Is the CM4228HD a better choice than the CS-2 for me ?

WFAA transmits on VHF channel 8 for which both the C2 and 4228 are ill-suited, especially beyond 20 miles or so for the C2.

You'd be best served with a medium-range high-VHF combo such as the WG 7696 or AC HBU-33.

The 4228 would likely do very well on the rest of the channels, but, like the C2, may not perform well enough in the VHF band to suffice as a single antenna.

The neighbor's house will be the big wild card. You'll likely have to experiment to see if you can get signal around it.

The C2 you bought is a UHF-only antenna, which explains your reception problem. The 7697P is a good choice because it has plenty of gain for that pesky VHF channel 8 (WFAA abc) - a tad more gain than the 7696P.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attac...1&d=1258934905

You shouldn't need a preamp, unless you're splitting the signal off to a bunch of sets, or have a really long coax run.

The CM7777 or Winegard 8275 would be a good fit for your needs.

That's a good antenna. Glad it worked for WFAA, too.

Are you using a preamp?

In your first post you said that ABC (WFAA) was flaky. WFAA is VHF and the 4228 is primarily a UHF antenna, hence the concern that it may not work well (although it often does work for high VHF, if the signal's strong enough).

If your amp is good enough to help, that's all that matters.

For VHF, size is important.


You would definitely need a distribution amp or preamp if splitting the signal 5 ways.

The newer 4228HD (vs. the original 4228) was redesigned to have better VHF high performance. It's not particularly directional or good at rejecting multipath, but it outperforms rabbit ears, which is enough for many people, particularly when dealing with a strong VHF broadcast like WFAA's.

The C2 is one of the better small UHF antennas on the market, though ridiculously overpriced like everything AntennasDirect sells. Any VHF performance it has is purely coincidental.

It receives VHF in a simlar way many clock radios receive FM. The coax antenna serves as the VHF element. If you know how to manipulate it properly, it can work although not as well as a dedicated VHF element might do.. It also works somewhat better if your local VHF stations are transmitting a vertically-polarized element in their signal. The knowledgeable owner can make a loop out of the coax that extends beyond the plane of the reflector and greatly improve the VHF reception. Personally, I think they could stick a VHF dipole on a foot-long extension top of it (kind of like "Tivo') ears, and do a heck of a lot better.

Generally, it often works okay on high-VHF close-in to moderately powered stations. Beyond 20 miles or so, it's pretty much an accident if a typical buyer gets high VHF reception with it.

On UHF for indoors, I haven't found anything better except a 4-bay (which gets a bit large!).

As far as its price goes, consider that it is expensive to manufacture (it's not main in mainland China for pennies like most retail store-boxed antennas..) , has a lifetime warranty, and, since it's sold at retail stores, is required to have a "list price" that allows the largest US electronics retailer to purchase it wholesale for some ridiculous discount off "list". That last item, by itself, probably adds $20 to the list price. Ironically, it can be purchased at Costco for 2/3rd list price in a version that includes a nice indoor stand, something Best Buy doesn't have.

Yes, I'm aware of the coax being used as the receiving element for VHF, and I'm still convinced it's a bad idea. In every situation I've seen it results in severe multipath problems on VHF, which complicates an already difficult reception situation. Rabbit ears would help, but at that point I'd lean toward a ChannelMaster CM2016 for 1/3 the price, or perhaps the RCA ANT751, either fitting the bill of relatively small with passable VHF performance. Of course, personally I'd just go with a Winegard HD7694P, ChannelMaster CM2018, or AntennaCraft HBU33 in the attic and be done with it, but then I feel that any time spent messing with an antenna after the initial setup and adjustment is too much time.