Customer Reviews

24DB Dual Output Vhf/uhf/fm Amplifier

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I compared the two signal amplifiers in an over-the-air antenna situation. The antennas (both VHF/UHF - digital) were outdoor type with from about 50' to 75' of coax cable connected to an HDTV. Also tested on an analog TV.

The Philips PH61111 is meant for indoor use, is black, and has two output terminals, a convenience. It's lightly built, and reminds me of the boosters that have been available at Radio Shack for years (decades). Has a convenient power on light. Connects directly into AC via two pronged cord. Comes with a limited lifetime warranty. Made in China. Amplification is 24 db (very nice); not adjustable. Recommended only for TV applications.

The Motorola Signal Booster is also black, has only one output terminal. Besides the input terminal, there's a terminal for DC power via an AC adapter. It could easily be plugged into one of the other terminals by mistake. It's ruggedly made of die cast aluminum. Box contains two 6' coax cables with connectors. Has a limited 1 year warranty. Made in China. Amplification is 15 db; not adjustable. Can be used for multiple broadband applications. Is bi-directional, so more versatile than the Philips for non-TV communications applications. The three cables with adapter makes it a bit clumsy to work with in an enclosed space.

THE TEST
Used both units on a Toshiba 40XF550U and an older Panasonic superflat CRT. Units were placed in cabinets close to the TVs (not at the antenna source). Digital channel signal strength was measured using the TV's signal strength indicator for approximately 30 channels in the San Francisco bay area (north and south from Mountain View).

FINDINGS
Both units performed equally well. They substantially boosted signal strength from a non-amplified situation. Even though the Philips claimed higher amplification power, it did not boost signals from distant stations any more than the Motorola. Fringe signals were exactly the same strength. The analog TV also received benefits that were, subjectively, equivalent.

CONCLUSIONS
The Philips is roughly half the price, more compact, with two signal outputs, and works just as well at TV signal amplification as the Motorola. If that's the only application required, the Philips is a good choice.

This product works just like it is supposed to work.

It seems pretty reliable too, it has been in my attic (110+ degrees in summer and mid-20s in winter) and did not cause any problems.

The important thing about this unit (or any amplifier for that matter) is, it has to be as close as possible to the antenna. If you have an antenna in the attic and if this amplifier is in your living room (after losing 6-10 dB), the 24 dB amplification will not be sufficient to re-generate the digital signal.

I purchased this amplifier because the signal from our VHF/UHF roof-mount antenna was being lost in a sea of cables and splitters I recently added to our home.

My first test with the new amplifier involved running an extension cord to the roof so that I could connect the amplifier directly to the antenna. To my surprise the results were terrible. Several channels actually disappeared. Others worked poorly.

I bundled up the amplifier in anticipation of returning it. But then I had another thought. I wondered if the VHF and FM signals that saturate our valley were being amplified to the point that they were swamping the front end of either the amplifier or our DTV converter boxes. (All I wish to receive are UHF DTV signals.)

To test this hypothesis I made a very crude UHF loop antenna (out of a 2' piece of 12 gauge copper wire and a 300-to-75-Ohm balun) and plugged it into the amplifier. Everything worked great! Every TV in the cable/splitter chain had a fine signal on all DTV channels.

So my conclusion is that this amplifier works fine. In fact it works too well at VHF frequencies. If all you want to receive and amplify are UHF signals and you live in an RF-saturated area, you need to use a UHF-only antenna with this amplifier.

This gadget gave me the ability to receive a few extra channels with my ATSC receiver plus I was able to pick up some existing channels without having to turn the antenna.
Worked Great!
February 6, 2008 The second output went out but it still works on output one.

I bought one of these to amplify the signal of my outdoor TV antenna. As recommended, I connected the input to the coax which goes directly to the antenna. The output went to two TV sets and two PVR's about 100 feet away.

Instead of improving the signal, several stations would no longer come in at all! Assuming I had bought a defective unit, I returned it for another. Same result! I spent several hours reconfiguring the connections to determine if perhaps there was something I was doing wrong or if some connection was bad. In the end I had one wire going directly from the antenna into the amp, then directly to the TV. It still didn't work. The amp made strong signals weak and weak signals unusable. I even tried several different cables which worked fine without using the amp, but the result was always the same.

I now assume from seeing all the repackaged boxes at the store, that these units are unreliable pieces of junk. I would never buy another. I've used similar units in the past with no problems. BTW, older units which I used years ago had gain control, which these don't. Perhaps that would have solved my problems, but I'll never know.

BTW, The outside of the boxes say "Limited Lifetime Warranty". Good luck with that! There were no instructions inside on how to go about getting a refund or replacement. What a crock!

I bought a Motorola Signal Booster to replace this piece of junk. It works great--Woohoo!

CLICK HERE ==> Motorola Signal Booster 484095-001-00 Bi-Directional RF Amplifier <== CLICK HERE

The unit does not appear to exhibit any gain whatsoever. On opening the box and checking the construction, it appears to be a mass of solder blobs. The output is not a dual amplifier, but a single amp split - which does not seem to agree with the add.

I had a 12 db amp for my outside antenna, living on a fringe area for tv reception. I decided to try out a
24 db amp. Picture was definitely better; except for channel 11 VHF, I couldn't pull it in. All the other channels
came in good, 2,4,7,9,13, but channel 11 refused to come in clear. Had to go back to my 12db amp and got
it good. Must have been a drop out inside the amp for channel 11. To cheap to send back, so I guess I'll
junk it or keep it as a partial spare amp. :-(

I'm hesitant to rate this item, because there are no other reviews to "bounce ideas off of." I live in an area that is difficult to recieve TV signals. I tried 2 other amplified TV antennas with no success. I then added this Philips inline amp to my existing (supposedly amplified) antenna, and got a noticeable improvement. Without this inline amp, there are many times where I might get a grainy signal, but no sound -- or in different weather conditions, effectively nothing at all. The whole setup is tenuous, and the antenna has to be positioned "just right," but this little amp has made a very real improvement. So until someone else adds a rating that points to another, better, inline amp, I'm going to give it 5 stars. See below for the text (mine) from another (different antenna) rating which explains more of the story:

Ok, please correct me if I'm wrong: Is this antenna _only_ for HDTV??? The box says, "Amplified Indoor Antenna." It also says, "Off Air HDTV Broadcast Compatible." It says that it's for VHF, UHF, and FM Stereo. I cannot find, anywhere on the box (or literature) where it claims to be _ONLY_ for HDTV. From what I gather, it should work for "normal" broadcast television -- but also work with the newer HDTV signals. I tried this RCA ANT1251 and a similar Philips MANT510 (which also says VHF/UHF/FM/HDTV digital). This RCA claims to have 55db amplification. The Philips claims 50db amplification. On each box, they both claim to work for urban and suburban -- but _not_ for "rural." I'm guessing that I'm far enough away from 2 major cities to be considered rural.

Here's the deal: I tried both antennas and the reception was _worse_ than what I already had. What I already had was a Thompson TV-631 (which is almost certainly the exact same as the Jensen TV-631 Amplified TV Antenna, which Amazon carries). My Thompson looks _identical_ to the Jensen. If you look at the Jensen (on Amazon's page), you'll notice that there is no apparent label on the unit -- that's because it's on the bottom -- where anyone can buy a Chinese generic unit and "rebadge" it to their own brand. So, for all intents and purposes, I'm going to effectively say that I'm now using a Jensen Model TV-631 _AND_ Philips Model PH61111 inline amplifier (which Amazon also markets). This combination, while perhaps not the best available, is _far_ better than the RCA or Philips Indoor Antennas. (And, yes, I also tried the inline amp in combination with both new antennas. For whatever reason or reasons, these combinations don't work.) I still only get 2 channels, but I now get them far more often and far better than I used to.

This amplifier is plug and play! I am running it in an attic that gets pretty warm in the summer and I have no problems. I am driving 4 TV sets, and using splitters. There is enough oompf in the amp to make each TV look good with a generic antenna.

Less expensive than a "Digital Antenna" (which is marketing hype anyway) it gives the performance that digital TV signals require.

Feb 2009 - I bought a 2nd digital TV in February, at about the date for the changeover to the digital signal. The signal from my antenna was not strong enough and I lost several stations, stations that I was still able to receive on my 1st digital TV. Sooo...
I connected the amplifier at the 2nd TV, not at the antenna. Beautiful!
I regained the stations I lost, and probably have better reception than with the 1st TV.
My electrical engineer then suggested that the cable length provides a decrease in signal, sufficient to not "overpower" the amplifier.
The instructions could provide a few hints for situations such as these.

Jan 2009 -I installed the amplifier hoping to improve my signal for occasional, bad reception days and for fringe stations.
After installing, my analog TV had a somewhat snowy picture. The digital TV lost one station.
An electrical engineer suggested the amplified signal might be to strong, and there is no way to adjust the gain.
So, I disconnected the amplifier, and reconnected my antenna and TV cables to the old splitter. I enjoyed the rest of the evening watching television. (The coax is R6-Quad Shield.)