Customer Reviews

Tivax DT-01 Amplified Indoor Digital TV Antenna (Black)

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(19)
2 star:		(18)
1 star:		(20)

 

 

I bought this little antenna to replace my TV's old rabbit ears. I got a Tivax converter box back in February and while I could get quite a number of channels (I live in a rural area), the rabbit ears just weren't picking up a good signal. The rabbit ears had to be turned to pick up the best signal on each individual channel. I purchased this partly from the reviews, partly from having good luck with the Tivax CB and the price. I got it overnight (and didn't pay for overnight shipping, thanks Amazon!) and plugged it in and wow....great reception clear picture, all channels reporting "best" signal without having to move this around. For the reviewers who commented that they broke the antenna off easily, they must have been really really rough with this unit, because while I wouldn't recommend using excessive force, it appears to be put together rather nicely. I am pleased with this product and would recommend it to anyone on a budget. I live in a fairly remote rural area in Virginia and with all the hills and moutains, I still get excellent reception and 13 channels (10 with the old rabbit ears).

As part of the transition to DTV broadcasting I got a Tivax converter box along with this antenna. It works great! Before using this combination with the old rabbit ears antenna and regular analog TV there were a few channels with snow. Now I can receive over 20 channels over the air for free with clear pictures and sound.

I purchased the Tivax STB-T8 and this antenna (Tivax DT-01) and I'm having real good results. I turn the antenna amp on but leave the gain all the way down because I live about two miles from the John Hancock building and the Sears tower in downtown Chicago. That's where most all broadcasts originate in this city and with too much gain the picture will freeze and/or pixelate. I would recommend this.

I live in an area that's on the outskirts of the suburbs and approaching a rural area, and the biggest challenge has been trying to find the right directionals and gain amount to bring in channels. Some channels come in only if the amp is turned off, others I have to finagle the antenna around to find the right position and gain amount to bring them in with no pixellation.

it may be the wrong one for my area but since I live in LA with no tall buildings or mountains right next to my condo I thought it might be OK. Nope. I lost one channel completely, it takes frequent fiddling to maintain the signal for even the best ones and it seems to lose the signal just when they are going to identify the bad guy, give the real motive for the crime, tell where the epicenter is, or who will dance next week. a very frustrating piece of equiptment I finally gave up on and replaced.

Since the digi transition, I've tried 3 indoor antennas(the so called multidirectional frame looking antenna,,JUNK for me)..This oldschool looking Tivax (bunny ears and loop but with a digital circuit) seemed to have had more INITIAL power than the other 2...OK,,That was a good headstart for me,,so,,I researched (on the net) and learned that where I place and how I adjust the antenna are VERY important..
I live 35 miles away from tha towers and all I was expecting were 2 channels,but,after finding tha SWEET SPOT in my room & turning up tha gain (you may have to buy an extended RF cable for placement options),,this antenna pulled in 4 uhf channels..I wanted ch13 which is a vhf channel.I learned that fully extended rods don't always pull in the vhf channel(I had mine at 30 inches),but, just by lowering the antenna rods down to 12 to 18 inches & adjusting,,pulled in ch13 for me...
All in all,,It's where you live,,the area is very important..I live in an area where hills and other houses can easily block any signal..That's why I'm surprised that I'm getting 6 sometimes 7 clear channels now..This antenna is Great for the price...
The old school design(Bunny & Loop) really gave me more options during adjustments..
Once you find the right spot in your room,keep it there and adjust...

I purchased this to go with my Channel Master CM7000 as a process of eliminating my cable service. This works great, although, its too powerful - when powered on it gets worse signal. So, I have no complaints. good product although I wish there was an indicator for the orientation. I still don't know which way its pointing...

If you are looking for a great antenna for your converter box...search NO further this is IT!!! I did not know (and they never said) that to receive a signal with your box ya gonna need a digital antenna as well. I was skeptical about getting one, but I was getting NO signal whatsoever. SO i took the leap abd bought this one here, and as soon As i plugged it in it worked great, I get all my channels, its easy to install, it is nice and clean, and neat looking, and it works like NOBODY'S business, I love it love it LOVE it.

Hooking up this antenna, I got about 8 stations. According to the FCC website, I should have been getting 15 stations. This antenna was just too weak to pick all of the stations up. Plus, everytime a car drove by outside, the picture would freeze up for a second. I replaced it with the Eagle Aspen Dtv2Buhf antenna and the reception is significantly improved. Unless you live right next door to a broadcasting tower, I would skip this antenna for the bow-tie and wire mesh type antennas.

Who should buy it:
Those no more than 30 miles from a transmission station
Those whose favorite stations are UHF band

Who should look elsewhere:
Those in rural areas or 50 miles or more from a transmission station
Those whose favorite stations are VHF band
Those who need to position the antenna more than a few feet from an outlet

For information on what stations are nearby you and whether they use UHF or VHF, [...]

The built-in preamp is both a blessing and a curse. It will boost a marginal signal to a more solid signal but it's also always enabled, meaning the unit has to be plugged in and turned on to get any signal at all. This limits positioning quite a bit since the power cord is a bit short and comes with a brick that makes it awkward to use an extension cord.

UHF reception is great. Even with large obstacles and sub-optimal positioning, UHF stations come in clearly.

The VHF reception is greatly lacking. It's not possible to make a proper high-gain indoor VHF antenna anywhere near as small as this unit, so I suppose I can't really fault Tivax for that. But still, I cannot receive NBC, CBS or FOX at all in the capital region of New York, as all those stations are VHF. Maybe a stronger amp would help, who knows. I'm less than 18 miles from the broadcast towers, so they SHOULD come in fine. If your major stations are VHF, even if they're close, look elsewhere.