Customer Reviews

C. Crane FM Reflect Antenna

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

Amazon's price for this antenna was the best I could find. I ordered it on a Sunday before a Monday holiday and it was delivered the following Wednesday via their Super Saver free shipping, which I considered to be excellent service. This antenna looks better than a twin-lead dipole antenna, appears to be well-made, comes in an attractive box with a balun coil (matching transformer) for connecting to screw terminals and also an alligator clip for hooking it to a built-in antenna.

Since this antenna has received mixed reviews from other users I decided to be as "scientific," as my skills and equipment would allow. I used my training as an FCC licensed broadcast engineer to compare it to the standard twin-lead dipole antenna that was included free with my tuner. I had already oriented my existing dipole antenna for optimum reception, using my tuner's signal-strength indicators. I then used my tuner's scan mode to see how many stations it could find and I carefully wrote down the frequency and signal strength for each of the many stations that I can receive. Since I live about halfway between New York City and Philadelphia, my FM dial is crowded with stations.

After establishing a base-line of performance with my ordinary dipole antenna, I replaced it with the C. Crane FM Reflect Antenna and experimented with dozens of antenna positions to obtain best reception. Remarkably, mounting the C. Crane FM Reflect Antenna in the exact same position and location, that my twin-lead dipole antenna had been installed, gave me the best performance. After this optimum positioning, I once again used my tuner's scan mode to see how many stations it could find. I then carefully compared the signal strength from each station that my tuner found using the new antenna, with the signal strength that I had received with my previously-installed antenna. Although I saw no indication of a stronger signal on any of the existing stations, I was able to pick up two more stations in my tuner's scan mode with the new antenna.

As a percentage of the large number of stations that I could already receive at my location, I considered two additional stations a very small improvement. The difference easily could have been due to minor changes in atmospheric conditions between the tests. It was certainly not as dramatic as the improvement that I expected when comparing a $3 antenna with a $30 antenna. If you're using a good twin-lead dipole antenna and have adjusted its position for best reception, I believe that you'll need to upgrade to an outdoor antenna, such as the Winegard HD-6000 FM Stereo Antenna, to get a noticeable improvement. I could not find that the C. Crane FM Reflect Antenna is significantly better.

To understand why the results turned out as they did, it might be helpful to understand how antennas work. The most effective antenna elements in the FM and TV band are the length of the radio wave that they're tuned to receive. Our FM band extends from 88Mhz to 108Mhz, which represents a wavelengths from slightly more than 109 inches to slightly more than 134 inches. The higher the frequency, the shorter the wave.

A typical folded dipole antenna is about 58 inches wide, which is about 5% less than half the length of the average FM radio wave. Since the dipole is folded onto itself, it has an effective antenna length of about 122 inches, which is the average between the 109 inch and 134 inch wavelength extremes of the FM band.

There are several ways to increase the gain of an antenna. One way is to increase the number of active antenna elements that are exposed to the radio waves and connect them together. Another is to use a reflector to concentrate the radio waves onto the antenna. Satellite antennas, for example, reflect and concentrate very short waves onto a rigid dipole antenna by using a dish. Outdoor Yagi FM (and TV) antennas use multiple elements connected in tandem with reflecting elements in the rear to focus the antenna's sensitivity in a single direction. Such antennas are very efficient because they use both multiple elements and reflectors to increase gain.

Ultimately the Crane antenna, no matter how attractively it may be designed and packaged, cannot defy the laws of physics. It has only a single active T-shaped folded antenna element which is exactly the same as an inexpensive twin-lead folded dipole antenna. It is, therefore, not surprising that several reviewers including me, who have compared it to the cheap variety, have found that it gives no better reception.

A couple clarifications, first, over previous reviews and the product description:

1. This antenna is NOT rigid! It will not stand up on its own, hold its shape on its own, etc. The description and other reviews suggest this antenna will hold its shape on its own; it will not. The cable is thick and somewhat stiff, but it is not rigid.

2. This is a simple dipole antenna made of high-quality coaxial cable, the same kind used for cable TV. It has the same basic length as a 300-ohm dipole antenna you would buy at Radio Shack or Wal-Mart.

3. The cross-T section is basically two lengths of coaxial cable, one atop another. Its ends are plastic with pinholes, which would allow you to hang the ends via a tack or brad inserted through the hole.

4. The connector is a standard 75-ohm F-type screw-on, the same type of connector used for cable TV connections. If your radio uses the smooth-type 75-ohm connector or the twin-lead, 300-ohm type connector, you'll need to purchase an adapter. I am using a 75-ohm to 300-ohm adapter I got from Radio Shack.

This antenna is basically a more powerful version of a dipole antenna. In my area -- suburban Maine, atop a ridge -- this antenna did an extraordinary job of pulling in distant stations and a great job of isolating the strongest frequency (depending on where the antenna was placed and how it was shaped) in places where station signals overlapped.

Because it is so powerful, how you position this antenna has significant effect on how well it works for the station you want to tune. That is true for all dipoles but especially for this one. Something as simple as whether the center cable has a loop in it, or curves on the way up, can have a huge effect on whether a particular station comes in well.

What is a good antenna position for one station may not be the right position for others, especially, as the documentation notes, if you are trying to bring in many different kinds of stations at different positions on the dial. Be prepared to play with the shape of the antenna and to fix its position with a bit of tape or twist ties.

There's one term I can't apply to this antenna, and that's "aesthetic." It is thick and it is clunky. If you don't want to have a big, white cable hanging around your home, or you don't think you can effectively conceal this antenna, don't get it.

And again, since this antenna is powerful, it is very sensitive to positioning -- where you might want it to go may well not be the place it wants to be. Keep that in mind when planning how you will mask this thing.

Overall, I am very pleased. I'm not sure it was worth the $30 I paid for it -- an 18-foot length of double-shielded coax and an RF connector, which is all this thing really is, would cost about $12 at an electronics store -- but it does work, if you are willing to invest the time to position it properly, live with where it decides it needs to be, and don't mind (or can hide) its industrial appearance.

I hoped to "clean up" my fm reception a bit with this antenna. I replaced my $2 indoor dipole antenna with this $30 antenna and discovered absolutely no difference in fm reception. The strong fm stations were still strong but the weak fm stations showed no improvement. Save your money or test it and return it as I did.

So many people left either great or horrible reviews about this product, that I had to weigh in with the real story.

Based on the reviews on Amazon, I bought antenna with skepticism. Worst case scenario, I would return it. I live in Orange County, California, which is about 25 miles away from all the major broadcasters in Los Angeles. There is a lot of opportunity for interference between here and LA. I tried the fancy power antennas, and they pulled in far fewer stations than the simple, $1.99 dipole antenna from the local electronics shop. Don't waste your money on the powered antennas--you'll only frustrate yourself.

I tried several thin, copper dipole antennas, and they all seemed to work pretty well. I had to try several because the cat kept chewing through them no matter how well I hid them.

The C. Craine FM Reflect dipole antenna does pull in more HD stations than the cheaper dipole antennas. Trying different placement options, I found that I could pull in almost all of the HD stations available in the area. I was not able to pull my favorite station, KCRW, in as HD--but this is not a failure of the C. Craine antenna--the station's HD broadcast just isn't strong enough to reach my radio.

This antenna has two distinct advantages over other dipole antenna: (1) with careful placement, it does pull in HD stations that other antennas do not; (2) it's thick, durable construction is impervious to cats.

The $30 price tag is a bit steep for a dipole antenna, but all things considered, it's still cheaper than paying the vet bill because the cat swallowed copper wire.

As long as you understand that this antenna does not work miracles, you won't be disappointed with the C. Craine FM Reflect.

I recently received a new HD Radio and was disappointed. Using the dipole antenna included with the radio, I received only about half the area stations' HD signals at all, and forget about the HD2 signals, they came in and out constantly, making them unlistenable. I tried a Radio Shack amplified antenna and it made no difference. I just received this antenna and hooked it up. What a difference. I can receive HD on all my stations now, and the HD2 locks in fairly well.

I've got a Tivoli Model One in my office with a great speaker but subpar FM reception in Los Angeles. Especially problematic is 89.3 KPCC. After getting no improvement with a cheap Terk and a 30-dollar Radio Shack amplified AM/FM antenna, I tried the FM Reflect. The good news: There was marked improvement, even on KPCC, but still there was some signal fade on 89.3. Another problem was 97.1. Worse was 103.1. So while the Reflect did generally improve my FM reception, it proved to be hardly a panacea. As a reference, my office also has a remote control Eton Sound 100 with telescopic antenna and it receives all the aforementioned FM stations with clarity.

If you don't want to mess around with awkward FM antenna attachments, you might check out my top FM performers, radios that don't need an external FM antenna: The C.Crane CSW (formerly the Kaito 2100), the Kaito 1103, and the Eton S350DL.

The crane fm antenna proved to be only slightly better than a 300 ohm dipole available from Radio Shack for about $3-$4.00. Keep in mind that the higher up on the wall you go or hung with string (to prevent interference) from a window shade cross member, the better your reception will be with any indoor dipole type antenna. Buy a dipole for $3-$4 and use the remainder for something else.

The diffence this antenna made is unbelivable. Static-gone. Hissing-Gone. Interference due to people walking around-Gone.

This antenna is worth every penny you pay for it, I would pay twice the price now that I know what a difference it makes.

I had high hopes for this product but was disappointed with the performance I had planned to use it with my new sangean tuner but after comparing it with the antenna that comes with the tuner I could not justify the money I spent I tried to place the C-crane in several locations arund the house but the reception was poor so I ended up using the antenna that comes with the tuner
also the C-crane reflect is very difficult to put up anywhere it is not flexible, I was not happy or satisfied.

Update to my previous review. I have a new preamp with a threaded attachment for the FM antenna. Again, it took a bit of fiddling, but now my NPR station comes in clearly with the cross piece bowed and attached to the wall behind my home theater. The sound is rather better than the previous amplified antenna I was using.

I purchased this antenna in hopes of adding it to my home theater. I've had problems for years with FM reception throughout my house, and the positive reviews I had read elsewhere lead me to purchase this one.

My only complaint is that it has a threaded connector, while my tuner has a smooth one, so I was unable to plug it in. It sat for a while, until I decided to put my basement stereo in an old, smaller cabinet that fit better in the space than the one it was on.

After attaching an adapter to allow me to use bare wires on my old tuner, I spent a few minutes fiddling with the antenna. Finally, I was able to find a configuration that gives me better, more dependable reception than I have ever had in the basement.

So, it may take a bit of work, but if you have problems with what should be a strong FM signal, this antenna may just do the job for you. Be patient, play around, and you will probably be rewarded with the best FM you have heard.