Customer Reviews

Terk Hdr-I High-Definition Indoor Radio Antenna

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

 

 

My HD radio is a Sony XDR-S3HD. So this comparison is only true for this radio and my location (just north of Washington DC). I tried the accompanying wire and dipole antennas first, and then tried this Terk HDRI Antenna and a Philips Magnavox MANT-110 Indoor Passive Antenna. The Terk box says it is specifically for HD radio. The Philips box says it is for VHF/UHF/FM/HDTV.

The dipole worked best overall of the two included with the Sony but I experienced a number of drops when there was movement, either by myself or even my cats, on the far side of the antenna relative to the general direction of the station's tower that I was tuned into. The Terk (with the gain set to the maximum) and the Philips both worked better in this regard resulting in practically no drops in the same scenarios.

The Terk costs 36.14 on sale; the Philips costs 9.99. So the Philips wins on price. Here's the shocking thing. When I tried to tune into WAMU-HD3 or WTOP-HD3 or WCPS-HD3, the Terk had trouble picking up the signal unless I was positioned just right in the room (for example, if I was 5 feet from the antenna but not 3 feet, or if my TV was on, or...). The Philips has no problem picking up these stations regardless! This makes the Terk very much a disappointment. The Terk did not pick up any additional HD channel 2 stations compared with the Philips (the ones I can't pick up currently on a regular basis are WWWT, WPGC, WBIG and WPRS). So if you're having problems with the wire or dipole antenna, then my suggestion is to pick up the Philips or some other cheap indoor FM antenna and forgo spending money on this overpriced Terk.

Magnavox MANT-110 Indoor Passive Antenna

I enjoy my Boston Acoustics HD Radio. I ordered this product hoping it would improve reception over the separate AM and FM antennas which came with the radio. No such luck. Reception was generally the same or slightly worse on some channels. So if you have a Boston Acoustics radio, maybe consider an outside antenna rather than this indoor unit.

This unit, at its max. gain setting, pulls in ZERO additional HD channels. Existing ones are not improved either. It's totally useless. To make things worse, it requires AC power, but for what? To lit the white LED light in front for show? Seriously, it draws electricity for WHAT purpose if it doesn't improve reception ONE SINGLE BIT? Avoid at all cost.

I have tested 3 antennas for receiving AM radio in HD, the included loop antenna, the very expensive C-Crane Selectatenna, and the Terk HDR-I.

While the C-Crane antenna provided the best reception, you will need to fuss with it a ton, including positioning and tuning of its dials. For the high price it requires just too much fussing around with for the slight gain in reception.

The Terk antenna performed slightly better than the included loop antenna and slightly worse than the Selectatenna, but honestly the difference between the worst and the best was slight. But at $35 the Terk does offer some improvement in reception and looks a lot nicer on your desk than the cheapo plastic loop that comes with most radios.

For FM I also tested 3 antennas, the included telescoping antenna, the FM Reflect Antenna from C-Crane, and the Terk HDR-I.

Again the C-Crane antenna provided the best reception, in fact the Terk HDR-I turned out to be a terrible FM antenna, also performing worse than the telescoping stick antenna that was built into the tuner.

Ultimately I kept the Terk antenna for AM HD reception and the Reflect antenna for FM HD reception. I kept the Terk antenna because it did improve reception over the included one, and that is worth the $35 to me, but it is still a long way from a miracle no fuss antenna.

I highly recommend the Reflect antenna from C-Crane for FM HD reception. It is excellent for picking up HD Radio stations in town with rare signal drop out. Unfortunately some of the weaker stations broadcasting outside of town still drop in and out, but even a regular FM radio has trouble tuning these stations without static.

I bought this to use with my Radio Shack HD Radio unit because I have reception issues where I live. Unfortunately it worked no better for me than the simple antenna supplied with the radio. Believe it or not I had much better luck with an old-fashioned "rabbit ears" TV antenna which was one-third the price. Don't know if it would work in a better location but it didn't help me.

I thought this unit would improve my reception, but their was absolutly no difference from the wire antenna which came with my Sangean HD radio.
I live in the NYC area where signal strength is good. Would have returned it for a refund but I was to lazy.

I live in the Baltimore, MD area and reception with the dipole supplied with the radio was questionable if I wanted to listen to the Washington based stations. I tried the Terk Edge and the quality improved slightly; however, only for the local stations. When I bought the Terk HDR-1 and tried it I could pull in all of the available HD stations in the Baltimore-Washington area. I would recommend it without any reservatons.

I bought a new receiver that has HD radio built in. The receiver came with a simple monopole antenna -- a single wire connected to a 75 Ohm connector; not even a dipole. That single wire is good at getting a local station's FM in and usually HD-1. But I really want HD-2, so I wanted a better antenna.

Despite the mixed bag of reviews, I ordered it anyway. Since I was getting okay reception with a wire, I thought an amplified antenna could only be an improvement. And hey, it's only $33 anyway. I checked another web site as well, and people there gave it 4 1/2 out of 5 stars. So what the heck?

When I got the antenna and hooked it up, I got nothing but hiss. No matter what way I turn the gain -- nothing. I can't get the radio station in at all. It seems absurd that an amplified antenna connected by a meter of cord gets worse reception than a simple wire. I'm just appalled.

Thus I'll be packaging it up and sending it back to Amazon. Save yourself the bother.

I bought this expecting alright reception but the FM antenna that came with the HD radio that i bought (XDR-S3HD) gave way better reception. But the AM reception this antenna gave is awesome! So if your gonna buy this antenna the only really good purpose is good AM HD Radio. So because of the good AM reception and good look of it i'll give it 3/5 stars.

I have a SONY XDR-F1HD FM/AM Digital Tuner that is HD capable. I can receive multiple FM HD stations using the passive "T" shape of deployed wire provided by Sony. Other stations that I wish to access are received by others in my area, using other antenna arrangements.

I ordered the Terk Hdr-I from [...].com (aka Atlanta Network Tech and a subsidiary of Audiovox). As this employs external AC power, ostensibly to amplify received signals and as it is marketed as being HD radio capable, I assumed at least some improvement. When I received the product it was packaged in formed plastic wrap. In order to see if the product could/would do anything for me, I had to open the wrap, which I did being careful not to damage any of the contents. After about an hour of testing, I determined that this device, attached to my radio and commercial AC power, did no better nor worse than the passive wire antenna. I carefully placed the components, still in pristine condition, in the opened, original plastic wrap and mailing carton.

In response to successive Emails to [...]and Audiovox, I was told that I could not qualify for an RMA because the plastic wrap was breached and the product was not fit for resale as new. If this isn't a classic "pig in a poke" situation, I don't know what is.

I turned to Amazon.com and they refunded my entire expenditure. What a difference in business practices.

The product may work for others in other environments but, this was not to be in my circumstance. The sellers were definitely not what I expect when I make a purchase. Amazon restored my faith in the marketplace.