After messing around with two of the cheap Asian manufactured antennas with rotors (neither of which actually rotated right of the box) I finally coughed up a bit more change and bought this one from Winegard. I should have done this is the first place. In less than an hour I had removed the cheap Chinese junk antennae and replaced it with this one from Winegard.
I googled something like "correct direction to point antennae for maximum reception of San Francisco HDTV stations." I found a web page that had all the stations in my area listed and the direction in degrees around 360 from North to which to point the antennae for maximum reception. I then downloaded a free compass app for my Windows phone, and put as much of the antennae together before taking it up to the roof. Once mounted on the pole with the mounting hardware and tightened just enough to allow me to move the direction of the antennae, I fired up the compass app, and found my heading (324 degrees). I rotated the antennae by hand to that approximate direction, adjusted it a couple of times and then tightened it down all the way.
My HDTV (and probably yours) requires me to do a channel search after installing a new antennae or rotating an existing one. It's the way these sets find signals and add them to your list of available channels. I've got all the national network channels, including three flavors of PBS (nine total channels), have clean reception of CBS, FOX, NBC, ABC and a host of other stations I never knew existed before--61 channels in all.
Winegard has been making antennae of all varieties since I was a kid (a very long time ago) and they are known for excellent design, quality and for working well. This company knows how to build a great antenna so if you're looking for one to replace your cable provider with an outdoor antenna and streaming video from the net (like Amazon's Prime) this unit makes a great choice.
OTHER STUFF TO CONSIDER:
--I don't have a direct line of sight to Sutro Tower, where all the major networks and other stations have their antennae and that still did not keep this antenna from working.
--If you're a long way away from the TV station transmitters you may need to add a preamplifier unit to the installation. You'll know you need one if after installing your Winegard reception is still not great. You can find them here at Amazon.
--If you live in an area that doesn't have one huge tower all the stations antennae mounted on it like Sutro here in San Francisco, you may also need a reliable rotor to turn the unit. Again you can find a great one made by Radio Shack and sold on Amazon.
--Plan on another $50 for a heavy gauge 5 ft. pole, and an additional $50 for each additional 5 ft section. Even factoring in a preamp, a rotor and some lengths of pole, you're still going to come out way ahead of your cable bills.
--The higher you go, the more sturdy a mounting you'll need so there may be some costs for guy wire, screw eyelets, roof sealing compound for around the hole the screw eyelets make in the roof.
--This antenna does not come with any 72 Ohm coax so you'll need enough to run from the antenna to the set. This also means some crimping tools for the end hardware.
THAT WAS THE WORST CASE SCENARIO:
--Reality is the further you live away from the broadcast stations and if the stations transmitters are not at a central location, the more stuff you'll need to consider before buying this or any antenna.
--You'll likely end up needing the antenna, a 5 ft. pole, some coax and connectors, a piece of free compass software for your phone, or an old compass (remember those). If you figure a total budget of not more than $150, and factor in about 90 minutes of your time to assemble, install, and adjust direction you're likely to have enough left over for some good beer.
FINALLY:
All the essential hardware needed to mount the antenna to the pole and connect it to coax is included with the antenna. I had no missing parts.
For the money, this is a great value.
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This Item  Winegard Company Compact Video Antenna (HD7000R),BLACK |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | Currently unavailable. | $38.99 | $51.79 | $64.99 | $209.95 | $98.95 |
| Delivery | — | — | Get it Apr 22 - 25 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, Apr 23 | Get it Apr 23 - 25 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, Apr 23 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Easy to assemble | ||||||
| Picture quality | ||||||
| Easy to install | ||||||
| Sold By | — | multicomp PRO | Flulep Store | pbd | Ness Electronics, Inc | DigiHiTech |
| maximum range | 30 miles | 40 miles | 150 miles | — | — | 200 miles |
| impedance | — | 75 ohm | 75 ohm | — | 75 ohm | 75 ohm |
| antenna description | Television | Television, Radio | Television, Radio | Television | Television, Radio | Television, Radio |
Reviews with images
Got Philadelphia Channel 6 with attic install at 40 miles away from Roxborough tower
This is marketed as an "up to 30 miles" antenna, probably in an outdoor location, but I am using it 40 miles from the tower AND in an attic. The antenna is light weight and reasonably easy to assemble. The four Low VHF extensions, however, would not allow both screws to be inserted into the couplers. I omitted one screw from each pair (and deleted one star from the review) since wind is not an issue in the attic. It would be easy to modify them to fit because the elements are aluminum.Channel 6 WPVI/ABC (and Channel 2 WDPN) broadcasts on Low VHF which requires an antenna with very long elements, which the HD7000R has. It has a seemingly small UHF section but it does not hinder performance. My Samsung Q70R finds 94 channels but only 5 are of interest to me: ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, and PBS (a.k.a all of the primary "XX.1" channels - XX.2, XX.3 and so on are of limited value, IMO).I believe success with Philadelphia stations in my Southern Chester County location results from these facts:1. My attic is wood construction/OSB under vinyl siding and asphalt shingles2. The narrow end of the antenna is oriented in the proper direction3. All the Philadelphia signals have a clear Line of Site (LOS) over the terrain4. There are no obstacles other than trees (not a forest) along the Line of Site within 800 feet of the antennaThe detail provided by the Signal Search on RabbitEars.info is great. All channels with GOOD or FAIR signal strength tune in well and even some POOR channels come in (these have have Line of Site issues, greater distances, and/or imperfect antenna orientation). It also graphs out the signal path over the terrain while accounting for the curvature of the earth.
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2021
Channel 6 WPVI/ABC (and Channel 2 WDPN) broadcasts on Low VHF which requires an antenna with very long elements, which the HD7000R has. It has a seemingly small UHF section but it does not hinder performance. My Samsung Q70R finds 94 channels but only 5 are of interest to me: ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, and PBS (a.k.a all of the primary "XX.1" channels - XX.2, XX.3 and so on are of limited value, IMO).
I believe success with Philadelphia stations in my Southern Chester County location results from these facts:
1. My attic is wood construction/OSB under vinyl siding and asphalt shingles
2. The narrow end of the antenna is oriented in the proper direction
3. All the Philadelphia signals have a clear Line of Site (LOS) over the terrain
4. There are no obstacles other than trees (not a forest) along the Line of Site within 800 feet of the antenna
The detail provided by the Signal Search on RabbitEars.info is great. All channels with GOOD or FAIR signal strength tune in well and even some POOR channels come in (these have have Line of Site issues, greater distances, and/or imperfect antenna orientation). It also graphs out the signal path over the terrain while accounting for the curvature of the earth.
Style: AntennaVerified Purchase
Got Philadelphia Channel 6 with attic install at 40 miles away from Roxborough tower
Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2021
This is marketed as an "up to 30 miles" antenna, probably in an outdoor location, but I am using it 40 miles from the tower AND in an attic. The antenna is light weight and reasonably easy to assemble. The four Low VHF extensions, however, would not allow both screws to be inserted into the couplers. I omitted one screw from each pair (and deleted one star from the review) since wind is not an issue in the attic. It would be easy to modify them to fit because the elements are aluminum.Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2021
Channel 6 WPVI/ABC (and Channel 2 WDPN) broadcasts on Low VHF which requires an antenna with very long elements, which the HD7000R has. It has a seemingly small UHF section but it does not hinder performance. My Samsung Q70R finds 94 channels but only 5 are of interest to me: ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, and PBS (a.k.a all of the primary "XX.1" channels - XX.2, XX.3 and so on are of limited value, IMO).
I believe success with Philadelphia stations in my Southern Chester County location results from these facts:
1. My attic is wood construction/OSB under vinyl siding and asphalt shingles
2. The narrow end of the antenna is oriented in the proper direction
3. All the Philadelphia signals have a clear Line of Site (LOS) over the terrain
4. There are no obstacles other than trees (not a forest) along the Line of Site within 800 feet of the antenna
The detail provided by the Signal Search on RabbitEars.info is great. All channels with GOOD or FAIR signal strength tune in well and even some POOR channels come in (these have have Line of Site issues, greater distances, and/or imperfect antenna orientation). It also graphs out the signal path over the terrain while accounting for the curvature of the earth.
Images in this review
