A Box That Gets TV!
Written: Sep 17 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Does not look like an antenna.
Cons: Limited to urban use
The Bottom Line: A good solution for urban installations where looks and performance is important.
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| rbinck's Full Review: Terk HDTV-S (TERHDTVS) |
Introduction
I installed one of these "box" antennas for a customer and was surprised at the performance. The customer had installed the antenna "piggybacked" off of the satellite dish and unfortunately there was a tree directly in between the antenna and the transmitters, so the signal would vary so much a good stable picture could not be locked in. It was obvious that we would need to get the antenna up in the air a bit to have any hope for success.
Antenna Description
As the title indicates the antenna is basically a plastic box that is about 16" square by 4" deep. It is intended for urban use, but our location was about 25 miles away from the transmitters. The manufacturer claims the antenna is specifically designed to work in high multipath areas and they claim it will even work off of reflected signals. They rate the antenna for 50 miles UHF Channels 14-69, High Band VHF Channels 7-13 at 40 miles and Low Band VHF Channels 2-6 at 15 miles. These distance ratings are suitable for DTV signals as most are located in the upper VHF band and the UHF band. Bear in mind that there is not any standard industry mileage rating, so your results may vary.
Mounting
The antenna comes with a mounting bracket and mast that is very similar, if not identical to, the mount used for a satellite dish. Also furnished is hardware to allow you to mount the antenna mast to your existing satellite dish mast in a "piggyback" fashion. Also furnished are lag bolts that can be used to mount the mast to a roof. If you choose this route, you will want to be sure to use some silicone or wet or dry plastic roofing cement available at Lowes or Home Depot to seal the lag bolts to prevent leaks.
We used masonry screws to attach the antenna to the brick chimney where the antenna was just above the peak of the roof about 6" or so.
Aiming
First we went to www.antennaweb.org and entered the customer's address to get the precise direction to aim the antenna toward the transmitters. Since we didn't have any multipath problems anticipated, we used a compass to set the angle of the antenna so it would face the transmitters. We immediately got a good signal strength of 90+, so we didn't have to go through any trial and error aiming.
If you have a multipath problem where there are large buildings, water tower or some other large structure near you causing secondary signals arriving at the antenna a short time later than the primary signal, the antenna may require aiming in a direction other than toward the transmitters to get the best signal. To do this I recommend two people one at the antenna and the other at the TV antenna strength display. Try aiming toward the transmitters first and if you have a good steady signal, you are done. But if your signal is fluctuating, an indication of multipath, rotate the antenna until you get a steady signal, even if it is lower that the peak when the antenna is aimed at the transmitters. A slightly lower, but steady signal is better than a fluctuating signal.
Performance
This is where I was surprised. At 25 miles I thought the box was going to be marginal at best, but we got a good steady signal with no drop outs. The antenna does not have a preamp so I would suspect a good mast mounted preamp would take care of reduced signal to where this antenna could be used up to the rated mileage. I know the antenna is rated at 50 miles, but usually the manufacturer's ratings are under ideal line of site conditions. I always divide them by 2 to get a better approximation for the Houston area. Your terrain may vary up or down.
Looks
One thing that is for sure, there should not be any complaint about the looks of this unit. I generally will supply big and ugly antennas because they perform better, but this antenna will give me an alternative. We have installed several Terk TV55 log antennas with mixed success and this antenna seems to be a better solution. It looks very much like the Winegard Square Shooter and what is nice about it is it can be painted to match the house so it will blend in and just about disappear. The wife has gotta love that.
Attic Installation
The manufacturer claims the antenna can be mounted in the attic, but if you want to do this be aware that attic installs cause several additional problems. If the antenna is mounted near any metal objects, like a water heater or A/C plenum they can adversely affect the performance. Also bear in mind if your attic has a radiant barrier the chances of success will almost be nil. Basically I recommend mounting the antenna outside as high as possible.
Conclusion
If you are in a urban location and you want an antenna that will virtually disappear, this very well may be the antenna for you.
Recommended:
Yes
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rbinck
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Member: Richard Binckley
Location: Houston, Texas
Reviews written: 125
Trusted by: 26 members
About Me:
Retired A/V professional, likes Hawaii and Classic Cars
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