In my area the digital conversion actually improved things, as long as one had a good antenna. Most of our channels are broadcast from 50 to 80 miles away, making this a fringe area. Up until a few months ago I had an ancient 20 foot tall analog antenna, that was actually a flat wire screen type antenna for uhf mounted above a standard antenna with all the arms sticking out for vhf, (I may have that backwards). Along with that I had an antenna rotor, and a signal booster. Using this set up I was getting about 5 channels before the digital conversion. Afterwards, with all the feeds each station offered, I had a total of 20-26 channels depending on the weather. I would still be using my antenna, but after a horrific storm in the spring blew the tower down and smashed the antenna, I had cable hooked up until I decide whether to spend the money for a new antenna and tower.
The main things to remember are that if there are hills, trees, or neighbor's houses between you and the station you wish to receive, your antenna will have to be higher than those obstructions if you are any sort of distance from the station. I have friends who live within 20 to 30 miles of broadcast stations, and are able to get all the channels they want with a simple set of rabbit ears. When I tried that after my antenna was destroyed in the storm, I was only able to get 5 channels, 4 of which were PBS. So the further you are from the station, the bigger, better, and taller your antenna must be.
Also a signal booster is a must if you arent close to the stations. Without my signal booster plugged in I was only able to get those same 5 channels that I got with the rabbit ears, even with my 20 foot antenna.
