Antennas Direct DB4 Multi-Directional HDTV Antenna
by Antennas Direct
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List Price: Our Price: $194.95 You Save: $155.04 (44%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Speakers See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Antennas Direct DB4 Multi-Directional HDTV Antenna
Customer Review: Excellent Outdoor Antenna
Summary: 5 Stars
I've had this antenna for around a month and a half now, and it has exceeded my wildest expectations. I purchased an HDTV and tried using the old outdoor antenna (circa 1970) we already had but I was only able to pick up four channels, which had poor reception and I would lose the signal quite often. After Amazon delivered it to me, it was very easy to assemble, just a couple of screws and thats it. After I removed the old antenna, I attached the DB4 to the antenna pole using the provided wing nuts and connected the coax cable and pointed it South.
I wasn't expecting much, I live in a wooded area and did not think it would be able to pick up more than a few more channels. I used the TV's channel searcher and picked up 14 channels right off the bat! After more fine tuning I have been able to pick up 18 channels, including all of the major networks. Two of the channels are based out of St. Louis, which is 100 miles away from my house in Carbondale, IL. The channels have come in clear and crisp on most days, and they are all free! I was really impressed after Tuesday 10/26/10. A storm front came through that brought 60 mph wind gusts and heavy rain, and I didn't once lose signal to any of the channels. If you have satellite, you'll just have to wait until that storm is over to watch tv again. I would recommend the Antennas Direct DB4 to anyone who is looking for an alternative to cable or satellite companies and don't mind not having tons of channels (most of which you don't watch anyways).
Customer Review: good & functional, but not multi-directional
Summary: 4 Stars
My location is in Salem, Oregon, with most TV stations being 45 miles away in the Portland area. [...] recommends a "multi-directional", so I bought this DB4 from Amazon. It came pre-assembled, and is functional from start on the roof, picking up 2.1, 6.1, 6.2, 8.1, 8.2, 10.1 through 10.4, 12.1, 24.1 through 21.5, 32.1, and 49.1, showing a signal strength of around 70% on my digital converter box. But it can pick signals only one direction (3 degrees apart), and it cannot pick up 22.1 though 22.4 (same direction and distance). Amazon is kind enough to let me return it, and even pays for the return shipping.
I then bought a directional antenna of the same range, Philips Sdv7400K Outdoor Antenna, also from Amazon (but sold by another vendor). This Philips antenna requires assembly and very careful study of their manual and diagram, but once it is up on roof, it picks up 22.1 though 22.4, as well as all others that DB4 is able to cover, with about the same signal strength. So, I am giving DB4 four stars because it is not really multi-directional as it claims. Cost-wise, DB4 is about $15 more than Philips Sdv7400K, but is a lot easier to set up. However, it does not include a full set of mount kit as Philips Sdv7400K does. Besides, if you want to return Philips Sdv7400K, you will have to pay for shipping and a 15% restocking fee.
So, it is safer and easier to just buy whatever Amazon carries themselves, like this DB4.
Customer Review: Great Performance
Summary: 5 Stars
I previously had an "omni-directional" antenna mounted up on my roof. It was close to worthless. We received about 2 channels clearly and a small handful with very poor pictures. When we recently connected a digital converter box to get ready for the February switch-over, things got worse. We would receive 1 digital channel most of the time and maybe 2 when mysterious favorable conditions prevailed.
A friend recommended that I try a DB4 style antenna. I did a little research and selected this one. Wow! What a difference. I mounted it on the roof (not in the attic) and I get about 22 digital channels. Only once have I had any pixellation, and that was on only one channel during a moderate rain shower.
I am somewhat fortunate in that all the transmission towers that I wanted to receive were within a 30 degree spread, so I aimed the antenna in the middle of the spread and I get them all. The towers are about 25 miles away, I suppose.
I used an amplifier and a three-way splitter to distribute the signal to three TV's. All now get great reception. The signal strength meter gizmo on the screen always shows good signal strength - about 80-90% scale - across all channels.
If you use an amplifier, mount it as close to the antenna as you can (in terms of cable length). If you use a splitter, spend a few extra bucks and get a good one. You can get a good one for less than $15 or so.
Customer Review: Great Antenna!
Summary: 5 Stars
This small antenna is surprisingly powerful. It is sensitive to direction, which seems odd. I don't understand why, but I have found that orientation matters a lot (even in this Multi-directional unit). Facing one direction, I pick up 33 HDTV channels (in Lake Villa, IL, halfway between Chicago and Milwaukee major markets). Flipping it 180 degrees, I get 51 channels. My tuners all agree that this orientation is best. Yes, I'm mounted outside.
Also, mount this outside if you can. This thing is small and does not look like a traditional antenna. This isn't the antenna style that your homeowner's association has tried to ban-- it's as innocuous as a DirectTV satellite dish. I had the antenna in my attic for my first month and found that changes in the weather affected how many stations I could get. I think this has something to do with how the weather changes the dynamics of the roof and how much signal gets shielded, maximum height I could get in the attic, and so on. Today, I moved my antenna outdoors. The antenna is 5 feet above the roof line (my chimney has a 1m x 1.5m wood box around it). Signals that were weak yesterday are strong and signals that I couldn't see when the antenna was indoors are now visible to my equipment.
I'm using a $2 Phillips outdoor wall mount and a $7 no-name 1.5" diameter pole as a mast. I run the coax cable through a grounding connection in the attic that is then grounded as normal.
Customer Review: Inexpensive Solution
Summary: 5 Stars
Recently when my wife and I decided to cancel our cable service we were faced with having to purchase a new HDTV antenna for our house. I spent a lot of time shopping in store and online trying to find something that would work reliably without breaking the bank. Many of the store associates suggested large boom style antennas that cost well over $100. I happened upon this model and after reading all the positive reviews took the plunge.
First of all, this antenna is small. Since we were mounting outdoors and our roof line is rather low, I was concerned about having a huge antenna jutting from our roof. This one tucks out of sight nicely which is a definite plus. We chose to mount the antenna on the Antennas Direct 75 Cm J-mount/mast which works perfectly. It took less than an hour to get our antenna and mast mounted and ready to go.
Some of my relatives have experienced issues with signal loss in our area, however, we have had no issues with this antenna. We live in a suburban area outside of a major city and have many mature trees around our house. We have strong signals across the band and have not experienced any issues with interference from weather or anything else. I have been very happy with this antenna. Do yourself a favor and bypass the store antennas for $100+ and pick this one up now!