Difficult To Grab A Digital Signal / Get Your Antenna Locally
Written: Aug 28 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Portable design. Hardware included for various mounting options
Cons: Poor reception of analog and digital broadcasts from suburb locations
The Bottom Line: If you buy it, buy it locally, then try it. If it works, great! If not, take it back and try another.
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| nutty_buddy's Full Review: TERK TV-55 TERK Indoor/Outdoor Amplified TV Antenn... |
Keep in mind this is my personal experience, your result may vary.
I have a Mitsubishi HDTV wide screen which I am able to view digital off-the-air broadcasts via my Dish 6000 receiver. Earlier this year my family made a 3 mile move to a neighborhood with covenants that restrict outdoor antennas "visible from the street".
Before the move we had no such restrictions and we were able to receive quality local analog and DTV broadcasts with a standard UHF/VHF roof mounted antenna with no amplification. We were north of these stations so one directional setting was sufficient. It was a one story house with many trees and relatively low land topographically (near a creek bed), but we were only seven miles from the furthest broadcast antenna so reception really wasn't an issue.
Our move was 3 miles further north which put us 10 miles from the furthest broadcast antenna. Our current home is 2 stories with a huge attic in a flat topographical location with fewer trees than the previous home.
I ordered the Terk TV55 online believing reception would be a cinch based on Terk's own product description.
I first attempted reception with the TV55 in the 1st floor family room with the TV. I could receive digital broadcasts, but had to move it to different locations to get each channel. It had to be precise positions, a little move would loose the signal. VHF analog channels had to similarly be negotiated to get a clean signal with the 10 mile station never getting even close to watchable. All UHF analog channel were received poorly from any position.
Next I attempted the attic. I mounted it high near the peak. I got worse results than in the family room, only being able to lock in to one DTV station. I dismounted it and moved around the attic with it - still could only get one DTV signal and that was the furthest station.
Next I mounted it outside on the eaves of the south side of the house, blocked by the peak of the garage roof so it wouldn't be visible from the street, but with full horizontal reception except for west to north (blocked by the roof. Here it is on the house:
http://home.mindspring.com/~nutbud/terk.htm
You are looking at the back, east facing side of the house. The results were the same as in the attic.
Keep in mind this is an amplified antenna and my results were with amplification on.
In short it was unusable. I have since purchased from a local Radio Shack a model 15-1880 Indoor Antenna:
http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&category%5Fname=&product%5Fid=15%2D1880
this antenna is amplified internally and was able to receive all my analog and digital channels well from right in my family room - and from one position setting so I don't have to keep repositioning it. BUT...my wife had a problem with the appearance in the family room, so I moved it into the attic where she doesn't have to look at it.
I placed in the title "Get Your Antenna Locally" because you want the ease of trying out an antenna and returning it if you don't get good results. That is really my main suggestion here for any antenna seeker. It may take a few tries. If you can get a Terk TV55 locally, buy it, try it, and if it doesn't work, walk it right back into the dealer. Doing this over the net can be a real pain in the you-know-what!
Bottom line, the Terk TV55 worked poorly from my location. The Radio Shack salesman was surprised that I had problems with the Terk model, but said he mainly heard good results from "in town" users. Maybe suburbia users would have more of a problem.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
nutty_buddy
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Location: Virginia
Reviews written: 4
Trusted by: 0 members
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