3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Works as advertised no problems whatsoever., February 10, 2011
This review is from: Channel Master 2018 DIGITAL ADVANTAGE (HDTV / VHF / UHF) Outdoor Antenna (Electronics)
Moved into an area where the cable company (will rename nameless, but not Comcast) is horrible. I decided going back to over-the-air would make the most sense for my budget and our families viewing habits, this antenna did the trick! The Channel Master 2018 is classified as a "mid-range" 60-mile VHF, 45-mile UHF. I live North of Houston, TX. According to Antenna-web I'm about 40 miles from all the towers (in Houston they are all grouped together so it's easy to point in the right direction and not worry again). The installer I hired did not have to use a pre-amp, mounted on roof and I'm getting 75-77% signal strength at 100% quality on all channels (these are all channels appearing in blue and violet color rating on antenna web for my address). I am surrounded by trees (some several twice as high as my house). I've been watching VHF and UHF channels for the past few days zero signal problems (not even a hint of digital artifacts) so I can say this product works as described.
I do recommending hiring a competent installer, which for a project like this can be difficult to find these days. In greater Houston area I highly recommend a local Home Theater company Battle-Stations and ask for Larry, your expectations will be exceeded. Also pairs well with a new Tivo Premium box and service.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good antenna, cryptic instructions, May 13, 2011
This review is from: Channel Master 2018 DIGITAL ADVANTAGE (HDTV / VHF / UHF) Outdoor Antenna (Electronics)
My father wanted to cancel cable TV and asked me to find an old-fashioned rooftop antenna, something he last used over 30 years ago. Unfortunately in those 3 decades the rooftop antenna has become somewhat of an endangered species, and none of the usual retailers carry them anymore, not even Fry's and Radio Shack, just those lousy indoor models. So it was a relief to see Amazon carrying these.
My father lives in the San Fernando Valley and per antennaweb.org he needed a medium-strength antenna to pick up the signals which are about 20-30 miles away. I decided to play it safe and get him one that would pick up signals 45-60 miles away. I had it shipped to my house first and although I have U-Verse I decided to try it out without installation. Even in the difficult terrain in my neighborhood it picked up all the channels except Fox HD 11.1; its SD equivalent 11.2 came in just fine. So I knew that in my father's relatively flat area and with proper installation, it won't have a problem.
The assembly instructions were a bit cryptic, and the crummy photos and diagrams weren't all that helpful. Eventually I figured out myself which parts go where. The antenna is broken down into two halves that slip together on a central pipe. There are two long rods that connect one half to the other (besides the central pipe) and at first they seem to be a tad too short, but after a bit of bending I got them to connect. The rest of the assembly is unfolding the various elements and connecting the part that connects the coaxial cable to the antenna. Except for the "U" clamp, all assembly uses wing nuts.
My only other complaint is the "U" clamp, which let's you clamp the antenna to a pipe. It was too small for any of the vent pipes on my father's 60 y/o house. He ended up improvising his own mount for it.
Otherwise this is a good antenna and much cheaper than some of those "amplified indoor antennas" you tend to see in the stores today.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Channel Master 2018 Antenna, October 22, 2011
This review is from: Channel Master 2018 DIGITAL ADVANTAGE (HDTV / VHF / UHF) Outdoor Antenna (Electronics)
The antenna installed very easy. It was located on the roof and all the local TV stations are about 30 miles away. Because the coax cable was a long run, I also purchased a mast mounted amplifier to compensate for the cable loss. All the local digital stations were crystal clear and I am pleased with the results.
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