Antennacraft� HBU55 High-VHF/UHF Antenna

Comments about Antennacraft® HBU55 High-VHF/UHF Antenna:

I live 90 miles south of Chicago and 40 miles north on Champaign IL and I have it pointed towards Chicago cause I get Champaign on Satellite. I get almost all the Chicago stations 2, 5, 7, 9, 11, 20, 23, 26, 32, 38, 44, 48, 50, 60, 62, 66 all day long + I can get Rockford, South Bend, Milwaukee, Madison channels at night! Also I can get Indianapolis if I face it that way. In all works great! Now I am using a preamp with amplifier rotor for direction witch is always a must when using a large antenna so you get the reception and great distance!

Comments about Antennacraft® HBU55 High-VHF/UHF Antenna:

Anyone that reads my review of this antenna should consider visiting www.tvfool.com and click on the "check your address for free TV" link. Fill in the required information and then decide if this antenna is right for you.Often times novice users or those that are inexperienced with installing antennas will berate a good antenna like the HBU 55 or MXU 59 because they have not installed it correctly or are not using it in a situation that requires a Fringe or Deep Fringe antenna.I live in a Fringe area and this antenna has very good VHF Hi reception of weak signals when they skip in at my location. The UHF section is good but not quite on par with the superior UHF performance found on the MXU 59 Yagi that Radio Shack also sells.In many cases if you live in a fringe or deep fringe area and have nothing but weak signals then you should add a good pre amplifier to the antenna and use a quality RG 6 or RG 11 coax cable to minimize signal loss.

Comments about Antennacraft® HBU55 High-VHF/UHF Antenna:

Florida. Would not get many channels on my test pole. I restored two older models radio shack sold and it did not compair at the same test height.

Comments about Antennacraft® HBU55 High-VHF/UHF Antenna:

There are too many VHF driven elements. The length of them need to be shortened. From the boom measure out 10" on each VHF element with tin snips cut the rest. As far as the Isolation network Cut it off. The folded dipole UHF element already does the job for you. by cutting the VHF elements to 10" you are making this antenna Bi-directional it will receive equal or nearly from the back side by using the UHF Corner reflector elements because they are longer. Get some Goop plumbers glue also & apply them to the joints this will prolong the life. Many engineers just sit behind a desk & use a computer to do the work for them. I actually do the mechanics myself. The best one of the bunch is the HBU22 & it is the least expensive

Comments about Antennacraft® HBU55 High-VHF/UHF Antenna:

we had an old antenna that was better than this thing that claimed to be in range, doesn't receive stations that are 10 miles away. forget 60 miles

Comments about Antennacraft® HBU55 High-VHF/UHF Antenna:

This was a huge waste of [$] total including taxJust does not pull in signal like it should. I replace my antenna every two years or so due to wind storms breaking elements. tvfool dot com will show you how to point it. This unit is not anywhere near the reception it claims. I replaced it with a Winegard HD7697P. Almost identical specifications, the TV signal meter tells the story. I am only 11 miles from the tower. I also want a refund, how do I get it after this is put together sitting in my side yard rotting.

Comments about Antennacraft® HBU55 High-VHF/UHF Antenna:

Still have cable, this is a backup and able to see NFL,Fox 5 while Cablevision fights it out with News Corp-Fox 5.1 and 9.2 stinks- signal keeps dropping out, xmtr problems I assume.All other stations plus Fox 5.2 and 9.1 a solid signal

Comments about Antennacraft® HBU55 High-VHF/UHF Antenna:

I'm not a power user by any means. All I know is this...I have a house at the lake that is 19 miles from the Fox tower, 57 miles from the PBS and ABC towers, and 71 miles from the CBS and NBC towers. Before installing the antenna, I received Fox. Now I receive every channel in full strength. I just installed this 2 days ago, and even during a strong rainstorm I was able to pick up every channel in full strength. What an awesome antenna and this allows me to not purchase cable TV!

Comments about Antennacraft® HBU55 High-VHF/UHF Antenna:

THE BEST in upstate new york. its so hard to get any local tv here.. even if you have dish or direct, they dont offer locals in ALOT of places. But this antenna is by far the best i have ever used. picking up all stations from major networks now and than some...

Comments about Antennacraft® HBU55 High-VHF/UHF Antenna:

I got tired of paying for TV filled with paid advertisement, Most shows i watch are on the major networks and the kids were getting too addicted to cartoon network and nickelodeon. This antenna allows me to get TV with out a monthly bill... Where I live a big antenna is needed, I am 60+ miles from the transmitters and the signal is very strong with this antenna, I haven't even installed the pre amplifier yet, and that is needed when you are this far away from the towers... I would recommend this antenna to anyone in my town that wants good reception for free TV