Looking for QUALITY UHF / VHF TV antenna

[ikki]

I'm looking for a QUALITY UHF / VHF TV antenna. Some thing of the quality of a Cushcraft 2 meter antenna.

I do not like these cheaply made Channel Masters or Winegard's. I prefer the elements to be of solid aluminum.

 

[47HO]

I didn't realize anyone made the elements out of solid aluminum. I think I'd like to have one!

 

[ikki]

I may have to settle for an amateur radio 220 Mhz beam. That should at least cover channels 9 and 11 .

Cushcraft 224WB Beam Antenna

 

[Larry1]

Well it is certainly not the same quality as the antenna you pointed out, but the Antennas Direct 91XG has proven to be a good buy for me. I posted having a warranty problem (lifetime warranty) with some of the plastic parts on their facebook site, and the parts I requested were shipped and arrived at my door 24hrs latter. Don't forget, Antennas Direct is in the US and I'm in Canada so 24 hrs to get to my door is great. Also, they paid for the shipping, no charge to me.
You could always try constructing your own....
here's one that someone constructed themselves
Channel 7-13 Log Periodic Antenna Construction

 

[Jim5506]

Check out the BonderTongue CATV antennas, although you will probably pay $300-$500 for one.

 

[ikki]

Those are nice antennas, however at 400 dollars I could have one custom made locally for less.

 

[truckracer]

Antennacraft mxu-59 or winegard 9095p will get about anything

 

[19psi]

I'm in tornado alley and I've never had an issue with my Winegard. If the elements start falling off in 15 or 20 years I'll just put another one up in about an hour.
I don't understand spending $90 bucks on something that gets only two channels vs. $60 on an antenna that gets all channels. Will solid elements give further range?

I'll admit that if I was using a tower that I only wanted to climb once in my life (or I was paying someone a small fortune to climb), then I'd have no problem dropping $400 on an antenna that would do it all and outlast me.

 

[Auric]

I bought a CM3020 I have been quite happy with, but I do know what you mean about about the elements...They are pretty cheaply made.

I figure if one gets bent /broke I will replace it with solid aluminum. My pole is telescoping, so I can bring it down to work on it while standing on my roof. I live in a high ice area, & figure it's only a matter of time before elements get bent.

With that said, solid elements can bend just as easily as hollow. I just have access to solid aluminum, not hollow.

 

[dodge]

ikki
kb9ndb here
if you want a quality antenna go with the winegard, they dont fall apart and they last forever!! My parents has been up for over 30 years still works and all the elements are still there, i have a winegard hd8200p on my roof and has survived tornaods winds storms and ice storms here in northern illinois
73
kb9ndb

 

[tillerr]

Any suggestions for an antenna that I would like to try in my attic to possibly avoid putting it on my roof? Is winegard good for that too?

Thanks.

 

[Auric]

Any suggestions for an antenna that I would like to try in my attic to possibly avoid putting it on my roof? Is winegard good for that too?

Thanks.

The HD8200p that Dodge mentioned is a great antenna, but it's massive. My CM 3020 is about the same, too big for my attic & my attic is large.

How far are you from towers?
Have you checked out TV Fool?

 

[tillerr]

Here's a link to my TV Fool report TV Fool

Right now I have a TV top antenna in my attic that has a power cord plugged in to get a boost in reception. It works pretty good.

I get most everything in the green section of the report but very rarely anything beyond that. I get my major networks but would like to stabilize those and reach out to anything close enough. I would really like to be able to secure 43/ION too.

I'm not crazy about putting an antenna on my roof right now and would love to just replace what's in my attic but I'm not sure I know enough to do it on my own. Picking the right one that is.

Thanks for any additional help you can give.

 

[Auric]

43 ION is going to be iffy. I just depends on your location. It's a two edge, meaning there is probably two terrain tops to go over (mountain tops). In my location I get one 2 edge from 82 miles away steady & a 1 Edge from 22 miles I can get glimpses sometimes.

I certainly am not antenna expert, but I would think a good attic antenna for you would be one like the CM 4228HD for UHF
Channel Master 4228HD 8-bay HDTV/UHF TV Antenna (4228-HD) - Channel Master - 4228HD -

And the Antennacraft Y10-7-3 for VHF Antennacraft Y10-7-13 Highband-Broadband VHF TV Antenna (Y10-7-13) - Antennacraft - Y10-7-13 -

Maybe a preamp. I would certainly check with solidsignal, or your antenna source

Preamps are funny, you can actually loose signal quality with them hooked up sometimes

 

[mserrano]

Another company that makes solid-bar antennas is SITCO, who's primary market is CATV/MATV operators. They make separate UHF, VHF-hi and VHF-lo broadband antennas ( Log Periodic Arrays ). They also make single-channel antennas, plus optional stacking versions ( CATV-MATV ). These antennas are durable enough to survive hurricanes, tornados and Alaskan blizzards (and are priced accordingly).

Pay attention to the antenna's weight before buying one. The weight of a single antenna can vary from 4 pounds for UHF, to 32 pounds for a VHF-lo.

 

[tillerr]

Another company that makes solid-bar antennas is SITCO, who's primary market is CATV/MATV operators. They make separate UHF, VHF-hi and VHF-lo broadband antennas ( Log Periodic Arrays ). They also make single-channel antennas, plus optional stacking versions ( CATV-MATV ). These antennas are durable enough to survive hurricanes, tornados and Alaskan blizzards (and are priced accordingly).

Pay attention to the antenna's weight before buying one. The weight of a single antenna can vary from 4 pounds for UHF, to 32 pounds for a VHF-lo.

Thanks for the info. If I get a new bigger antenna it will be to put in my attic though as I don't want/need to mount it outside.

 

[Tower Guy]

I'm not crazy about putting an antenna on my roof right now and would love to just replace what's in my attic but I'm not sure I know enough to do it on my own.

I would not use a 4228HD. It is too directional. Consider instead the 4221, U-4400, or similar 4 bay antenna. Turn it a bit toward ION without loosing WOTV and try it for awhile. Worst case-install it on the roof. Next get a VHF antenna (Y5-7-13) for WOOD and WWMT. After that figure out which PBS you want. WGVK will need a low band VHF antenna (Y5-2-6) with a HLSJ joiner. WGVU will need it's own VHF hi band antenna (Y5-7-13) with a channel 11 Jointenna. Use a UVSJ to add the UHF antenna to the VHF. If you want to try a preamp, get an AP-2870.

 

[tillerr]

I would not use a 4228HD. It is too directional. Consider instead the 4221, U-4400, or similar 4 bay antenna. Turn it a bit toward ION without loosing WOTV and try it for awhile. Worst case-install it on the roof. Next get a VHF antenna (Y5-7-13) for WOOD and WWMT. After that figure out which PBS you want. WGVK will need a low band VHF antenna (Y5-2-6) with a HLSJ joiner. WGVU will need it's own VHF hi band antenna (Y5-7-13) with a channel 11 Jointenna. Use a UVSJ to add the UHF antenna to the VHF. If you want to try a preamp, get an AP-2870.

Thanks for the info. Is a place like RadioShak best for these or do you have another suggestion?

 

[televisionarchives]

Radio Shack as a great deal on this antenna $8.97
RadioShack® VU-90 XR 80" Boom Length, 26-Element Antenna - RadioShack.com

 

[jayn_j]

Thanks for the info. Is a place like RadioShak best for these or do you have another suggestion?

IMHO, you will likely get a couple of seasons out of the Radio Shack antenna before the weather kills it. ChannelMaster and Winegard are significantly better constructed, but with prices to match.

RS is strictly self install. The others are available self install from online places, or can be found at many local dealers who will install for you. Again, $$ vs hassle.