Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Channel Master 4221, January 9, 2007
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.
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
CM4221 is a great antenna, January 8, 2008
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
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great HD reception for most channels, June 6, 2008
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!
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