Customer Reviews

PCT International 4221HD Channel Master Ultratenna HDTV UHF Antenna

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I initially made the mistake of thinking all expensive antennas were created equal. Needless to say, my first antenna was a $100 purchase that worked no better than my old rabbit ears.

I then made the decission to "step up" and purchased a Radio Shack antenna from the "electronic experts". It was touted as an attic antenna but was really too cumbersome for the attic and again provided no more value than my rabbit ears.

Fed up with making returns, and noticing that being in a hurry was costing me time, I finally decided to do some research. After much reading, I decided the 4221 based on its rating was going to be the right thing. I have it installed in my attic and could not be happier. It is a very manageable size and most importantly, it brings in all the channels flawlessly! After the two previous failures I could not be more thrilled. Price is not the key. It was cheaper than the two previous attempts by about half the cost. . . And the best news. It works!

You will want to check on the requirements for your area. A midrange UHF was perscribed as the right thing based on broadcast signals in my area. One also needs to ensure the antenna is pointed in the right direction. Most high gain antennas are directional as is the 4221. If you are looking for a midrange UHF, look no further.

I spent too much time researching antenna's and asked the experts from lots of forums for advice. I purchased a CM4221 and here are my findings.

1. Very good UHF reception. My local high definition is stunning.
2. Good VHF reception.
3. Excellent antenna to buy if you don't want to invest in a rotor.
4. It has a wide reception angle and has good reception from its back lobes (can see good in the opposite direction it is pointed). I live in 48239 zip and have major Detroit stations less than 10 miles away. The Detroit stations are from 356 to 60 degrees in direction. I pointed the antenna at about 30 degrees and received all the Detroit stations at 90% to 100%. The great part (why I bought this antenna) is that I received the Toledo stations 50 miles south (187 degree's) and Canadian CBET channel 9 13.3 miles at 113 degrees south with decent reception. I started with the antenna pointed south (180 degrees) but one Detroit station (channel 7) was weak.

Here are my list of stations:
7.1 Excellent
2.1 Excellent
4.1 Excellent
20.1 and 20.2 Excellent
50.1 Excellent
18 Excellent
56.1, 56.2, 56.3 Excellent
62.1 Excellent
38.1 38.2 Excellent
9 Good (CBET out of Canada)
23 OK
13 OK
11 OK
28 OK

Buying an antenna for your digital TV receiver? It can be difficult, eh? If you live in the city near the transmitters, it's fairly easy -- any small, truly omni-directional antenna will do fine (perhaps the Antennas Direct DB2). If, like me, you live 50+ miles from the TV transmitters and they're in different directions, it becomes a challenge. Here's some tips:

- No antenna is totally "omni-directional" (receives from all directions) no matter what the ad says. Every antenna receives better in one direction than another, and the high-gain antennas are the most picky. Your TV's rabbit ears antenna might do better than a fancy high-gain antenna if it's pointed in the wrong direction. If you buy a "uni-directional" or high-gain antenna, be prepared to spend a lot of time tweaking the direction.

- Don't believe the high-gain ratings, they're mostly marketing hype. There are independent web sites by antenna nerds that rate antennas fairly, so do some research. What you'll find is that every antenna receives some channels better than others -- for instance, it may have great reception ("gain") for channels 30-60 but be terrible for channels 1-20. Ideally, buy an antenna that has has good gain for the channel(s) you're most interested in... if you know what those are.

- Antennas are highly sensitive to position, direction, and things nearby that might interfere with the signals (trees, houses, traffic, the family dog, etc). So what works for me or your neighbor might not work for you. Even a slightly different location may have a huge effect on your reception.

I have a Channelmaster 4221 and an AntennasDirect DB8, one pointed at distant Seattle and the other pointed at Canada, both connected to an RCA A/B antenna switch. Both antennas are excellent; the DB8 is slightly more sensitive but extremely hard to point. I would rate it 5-stars except it didn't come assembled and the assembly instructions are a bit puzzling. Construction and materials are good. The Channelmaster 4221 is somewhat easier to point but still highly directional; it came mostly assembled. Gain is good in my location. I'm only rating it four stars because the construction is less solid. If you're looking at these same two antennas but don't know what to buy, I'd start with the 4221: it's much cheaper and more forgiving about the pointing direction. If you find yourself needing better reception, perhaps buy a preamp to go with it; if that still doesn't work, maybe move up to the DB8 or a higher mounting location.

Good luck!

I had bought 2 antennas previously based on recommendations from antennaweb and radio shack associates and they were both disappointments. For $100 and $60 respectively I could only get a few channels of HD programming after a lot of adjusting which involved many trips to the roof and back.

I read rgifford's review on Amazon and shared the frustration with getting an OTA HD signal, so I decided to give this antenna a try and I am very pleased with it (thanks rgifford!!). I live in Brooklyn, so I pointed the antenna at the empire state building, came downstairs and did an auto scan on my tv's HD tuner. It came up with 38 channels!! Granted, about half of them are public access and local bulletins, but I have ALL of the network channels in HD, a couple Spanish channels (HD soccer!), and some random music, cooking and travel channels. For $30 I couldn't have asked for more.

The antenna itself is relative small, much smaller than any of the previous antennas I had bought, and light. It didn't require any assembly and took about 5 minutes to install with just an adjustable wrench. If you have been having trouble getting local HD channels, especially if you live in NYC I strongly recommend this antenna!

I installed the Channel Master 4221 UHF antenna in my attic, suspended from a rafter using a mounting bracket and pole (see pictures I submitted on this site). I did not hook up any kind of power assist to the antenna. This is a medium range UHF-only antenna. My goal was to pick up digital network feeds for a high def TV. Everyone's situation will be different depending on your distance from stations and local topography around your house. In my case I was somewhat skeptical since the furthest station I wanted to pick up is 53 miles away, and my two story house is situated in a depression with tall trees in the direction of most of the TV signals. Turns out I worried over nothing. The antenna works great and picks up solid signals from 25 stations (most of them PBS variations), including the ABC station I wanted from 53 miles away. I could not pick up ANY analog stations clearly - but all digital stations look good. At first I was still getting signal breakup on some of the high def stations, but I used a web site to view a map showing from which direction the station signals were coming to my house. I then rotated the antenna to face most of those signals and the stations locked in with solid signal strength. I am very impressed with this antenna in an attic mount situation, and highly recommend it to other people for its low end price and high performance.

This antenna is working excellently for me. I have it installed in the attic and it works fine. It's getting all the HD channels that I should expect to get. Actually, I'd give the antenna itself 5 stars, but the shipping (as purchased here on Amazon) was bad. Amazon sells on behalf of some other company, who actually ships the product.

The box it came in was smashed on one end, and the antenna itself was mangled. But not only that.... I believe those who shipped it actually bent the antenna to make it fit in the box! That is, one end of the field, the wire matrix, was curled up to make it fit in the box.

So, you can simply straighten out the wires and make it work... it works fine for me. But if you're picky about this, or if you plan to mount it outside and want it to look pristine, be aware.

For fifteen years I used four-bay bow-ties like this outdoors. Eventually I decided improved analog reception wasn't worth the hassle. My last antenna was an indoor model labeled for HDTV. It worked fine for analog but not HDTV.

Multipath distortion can break up digital reception even with a strong signal. The four-bay bow-tie design rejects multipath distortion pretty well. I tried one indoors. I stuck a pipe on the pedestal of a discarded office chair to make a stand that helds the antenna near the ceiling. Reception was much better.

To try the antenna outdoors, I hoisted it above rooftop level and aimed it at each transmitter within 80 miles. I received 34 UHF channels (16 analog and 18 digital). Surprisingly, I get those 34 channels just as well with the antenna beside my TV. I can have my cake and eat it, too!

My boss wanted to have cable TV installed in his office but I ordered this antenna, hooked it up and he has all the local channels in crystal clear digital reception. No cable bill, lots of channels! This is a great antenna that gives you HDTV if you have a flat screen. Your picture will be MUCH better with this then cable or satellite because you aren't dealing with a compressed signal being squeezed to minimum bandwidth.
It is very easy to install and should work up to 50 miles from your local towers.

I already have one of these that I purchased several years ago, and I was looking for another to point in the opposite direction and gain additional channels. It has worked great for years.

However, the version that was sent to me looks NOTHING like the picture..It is a much much cheaper version that barely passes as an antenna. The old wire mesh version is very sturdy in the wind, but this one has only horizontal bars with no vertical bracing except for the cheap plastic ends-- that have already broken in shipment and I doubt it will last more than a year. The bowtie part is only held by two very small aluminum strips and wingnuts and already flop around just from handling..any slight wind will bend these right off...It has only one mounting bracket where the pictured wire mesh version has two...Adding to the floppy-ness and just waiting for the first slight wind to creat a mangled disaster.

What you see is NOT what you get, the cost-reduced tinfoil version that they sent me pushes the absolute limits to save another $.02 and still be able to call this an antenna. This will never work outdoors, and if mounted in an attic will still require some extra homemade bracing to keep the bowtie unit from sliding down.

Yea, quality is getting worse everywhere, but this thing sets a new record. It's a real scam to show that picture but ship something else entirely.

I wasn't able to get this antenna to function very well but I think there was just too many buildings blocking the signal. My mother's house is surrounded by several high-rises and I just couldn't get the antenna high enough. I made sure it was aimed in the correct direction for best reception by using the coordinates given for her address, but still it just picked up only a very few stations. I plan to try it out at my house eventually where there are no buildings to block the signals.

Also handle it with thick work gloves on. It has raw wires on all sides sticking out and they will scratch the heck out of you. I received several cuts, and one deep one since I forgot my gloves. Please don't forget to wear thick work gloves or you will most likely get injured.