[Buffaloed in Montana]

GroundUrMast:
I couldn't get the pics to upload. Have to resize(?) or something for the limits to upload them here, and was unable to figure out how to do that. I'm on the outer fringes of understanding any of that stuff.
Our antenna is only 6' long, compared to our friend's-also from Radio Shack-which is 16'. She also has an amplifier. We took the TV there today and tried it--Nada.
So it would appear the tuner has gone bad. I called an electronics store and they seem to think it a little unusual that that would happen and still be able to play DVDs OK.
The TV is 6 yrs old, and just for them to look at it will cost $50. So we'll have to decide which way we want to go on that.
It's evidently as you said--more than one thing can go wrong. The other problem would seem to be the converter box. It won't control either of the 2 old TVs.
Next, the size and strength of the antennas with no amplifier is not going to help the situation.
Do you have a recommendation on an antenna and any additional equipment?