Channel Master 4228HD Long-Range Outdoor Rooftop HDTV Antenna
by PCT International, Inc.
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List Price: Our Price: $77.95 You Save: $12.04 (13%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Home Theater See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Channel Master 4228HD Long-Range Outdoor Rooftop HDTV Antenna
Customer Review: Probably the best reception antenna on the market
Summary: 5 Stars
This is my fourth antenna I have tried over the years. The first was a medium range Yagi style I had used off and on for years, then got a great deal on a Philips MANT940 when I finally decided to dump Comcast. Even though the Philips was quoted as being a "high gain" antenna, I quickly learned it was a marketing ploy. It couldn't even pull in one station. Next, I tried building my own 4 bay bow-tie antenna. It worked about as good as the Yagi. Frustrated, I finally did some reasearch which led me to the 4228. The 4228 is probably the best antenna on the market. It was either going to be the 4228 or a much longer Yagi (about 8 feet long), but I felt the Yagi would have been uglier and tougher to mount.
According to [...], I am 24 miles from the towers of the major broadcasters, unfortunately, I have lots of trees and a big hill in my way. So this I learned was why my reception was always spotty with smaller antennas. Well I must admit that the 4228 has met or exceeded my expectations. By far it outperforms all other antennas I've used. I've split the antenna feed to three tv's. I am able to pull in all the major markets on two of the tv's, however the standalone Motorola HDTV receiver I have does not perform as well as the newer tv's. I mention this because it's not always the antenna, but it may be the receiver.
I recommend this antenna to anyone who is more than say 20 miles from the towers and/or has had difficulty with other antennas. Again, this antenna is probably the strongest reception antenna sold. It may be ugly, but it is effective. With other antennas I barely pulled in the major networks, but with this one they all come in strong and on occasion I can even pull in a few stations from the Providence market over 50 miles away.
Customer Review: Good antenna for the money
Summary: 4 Stars
I wanted a reasonably priced antenna that with good signal gain that worked in both VHF and UHF, to replace our rabbit ear antenna's. I also didn't want to have to use guy wires or mess with roof mount masts and 6' long antennas. This antenna is fairly compact, made of aluminum and comes pre-assembled. I used the Channel Master 9067 strap chimney mount with this antenna, and placed it about 20' high. Mounting took about 20-30 minutes and required nothing special.
Our nearest broadcast towers are 20 to 45 miles and we typically got about 20-30 on the signal meter on the digital converter box with great fluctuation. After installation, the 4228HD gave us signal readings in the upper 50's to mid 60's. I'm very pleased with the improvement and stability of the signal. This is one of the few screen antenna's that will help in the low VHF range as well. Also, this is a directional antenna; you'll want to point it toward the stations you want improved signal from. If your stations are scattered around you, then this may not be the antenna for you. Informally, it does seem to provide a decent sector of pick up. While mounting and trying to find the best position, I turned the antenna about 30-45 degrees (15-20 degrees left and right of the highest signal strength) without major drop off. But our stations are all located in about the same direction with fairly flat topology, your experience may vary.
As another reviewer noted, the balun box, that you attach your coax cable to, seems cheap and flimsy. Over tightening could break the internal connections. They could have done a much better job with this with sturdier plastic and a tighter coupling of the coax post. If it weren't for this I'd give it 5 stars.
Customer Review: First HD antenna that worked in the attic
Summary: 5 Stars
When we moved our TV from the front to the rear of the house, I lost line of site to Sutro Towers in San Francisco. I had used the Zenith internal antenna in the past, with a small amplifier and could receive most signals. Only problem with the Zenith is that it was UHF only, so I lost a number of VHF channels after the transition (ABC and NBC) so I went shopping for an alternative. I decided to try the attic and initially purchased a Radio Shack antenna that, unfortunately, gave almost no signal. Ironically, I brought the little Zenith antenna up the attic and it actually got a decent signal on most channels (except the VHF band.) I was a bit reluctant to try another large antenna, especially with the potential hassle of returning online (could not find this antenna locally) but finally decided to take a chance. Very pleased with the result, as all the channels that I got before picked up a slightly stronger signal than the little Zenith (still impressed with the Zenith, though) and I now get all the VHF band stations. 15 minutes of alignment and just hanging from the rafters now gets me all the major stations on Sutra and even the local area stations from Mount Baldy even though the antenna does not directly point in that direction (I'm about 30 miles from SF with a large hill in between so all the antenna guides said I couldn't get a signal at my address.) Very pleased with the results, especially now that all the SF stations have made the transition and upped their power sufficiently to reach out here to the 'burbs.Customer Review: Great Reception
Summary: 5 Stars
Before purchasing this antenna, most channels did not come in over the air waves and I was researching the most painless way to purchase a good signal (cable or sattellite). The problem is you get many cheap offers that do not give you a hi def picture. It is rare to be able to get hi def tv for less than $[...] per month. A friend recommended the Channel Master 4228HD to allow me to keep receiving free TV. Previously, my signal strength was in the 40 to 50 range for most UHF channels. Now the signal strength is in the high 70's to high 80's, depending on where the station is located. This antenna is supposed to be great for the UHF signal but I also found that it works on the VHF signal as well. In my experimentation, I actually hooked up an additional antenna for the VHF channels. But the "VHF" antenna did not do anything more than the 4228HD, so I only needed this one antenna for all my needs. I would highly recommend. There have been a couple times where the picture breaks up a little, but that is extremely rare and to be expected when conditions are poor. Best of all, I still am not paying for TV.
I also tried to improve the signal even more by adding the Channel Master 7777. It is supposed to boost the gain. I found it did not work at all and returned it. It could have been broken. Since the antenna worked so well on its own, the boost was not needed. I would recommend starting with this antenna and see if it is enough before going further and purchasing something to boost the signal.
Customer Review: Excellent Antenna for Digitial TV
Summary: 5 Stars
I have had the CM 4228HD antenna for about two months now. It is installed in my attic using a u-bolt mounting kit that is attached to a rafter. I had a number of problems with pixellation and clarity of signal during the first few weeks. All my issues had to do with the tuner on my tv. The picture and sound would come in beautifully at first, then many of the channels would become pixellated and unclear. Through trial and error, I discovered that by unplugging my tv power cord from the wall for at least 1 minute, these issues would be corrected. The 4228HD has now performed flawlessly for more than a month. I live about 20 miles away from the broadcast towers in Atlanta, GA. I have multiple signal path obstacles to deal with including: hills, 60 foot pines, foil-wrapped ducts all througout the attic, etc... but sill am able to capture roughly 30 quality channels with perfect HD picture (1080i/720P) and excellent audio clarity. I pay about $18 per month for my total TV bill, wich includes: 30 channels DTV, Netflix streaming video +1 dvd at a time, and Hulu+ for my on demand tv show needs. I use a Roku box ($100 on Amazon) to access Netflix and Hulu+. I also thoroughly enjoy the Pandora music channel via the Roku. The only drawback to my current setup is that I miss some sporting events that are not broadcast on primary networks...
Note: be careful not to torque the antenna when screwing an unscrewing the cable line or you could break it.