HDTV Reviews Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Hdtv Antenna’

Antennas Direct DB8 Multidirectional HDTV Antenna

Intended for people at great distances from the transmitters, the DB8 is a powerful multi-directional HD antenna. In fact, its 15.8dB gain make it one of the most powerful multi-directional antennas available.The bow tie design of the DB8 uses triangular elements instead of rods to greatly increase the bandwidth allowing it to cover the entire UHF band. Additionally, the mesh reflector of the bow tie is more efficient than a rod reflector, is lower in weight, and provides less wind resistance for greater performance and durability.This DB8 is the ideal antenna for use in locations that can pull long range signals from various directions and offers an attractive alternative to using a directional antenna mounted on a rotator.

User Ratings and Reviews

3 Stars It works!
I took downs my old antenna – at least 20 years old and installed this new HD antenna. I also took off my old booster and added a need booster to match the antenna. Well guess what I wasted my money, I get the same reception and picture that I did before. Same channels are weak and the same channels are strong. Was easy to install and put together ans works.

2 Stars Very Disappointing
Purchased the DB8 based on the reviews after our previous antenna came down in a storm. We live about 35 miles south east of Nashville and the UHF reception was only fair. Unfortunately, there were still a couple of stations remaining in the VHF range and this antenna does VERY poorly with VHF. As for being multi-directional… it wasn’t. It was very sensitive to direction, much more so that a “directional” antenna such as the Winegard HD8200U.

After six months, I finally tossed it and replaced it with a Winegard HD8200U. Should have purchased this antenna in the first place. The HD8200U has great reception for both UHF and VHF stations.

1 Star Look Elsewhere
I ignored the reviewers who noted the poor construction, etc. and bought anyway. The instructions are useless, and the product simply cannot be assembled as shown in the images. Even the instructions on the AD site are less than useless. Any company that markets a product so shoddily made and who cannot manage to write simple instructions to assemble a product with about 10 screws will be out of business before too long. Maybe if I drilled a few more holes I could get it to look something like the picture,,,but that would void the warranty…. You’d be far better off going with another brand.

5 Stars finally got all the channels
This was the 4th antena we bought trying to get all of our area channels. This antenna picked up everything we were looking for and then some. If you are looking for a great HDTV antenna, look no further. This is it!

5 Stars Very Pleased – (4th time is the charm)
This was the fourth antenna that I tried.

You read that right. I live less than 30 miles from the transmitter stations, but below a bluff and behind a solid screen of trees in the line of the signal. This was the only antenna that could pull in all the stations I was trying to receive. Compared to other antennas, even a giant, 10 foot long antenna, the DB8 is much less finicky with regards to directionality and seems to hold signals more steadily.

Assembly is relatively simple and straightforward – while most of the fasteners are wingnuts, you’ll still need to an adjustable wrench and pliers for some of the other bolts.

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PCT 1 PORT BI DIRECTIONAL CABLE TV HDTV AMPLIFIER SIGNAL BOOSTER WITH PASSIVE RETURN PATH

PRODUCT FEATURES:Ultra small form factor for ease of installation in confined spacesLightweight powder coated and weather sealed housing for superior corrosion protectionLED power indicatorPassive return6 KV, 3KA combination wave (B3) surge withstand on all “F” portsPrecision machined SCTE compliant sealed “F” portsPatented DSM seizure technology provides better performance than 360 contacts

User Ratings and Reviews

3 Stars This may not perform miracles for you
This OTA (over the air) amplifier placed between your antenna (as close as possible to the antenna) and your HDTV antenna input will only do some good if the signal is weak. If the signal is strong enough but is occasionally interrupted by GKW (god knows what – aircraft, trucks, heavy precipitation, etc) you may not notice much, if any, improvement. That seems to be the case with me. My home is just over the top of a small hill between the city and my street. I am trying to get by with an indoor antenna (but a good one with four ganged elements mounted high on a coatrack, no less) and normally I have just minor dropouts occasionally. With the amplifier installed at the end of 6 feet of cable from the antenna, power applied, feeding about 12 feed of cable to the TV I still have these dropouts. So it may not be a case of weak signal (25 miles from the transmitting antennae), but uncorrectable signal interruption. So, I’ll keep it but this is just to let you know it isn’t a cure all for your OTA signal problems. It works as it should; it may or may not help you in your particular situation.

3 Stars TV Signal Amplifier
Amplifier works fine. However power supply rather odd. Need a separate (provide yourself) co-ax cable to get power from transformer to amplifier.

3 Stars Did not help.
Since the switch to HDTV transmission my CRT tv has lost channels and what channels are left are sometimes pixalated (especially when the wind blows). I’ve tried a couple of so-called signal amps with no good result from any of them.

5 Stars Works Perfectly
Works great! I have an old, exterior antenna with no preamp and was getting very low signal, channels were dropping out, etc. Because the problem was the long cable required to mount the antenna, this amp made a huge difference; I now have many more channels all with great signal strength.

4 Stars Great for analog televisions using antennas
I have three analog televisions that were too good to get rid of at the time of the digital conversion. After the conversion, with converter boxes, and using antennas, I had “lost” a lot of my pre-conversion over-the-air stations. I added these drop amps and not only got all of my old stations back, I now receive many additional channels. One tv has an outside antenna, one has a good sized antenna indoors, and one uses a rabbit ears and loop indoor antenna. This is in the central San Joaquin Valley of California.

I connected one end of a one foot coax cable to the antenna and the other end to this drop amp. Then connected one end of another longer coax cable to this amp and the other end to the television. You also need another coax cable to connect the drop amp to the power block. Don’t use cheap plug-in coax cables, use the ones with screw-on connectors.

I love these! I can’t believe how many over-the-air channels with great display resolution I get with these.

Buy/More Info

Terk HDtv Antenna Amplified

Receives all available UHF/VHF local & HDTV broadcasts / Provides outstanding high-definition TV reception / Can clamp to existing satellite dish mast Unit Size – 13-3/8W x 9-1/8H x 16D (41-1/2H with dipoles extended) Terk USA Warranty – 1 year

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Great antenna
I bought this antenna about six months ago, and I am very pleased with it. I’ve never had such clear reception. I live in a remote area, and my reception over the years has never been very good, even with a pre-amplifier. With this antenna, my reception is remarkably clear.

At first when I installed it and aimed it for the best picture, I was disappointed in the picture quality. I read the instructions and discovered you have to turn the amplifier ON. Big improvement.

I mounted the antenna on a 15′ ground mast, and I was a little concerned about the high winds in my area moving it around or changing its aim, but so far it hasn’t been a problem. It’s pretty stream-lined.

It does have some plastic parts which may rot in the sun over time; we’ll see. Apart from that, it seems well-constructed.

4 Stars Right Choice
Works great. We have a seasonal campsite and only got two channels before the conversion, and nothing to speek of after. So my son did his research and felt this one would be our best bet. We weren’t looking for satelite reception, simply a few channels worth watching. He made the right choice in getting this one. We now pick up at least six channels (4 we never got before) and we are at least 50 miles from the nearest tower. Very pleased with the reception. We can pick up all six channels which come thru different 2 signals (in opposite directions) without rotating the antenna. The only time reception gets distorted is after midnight ~ which is my clue to say goodnight! Plus we were able to mount it in the same bracket that came on the camper; we simply replaced the old antenna with this one. So.. it looks great too! Always love shopping thru amazon; fair prices and speedy delivery!

5 Stars Nice Tech looking antenna!
This antenna was easy to set up, pick up more than enough channels, also the range on this antenna is great like some other people said in the reviews, HD channels come in very clear.

4 Stars Great but a little to big
As the title depicts this antenna is really good the picture qualitly I perfect it’s easy to mount but for putting in an attic it’s a little big. That’s my only complaint so far

2 Stars Didn’t work for my situation
There are a lot of large trees in front of my complex. I tried this antenna in different areas and at different heights on top of my roof and the best that came up were the PBS and ION channels. Maybe I just live in a very bad area but from websites like [...] and [...] I should be able to pick up a signal even with the trees.

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Eagle Aspen Dtv2Buhf Directv 2 Bay Uhf Antenna

Hdtv-compatible Uhf Tv Antenna For Digital & Analog Reception Receives All Uhf Channels, 14 – 69 For Hdtv In Metropolitan Areas Easy Assembly & Installation Includes Outdoor Balun Cea: Yellow, Green, Light Green, Red

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars Great Antenna
I got this because of the digital changeover and I am very pleased with it.

I was surprised how easy it was to install and amazed at how many channels I was getting. It picked up every Local channel from 3 to 12 VHF and every UHF in my state (AZ)By the way, this thing works great inside the house too!

I would recommend this antenna to anyone that is not too obstructed from their local stations.

2 Stars No reception in Santa Monica
After reading the other reviews (and seeing that it was billed as a great indoor or outdoor antenna) I figured the Eagle Aspen would probably be able to pick up a few channels from my apartment…. no luck.

I clicked through the hundred or so channels on my TV several times, always holding the antenna in different positions or putting it in different places. The best I could get was a less-fuzzy state of snow and static. Never even a hint of reception.

Obviously most reviewers loved this antenna. There are probably some places you can get a signal by waving your arms in the air while holding a cable wire between your teeth. Not in Santa Monica (maybe not in most big cities?). Definately did not pick up a darn thing inside my apartment. I even tested it out on the balcony … zilch! Would have done just as well with the arms-in-the-air and the cable-in-teeth thing.

We guys are easy, so I’ll give it two stars for showing up and looking good.

5 Stars Great buy on a UHF antenna
For under $15, you just can’t beat this antenna. I bought it as a backup since I didn’t have much room to mount it. I decided to install it as the main hadn’t arrived yet. Didn’t expect much but, was I surprised! This antenna is pulling in a low power TV station over 60 miles away with no problem. The antenna is mounted on a mast just 11 feet above ground!

BUY ONE!!!

5 Stars Great antenna for the price……Jump on this!!!!
After canceling our satellite service, we were unsure about which antenna to purchase.

I was referred to this one by a Digital TV site and it was a great purchase. For what we needed as far as signal strength, I would highly doubt there is a better antenna for the money. Well made, basic look and VERY easy to set up. I am not the most technically savvy person in the world but this was easy to assemble and hook up.

Picture quality and signal strength is nearly 100% on the 6 stations we can pick up.

Don’t be scared off by this price; “you get what you pay for” does not apply to this product. This is a quality antenna.

5 Stars Excellent Antenna
I purchased this antenna to replace my Tivax DT-01 antenna. I was getting about 8 stations with the Tivax antenna and as soon as I hooked up the Eagle Aspen antenna, I was getting 15 stations. The new antenna is mounted indoors in the middle of my apartment and the reception is excellent. It is ugly, I can’t deny that, but based solely on the performance, I highly recommend this antenna over the traditional loop and rabbit ears type.

Buy/More Info

Philips PHDTV1 Silver Sensor UHF HDTV Digital Indoor TV Antenna

Enjoy sparkling high-definition programming without forking over monthly digital cable or satellite fees with this Philips indoor HDTV/UHF antenna. The device is specially designed to receive HD broadcast signals from the major free networks in all primary reception areas. If the affiliate broadcasts in HD, the PHDTV1 will receive it, provided the user also owns an HD-compatible television. The highly directional antenna features a high front-to-back ratio that helps reject unwanted signal corruption, ensuring that your picture comes in clear and true. This feature is especially valuable in dense urban areas with crowded broadcast airwaves, where reflected signals can interfere with HDTV transmission. The antenna also offers a flat front gain slope that balances the reception throughout the UHF frequencies. The result is a consistently high-resolution picture regardless of which channel you choose. The PHDTV1–which also connects to PCs anywhere datacasting is available–has been endorsed by several HDTV-testing committees.

User Ratings and Reviews

3 Stars digital TV antennas
for rabbit ears digital replacement, i am not particularly impressed with this product, and would welcome suggestions concerning better reception. it cuts in and out of most stations.

–brd

4 Stars Phillips digital antenaa
I purchased the Phillips Digital TV antenna for use with a portable digital tv set. It worked great. I then connected it to my Samsung 59″ set and that worked great as well. I have Direct TV and when a heavy rain storm is overhead, I lose my signal. I merely change to the TV input using the Phillips antenna and I can still receive local channels.

5 Stars Simple, Yet Effective
Bought the PHDTV1 for $20 from a local surplus store. I was initially looking at some other antennas, specifically the DB2, CM4220 and 4221.

I’m within a half mile to the two major towers in Toronto. Buffalo towers are 50 and 77-79 miles away but within 3 degrees of the one atop the CN Tower. I’m on the 19th floor of my building with no obstructions… quite lucky!

The assembly was quite simple as the PHDTV1 is a no frills unit – snap the small mast onto the base, insert the ’sensor’ into the mast and thread the coax. I have a run of 20 feet of cable to the TV, no amp needed.

I get 13 HD channels including WGRZ which is rather difficult for many OTA users to nail down. I get another 13 in SD.

This unit may not work as well for you if you are close to ground, can’t point the antenna DIRECTLY towards the broadcast towers or have physical obstructions in the line-of-sight.

I gave up paying $90 monthly for HD service from Rogers, and searched several internet sites and discussion boards before deciding on the Philips.

Best of luck with your search.

2 Stars DIDN’T DO MUCH
This is a very cheaply made product that only brought in a few channels and most of those were shopping channels. Oddly enough though it only brought in 3 network affiliate channels that kept blinking in and out it brought in an independent channel from an adjoining state perfectly clear. Perhaps it depends on where you live but I am up on a hill in the Boston suburbs and expected better reception with this.

2 Stars Not very good
I purchased the antenna for a digital TV recently purchased. I live in the immediate city limits and that should have been adequate. I scanned the stations and had an increase of those found. The trouble is that the antenna which is close to a window and as high as possible loses those signals quickly. I scanned the channels prior to our six oclock news and watch a local station on CBS, then at 6:30 we switch to abc, which has in the half hour lost enough of the signal that it is unwatchable.

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