbit ears are made for VHF. You may just need an indoor UHF antenna.