Customer Reviews

Antennas Direct 91XG Uni-directional HDTV Antenna

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This antenna has to be the longest range directional UHF antenna out there. I live 65 miles from the transmitters on Sutro Tower San Francisco that broadcast all the UHF stations I get. Not to mention I'm in the woods and have only one clear shot to the horizon to the South so a directional antenna is a must. Although it's not perfect this antenna does pick up all the major networks even those broadcasting at 500Kw. Personally I'm astonished but make sure you download a PDF of the instructions which is available from solidsignal.com.

Admittedly I put it up completely backwards with the corner screens facing front at first and then finally realized immediately after looking at the PDF a few weeks later that the antenna was backwards. When I turned it around and reversed the direction of all the reflectors so that they were all metal sides facing front the antenna started picking up the fore mentioned extended channels.

10/27/08: I ordered a second one of these and the instructions now are the same as the PDF mentioned but the color one is still easier to identify. My purpose was to stabilize the signal by combining 2 91xg antenna. This works well even with a splitter run backwards because the antennas are the same. You can also run different UHF antenna combined with a product called 'Joinantenna' (google will find it) but the trick with it is you have to isolate the dual reception to 1 channel and rely on one antenna for the whole spectrum. Also many of the antenna reflectors which snap on had extra plastic tags on the edges from molding that you'll want to twist off.

I've spent several "Days Off" installing different antenna-booster combos on a 40' tower. I live in an outer - rural area appropriately 100 miles from an HD output tower.... It's hard to believe the 91XG was far superior than the "Name Brand" antennas that I have been purchasing through a distributor. Ive tried them ALL... It will hold even in warm weather conditions.. It worked best combined with the Channel master amp Model 7777..... When I first received the box, I was spooked at the size and the number of parts inclosed in the Box... I'm telling you to save you alot of time and sweat, It truly performed excellent......... As a dealer, Ive had access to a wide varity of antenna and amp combos. I wanted to sell a unit that would not leave me with an angry customer. The 91XG is solid......

I live in Santa Barbara, and the 91XG in my attic gets me solid reception on numerous digital stations from Los Angeles, 94 miles away. This is really pushing the limits of any antenna, and results at such a distance depend on terrain, weather, etc. I use with it an Antennas Direct PA-18 preamp and a cheap Radio Shack FM trap (discontinued but available on ebay), each of which adds about 10% signal strength.

I initially tried an Antennas Direct Clearstream 4, which got intermittent reception from a few LA stations depending on the weather. Now I realize that the Clearstream4 is a good antenna for its size, but 94 miles was just asking too much of it.

Note that very powerful antennas like the 91XG are highly directional, meaning they must be carefully pointed at the transmitters. Expect some trial and error to get the best reception.

This is one of the best antennas around for deep fringe viewing when all the stations are in the same direction. I live in the mountains about 90 miles from the transmitter towers. I've tried other antennas and could barely get any signal but this one gives me a good to excellent picture on all available UHF analog and digital signals. I do have a preamp installed on the mast with the antenna. For those giving this a poor or very poor rating and saying they live 20-40 miles from the station it is because it has too much gain for their location. They are over driving the input to their television. As an old Air Force radio technician I highly recommend this antenna if you live in fringe to deep fringe areas.

Like many people sick of paying money to cable/satellite providers for total junk I decided to cut the cord and get my channels over the air. First I purchased a small indoor antenna.......no signal. Then I decided to purchase one of those cheap made Lava 2605 HD outdoor antennas....no signal. So after sending that junk back I went to tvfool and entered my address and the guys on the message board suggested this antenna. WOW! I hooked it up to my TV and pulled in 12 channels that are crystal clear and put the satellite to shame. This antenna can pull in the channels from far away! I have $200.00 in the entire setup(antenna, rotor, wire, pipe)and also stream my movies/tv shows from netflix. I went from paying $90.00 a month down to $9.00 a month for netflix. No cable/satellite company can compete with that.

Shipping was pretty good, everything packed well; when I went to put it together everything was fine till I mounted the elements on the boom, the elements where loose they moved around in the wind, so I had to put little plastic wedges in the element clips so they where snug on the boom. The element problem made it a little disappointing.
I get all the Los Angeles HDTV channels with a pre-amp I have a hill between me and Mount Wilson I live in Sylmar SFV

I, am like many, who have DirecTV and live in smaller markets in which there is no local HD channels. I live in rural north east Mississippi. Ive had DirecTV for two years now, and when you have 200+ HD channels and have to watch the major networks in standard def, well, its a bummer. I had thought about getting an HD antenna for a while, but I didnt like the idea of having to switch inputs via the TV when I wanted to watch the major networks. As well, I wouldnt be able to DVR any of my favorite network shows. So when I saw that direcTV had an off air tuner that worked inline with the DirecTV system, I got happy. I just had no idea what antenna to get. All my major networks come from a tower cluster about 50 miles to the south-southwest. I did a little searching and the 91XG came up. So I ordered the off air tuner and this antenna.
I had it put together in about 10 minutes. And even in my living room I got reception to all but one station. I moved the antenna into the attic (did not want to mast it and deal with weather and wind), hung it from the rafters and fished the cable down to the living room. I now have fabulous reception on all channels, and with the off air tuner its all incorporated into the DirecTV guide, so now I can DVR my shows in HD! From opening the box to the end of install took less than an hour, and the bulk of time was spent fishing the cable. If you need a long range uni-directional antenna. This one is great.

TV Antenna Basic Installation Guidelines
Antennas Direct 91XG
Uni-directional HDTV AntUni-directional HDTV Antenna Is a great antenna point it right us a compass.
A properly installed TV antenna system will provide you with years of quality free TV reception. Investing into a quality system makes more sense then ever before.
Digital TV offers more channels all with outstanding picture and sound quality. My advice is to use a quality product, do the job right and you'll only have to do it once. Below are basic TV antenna and accessories installation guidelines.
Choose a stable mount. There are several mounts to chose from. The two mounts popular mounts because of their stability and adaptability are the 5 foot tripod and the eave mount.
In high wind areas keep the mast pipe as close (low) to the last mast support as possible. Keeping the mast pipe to within a few feet of the top of the mount is best especially if it's a larger antenna. If you will be using a rotor keep the mast pipe within a foot of the last support of the mount, just enough to mount the rotor. If a rotor will not be used mount the antenna within 5 feet of the mount for larger directional antennas
If you will be using a rotor Keep the top mast pipe above the rotor as short as possible (the pipe between the rotor and the antenna). I usually find that about 20" is sufficient to mount the antenna into the rotor. The end result is the boom of the antenna is about 30 to 35 inches above the last mast support creating a stable mount. The less an antenna wiggles and jiggles the longer it will last.
Keeping the mast at a minimal height increases the stability of the antenna and reduces the stress on the rotor. This adds to the longevity to both the antenna and rotor.
The installation order of things goes like this.
Each particular item comes with directions pertaining to assembly and installation.
Install the mount according to the type you have.
Assemble the antenna according to the instructions. The TV antenna mounts to the mast pipe using the U-bolt assembly included. Winegard antennas and the EX-HD antenna mount to mast up to 1 7/8 inches and the UP 7 antenna up to 1.5", both outside diameter.
The preamplifier mounts to the mast pipe just below the antenna and is secured using the U-bolt included. Mounts to mast pipe up to 1.5"
With the mount, mast pipe, (rotor if necessary), preamplifier, and antenna installed run a short piece of coax cable from the antenna output to the preamplifier input connection labeled "ANT input"
Next run cable from the preamplifier output connection labeled "to power supply" to a ground block.
A ground block should be installed on the coax cable down lead at a point just before the cable enters your home.
From the ground block output run coax cable indoors to the preamplifier power supply connection labeled "ANT".
The power supply/injector is included with the preamplifier. It is installed indoors and requires an electrical outlet. Its function is to supply low voltage electricity (via the coax cable) up to the preamplifier at the antenna. It can be located as little as a few feet from the antenna preamplifier up to 150 feet away. No signal splitters should be installed between the mast mounted preamplifier and the indoor power injector unless voltage blocks are use.
Now run cable from the power injector output connection labeled "TV" to the TV or to a signal splitter for multiple TVs and then to the TVs
The power supply/injector is included with the preamplifier. It is installed indoors and requires an electrical outlet. Its function is to supply low voltage electricity (via the coax cable) up to the preamplifier at the antenna. It can be located as little as a few feet from the antenna preamplifier up to 150 feet away. No signal splitters should be installed between the mast mounted preamplifier and the indoor power injector unless voltage blocks are use.
Now run cable from the power injector output connection labeled "TV" to the TV or to a signal splitter for multiple TVs and then to the TVs.
It worked for me.
PS:Dont us a rotor if people are watching TV in more rooms than one!!!!!!.

After reading the many reviews on antennas I finally made the jump and bought this one. No regrets here. I already had an okay older VHF/UHF combo and a channelmaster 777 pre amp. Worked great UNTIL the digital "improvement". Then we lost any of the channels that were broadcasting on the UHF frequencies. I put up this antenna aimed it and voila!, we had our missing channels. Dang! It provides excellent reception on transmitters providing better then minimal power and does quite well even on the minimal power ones but those will fade in and out at times. Oh I forgot to say, we live around 70 miles away from the transmitters as the crow flies. Plan on some time to assemble.

For you guys worried about this antenna not being able to withstand the elements. I can tell you that mine has been up for three years in the NE and we get plenty of bad weather here and it has held up fantastically. I get signals from three states with this antenna from 60 miles away no problem.