By coffeebert from North East PA on 5/28/2008

I installed this antenna and was really impressed with the signal I was getting. Note I said was getting the antenna has been on my roof for a year & a half and now it is shot. it is missing most of the aluminum probes and the reception is gone because of it. Now I will have to install another one and I am looking for something with a better warranty....

I was sad to see radio Shack discontinued this antenna for a short time. Just today did I see it again.
I live in South East Florida and this antenna had the best reception of any antenna I tried. I have easly spent over $1000.00+ on antennas. Yes I am an antenna nut. Hurricane came and twisted it into a mess. Went to purchase another and no more. This antenna is the best BANG for the buck. I have spent $250.00+ on a single antenna. None compare to this one.

[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]

By Ray from deep East Texas from Carthage, Texas on 4/22/2008

I was pleased with how many stations that I was able to receive, even though we're over 40-50 miles away from all TV stations and our house is surrounded by pine trees. Before I bought this product, I went to antennaweb.org; based on my address, this web site indicated that I could not receive any TV signals. I went to the Carthage Radio Shack store and the manager said that this model of antenna will work just fine (on a 20 foot pole); he was right. It's nice to have HD signals on the network TV stations; I'm receiving 1080i on CBS-Shreveport, and 720p on ABC-Shreveport, CW-Shreveport, Fox-Shreveport, and Fox-Longview. There's also a few stations coming in at 480i. Next, I'm going to buy a TV antenna preamplifier, for a signal boost on these 480i stations. I would not have expected this reception from so many TV stations, since we're so far away from the broadcasters and have pine trees surrounding us for miles.

[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]

great antenna,been on my roof about 11 years.
in the winter we get really strong winds,
sometimes over 100 m.p.h. looks a little
ragged these days but still about 90% signal.

I have only had the antenna a few months.
It has a Strong Signal but after a winding day about four of the plastic element holders broke.
I had to use nylon wire ties and super glue to repair it.
My OLD antenna was up over 20 years, went through wind and an ice storm just find.( but would not work with my new HDTV)

By Mike G from Federal Way, Wa on 3/28/2008

Both myself and my parents own a 190 and have only had one element bend between the two of them..which happened in a 60-mph wind storm. If Radio Shack still makes the model 210, I'd go for that... it's a tad more powerful..especially for UHF. This unit is very directional...which means you'll need a rotor if stations are all around you. Mine pulls in Seattle, 30 miles away, strong despite hilly conditions. It's bulky getting it up in the air for oen person..but not heavy. My only complaint is the plastic "snap in place" connectors as opposed to the older models with metal connectors. Mine have held up, but once connected...you can't fold the elements back in without breaking the plastic. So if you sell your home .. the antenna stays. I'm anxious to see how the UHF elements work for HD. With HD becoming mandatory soon, I'd probably get an antenna made for that type of broadcast only. If you have one of those long UHF only antennas, you'll probably be in better shape for HD than with this type.

By Mike on the mountain. from Masonville, CO on 3/26/2008

I bought this antenna thinking it was my best bet to pick up Denver channels, which are about 60 miles south of where I live. I worked quite well, until the first wind storm we had. We only got wind gust of around 30 miles per hour, but the plastic on this antenna is such poor quality that it could not hold the very long and flimsy VHF elements in place, I lost about half of them over the course of 2 weeks. Once the plastic broke, the elements just bent themselves all over 'till they fell off. Funny thing is that we don't even watch VHF and I bought this thing to pick up the HD signals. Which it still did, I'm just tired of picking up aluminum elements off the ground all the time.

I have since found much better quality antenna products for even less money at other local and on-line retailers.

My advice: Use products from a company that make the antenna model DB8 - Mine picks up even more HDTV channels (I now get Colorado Spring Channels from over 100 miles away) and the wind does not do a thing to it. Even in gusts up to 60 mph, the other day

By b tr63 from South central PA on 3/20/2008

I installed this over a year ago and so far, I have lost 4 elements to the wind and others have bent. It is made of fairly weak aluminum. Also, the wire that has the co-axel cable adapter broke ? I had to take the antenna down to make the repair. Also, two of the plastic stops that hold the elements in position broke ? so now two elements are out of position. Other than the fact that this antenna is fragile, it does provide a fairly strong signal. I can get signals from as far as 30 ? 40 miles away. Just a warning though, if you live in a valley and have hills between you and the TV broadcast towers, good luck getting a signal ? you?ll have to get it really high.

It handles wind very well. I am on my third antenna. It does not handle tornados nor pecan branches very well though. I pick-up a low power VHF and UHF from 45 Miles away without problems. It does not overpower the channels within 20 miles.

Have a total of four T.V.s running off this, Have a splitter at the top w/signal amp([$] R.S.)going to my HD L.C.D. T.V., and I live in Salem Or, and Get Portland Or. stations great, digital and analogalong with U.H.F.. Distance of about 48 miles.

This Antenna was put on a 20 foot pole, and used for a digital- television. I live at the lake of the ozarks, at about the Warsaw area. I try to get Springfield and Jefferson City, but it is sometimes a little bit hard, even after I thouroughly inspected its connection. I can get about 5 analog stations from both places, 10 altogether. During the day they are very snowy, and hard to watch, and I get 1 HD Channel, but that is PBS and is from Sedalia, yet that rarely comes in. At night, I can get about 5 digital channels sometimes. I found out that it seems to come in better during warmer weather, and the signal stinks in the winter. If you live on flat ground or have a huge tower, it might work better, or even great. I advise you to get something much stronger if you live in a place like I do, between hills. I have to say that after messing around with my amplified bunny-ears I got about the same digital reception.

When the temperature goes below 30 degrees, the reception is so snowy it is difficult to watch a program. Antenna is installed and grounded correctly, yet the Radio Shack store where I bought the unit claims to have never heard of the problem. I have a 30 year old beat up antenna that comes in better. I'm sorry I wasted my money on this unit.

Stop buying cheep junk.

By Freedom Loving Chad from Beaumont, TX on 12/17/2007

I previously had a VU190 when I was at Waco and could recieve all the way to Dallas using a preamp even though it was inside an attic! I live in Beaumont now and hoped to receive Lake Charles using this antenna but have had no success with or without a pre-amp. I even mounted it outside on a 20 foot pole and used [...]pre-amp but the signal was still far to fuzzy to view. I recently installed an 8-bay flat antenna which is able to receive Lake Charles. This antenna seems to be a mixed bag. Good Luck.

By palavering from Saint Petersburg, Florida on 12/11/2007

[...] I had to install it in the attic, because I live in an Apartment complex. But [...] I'm getting HDTV signals like never before. I've spent more in the past and gotten less!! This is a great antenna.

I have changed the direction by hand a few times and I am amazed at how many chanels I can get better than I could with cable.When I add A rotor to this antenna I'll get many more chanels and I'll be able to fine tune them all in. Great antenna for the money and it really pulls in the fm stereo.

I bought this unit from our local [...]after purchasing a new TV on black friday. I have never had cable and only watched what I could get off of the rabbitt ears on the top of the TV. Easy to assemble and definately helps if you have someone to help you. I put this on a 25' pole and mount the pole to our house and ran the cable inside and hooked up to the new tv. I had 6 channels before with a antenna ontop of the tv. Now with this I get 30 channels of HD channels. Definately worth the buy and time to put up.

The matching transformer is cheaply made and the threaded connector came apart when I threaded the coax onto it. I had an extra lying around so I used it instead. This antenna brings in all the local analog and digital channels and then some. Very good antenna. Supplies signal to 6 TV's with a splitter and no signal loss. Matching transformer could be made better.

We live about 75 miles southwest of CO Springs, CO. We live in the mountains and this antenna picks the CO Springs and Pueblo stations very nicley. Watch the wind loading. I origianlly used 3/4 inch black iron pipe but switched to 1 inch after seeing the antenna in a high wind.

We live in Rochester, NY and this antenna is pulling in even Toronto TV stations! I have it up on a 45 foor tower with Rotor and Amp.
It's a great antenna for the cost... $99 on sale when I bought it.

this is the best antenna i've ever bought. i get every local channel in crystal clear, even channel 2, and coming from anybody in and around chicago, that's saying something right there. i live right by ohare so i used to get constant interference with an indoor antenna from the airplanes going by all the time, and when it's the busiest airport in the world, it's alot of flights, but with this, the picture is perfect. it's huge, light weight, bit difficult to navigater up a lader with it once it's assembled. use the "optional" stability arm, it really help in high winds to keep it on target. i picked this antenna up to get the high def broadcasts, but i split the signal with a monster 4 way splitter to get local on my bedroom tv, which is not high def, everything comes in crystal clear, this is the best reception i've ever had, and i've had cable and dish. i love it, i think everyone should own one.

[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]

I live near Sacramento, but this antenna can pick up more than Sacramento. I can pick up Chico, Santa Rosa/Rohnert Park, San Francisco, and San Jose TV stations. I have my antenna mounted about 38 feet off the ground. The downside of this antenna isn't just the fragile elements, but the weight and bulkiness of the antenna as well. If you plan to install one, make sure you get help in raising the mast up - especially if the mast is tall. I strongly recommend using a rotor (analog or digital control) if you get stations from many directions as I do. This antenna does very well in pulling in both analog and digital (HDTV) signals. The picture I get on my 19" HDTV set/PC Monitor is outstanding! The San Jose and Chico HDTV stations come in just as clear as Sacramento and no snow or dropouts! Impressive!

I love my outdoor antenna. I was so supprised how many channels I was able to recieve living in ruel part of Saucier Mississippi. With this antenna I am able to pick up between 10-15 channels. I do recommend getting a rotator for you outdoor antenna, to go from mobil channel to new orleans channels and Jackson mississippi channels and for me I have to point it south for local wlox out of gulfport Ms. We had a bad storm come through the area 2 weeks ago that had 60 mile wind gust. I was very pleased on how well it went through the storm. there was a couple of elements that needed to be popped back into place cause they tried to fold back in, but held up just fine.

[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]

By Adam from Erie, PA on 7/3/2007

I bought one of these back in 1989 when I purchased my home vowing to NEVER pay a cable bill ever again, did the whole shooting match, antenna, mast, cable, rotator, and booster amp. It had been on my roof (about 23 feet in the air) and I couldn't believe the TV and FM reception I could get, I regularly got Buffalo and Cleveland stations as well as a multitude of Canadian stations, sometimes Detroit and Pittsburgh from time to time, there is a lot of hills and stuff around my area, I quit counting after about 25 stations and that was just TV, FM I could get stations ALL across the band with it so needless to say I was very impressed. One of the longest elements broke off about 2 years ago and it didn't diminish the reception one bit and here in NW PA we get lots of winds and snow, if that was the most damage after all those years then I certainly got my moneys worth and then some! Unfortunately I took it down to get roofing done with plans to put it on a 40 foot tower and damaged the UHF yagi and broke the boom (It was either drop it or fall off the roof, I chose the former!) I will get another very soon and get it on that tower and then see what it will pick up at double the height! Like the title says, "Best bang for the buck!" Believe it.

[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]

I am about 65 miles NE of the DFW towers and tried a couple of indoor HDTV antennas and received some analog and digital channels with a lot of interference. Installed the RS 160" Dual Boom antenna (15-2156) on a 20' mast with the High Gain Signal Amplifier (15-2507) and using 150' of RG6 shielded cable. I seem to be receiving all of the HD channels out of Cedar Hill along with some of the analog channels. It is too early to determine the longevity of the product, but after a couple of days, I have to say it is doing it's job. The digital channels are nice and clear and I do not have to pay for cable or satellite. www.antennaweb.org does not indicate that we should be able to receive the DFW HDTV signals, but we are are getting them just fine. Maybe, I will try to add another 10' to the mast and a rotor.

[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]

Great Antenna, Great Customer Service. Before purchasing this antenna, I did considerable research, which included talking to manufacturers and distributors. Having called Radio Shack, I spoke with Don C. at the Painesville, Ohio store. Don was very friendly, extremely knowledgeable and very courteous. The following week my wife and I drove to the store and made our purchase. The antenna was not in stock at that time but was there in three days. We also purchased the 30 db amplifier, rotor, cables, mast and other accessories that were needed. The performance of this antenna exceeds what I had expected. We receive channels from nearly 200 miles away. The quality of the reception is great. Thank you Don and thank you Radio Shack.

[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]

I'm located 100 miles from broadcast stations and while the reception is great, I have found the antenna does not hold up well in Ak. winters. Build up of ice and snow makes the unit heavy enough to snap the main booms. However, I've been able to reinforce the booms with heavier material and it functions fine in the analog range for all available channels. I recommend this unit to anyone but it will require reinforcing the main structure to endure the Alaska winters.

[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]

I was looking to get Minn/St.Paul stations about 100 miles away. I've got some pine trees slightly in the way. Even with an Amplifier it wouldn't pull them in at all. Alot of it has to do with terrain but I was dissatisfied with the performance of this antenna. I just expected more than it could produce. It did receive locals from about 50 miles away really well. Would recommend it if you are not trying to receive braodcasts from over 100 miles.

This antenna is a great UHF/VHF antenna. The set-up is quick and the design will even allow it to be folded back up if you need to move (as I did). The installation on my 20' mast was a little scary, but it has no problem from wind (other than turning the pole a little). I think wind damage is proportional to the direction the wind is blowing. Great reception (40+ miles away) with no pre-amp, and split three ways. Highly directional, so a rotator may be necessary, it wasn't for me though.

I GET TORONTO STATIONS 90 MILES AWAY PRETTY GOOD. ITS NOT PERFECT BUT GOOD ENOUGH. I WAS HOPING FOR BETTER PERFORMANCE BUT AM NOT DISAPPOINTED. YOU NEED ROTATOR IN THIS AREA.

[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]

This is the best antenna that I have tried. It pulls in channels all the way from mobile sometimes. It brings in anything within 100 miles clear all the time. Great buy...if you have snow on your TV, get this and an amplifier and it will be clear and you will find stations you didn't know existed, well at least I did. Also a rotor is a great idea so you can point it at other tv markets to see what you can get. I get stuff from 8 different markets here.

Before I put this antenna up I could get 1 local channel good and 1 local channel pretty fuzzy off Rabbit ears. I can now get 5 local channels and 2 channels from Montgomery, over 100 miles away. Not to mention I also get 4 HD channels in addition to the normal. With the addition of a $50 amp I am able to split the signals to 3 different tvs with no real degradation. I have it mounted on a 18' pole off of my porch, I live in a very low lying area surrounded by tall trees, I can't imagine what kind of reception I would get if it was mounted on my roof to get over the treeline. I would suggest this to anyone that needed to increase their reception, the only caveat is that the size is MASSIVE.

Just put this on my roof 4 days ago on a 5 foot post with a chimney mount.I figure that puts it about 20 feet off the ground. The house does set in pretty high location with a clear shot to the south.I did purchase the signal amplifier Model: 15-2507 which advertises a signal boost up to 30dB.I do recommend it to anyone in a rural area, it makes a good bit of difference. The overall constuction of the attenna is good and it is lite weight.It was easy to assemble and mount. I did not bother with a rotor because I get all want for stations from the south. The stations I get are 3,8,18,24,and 61 out of Hartford "good". Channels 22, 40 and 57 out of Springfield excellent.These are digital quality pictures. Can't tell them from satellite reception. I will say if had invested in a rotor and pointed to the east I would get 2,4,5 and 7 out of Boston which come in very faintly off the side.As far as realibilty goes I gave it (1) because don't know yet. I will see how it holds up in the long run. My overall satifaction at this point is good. 12/31/06

Assembly was a breeze, pretty self explanatory. If you don't need a manual to sharpen a pencil, you won't need a detailed instruction booklet for this either. Great reception, bigger than the picture though...so be mindful of it's awesome size!

Somehow I got this antenna in my attic (I had to assemble in my attic). I pull in channels I didn't even know were there.

This antenna has improved our reception. The instruc-tions were not too helpful though, since there was no drawing showing the final assembly.

By Joseph R from Bostic on 9/27/2006

Absolute great antenna.....If you get the amplifier and antenna rotor! I liked the ease of putting it together and the fact it is lightweight. The only factor that comes into play is that if you live in an "on the fringe" area you will need the AMP and the Rotor. We pick up about 20 HD Stations with that setup and 0 stations without it. Of course I knew I would be in a situation going in that I would need need the extra equipment, so that isn't a surprise. But, I would have thought I could have picked up something without it. So my advice is to research not only the antenna but also if you will need other equipment.

In use 6 years, wind colapses reflectors, one broke off 9/06, up on chimmney (38') to get reception, not easy to move reflectors back in place. Some stations 25 miles away not as clear as other stations 25 miles away. I'm in a rural area on a ridge.

So proud of mine! Weather, wind-proof, highly durable for many years. Very good reception 55 feet up 100 miles away from channels not on cable. Awesome look on top of a tower on the side of an apartment building.

I am delighted with this antenna! Beautiful HDTV reception and accessibility to many extra channels. Love not paying that Satellite bill!

I put this puppy IN my attic (NO mounting pole just laying on the fiberglass)and now I can pick up Miami channels 90 miles away. Univision (Local 23 !CLEAR!) plus 2 other viewable spanish channels. No need for cable. Fab investment! I highly reccommend this antenna.

Worked with Tom at our local Radio Shack on this project. Now I can pick-up tv stations over a hundred miles away crystal clear,no static. Best of all no CABLE BILLS.........

It's the best one I have had and I have had alot. I get more channels and a perfect picture

Well that sure clears things up. Need to put the antenna high around here but I can get Seattle stations. Look 14 channels with no cable. Perfect!

This antenna is great. Perfect for areas where major local channels are weak. When the earth's atmosphere is right, I can get channels from over 300 miles away! The price could of been a little lower, since most of the country uses cable or satalite, but it is great for picking up clear analog signals.

this is the best antenna ever. We have it mounted on top of a ranger station and get channels over 400 miles away. THANKS radio shack!

Installed this antenna four years ago atop my 45 foot amateur radio tower. On 4-25-2005 we had a bad storm come through with 70 mph winds and 2" hail stones. The antenna was a little beaten up, but did not lose any elements and it's performance did not diminish. I recommend using Belden 1694A cable for long runs. Excellent match for this antenna.

I have used the Rabbit Ear Atenna on my TV in the home and picked up stations well over 200 miles away. With this new Atenna, I thought I would get even more stations, with better quality. I received NO STATIONS, NO Reception and even paid to have it professional installed. Even called another installer to look over the work of the first installer and he informed me that it was not a good unit to begin with! That he does not recommend such for W.V. due to wind factors interfer with it's ability to receive. And to prove the point, he took it down, and placed it inside of my building and I received ONE Station! So if you live in a area that has wind, above 5mph, DO NOT BUY!

It works pretty good. The elements DO Not break of easy. We had a wind storm that uprooted large trees and did other major damage. The antenna stayed up there and was not broke at all.

This has been a good antenna for the last 3 years with the exception of the elements breaking off in the wind. Buy the extended warranty!

[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]

I have installed 3 of these antennas for friends. All were mounted on towers about 30'-35'. The people I have installed them for get reception from well over 200 miles away. I have found the use of a good antenna booster makes a great combination. So far all have held up to some really bad storms. I suggest this antenna to anyone wanting to replace their old one. I have priced different ones about the same size. For what you get from this one it beats the others hands down.

Elements brake off due to wind, POOR design.

Got rid of cable tv, just cost to much,i was worried about the reception with a regular antenna compared to cable tv,figure go to the largest one, put it up, with the rotator system, & wow ! i cant believe the great reception iam getting, better than the cable i had.

I live forty miles away from all the charlotte broadcast tv stations which makes this antenna a must have.By the way, I have two of them vertical stack mounted on a homemade thirty-foot tower.I don`t want to get satelite at this time so this suites me well. With the r\s ant. rotater,mast mount amp.,power distribution amp. and cables; what completes the whole set-up is the digital/high definition tv receiver in which provides me with a dvd quality tv picture. Now I can pick-up tv stations over a hundred and twenty miles away crystal clear,no static,and dvd quality. Thank you