re: Can you still use "rabbit ears" to get basic TV channels?

As the other poster said, rabbit ears work, but being in the middle of nowhere could be a problem. The digital broadcast signal is pretty weak and digital doesn't work like analog. It's a binary type of thing. Either you get the signal or you don't. It's not like in analog where a weak signal means a snowy picture. A marginal signal quickly becomes unwatchable.

Whether you can get the signal or not depends on a lot of stuff. How far are you from the broadcast antenna? Is there a clear line of sight? How high up are you (if you are in a two story building, try it upstairs if you can.) Can you amplify your antenna signal?

My crazy mother-in-law refuses to get cable or satellite. She lives in a kind of rural area a little over 30 miles from the broadcast antenna. At this distance (and probably any distance over 20 mi, maybe a little less) we needed to use a signal amplifier. Reception is very sensitive to antenna placement. Moving the antenna an inch can cause you to lose reception. Setting it up was a frustrating bitch and I've never been able to find a sweet spot that enables her to get all the stations she can without adjusting the antenna, so we leave it set up for her favorites.

Moral: Make sure your backup works.