EV's Recommended & Top Rated DTV Indoor UHF/VHF Set Top Antenna Review Round-Up Guide - Page 2

I was looking available rabbit ears and saw a unit made by General Electric and also had a 20 dB adjustable gain amplifier. Selling price was around $27.
Any opinions?

I think it was the Futura.

I'm using mine on my bedroom TV currently. Picking up channels through walls from over 60 miles away with it!

I wouldn't even give it up for $86.00 at this point.

$35.00 for the RS double-bowtie with an amp is cheap IMO. That person really got a good deal there.

It is the Omni Amplified http://www.jascoproducts.com/product...9&idproduct=90

Anybody know how often those Radio Shack antennas show up on e-Bay? I'm trying to track one or two down.

I've always read pretty favorable reviews about those, too.

Not really. The DB2 is 12" H x 19"W and the Winegard HD-1080 is 34.5”W x 18.25H”, nearly 2x as wide as the DB2. That would make it unworkable for me as an indoor antenna.

Thanks for creating such a great thread EscapeVelocity! It can be VERY confusing with all of the antenna choices floating around out there, so it's nice to have all of this information in one convenient place. It's a shame that many of the older Radio Shack models are no longer available. They seem to be some of the best ever made. Oh well, with the DTV revolution, maybe they will bring some of them back. One can always hope!!

EV: Thank you so much for a practical thread. I have tried so many bloody indoor aerials in the past for months. I'm trying my twelfth different antenna - most have been returned, a couple have stayed around the house. I'm trying the MANT-510. Initially I was disappointed, my living room really faces the "wrong way" to get reception from most of my local stations. However, trying the MANT510 in my bedroom, it is a bit more stable than the other aerials I've used. The MANT510 seems to be less prone to interruptions from nearby pedestrians and motorists. The MANT-510 might be a keeper after all.

FYI the MANT-510 is sold in my area at Lowe's home improvement warehouses for $24.97 - less than at "the big river".

Too bad Radio Shack has a weird tendency to occasionally introduce best-in-class products - not just antennas like the 15-1862 and 15-1880 but various other electronic goods - then arbitrarily cancel them.

My MANT510's (I have two. I originally bought one for my girlfriend before she moved in with me.) are solid during the winter but unreliable in the spring when the leaves come back on the trees.

EscapeVelocity: I borrowed a few friends' antennas this weekend and even shelled out for an MANT410 at Wal-Mart. Sadly, I don't think my results add much to the discussion. I think I live "too close" to the towers for amplification to help.

The MANT410 was slightly worse than the cheapie, ooooold UHF loop / VHF dipole combo we've been using. I think that's to its credit, because everything else I hooked up was far worse than that.

One antenna that totally displeased me was the RCA ANT1251. It's supposedly 55db amplified, so that could've been my problem... still, at the lowest setting it couldn't even keep the local Lansing WLNS/WILX stations steady. It only pulled in 5 total channels (plus subchannels), while the others averaged between 8 to 11.

Lordy, all I want to do is slightly shore up the channels I'm getting in the 60-70% signal strength range... but nothing seems to help. Leaves me to wonder if an SS-3000 or an HD-1080 (or other DB2 style antenna) would be worth a shot in our basement apartment. I'm close to giving one a shot, since I can re-sell on eBay if it doesn't work out. If I do that, I'll post my impressions... especially if they're positive *grin*

I would consider a separate review of good old rabbit ears. There's plenty of information about using them. For example, I've read the tips of the dipoles should be 32 inches apart for channel 7, 26 inches apart for channel 13. For some people, rabbit ears may be the only reliable source of reception after the transition. Yes, they may not get all channels with them, but some is better than none. Anybody selling vhf-hi rabbit ears yet? How tall would those be extended?

I don't know how to easily post the results. But if you pop in Lansing, MI, 48911, the info is pretty accurate. My window is basically at 0ft ground level. But there really aren't any tall buildings or tall trees between here and any tower (2 stories, max).

No VHF Hi channels now. After the transition, WILX the NBC affiliate will move from UHF57 at 500kW to VHF10 at 14.77kW (that scares me...).