EV's Recommended & Top Rated DTV Indoor UHF/VHF Set Top Antenna Review Round-Up Guide - Page 39

Hi EV,

So you don't recommend the RS 1892 UFO, Terk HDTVa, Terk HDTVi, Philips MANT940 or Channel Master 4149?

I'm currently using an RCA antenna in Richmond and can pick up all the stations, but have trouble with 65.1, 21.6 miles away. Will the RS 1864 improve things? A little confused as your previous mention talks about the 1874, but you mention 1864 in the paragrah.

8.1 also gives me trouble on the CM-7000, but is fine with the Zenith DTT901.

Hello
I am trying to learn about antennas. I am confused. I had a digital tv and bought a terk-5 antenna. I worked fine. I picked up many digital stations including 7.1-7.3. I now have a flat screen Samsung 750 LCD HDTV. I tried using the same antenna but cannot get several of the stations I had before.

Is it the television receptor? Is it the stations during the transition? ( I doubt it because the old tv was fine just before) Do different televisions need different antennas? I am considering the Terk HDTV but will it make a difference?

According to AntennaWeb I need a medium multi directional antenna. What do you recommend? Please advise I am so confused.
thank you

Hi EV,

Thanks for the responses.

The house is entirely brick. The TV is by the window and the antenna on top of the TV or between the blinds and the window (trying both methods). Do the metal blinds touching the rabbit ears make any difference?

I'm using an unamplified antenna that has a rotary knob with 12 positions (not sure what this does) as well as a plate that you can adjust left and right.

In the DTT901 signal bar, 8.1 is showing in the middle to low, so I get pixelation and audio dropouts.

65.1 is showing very low, so no picture nor audio most of the time.

I was thinking that an amplified antenna would boost both of these signals.

DB2 is a no go due to it being an eyesore indoor.

With this new information, is your recommendation still the Terk HDTVi or the Philips Silver Sensor PHDTV1?

I connected the dipoles to the signal combiner at the start of the month and have found a modest gain in uhf performance. I'm still in the learning curve of just how the dipoles will be of best use. I'll likely mount them off of the tv eventually. Last night was the worst of the year for my Silver Sensor due to wind, also likely to leafless trees affecting the way signal washes ashore here. If this wind occurs after the transition, I'm betting I'll have solid VHF-HI reception with the 3-piece. It's a good set up for people using converter boxes who want reception on the cheap, already own rabbit ears.

Hello,

I live on the second floor of an apartment building in Jersey City, NJ.

Below is my tvfool.com data. I'd appreciate your recommendations very much. Thanks in advance.

EV, I'm impressed. Are you saying the RS 1874 (T-749) beats out the RS1868 Delta as well as the RCA ANT108/110? The larger diameter loop could be a key.

P.S. I've evaluated an RS 1878 powered antenna and it was not quite as good as a Philips MANT510. The results I've had at my suburban (with the antennas I've tried) are very similar to your test results. Have you tried using aluminum foil on the RS 1874 (T-749)?

FYI some really old UHF loops were set up for the old ch. 14 to ch. 83 spectrum. Ch. 70 to 83 were removed from TV broadcasting in the mid-1980s.

Thanks! I tried the 1892, 1874, as well as RCA ANT111 and RCA AND1251.

All of them picked up channel 8-1 well enough.

For 65-1, the ANT111 and ANT1251 had trouble. The amplification didn't help at all. Both the 1874 and 1892 were able to pick it up relatively well, with the 1892 being slightly better. I need to figure out whether I want to pay $50 vs. $12 for the slightly better reception.

I will try the HDTVi/PHDTV1 if I can find it locally.

Shoot - if you're reluctant to pay $50.00 for that 15-1892, wait'll you try to buy the HDTVi locally!

Just purchased two antennas off of ebay.

1) Radio Shack DA-5200 (new)

2) Radio Shack 15-1880 (new)

The 15-1880 was new in the box for $20 shipped so I could not pass it up and the DA-5200 was also new for $40 shipped. I just want to see which one works better for my application but I would not have even come to these conclusions if it were not for the testing done here.

I'm still waiting to see if any good reviews come of the Toptronics DA-001

Thanks Again.

Thanks. I was actually watching an RS 15-1862 and another 15-1880 which are still available when I came across the 15-1880 for $20 buy it now shipped and new in the box (left over inventory).

I am also looking at a Clearstream2 but I will wait on that until I see the results of these antennas first and I am still trying to find some test results on the Toptronics DA-001, but nothing yet.

For all of you using pole lamps for your antenna mounts consider one of these. Good excuse to throw a festivus party year round.
http://www.festivuspoles.com/pages/Festivuspoles.htm
mdr

I just bought a Clearstream C4 for $61 plus shipping and it is the best antanna I have tried. I had previously used a Silver Sensor, Terk HDTVa, Channel Master 4221, Channel Master 4228 and AntennaCraft Y10-7-13. The silver sensor and Terk HDTVa worked but they are so directional they were too touchy and so could be a pain having to constantly adjust them plus they do not have as much gain as the outdoor antennas for dxing. Since I live in a first floor apartment duplex I can not put antennas outside so I put them behind the tv. I have combined the Antennacraft Y10-7-13 with the C4 using a Diplexer to get real channel 9 65 miles away that would never come in on the UHF antennas.

I live in Chatham, IL 5 miles south of Springfield, IL. The Clearstream C4, CM 4221 and CM 4228 all pick up most stations at 100 percent but the C4 wins on the weakest station. The channels listed are the real digital channels.

WILL 9 PBS about 65 miles away. I could only pick it up with the Antennacraft Y10-7-13 in a spare bedroom and then it still only comes in half the time. No UHF antenna will pick it up. I wanted WILL 9 because it is the only PBS station on 24 hours a day I can receive.

WSEC 15 PBS about 20 miles away. I can pick it up 100 percent on the C4, CM4221 and CM4228 if pointed at its tower but its tower is in the opposite direction as the other stations so it comes in around 72 percent from the backside which still provides a steady picture.

WAND 18 NBC is about 55 miles away and the C4, CM4221 and CM4228 all pick it up usually at 100 percent or close to 100 percent.

WBUI 22 CW is about 55 miles away and the C4, CM4221 and CM4228 all pick it up usually at 100 percent.

WICS 42 ABC is about 20 miles away and the C4, CM4221 and CM4228 all pick WICS up at 100 percent.

WRSP 44 FOX is about 20 miles away and the C4, CM4221 and CM4228 all pick WRSP up at 100 percent.

WCFN 53 MyNet/CBS is about 20 miles away. WCFN is low power at only 1.8kw. They are supposed to upgrade soon moving to real digital channel 13 but its another Nexstar station who has not had the money to build full power digital stations. This is where the C4 wins. I get a 79 percent signal on the C4 but the CM4221 and the CM4228 can only get WCFN at 50 percent no higher. The C4 also holds a steady 72 percent. The CM4221 and CM4228 will fluctuate in the mid to high 40's.

The C4 also wins in that it can pick up stations from a wider angle than the CM4221 and the CM4228. The CM4228 is especially narrow in the direction it can be pointed as is well known with a narrow 15 percent angle. And being so big can be hard to turn much because it takes up so much space. So the C4 also has the advantage of being smaller and lighter in weight.

Comparing the CM4221 and the CM4228 they seem to work about the same for my conditions but in the summer when I can pick up Saint Louis stations at night in the humid weather the CM4228 picked up the Saint Louis stations a little stronger than the CM4221.

If anyone is wondering if they should buy a clearstream antenna my results are the C4 works better for me than the CM4221 or CM4228 by a little on a weak station. Also WCIA digital real channel 48 which is 80 miles away was coming in pixeling on the C4 but not at all on the CM4221 or CM4228. I do not need WCIA as WCFN is a simulcast but it is an example.

If anyone wants to buy my CM4221 or CM4228 I will sell it to you at a fair price. Both were bought in the summer of 2008 and used inside their cardboard box behind my TV. I do not need them anymore. The CM4228 takes up so much space it would especially be good if someone wants it.

I also tried the Winegard HD-1080. I did not like it. I could not get WILL which was the reason I bought it but it was not rated to pick up stations that far away anyway at 65 miles away. I did not like how the bowties on the Winegard HD-1080 move. The CM4221 and CM4228 are made better and more sturdy being steel rather than aluminum. It seemed the Winegard HD-1080 worked about as well as the CM4221 for UHF but I could not keep it in its box to sit up like the CM4221 and CM4228.

Has anyone tried out the Monoprice OTA Antenna ?

It's not too bad of a price.. I'm not quite sure of I should pull the trigger on this one..

Thanks for your comprehensive and informative comparison and contrast of the various antennas you've tried. I'm a little surprised since I haven't seen any rave reviews of the C4 until now. Nice to know that someone is having good luck with it!

By the way, it's nice to hear from someone in central IL. I lived in Springfield for 15 years before I moved to Denver about 3 years ago.

Happy new year!!

Thanks Rick, that is cool you used to live in Springfield, IL like me.

And thanks EV for the nice comments. I like reading about antennas and you have down a lot of good work here.

It works well for me. I'm 30 miles north of the antenna farm in Dallas. Placement in a window worked the best for me, although my window faces east.

Preparing for 17Feb, I analyzed High-Performance (i.e. not small) DIY
Zig-Zag Hi-VHF Band Antennas (such as would be installed in an ATTIC).
See post in DIY VHF Thread:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...php?p=15451710