Terk Technology TV-1 Passive Indoor TV Antenna
by Audiovox Accessories Corporation
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List Price: Category: CE See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Terk Technology TV-1 Passive Indoor TV Antenna
Customer Review: Mighty Mouse
Summary: 5 Stars
We have 6 TV's in our home. The HD big screen is connected to satellite, the remainder are analog TVs on rabbit ears or very basic (read pathetic) cable. As the TVs receiving off air are analog and are due to become paper weights soon if I don't fit them up with digital converters, I started my retrofitting by purchasing a couple of RCA digital converters and using the antennas I already had. The tuners picked up 18 channels, some of which are not very strong. One channel, Fox 25 (Boston) couldn't be picked up at all even though I don't live far from their broadcast antennas. I did some more research on antennas and digital broadcasts, and after reading the reviews here, I decided to pick up two. I just installed one of the antennas and allowed the converter box to scan the channels again. It picked up 30 channels in total (12 more than with the old antenna). It even picked up the previously missing Fox 25. Channels which were not very stable are locked in now. The picture on my 22 year old 19" JVC is striking. The color is vibrant and the image is super sharp. I like the fact that it is passive, we really don't need yet another thing to plug in and suck up energy. I plan on buying one for each TV in my house as well as my parents' house. Very impressive for such a tiny footprint. I plan on getting converter boxes for the sets on cable. Bye, bye cable. Don't come back now...
UPDATE: Due to the persnickety nature of DTV (conditions have to be "just so" to get the signal, I tried out a powered antenna for our kitchen TV as this unit has difficulty receiving DTV signals. The hope was to expand the number of stations received with the Terk albeit with the additional use of power. The unit was a Radio Shack Model 15-1892. The Terk out performed the powered unit so needless to say, the powered antenna was returned.
Passive antenna 1
Powered antenna 0
Customer Review: Post HDTV Switch 6/14/09 THIS IS A WINNER!
Summary: 5 Stars
I anticipated the switchover to HDTV with dread, due to problems getting the discount coupon needed. Then at the end of May, a friend showed up with a spare coupon, and we went to Radio Shack for the converter box.
They tried to get me to spend another $30 for an antenna. What they didn't know was that the amplified antenna I had paid them $40 for had never worked very well. What *had* worked great was the Terk TV-1 for around $10 that I had gotten two years earlier from Amazon.
So I passed on the antenna at RS. We took the converter box home, my friend installed it with the Terk, we scanned for all the channels, and voila! This miraculous little rabbit-ears antenna made the switch with no trouble, brought in all the local channels I had been ready to pay Dish or Comcast for. That's all I need.
Now there are some technicalities that account for the great performance of the Terk. I live on the eighth floor of the apartment building, and the TV and antenna are in front of a large window that faces in the direction of the transmission tower, with no other tall buildings for blocks, so that there's room for transmission around and over. One local station had their signal boosted by the FCC after the changeover, as the signal went missing for people who were getting everything else. I had no problem. The fainter signal for the station showed up on the converter box's "strength" indicater for the channel -- it did not show green at the right end of the color bar until the station announced that they had boosted their signal. Still, there was a good signal.
The question of "what antenna do I need?" can be very complex for some locations. If you are in a good spot, though, the Terk TV-1 may be all you need.
Customer Review: This is ALL you will NEED...I TRIED A LOT of them!
Summary: 5 Stars
First of all, I am in an area that has very poor reception, the nearest local station tower is 35 miles away, I'm in a downstairs apartment with NO access to an outdoor roof top antenna. I knew I would probably only receive one channel at the most anyway, but I wanted to have the best antenna to make sure I got that one channel. Since I have so many negatives against getting even that one channel I thought I'd have to spend a lot of money on an antenna. I purchased a philips $39.00 plug in monster that wouldn't even get the one channel I had hopped for. When I plugged in the terk TV1 antenna it was only as a 'lets see just for the heck of it' thought. As soon as I hooked it up and re-scanned my digital converter box I instantly got a VERY CLEAR Fox channel that's 35 miles away. The big expensive plug in antenna with a zillion knobs and buttons wouldn't even pick it up, but this old fashioned rabbit ears from terk WORKED!
The poles on this thing are LONG! I love the weighted base and it's extremely easy to move around. The base's dark grey color matches my TV's color perfectly and it looks like it's attached to my tv. I love vintage things anyway, so this just rocks my world.
Just makes sure your tv is set to 'ANT' in the menu controls if it's a newer model. I didn't even have to use the loop antenna that came with it since I was able to set my tv on 'ANT' mode. Hook this directly to your converter box...NOT your TV (unless your tv has the built in digital tuner).
Highly recommend this antenna! Don't waste your money on the plug in, amplified CRAP that's only hype to get you to buy expensive dressed up rabbit ears.
Customer Review: Terk TV-1 Surprisingly Good
Summary: 4 Stars
I live in a difficult reception area nestled among hills in Oakland, CA. This area has proved difficult for Cell, FM radio, and especially HDTV because a reflected signal is the best we can get. I purchased the Terk TV-1 based on other user reviews. Since it looks much like antennas that are supplied with standard TVs, my expectations were hopeful but not high for use on my Olevia 27inch HDTV. Much to my surprise, this antenna out-performed all the others I've tried, including the much more expensive Philips High Performance Amplified Indoor Uhf/Vhf/Fm/HDTV Antenna for my application. The Terk TV-1 is not perfect, since I still get recurring 'no signal available' messages appearing briefly on a black screen during certain times and conditions. But I often get perfect reception for hours on end, and on most available stations.
This is the 4th antenna I have tried, including a Channel Master 4221 that I mounted on a mast that could be rotated and raised or lowered. But my location just wouldn't allow an antenna orientation that worked. I also tried an RCA indoor with lots of knobs and rotating items, but it was among the worst for my application.
So I'm sticking with my Terk TV-1. Not perfect, but gets the job done.
Customer Review: A Good Value
Summary: 4 Stars
Terk TV-1 Passive Indoor Antenna has given me what I needed: better reception and more channels. Reception in my area is sub par. I only get 2 channels out of 5 available clearly. When I set up my newly purchased converter box, reception got worse. Figuring I might find a better antenna than the one I had, a Radio Shack purchase of long ago, I went shopping online, and found the product described above. The reviews tended to be favorable, with only one dissenting voice, which encouraged me to take a very small risk (money-wise). The risk paid off. I get all channels clearly, with slight variations in clarity depending on the signal strength at any given time; plus I've been able to pick up quite a few VHF channels with the same clarity. I still need to set up the UHF channels, which I'll need a separate adapter for, because the one I was given only covers the VHF spectrum on my particular TV model. I expect I'll pick at least a few more channels based on the performance of the antenna so far. Unless you live in a basement, the chances that you'll get good reception are pretty probable, with this great and inexpensive antenna.