The preamplifier overloads. Only reception was at level 1. a piece of wire did as well. I am less than a mile from a cluster of TV stations. I wanted to receive stations that were not in that cluster but less than 20 miles away. This antenna could not do that.
It should be good for the rural areas not for the cities.

By WriterR5 from Brooklyn, NY on 5/7/2008

I have only had this product since Sunday, but I find as a backup for cable and to receive local broadcasts that are not carried by my cable provider, this HDTV indoor antenna in the long run should pay for itself. In fact if I ever got rid of cable, I'd buy a second one for my other HDTV. I live in Brooklyn, NY and there are a lot of apartment buildings around me as well as the fact that most landlords will not allow a renter to put an outdoor antenna on their roof. This solves that problem and even negates having to ask. Yes at the time of this writing, I have only had it for less than a week, but so far, I am very happy.

By Dooz from Pasadena, CA on 5/5/2008

I tested this antenna, comparing it to my old analog antenna (RS 15-1868) and a portable stick antenna which came with a USB receiver for computer. Using the signal strength meter in my Digital Stream DTX-9900, I recorded for each antenna and each of 13 stations (Los Angeles market, from Pasadena, looking at the x.1 channel for each station). To summarize my findings: With the 15-1868, signal strength (s.s.) ranged from 40 to 90. With the stick, s.s. ranged from 20 to 91. Using the new antenna out-of-the-box and with no adjustments, the s.s. range was 13 to 90; adjusting for the best on each station, the s.s. range was 40 to 91.

KLCS has always been a weak station for us (analog), and even with the new antenna (and digital) we still have to work to receive it: 40 on the old antenna, 20 on the stick, 13 adjusted up to 40 on the new antenna. KCAL was 90 with the old and still 90 with the new. Generally, the biggest improvement came with the weaker stations (49-56 improved to 52-80).

All stations except KLCS were received satisfactorily with little or no adjustment, and flipping stations seldom requires adjusting the antenna. (KDOC, KOCE, and KVCR, all 40-50 miles away, come in at 75 to 90. Impressive.)

Note: Generally, the amplification does more harm than good; after testing, I stayed with level 1.

Note: If you're aching to write a bad review, extend the "rabbit ears"; extended they cut DTV reception in half. I've put them back into the little rubber retainer they came in.

There are only 4 locals here, but I get them all, and can now watch the Penguins and Steelers in HD all year long! It takes some time to figure out, but after that it's MONEY!

By Metaspherz from Flint. Michigan on 5/1/2008

After a year of heavy use this antenna still out performs and is superior to everything else I've tried. I'm always a tough sell and I research everything nearly to death. I'm not a regular RS customer, either. I must have returned a dozen antennas before I found this beauty. Most were more expensive and no better than bare wire or rabbit ears. I started to think that I'd have to pay a cable bill or install an external antenna just to get local channels. Previously, I barely got the 3 local analog channels. With this antenna I'm getting 43 HD, digital and analog channels including a 24 hr weather channel! Several are absolutely stunning rivaling every program on cable or satellite I've ever seen. Period! The remote is ideally sized and controls the motorized, saucer shaped antenna. If lost, buttons on the unit will control its many functions. The large LED display is lighted and visible from 10 ft away. I use a station locator map that I found Googling my zip code to precisely program the unit. Go to whereishd dot com to find you local stations and channels. With a little patience you can bring in many distant and hard to find stations. Terrain matters as well but if this antenna doesn't work then I doubt that any will.

This unit is okay it just has a problem with pulling in a constant signal it can work perfect for hours then it stops pulling in signal as well. It is annoying when watching a sporting event and in mid play the picture gets all pixelated. Go for the terk

It didn't make reception better. The remote is so small it is now missing. How do you tune to the preset channels if you can't find the remote. It's big and ugly. And you still have to adjust the rabbit ears for different situations. Not worth the hassle.

The more I worked, the worse it got. I had to sit back and figure out what I wanted. Then it started coming in big time. I did have to find some instructions on the computer. I differ from the other guys. I like it's looks. I just have to watch the granddaughter doesn't hit it with a ball. I have it in the basement recreation room where she plays. I think it's going to work out fine!

after you get over how big this is, it provides a decent signal in Glendale, CA. I live in a condo surrounded by other apartments. By all means it really does depend on geography and where you live on how strong the signal is .. with this there is a bit of fine tuning but with the remote you can adjust it on your couch as opposed to getting up. Also there are presets that do help. I was researching antennas in Glendale, CA and couldn't find any information so I hope this helps somebody living around me. Buy the item at Radio Shack, at least if it doesn't work for you, pretty good return policy. [$] is pretty expensive for a antenna but a lot cheaper than any cable bill monthly

I am in Louisville, KY (Old Louisville area). I bought a Terk HDTVa and was quite disappointed with the poor reception. In addition, I frequently had to get up to move the antenna when switching from one channel to another.Not so with this HD antenna. I can fine-tune from my seat and all channels come in crystal-clear. I am able to receive: * WAVE 3 (NBC) * WAVE 3 Weather+ * WAVE 3 - Tube Music Network - channel is received but a message appears stating "Due to circumstances beyond our control, the Tube Music Network will no longer be available. For more information, go to [...] * WHAS 11 (ABC) * KET 15 1 (PBS) * KET 15 2 (PBS) * KET 15 HD 1 (PBS) * KET 15 HD 2 (PBS) * WLKY 32 (CBS) * WDRB 41 (FOX) * WYMO 58 (MyNetworkTV)I live in a 2-story carriage house behind two 4-story victorian houses and lots of trees across from a park with lots of trees. Behind me are more 4-story houses and trees. To my left and right are more 4-story houses and trees. My HDTV antenna is on a bookshelf next to my HDTV on the 1st floor of my house.Reception thus far has been perfect for all channels except WAVE 3. When it rains, that channel comes-and-goes but if I get up and adjust the rabbit ears, it comes in fine.I give this antenna an A+!

By Jimmy from Apopka, FL on 3/27/2008

This is a very good antenna. If you require a multi-directional antenna, I would recommend this one. I use it to get HDTV signals in my bedroom and they all come in perfect. The only drawback is that everytime you change channel on your tv, you must change the channnel on the antenna unit also. But how lasy can you get? It will only take you all of 2 seconds to punch in the proper number. It can store up to 100 channels in its internal memory. This antenna also has an added bouns, you can hook up another device to its aux connector. If you want to get good FM radio siganls hook up your radio cable to this antenna, then dont switch the top port to the aux mode. Your FM radio must use a coax cable. If necessary you may need a screw on to push on adapter, for surround sound receivers with an FM tuner. You can use the memory for FM channels also. You would just set aside certin nubers of the memory for these stations,like 90 through 100 since most TV channels through broadcast don't use these channesl. You can then fine tune the antenna to receive FM signals and with the built in amplifier, you will get very good reception. If you put it in aux mode you will just get static. You only use aux mode if you are hooking up more than one component to your RF jack, such as a vcr or cable system since you dont need a signal amplfier for these singals. With this antenna I was able to get Crystal clear HDTV signals and also FM radio signals. So, if you want an anteanna for both HDTV and FM radio signals, get this one.

By MonkeyDoc from Eagan (S. Twin Cities),MN on 3/13/2008

Have been using a 7 year old Jasco Optima passive antenna.Unlike upstairs, on main floor had to be careful and could not get Channel 41 (46 mile, good station). Have tried 5 others (RCA no good, Philips MANT 510 close) only this model was able to bring in ALL stations CEA Zones Yellow (Ch 2,4,5,9,11,29), Green (Ch 17, 45) AND Red (Ch. 23 & 41!)

Purchased the digital converter box that all us poor people have to get and had to get an antenna. I bought this one skeptical of how well it would work. I hooked everything up and the picture came in strong and clear. Got twice as many channels with this antenna than I did with my previous one. My biggest problem with this antenna is the size and shape. It is not very attractive at all, but I would rather have something that works than something that looks good but is a piece of junk. The remote and the fine tuning on this are great! I would buy it again. I don't know about the longevity of this piece because I bought it a week ago. Also bought an in line amplifier, and the two together work very well.

By Yehoshua24 from Pottstown, PA on 2/28/2008

My wife and I where sick of paying $120 a month for HD Cable. We just bought this antenna to see if we could really get HD over broadcast. We were so pleased that we are getting rid of our overpriced cable.

[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]

By Superlodus from South Bend, In on 2/23/2008

You have to read the instructions and you will get an excellent signal.You have to set the position of the antenna (you can rotate the antenna with the remote)for every channel and then store the number for each channel so when you use it and change the channels the antenna rotates itself to the programmed position.Also You have to go into the television's menu and find the HDTV signal strength and watch it for each channel when you set it up.You'll be amazed of the picture quality.Also I own a home theater system with a tuner in it, the antenna also has a FM plug in the back for a radio and it works out perfect.Buy it with confidence, but when you get it home read the instructions and set it up correctly, don't just plug it in and expect it to work.

THIS WORKED IN A STUCKO BASEMENT I HAD TO MOVE IT CLOSE TO A WINDOW AND IT COMES IN XXXXOOOLINT

I have to tune my tv to preset the stations so that means you have to have the antenna on the "strongest" setting. That takes time to find. Then, not all the station come in on one setting, so you have to find the setting that brings the station you want(if you are that lucky to find a setting that works). I have found myself looking at a blank screen saying channel unavailable to many time. Don't bother wracking your head with this one, because at some time later the setting doesn't work anymore. It's very sensitive if you move to losing a channel. Doesn't work well to pick up a channel by moving it.[...] Overall, I could find something much more interesting to do in my spare time. I would bring it back but I kept it too long. It looks techy but its junk.

It make all the difference in my reception. Love it, love it.

JUNK YOU HAVE TO PROGRAM EVER CHANNEL AND USED THE TV AND HDTV Antenna REMOTE, I TOOK MINE BACK.

[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]

A Tip From a knowledgable antenna expert. This is a great antenna if you buy it for the right reason. You dont buy an indoor antenna expecting it to bring in More Channels! An indoor antenna will only clear up the few channels you already receive. For this use this is a great antenna. If you are wanting to receive more channels you cant go with anything less than a 7 foot roof mounted outdoor antenna.

I just brought this atenna and already love it. It is very easy to set. The remote to fine tune the antenna position is very handy. The signal is amplified so it's signal is very strong. The analog channels are still very fuzzy, but who cares if you can get digital channels.

The only thing wrong is that when the antenna fully extended, it requires a lot of open space.

Bought this thinking it would be a step up from [...]antenna we were using... Wasn't much better, in fact we LOST one of the HD channels! This thing is going back tonight.

By neo-luddite from Alexandria, VA on 2/5/2008

I bought a new HD TV only to discover how awful the picture was. I refuse to pay for cable or satellite (hate monopolies), and already had a "HD" antenna I had bought earlier in the year. Almost ready to return the tv, I decided to give this antenna a chance, and it is totally worth it! I am not a manual reader (no patience), hooked it up, let my Sony Bravia do its "initial setup" search for channels, and was overjoyed that it found something like 20 digital channels. Now I get HD programming, without paying for it (may this federal digital broadcast requirement for 2/09 forever break the monopolies!), and everything looks great. Now, if I could only figure out how to get the tv broadcast connected through my new home theater system so that broadcast sound comes from my new speakers instead of the tv, I'd be the supremely happy consumer...

By In search Antenna that works from Greensboro, NC on 2/3/2008

I bought this product thinking that it would work [...]. Well, the next day it went back. I got it home and could not even pick up ONE STATION!! The builtin tuner in my TV picks up better than this antenna. It is a piece of junk do not waste your money.

I was very disappointed in the reception. I live 26 miles NorthEast of Cincinnati, Ohio and I was unable to get the locals (5,9,12 or 19) in HD. I 1st tried in my basement, directly into a Sharp Aquos, which yielded nothing. 2nd attempt was in the upstairs (2nd floor) bedroom on top of the amoire. I was able to get all the channels but the picture quality was poor.

By Carlos from St. Louis, MO on 1/31/2008

Works great, easy to set up and has different settings for different channels. Great product and great price.

I tried a few others but this one was the easiest to set-up and use. The HD reception is fantastic.

By Mr. B from HighlandSprings, VA on 1/29/2008

After purchasing and returning (3) different anntennas due to not being able to receive all offair channels and constantly adjusting to receive the few they could I, set this antenna made one adjustment and now I am receiving ALL off air channels without making any adjustments. GREAT PRODUCT.

I would not recommend for someone who already has dish cable and just wants to add local channels.

This thing is insane! I tried the analog signal and it didn't do much better than the $10 thing I bought at a phamacy. Then I realized I have a SDTV tuner. When I flipped the tv over to digital and found the right postion on the antenna I got satellite equivilant picture 30 miles outside Hartford. I put this in my upstairs bedroom to get the best reception then plugged it into the cable jack to backfeed the whole house. With it's built in amp I have no problems watching tv downstairs. And when I need to adjust the antenna, it's radio, it works from downstairs. GOODBYE CABLE!!!!

[0 of 1 customers found this review helpful]

I just purchased a Sony KDL 40XBR4 and I do not believe in cable or Sat so i have to rely on over the air content. I acknowledge the two formats existance but I do not wish to spend 150 a month for non existant content, if i want to see a show Ghost Hunters, Ice Road Truckers, and so on, i will download from xbox live marketplace and or itunes, or wait to buy the box set on DVD... i digress all channels come in perfectly with this product crystal clear i can't believe how sharp the picture is I can't wait until this weekend to see the Pat's stomp the Chargers this weekend on my new HD tv with this product pulling in full 1080p peace ya'all

By Louis from Marietta, GA on 1/13/2008

I live on the bottom floor of a condo and rely on indoor antennas for over-the-air HDTV reception since outdoor antennas are not an option. I am about 15-20 miles from the Atlanta transmitters. This is a good antenna for UHF (ch. 14-69) analog and digital reception. I was able to receive all of the analog and digital channels in the UHF band decently (80%+ signal strength) when I fine tuned the antenna. The VHF (ch. 2-13) reception using the rabbit-ears was lackluster at best. There are two digital VHF stations in my area, NBC (10) and PBS (12). The signal strength of NBC was only around 40-50% which is still watchable. But, that is not good considering how close I am to the tower and the strong output of the signal. The PBS station broadcasts on low power and occasionally I got a hint of a signal (5%).I have tested several indoor antennas and even though this is a good antenna, it is not the best. I have found the Radio Shack 15-1880 to be the best as the signal strengths on all UHF stations were consistently between 90 and 100%. VHF reception is about the same as this one. Unfortunately, Radio Shack discontinued the 15-1880 and I needed a second antenna for my new TV. The remote control and adjustable feature of this antenna is nice, but once I tuned my 15-1880 antenna to receive all stations, I never had to adjust it.Before purchasing this antenna, go to antennaweb (dot) org and find out what digital stations are available in your area. Then, using the chart, learn which stations are UHF (channels 14-69) and which are VHF (channels 2-13) by observing the column labeled Frequency Assignment (far right). You should not have trouble receiving the UHF channels with this antenna unless they are far away. The VHF channels will be more difficult unless you are within 10 miles of the transmitter. If the channels you desire are VHF Lo (channels 2-6), reception will be extremely difficult.Regarding the paragraph above, be sure to note what channel your local station actually transmits on and not what your HDTV labels it. For example, my local FOX affiliate is called FOX 5 because it has always transmitted on analog channel 5. Even when I tune to that channel on my HDTV, it is displayed at 5-1. However, the station actually transmits a digital signal on channel 27 and my HDTV labels it as 5-1 simply for naming and branding purposes. However, this station is still a UHF station in my area.The good news is that most digital signals are in the UHF band as VHF is not as favorable for HD and digital transmissions. So, you may not have any digital signals in the VHF band in your area.Finally, if any Radio Shack representative reads this, PLEASE bring back the 15-1880 antenna. That was the best indoor antenna ever made. Until the 15-1880 returns, I would recommend this antenna.[...]

By HD4FREE!!!!!!!! from Ocean Twp, NJ on 1/12/2008

I hooked this up to my ATSC-ready 1080p Sony HDTV. For some odd reason the best location for this antenna is in a corner with three walls surrounding it, and not by my window. I live 35+ miles from New York City (and the transmitters are even further north) and the RadioShack guy told me it was impossible to get reception. He was wrong on all counts!!! Not only do I get reception, but in HD 1080i for all the major networks ([...]). The HDTV's diagnostic screen was a must for this setup or else I'd have no clue as to which direction to point this thing! (P.S. the channels are in the UHF band and it took some digging on wikipedia to get the channel numbers) Also, I get all of the side-broadcasts like [...] weather (on a sub-channel like 45.3 or something). All this and not a penny spent on HD service!!! (although Optimum offers it for free so it doesn't matter). Overall, I'm ecstatic over achieving the "impossible".

[0 of 1 customers found this review helpful]

Tried this for my 52" RCA HDTV. Only picked up one channel and it was about 90% clear. 2 other channels were very weak and fuzzy. I will be trying an outdoor product next.

I bought this after reading reviews on here, thinking if I couldn't pick up any channels I would return it. Well, I brought it home and like another reviewer, I didn't have any instructions. I went ahead and just plugged everything in, ran an auto-program on my TV, and boom, every local station in HD. I am in Edmond, OK in a first floor apartment. I have only been using it for the afternoon, so I can't speak to consistency, but for right now, seems great.

By flamanar from trenton, NJ on 12/31/2007

I bought this antenna thinking it would improve my regular non-HDTV reception. I was wrong. This antenna might be great at HDTV receiving (I don't know because I don't have an HDTV), but it's awful at bringing in regular OTA programming. The remote was awful in that most times you had to push a button twice before something happened. The remote, because of the design, was hard to tell which end to point at the antenna (the numbers and symbols were really faint and the buttons were symetrical). I bought a different antenna (rabbit ears with a UHF loop)for [$] elsewhere that blew this one away.

[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]

I have tried several other indoor room antennas, then found this one while researching for a better signal. This product is nice because you can program the settings, then use the remote control to make changes without getting up from the couch. More practically, by making changes from a distance you eliminate the problem of setting a station, then moving away and losing the signal you found. I have the antenna attached to my 32" Vizio LCD HDTV, and it picks up signals better than previous antennas. I am picking up the following HD channels: NBC, ABC, FOX, two PBS stations, and the CW. I am also picking up the following analog channels: a religious station from North Pole, CBS, USA, TBS, A&E. I am pretty impressed with the channels considering I live in the middle of nowhere.

Cons: Remote is too small, the numbers on the remote may rub off over time, remote is slow. The antenna is fairly large; other reviewers have nicknamed it "The Enterprise" and I would agree with their assessment.

Pros: Digital channel selection settings, digital RF gain, digital directional positioning. No more having to move bunny ears around. Reasonably priced.

The title says it all. This product did pull in HD signals from ABC and CBS (transmitter in Raleigh) for brief periods - but was not consistent. The process outlined in the manual instructs one to go through the 12 possible positions to find the strongest position for a particular channel. Next, you store this info in the unit, with the idea being that you can quickly retrieve this info. Well, the problem I experienced was that after taking a long period to set up a particular channel and store it, the unit was ineffective when retrieving it; all I got was the familiar "no signal" that I am sure many of you have seen. The unit was set up in several areas in our 1st floor living room, and upstairs in a bedroom. No signal and very frustrating for a unit with a supposed 22 db of gain; other 15 db powered units tremendously out-perform this unit.

By Mark from Chicago on 12/28/2007

Used this product in 2 homes in Chicago area (not in the city, but closer to burbs) in conjunction with my DishNetwork Satellite. The first time I was on the ground floor and it did OK for most channels (although some days I'd lose signal for seconds at a time). I mostly wanted for Channels 9 and 26, which broadcast White Sox in HD. Both were spotty as mentioned. When moved to the second home down the block, I had the satellite installer connect the indoor antenna upstairs in office and run cable down to the ground floor TV. Much much better and typically receive 80 - 100% signal strength on all channels except the lone VHF channel 2 (located on 3). That channel once in awhile comes in but I have to do way too much adjusting and if I get that, the rest don't come in right, and it really doesn't matter for that one since i get it that in HD on the satellite.

I did try other antenna's as well and none came close to this one. I just think that you really need to use it from the second floor to see the quality of it.

[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]

By Moondog from Indianapolis, IN on 12/27/2007

Although I have a satellite service, I needed a stand-alone antenna mainly because, for some unknown reason, my server has not come to terms with our local CBS affiliate for HD broadcasting. Since our football team has many games carried by CBS, I felt a need to remedy this situation. For awhile, I had another brand of antenna hooked up. It was awfully touchy, but it got the job done as far as getting our CBS in HD. But I didn't dare move, or even jiggle it. Doing so would result in losing the signal and spending hours trying to find it again. The one thing I did notice was the number of other stations that came in that I was totally unaware of. Many local stations carried separate 24 hour news or weather broadcasts, out local PBS had a total of 4 channels, etc. But to pick these up meant moving the unit almost each time. Getting one broadcast meant losing others. I read about this antenna on the RS web site and thought I'd like to try it, so on my Christmas list it went.

I hooked it up and started receiving stations like crazy, especially in UHF. But I was still having difficulty receiving CBS (VHF), although the other VHF network over-air signals were coming in great. I don't know what prompted me to do so. but I picked up the unit and turned it facing to the side of the room instead of to the front, and there it was! CBS, along with all of the others, strong and sharp as could be! Then I made another discovery...I can pick up these stations with the unit TURNED OFF! The only time I have to turn it on is if I wish to watch the PBS affiliate in Muncie, nearly 40 miles away!

So now, everything is set up, I'm getting all the stations I want and more, and I don't have to mess with anything! Life is good!

I should mention that my unit is in an upstairs family room with no major obstacles, and the transmitters that I receive range from 15 to around 28 miles away, excluding the previously mentioned Muncie station.

[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]

I got this antenna about a week ago and it took 5 minutes to set up but it took about 30 minutes to find all the local channels. I'm now getting 9 hd channels with this antenna. The reception is about 75% or better on the local channels which are watched alot in my house. After playing around with the unit I read somewhere that someone had put a peice of aluminum foil next to the unit. I put a peice underneath the unit as it sits on top of my tv cabnet. That now gets me at least two more bars on my samsung for each station. I now don't loose any signals. The Stations all are 12 to 22 miles away and I'm getting 75% or higher signal on all the locals. Great little unit, and the remote I don't have to use because all the stations come in on the same channel which is nice. I hope this helps someone.

By Scooty from Pittsburgh, PA on 12/17/2007

This is my third Indoor VHF/UHF/HDTV Antenna with RF Remote from Radio Shack and I am thoroughly impressed. We live 20 miles from Pittsburgh and pick up all of the local signals as well as the HDTV channels - in total 36 channels. Those who are disappointed may not have rotated the antenna properly to dial in the channels. I know for us one channel is located at 240 degrees and another is 140 degrees, so this antenna must be tuned to pick up that station. And yes it may take 4-5 minutes to set it up properly. Check your local channel ranges at antennaweb org and then have this antenna directed at those locations.

Quite frankly, I think this is the best on the market or else I wouldn't own three of them. I have been disappointed in the Terk's as well as RCA and Philips units in the past that I have tried.

With small children, keep it up high because they can rip the top off of it which can lead to them damaging the gears inside the unit. This happened to me once and I have since hot glued the top on. Other than that this antenna performs flawlessly. It is not your father's rabbit ears.

It is not only important to keep it away from children, but place it as far away as possible from your HDTV or computer. I had to purchase an extension cord to get it 15' from my computer in order to receive any channels on my HDTV tuner.

Also, the "ears" are not very durable either and bend quite easily.

This works great for the 3 HD channels my new 47" Sony Wega HD Projection tv was able to lock in on. The analog channels came in clearer than before when I had a cheaper amplified non-HD antenna. Make sure that your TV has the ability to let you manually tune in the HD channels one at a time if you are buying this product. If your TV only has autoprogram, it will not allow you to adjust the sensitivity for each individual HD channel during auto channel setup using this antenna. My [$]non-HD amplified antenna was able to pull in more HD channels than this fancy one. Again, it's the tuning feature of the TV that will be important. However, I could run diagnostics on each HD channel that I did receive and the ones I couldn't. I was surprised to see that the channels I used to get in HD with my old antenna got a much higher signal strength than what I got when using this model antenna. I am taking it back tomorrow because 3 out of 12 HD channels isn't a good buy for me but mostly because I paid full price for it and was surprised to see that it had been previously used and returned to the store. The owners manual had writing on it, the remote was unpackaged, someone just threw the antenna wrapping on top of the inside fold of the box, and some other product's shelf tag was inside this box. I used to work for [...] and was consistantly in the top sales ranking in the district of 20+ stores . I am VERY disappointed in the quality of this sale. If you pay full price for something you SHOULDN'T expect to get a "hand me down"...at least not for full price. I should have been told before buying this item that it was previously used!

By Gator from Central Florida on 12/13/2007

I originally purchased a Terrestrial DB8 large roof top antenna. After the struggle it failed miserably at tuning in digital signal. I read many favorable reviews on this Radio Shack antenna and I liked the design, features and price much better. For a small inexpensive indoor antenna it receives Central Florida, Daytona & Melbourne channels flawlessly. Orlando channels are trial and error, moving it to different locations can help. Keeping in mind that there are many issues involved with off air digital reception (location, antenna, tuner, UHF signal being line of sight) all you can do is experiment. Bigger and taller isn't necessarily better as with VHF signals. Radio Shack offers a 30 day money back customer satisfaction policy. I would recommend giving it a try (pay close attention to the off air tuner instructions that came with your TV) if it doesn't meet your expectations you can return it. I am still experimenting with TV reception then I will experiment with FM radio as I have thirty days to decide!

I received a miniHDTVusb for my pc on my birthday, after trying many different types of antennas the amount of OTA channels i was able to pick up was 26. After trying this antenna i picked up 44, and a good thing too since I did not wish to split the signal from roof mounted antenna due to lack of an attic/basement where my pc is located. I recommend this antenna.

At first I was skeptical about this product. I bought a 1080p LCD Sony Bravia and didn't want to sign up for Direct TV since, I'm more of a DVD/HD-DVD kinda guy. Since I heard that there will be more HD channels broadcasted throughout the next couple of months, I decided to go for this product. I asked the guy from circuit city, and he was in fact telling me that it's not a good antenna since I live close to downtown LA. Well, based on the reviews I read, I went ahead and gave it a shot (since i could always return it if it didn't work) First, Plug it into my TV and hit digital on my sony, then hit auto program. 30 mins later, it scanned 0 HD channels. So i went ahead and read the TV manual and it turns out that the cable option was ON. After turning that off, the antenna scanned 46 HD channels in less than a minute. Yeah, people say I'm cheap, but I'm the one getting HD channels for a one time payment of less than $50 as oppose to their monthly fee of $29 - $120 a month.

I would recommend this to anyone who has a built in ATSC Tuner. Not those HD ready TV since I heard it won't work.

By HDTV Buff from dayton, ohio on 12/3/2007

I can tell you I have bought quite a few different kinds of HDTV antennas. This one is by far the best at tweaking and getting your signal per channel the highest possible rating. I have bought HDTV antenna that are suppose to amplify up to 50 db however this one works so much better than those. I have direct tv and it was easy to set up each channel per highest signal strength with onscreen signal meter build into receiver. Very Easy to program settings per channel. This HDTV antenna is as good as they come for an indoor antenna. I have this one placed in my basement where I always have a hard time getting signals with the other HDTV antennas without having to get up and move it all over the room. With them one I can get perfect reception on all local channels for SD and HD channels with a touch of a button without getting out of my seat. Definately worth the money and hassle with trying to get others antennas fine tuned.

By AL THE GUITAR MAN from NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA on 12/2/2007

I BOUGHT MOM A CHEAP HDTV AND WAS SO HAPPY TO SEE THE QUALITY THAT THIS ANTENNA PULLED IN. ONCE THE ANTENNA IS PROGRAMED YOU CAN RECALL THE BEST SETTING FOR EACH STATION WITH A PUSH OF THE REMOTE. THIS IS THE BEST YET. IM SOOOO GLAD I DID NOT GET AN OMNI AS THIS THING PULLS IN STATIONS SO CLEAR. OH I FORGOT, MOM LIVES IN A HOUSE THATS COVERED WITH ALUMINUM SIDEING. YEH THATS RIGHT MY CELL PHONE CAN HARDLY PENETRATE THAT SIDEING. OH AND BY THE WAY THE STATIONS WERE BETWEEN 4.5 AND 15 MILES FROM THE HOUSE SO I"M SURE THE AMPLIFIED ANTENNA DID A GREAT JOB----AL

I read a post below that said to look no further. Well I definitly agree. I was able to pull signals that certain antenna web sites indicated I would need a medium directional antenna. Very easy to use and the RF remote is a blessing for fine tuning from afar. Great product.

By InsideTheLoop-Houston from Houston, TX on 11/26/2007

Bought this model after trying a Phillips from BBuy that I took back the next day. This model offered more features and was 20 bucks cheaper. I live in a 1st floor condo facing west in innner Houston very close to the towers which were 195deg off north. Neither this model nor the other Phillips with the rabbit ears picked up the HDTV broadcast stations very well and the added Gain that was advertised on the box didn't help. It did allow my LG HDTV tuner to pick up almost 30 HD channels and tune them but the channels cut in and out and were very pixelated if they came in at all. I moved it around closer to the windows and other parts of the living room within 25 feet of of the HDTV tuner and still got the same jittery reception. With the HDTV reception you either get the signal or you don't. There's no poor signal with over the air HDTV that you can live with like a fuzzy primetime channel, it just cuts in and out and pauses with a black screen. This antenna would probably work better on a second floor or in an establishment that faces directly towards the broadcast antenna's with a good line of sight. It is a very good product because it had a remote control tuner to adjust the antenna from the couch. I didn't like the rabbit ears or UFO look (however my wife said the UFO look makes for a good conversation piece) and needed something stronger so I took it back to [...] and replaced it with the smaller Indoor/Outdoor HDTV antenna that is rectangular and mounted it on the ceiling and picked up all the channels in the Houston Metroplex without problem. [...]

I live in Indianapolis, and I went through about 5 antennas trying to get all teh HD locals. I found one elsewhere that worked, but it cost me [$], and I had to adjust it when I turned channels. So I thought I'd try this one, since it can be adjusted remotely. Not only does it get all of the channels, but I don't have to touch the remote and make any adjustements! I'm extremely happy with this product!

excellent! I went through a couple of other antennas before buying this one because I couldn't pick up a weak HD signal. This one picks up ALL my local HD channels! I highly recommend it!

I live 6 to 25 miles from 10 TV broadcast stations
and receive them all with good to excellent results.I am very satisfied with product.

By tbone9813 from Rock Hill, SC on 11/6/2007

I have had three other amplified antenna's before this one. It has the best reception I have experienced so far. Even without using the internal positioning it picked up every station better than the antenna's I had previously.

I like the remote. It is RF, not IR though. I use a universal remote for my stereo/tv/dvd/vcr. I would like to be able to program my universal remote for the antenna, but the antenna is RF, and the universal remote only supports IR. I don't think anyone offers a universal remote with RF.

I have not tried it with HDTV yet, only UHF/VHF.

By MaryAnn from Mooresville, NC on 11/4/2007

I needed an antenna for my second home, where I have 3 TV sets. Bought this, set it up on a 12" in a bedroom and it worked beautifully. Basically plug and go.

Then I went to the livingroom, just other side of the wall and assumed all the settings would work. They didn't -- only one channel came in and looked worse than without the antenna.

Turns out the TV had a setting for CABLE on/off, which was ON. Once I turned it OFF (hidden in the on-screen menus), I get all the local channels with a much better picture than I had with my previous satellite system.

I plan to purchase a separate antenna for each TV.

Love the remote for tuning the antenna!! I set it up so that the pre-programmed number on the antenna corresponds to the setting for each channel, so when I select channel 36 on the TV, I also select 36 on my preprogrammed antenna.

The instructions should include an item to check your TV settings if TV was previously used for cable or satellite and turn that feature "off".

Very pleased!!

I wanted something to pull in over the air HD stations. This is not a long range antenna, but if you live in a strong signal area, or want something that can be easily repositioned without the expense and effort of putting a rotor on the roof you might want to give this one a try. I live in the metro Lansing area, and have relatively strong stations coming form several directions, so this unit, with its programmable channel direction memory was perfect.

After carefully programming the direction for each channel, I can get stations out to 20 miles drop free. The station at 23 miles is dicey, and I sometimes get too many drops to be tolerable. Of course distance also depends on the stations transmit power and the terrain, your mileage may vary.

Previously I experimented with a four bay UHF bow tie roof mount antennae, and for some reason this indoor unit from Radio Shack performs much better than the big bow tie.

The antennae does look a little like the starship enterprise, but I put it on top of a china cabinet behind the facade, so it's not that noticeable.

If you are interested in VHF stations, you may want to look elsewhere though. The VHF rabbit ears are a compromise design. They are entirely manual, and don’t clear the UHF antennae well so they can't be easily adjusted to all positions. The VHF rabbit ears are *ok* in a pinch, but that’s about it. I bought this unit for local HD though, and for that it is great.

By Saint Lou from Saint Louis on 10/21/2007

Stop looking, cause you've found it. Fork over the money and don't go cheap for your good lookin, expensive HDTV.