8-Element Bowtie UHF Outdoor HDTV Antenna, Multi-Directional, 70+ Mile Range, 4K 8K UHD NEXTGEN TV – w/All-Weather Mounting Hardware

I went from being able to get one channel on an upstairs tv to getting all available from nearby cities. The nearest towers are 40-60 miles away. The ones in the 40 mile range came in immediately. The ones in the 50+ range took a little bit of troubleshooting. First off I am not fully done. The antenna is mounted on the roof. It took a few tries to get the antennas pointed in the right directions. Once that was done, the most important channel Fox 6 was in and out and digitized when a 5 way 1000mhz splitter was installed on the line to split the line to two tvs. When this was removed, I received all stations beautifully. The worst on still had 2-3 bars and was keeping steady and clear. I tried a 2300mhz clear sky splitter from radio shack. This seemed like it worked, but before to long it was showing some digital marks and every so often blacking out completely. So I am back to just on tv working perfectly. After doing some research and contacting Antenna Direct I decided the best action would be to get a powered 4 way distribution splitter. It should be here tomorrow. I will try to update the results. The next step would be to get the pre amp installed and try that. UPDATE: After installing the 4way distribution splitter made by antennas direct, everything is working great. Every so often when a storm is to the south, the weakest channels 4 and 6 will go in and out. I have bought a preamp to try but the channels go out so little that I have not yet installed. So far it is turning out to be one of the best investments I have made in a while. I will update once I ever get back on the roof and install the preamp. Conclusion: I ended up spending close to $250 dollars to get an antenna for over the air tv that would work. This will pay for it self in months by canceling cable tv. It was not to much work and anyone handy who is not afraid of heights can easily mount to roof or attic (loss of 10-15 miles in attic). Install antenna and connect to only one tv first to see what reception you can get. Then split the line to see where you are at. This will help you troubleshoot if you may need a pre amp or powered splitter or both. Goodbye DirectTV and Cable TV. Getting over the air TV is more than enough. For the nights that we want a little more and for the kids entertainment, we also have high speed internet with two Roku boxes. One Roku box in each room. Netflix is around $9 per month and Hulu Plus is around $8 per month. Between these two services there is more that enough to watch. Hulu is free on the computer to check out and see all the new shows available. Also we have had Amazon Prime for the shipping, but as a bonus you also get Amazon prime video that also has a large collection of stuff to watch. All in all for around $32 per month we have way more selection that satellite or cable every offered, and it is all played off the Roku box when ever you want. WELL WORTH IT!

Very happy with the antenna. We are 70-80 miles from TV towers and it picked up 20 channels. It is mounted 30 feet up on our roof. We do have a good line of sight with no obstructions. Seems well made and should hopefully hold up to the Kansas wind. We have one antenna pointed south and turned the other to the east as there is another tower that direction. Works great.

Live in Upstate NY where we are about 50 miles aways from three different major market cities. Pointed one of the 4 bowtie bays toward Binghamton and the other toward Syracuse. After scanning the TV for newly detected/received channels, happy to report that multiple channels were received from both cities. The unit was easy to assemble. Very happy with the performance! Update: The antenna is attached to a metal pole. Will spin in the wind. The clamping mechanisms of the antenna appear not to dig in sufficiently to keep it in place with wind. Yes, there are two clamps but one uses the plastic housing for the UHF combiner and cannot be tightened sufficiently to prevent the antenna from spinning in the wind. Update 2: Contacted support for the spinning issue. Was told to use duct tape and cable ties to effect repair of the outdoor antenna. Seems a NASCAR guy was on the support desk. They did not say if I needed 200 MPH duct tape or just regular tape. Unacceptable solution.

After numerous power outages lately (that also invariable knock out our cable/internet service), I figured I'd try to get my old rooftop antenna wired up and working so I could run on generator and catch the local news at least. I had previously run some RG6 to my antenna, but it was years since I tried to pick anything up on it, especially after a lot of the locals moved from VHF to UHF. The old yagi covered both ranges just fine, but it was in rough shape... I'd guess it's probably 30+ years old, maybe more. Well, it didn't do that great. I picked up a grand total of 3 UHF frequencies with enough signal that my TV actually recognized them. And one of those was so intermittent, it was basically unwatchable. Then I bought an amp, because I'm running nearly 100' of coax and I figured I was probably losing enough signal that it degraded too much. Same result though. I even took my little TV to the roof, hooked into the antenna directly, made sure it was pointed the right way, and got the same lousy results. So... I did my research and figured that for my situation, I'd try a bowtie instead of another yagi. Pulling the old antenna down was probably harder than putting the new one up. The nuts on the bracket had rusted nearly solid, but I finally got them going. Installing the new one was only tricky for me because I have a parallel mast attached to the main mast, supporting a ham antenna higher up. So it was a difficult job to get the new brackets in place, but that was my deal, and I finally made it work. I hooked up directly to the antenna and was pleasantly surprised that I was now able to pick up 7 frequencies (I won't bother listing how many channels that is since that includes subchannels...just suffice to say, it picks up way more). My only real gripe is that for me, there are some stations that I pick up better if I tilt the antenna above the horizon... maybe 10 degrees? It's too bad there's no easy way to add this tilt to the setup besides adding spacers to the lower mast bracket to achieve the desired result. But adding that tilt makes all the difference... I pick up 3 more frequencies that I didn't before (10 total now), and the others come in stronger. That's because some of the channels aren't quite line-of-sight. Maybe that, and the nearby vegetation (lots of tall trees) make aiming higher a better solution. One interesting thing... I have the VHF add-on on order, but it hasn't shown up yet (shipped separately). I was surprised to see that this UHF-only antenna actually picks up a couple of the local VHF broadcasts. One of them was strong enough to tune and watch just fine. But when I tilted up to improve UHF reception, I lost that VHF channel. I think it'll come back okay once I actually add the VHF antenna to the setup. But anyway, I thought that was a tidbit worth mentioning. I mean, that channel went from 60% to 29% just by tilting up a few degrees. Weird. It's 37 miles away so it was probably a fluke I picked it up at all without any specific VHF elements. It's Fox 13 in the Seattle market, FYI. They do have a UHF translator that's lower power, but I can actually get that okay even from 28+ miles away.

This well-made DB8e antenna is beautiful. I love the plastic red caps that cover the ends of the bow ties. (It keeps them from getting bent out of shape.) I love how this is basically TWO antennas that can be pointed in two different directions. The assembly instructions aren't the best, but I was able to figure them out. With this antenna I received 54 channels from 56.4 miles away (in one direction). All in PERFECT condition with no dropouts or pixelation. I was impressed, and this reception was from the inside of my attic! Unfortunately, this antenna could not receive my favorite two channels 2-1 and 2-2, which I sadly learned are NOT in the UHF band, but are in the VFH-High band. This antenna (as it clearly states) is a UHF antenna. If you want to receive any VHF-High channels you will need an antenna that is designed for those frequencies. Perform an internet search for "TV signals near me", and look at the FCC site and the TVFool site. Both sites are extremely helpful, and give recommendations as to the type of antenna you need and the compass-pointing information to help you aim your antenna to receive the strongest signal. If you don't need to pick up channels 2 through 5, then this antenna will be the best antenna you ever bought! I ended up replacing this antenna with a $45 model RCA ANT751 (bought from this site), and couldn't be happier. I now receive all the channels that my location can receive. (currently 56 channels total) If you do not own a compass, there are some great compass apps for a smartphone that work great! I am very happy to finally cut out cable tv. UPDATE: Wow, how time flies! In December 2014, I initially installed this antenna in my attic. I was saddened that this UHF antenna could not pick up channels 2 through 5, (which are in the VHF-Hi frequency band), and I instead installed another antenna RCA ANT751. The RCA ANT751 worked great for me and I stored this beautiful 8 Element Bowtie Antenna in the attic. Two years ago I needed an additional antenna to point in a different direction to pick up an educational channel. I only used one-half of this 8 element bowtie antenna to capture the signal from the new transmitting station about 45 miles away. I used the ANTENNA SIGNAL COMBINER that is supplied with this 8 element antenna to combine the received signal from both antennas to my amplified signal splitter in my attic. Two great advantages of mounting these antennas in your attic is you can support these lightweight antennas from your rafters with string, and the antennas and connections do not corode nearly as fast as they would outside in the elements. When installed in your attic, you never need to be worried about your antennas during hurricanes and high-wind storms. After nearly four years in my attic, this anntena still looks and works as good as new!

This a very good antenna, with a quality build suitable for most situations, and multi-angular reception that brings in plenty of stations. I really like the antenna, but it didn't solve all of the problems I had anticipated. ....My primary channel of interest is 70 miles away, and even with critical aiming, the DB-8 isn't able to consistently hold that signal. .....I have since found out that this antenna is definitely not the best solution for difficult long distant reception. .....I am now trying another option I found described by some Canadian installers. ....I am going to stack two DB8e antennas on top of each other and see if I can bring in the weak signals that are eluding me. ....The installation requires paying very close attention to cable lengths of both antenna feed cables. .....Don't let others fool you into thinking the DB-8 is the most powerful antenna out there. ....It is likely one of the most powerful multi-directional antennas on the market, but if you have a station with questionable reception, the 91- series yagi style antennas outperform it by a considerable margin. .....But,,,, you must deal with the fact that the 91 series yagis are highly directional and must either be critically aimed or mounted on a rotor. If the stacking technique is not successful, I will pull the DB8e stack down the pole and place a HDB91X at the top of the antenna pole, critically aimed and fed by its own coax and preamp to an A-B switch on the back of my primary TV. Update 1/12/2016 - I have been tediously dealing with each factor in the transition to see where the biggest difference lies. ....Stacking the two antennas to form a 16 bay antenna has definitely improved signal strength. ...As I have replaced successive sections of cable with very high quality cable, it has also become obvious to me that much of my problem is associated with dissimilar cable connections that cause a form of ghosting that results in increase attenuation. .....When I get the cable all done, I will post another update and attempt to cover as many of the finer details in optimizing this installation. 1/19/2016 - I have gone through all of the steps to meticulously sort the myriad problems associated with long range reception in this installation. There are a couple of things everyone should know. ....ALWAYS start with new, first rate cable in your installation. Old antenna cable can have many unique problems that effect your antenna reception. I found the last cable replacement I made to make a considerable difference. .....And lastly, this isn't the best long range antenna sold. .....That title still goes to the yagi style antennas that are very directional, but this is a very good compromise. ...If I was starting over again from scratch, I would go with stacked yagi antennas critically aimed at my target stations, for the best long range reception available.

Purchased and mounted in the attic of a 2-story home. I realized that this would degrade the signal somewhat, but we live in hurricane country on the gulf coast and so mounting such a large array on the roof did not hold much appeal to us. Did some research and found that others had mounted their Db8e in an attic and found success, so we pulled the trigger and ordered it. The unit came disassembled but went together easily in about 20 minutes. Bought a mast at the big blue box hardware store and connected it to the TV. We did receive channels, but not as many as the report from tvfool led us to believe (only 12 vs. 28 theoretically possible). Called customer service (which was courteous and helpful) and was given a slightly different azimuth which resulted in no improvement. Fiddled with different locations and headings for the better part of a weekend, and stopped once I figured things were as good as they were going to get. The following Monday reception had inexplicably degraded, down to just a few channels. Spent another few hours in the attic trying different spots and directions. Only marginal improvement to show for my efforts. I was underwhelmed to be honest... this was supposedly the most powerful antenna made by Antennas Direct and it seemed twitchy and mediocre. What to do? Go back to Amazon and read more reviews, of course. This time I stumbled upon the Marathon antenna from freesignaltv. Looked promising... expensive, but promising. I ordered it before even returning the Db8e so we wouldn't have to go without reception. When the Marathon came in I immediately took it up to the attic, removed the cable from the Db8e and hooked it up. It was much easier to handle and maneuver than the large Db8e array in the awkward/cramped attic, not to mention the fact that assembly literally consisted of screwing on 2 VHF rods. You can put this thing together in under a minute, no exaggeration. Plugged in the power, tightened the included bracket to the mast, and ran downstairs to scan for channels. The verdict: 21 channels in rock-solid HD, vs. 12 (on a good day when the planets align just so, etc.) for the Db8e. Your mileage may vary of course, but for this customer the Marathon's performance stood head and shoulders above the Db8e. Here's my anecdotal evidence, for what it's worth: consider that the Marathon is a directional antenna (like the Db8e), that is, you're supposed to point it toward the tower from which you want to receive a signal. Right off the bat, the Marathon was pulling in clear signals from towers that were 90 degrees off axis from the direction I had pointed it . AND these towers were 65 to 75 miles distant. Needless to say, that erased any second thoughts I might've had regarding my return of the Db8e. Again their customer service is excellent but the product itself, at least in my experience, was lacking and did not live up to the hype. The Marathon whole house antenna on the other hand performed as advertised and then some, actually exceeding my expectations. Bottom line: if you're willing to shell out $130 for the Db8e, do yourself a favor and spend just a little bit more for the Marathon unit. Now that I've (hopefully) made your decision a little easier, there are two things to be aware of with the Marathon antenna: 1.) It is a powered unit. It has an inline amplifier included that requires a power source. In my case I was fortunate to have an outlet in the attic that was available to plug in the amplifier. 2.) Related to the first item, you will need to obtain an additional length of coax cable and a coupling to run from the back of the antenna to amplifier. Why this is not included considering the already steep price is a fair question, in my opinion. Some folks may already have these parts lying around but for me it meant driving to Wally World to get parts that I feel really ought to have been included in the first place. Neither one of these issues are real dealbreakers, however, when you consider the performance that you will get out if the Marathon unit.

Does everything the manufacturer claims and very good build quality. Solved my problem in Tucson AZ due to transmitters being located north and south (and even some low power west) of town (grrr). Definitely keep in mind this is a UHF only antenna. There are still some places in the US that have VHF high definition channels that will not be picked up by this unless they are very close and powerful. If you have channel numbers at 13 or less, look up online what the actual transmitting frequency is. If it is 470Mhz or higher, it is actually a UHF channel that displays a lower channel number. If it is 216Mhz or lower, you will need a different solution. One annoying issue: I previously used a very long yagi uhf antenna pointed at the mountaintop north of town. I was able to tilt this directional antenna upwards a bit, which I think helped with avoiding emi interference from some of the vehicles' funky ignition systems driving by in front of the antenna (maybe 40-50 ft in front of and 12 feet below it). I only had occasional interference on CBS (579.25Mhz). This bowtie antenna array cannot be tilted back on the mast, and now I have more interference than before, and on a different channel (FOX 537.25Mhz, transmitter on same mountain as CBS. CBS seems ok so far). Overall extremely pleased with this multi-directional antenna, and also a significant discount here over some other sellers. You can try to build your own version of this but probably won't save any money. You have to use two identical antennas arranged to support not detract from each other, with two identical length and gauge coax wires, fed into an antenna combiner that should be something specifically designed for that (not just a cheap splitter hooked up in reverse).