 - HDTV Compatible
- Adjustable/retractable VHF dipoles extend up to 36" to improve reception of channels 2-13
- UHF loop for improved reception of channels 14-69
- Off air reception of local channels
- Attached 6 75 ohm coaxial hook-up cable with F connector for easy hook-up
List Price: $10.04
Lowest Price: $4.49 
Product Description: Marketing description is not available. Customer Reviews: Rating: 
Date: 2008-05-19
Excellent antenna for digital TV & HDTV reception
After trying multiple antennas, all of which were more expensive than this one, I am happily using this basic antenna. Receives excellent HDTV reception within 20 miles of TV towers. HD picture quality is noticeably better than HD picture provided via HD cable, which I would not have believed without seeing. Like any antenna, reception is sensitive to aiming. I followed recommendations from antennaweb.org to properly aim it. Rating:
Date: 2008-04-26
The little antenna that could
Amazingly, like something out of "Being John Malkovich" or some other absurd comedy, these little rabbit ears -- yes, rabbit ears of all things -- enable reception of stunning, crystal clear, beautiful HD broadcasts that put even my Blu-ray player to shame.
Yes, you need an HD television to enjoy this aspect of the antenna. Otherwise you'll only get the often spotty standard-def signals. If you still have an SD set then this may not be the best thing going.
However, if you do have HD -- wow! I got this antenna for $9 at a brick and mortar store and still can't believe my good luck.
Okay, there *are* some minor quibbles:
First, the cord isn't that long, so you're limited in how far you can move the device away from the tv. Second, the antenna isn't very pretty. Third, occasionally the picture can break up depending on weather conditions.
But, for pure bang-for-the-buck, you just can't go wrong.
I live in a suburb of Atlanta, a bit removed from the major stations in a hilly area, but my HD reception is completely superb. The standard-def reception is another story (mucho snow), but I sure didn't get these babies for SD!
Amaze yourself and your friends with these rabbit ears. You won't be sorry.
Rating: 
Date: 2008-04-23
basic HDTV antenna - mixed review
After reading all the hype around this cheap-o HDTV antenna, I decided to risk losing my hard earned $10. After setting up my HDTV, I connected the RCA rabbit ears to the back panel. I did a channel search, and was surprised to find that I received 50 channels in the SF Bay Area. When I put the batteries in the remote and did a little channel surfing, I was a little disappointed in the results. Yes, the flimsy RCA antenna did manage to lock in 50 channels- but the quality was very poor. Blocky pixilated images, freezing, and drop outs in the sound. I adjusted a few controls on my TV - noise reduction to max, and a few other minor tweaks. I was getting good, strong signals- but there was a catch.
Certain channels only came in if I adjusted the poles a certain way- one straight up, one bent all the way down. Also, the direction I had it pointed in really changed how strong the signal came in. At one point, I had it sitting on my sofa to get a certain channel to come in. I finally thought I had it "dialed in" - that is, getting every channel with acceptable results. I was a little shocked that the next day, I had to re-adjust again.
I find it a little irritating to have to get up off the sofa and adjust the rabbit ears depending on which channel I want to watch. I've ordered an amplified Phillips unit- I hope to get better results... at the very least I hope to end the constant "re-aiming" of the antenna.
I recommend trying this RCA antenna out- it's only $10, and depending on your location, you may get good enough results. It beats paying Comcast $50 a month...
*****update*****
I hooked up my new Phillips HP amplified HDTV antenna - it blows the little RCA away in all aspects... well worth the extra $25.
Rating: 
Date: 2007-06-12
Antennas Compared
I'm a first timer at getting OTA HDTV. This has been an experiment in progress for the past 5 weeks. I have gone through four antennas (they are all here as I write this) before finding something that's satisfactory (rather than tolerable).
I live around 25 miles from Manhattan, where the towers of most TV stations are located. I am also aware of the directional information from [...], and have experimented accordingly with its effects on reception. My apartment's windows all face north, while the signals all comes from southwest. I cannot get signals from where it comes from, and thus needed to get signals from deflections perhaps off nearby buildings and trees. It's a very poor circumstance for over-the-air reception, maybe just slightly better than being underground. Signals are weak, and are affected by weather. Stormy and windy days have shown effects at disrupting signal reception.
With this said, and without going into much detail, let's talk about the antennas. Now all these antenna have been tested with the same equipment, setup, directional adjustments, location, etc. etc. and have been tested through good an foul weather, day and night, to observe differences.
1.Terk HDTVa Terk HDTVa Indoor Amplified High-Definition Antenna for Off-Air HDTV Reception- After reading some rave reviews and high ratings at [...], log periodic types (looks like a fishbone) seems to be the way to go. I got the Terk HDTVa first, thinking that the amplification and VHF antenna should nail my reception problems at the start. However, after more than two weeks of fidgeting around ad nauseam (directions, locations, amplifications, different devices, etc.), I only managed to pick up two ATSC channels' signals, and even those don't have strong enough signals to display anything. I thought maybe it's just my poor location, and that I should probably give up on the attempt. The included in-line amplifier dongle doesn't work at all. Powering it on makes no difference in signal strength readings, which hovered around 5-10%.
It is well built, looks nice, good concepts, but it just didn't work.
2.Phlips PHDTV1 Philips PHDTV1 Digital HDTV-UHF Indoor Antenna- The venerated "silver sensor" which was previously sold under the Zenith brand also had great ratings and reviews. It's in fact nearly legendary. I decided, in desperation, to try it out, even if it doesn't have amplification. It seems all my local HD channels are in UHF anyway, so I won't miss the VHF dipoles.
The unit has startlingly poorer build quality compared to the Terk. It has paint bubbles, hairs and dusts trappings in the paint, sharp edged cheap plastics and much thinner metal blades that's covered in oil and has some dings and bendings. I wasn't impressed with the quality, and didn't expect much from it as I set it up.
To my surprise, it picked up 9 working channels (note: the terk got two channels' signals, but they didn't work) from the start, even if it's randomly placed. It's thrilling as it was the first time I saw OTA HDTV. After some adjustment and location experiments, I was able to receive 19 channels. However, not all of these channels work well given the same direction.
The directionally sensitive antenna needs to be adjusted as I switch channels. e.g. NBC and CBS seems to work well in one direction, while ABC has its own favorite direction, which works also with FOX. I tried as best as possible to find a compromise point where everything works. I couldn't. It just needs to be adjusted constantly.
The transmission is often dogged by reception fluctuations. Signal quality tend to fluctuate quite a bit, especially affected by weather. That means the TV playback would get choppy at times, with its severity dependent on the direction I point the antenna at. I didn't think fluctuating signals was a characteristic until I tried the latter two antennas later. I also found that I had to constantly play with the directional positioning to get a stable signal from each of the stations.
It works, and I was impressed, but then in retrospect it could only be best described as a "tolerable" HDTV experience as I struggled for a smooth signal delivery.
3.RCA ANT111 Basic Indoor Antenna- While shopping in stores, I saw this basic and classic RCA loop/dipole antenna for less than $[...]. I couldn't resist the temptation to try it out, just for the heck of it. It is also a different type of antenna than the previous two.
Again, I was surprised. This cheap antenna worked well, especially considering how it's only a fraction of the price of the two I'd tried. I ended up getting 17 channels, a few less than the PHDTV1, with the same location and setup. Some channels also don't work, even if signals were detected. The quality of the signals seems to be the key.
So what's so special about it? It strangely had better signal delivery for the channels that worked. It's not as choppy, and quality level is very steady. It is also not as affected by directional positioning. I was for the first time able to view FOX, ABC, CBS, NBC without adjusting the antenna. However, the lack of directionality also makes it ambiguous when I lost the signal. It seems that there's no "favorite direction" for the channels, which also means I can't pull in stronger signals at my choosing. It is also quite susceptible to weather changes, particularly wind (which probably affected signals reflected by trees?)
The signal strength also seems to be a little weaker, though the signal quality tend to be higher in general. That probably contributed to the smoother video delivery. It also tempted me to get a similar design that has amplification.
4.Philips MANT510 Philips High Performance Amplified Indoor Uhf/ Vhf/ Fm Antenna- This unit has a "digital TV optimized, patent pending UHF panel array". I thought I'd try it out just for the slightly different antenna design, if not just for the adjustable amplification.
Well, it works, and works quite well. The antenna doesn't work without power, and with amplification turned off it works a little less than unpowered PHDTV1 and ANT111. Yet with the amplification turned on, I get 24 channels, with strength up to 81% (compared to 3-10% unamplified, and quality consistently above 60 and usually in the 70-90%+. That generates the most reliable video delivery of all the ones tried.
While thunderstorms still managed to distrupt signals, it's much less often and only momentarily. I also don't have to worry about hunting for signals as I just point it in one general direction and I get everything but three NJN channels (they are even further from here.. maybe a good 50 miles).
I finally can just set the antenna and forget it. It lets me focus on the programming rather than antenna adjustment. While it needs to be powered, it gives me the confidence to finally enjoy HDTV, rather than tweaking and tolerating it. It's good enough that I can probably stop searching. I hope it'll be helpful to you who may be going through the same purchasing decision nausea as I have. |
