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8,912
4 out of 5 stars

Top positive review
3 people found this helpful
Amazing effective for something that looks more like a place mat than an antenna.
By Consumer727 on Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2014
How well any HD antenna works is dependent on 4 things; design, location of antenna in house, strength of signal or proximity to signal, and obstacles between you and the signal source, such as tall buildings, mountains, or electrical towers. I have had 3 experiences with HD indoor antennas. The first two were with Terk style indoor antennas, the kind with one arm and several varying sized cross pieces. In one instance, in a house in the middle of a subdivision in suburban St. Louis (Creve Coeur), I only pulled in 8 stations, and had to adjust the antenna for half of them. In the 2nd instance, I was in Lake St. Louis, MO, where there were no tall buildings, and even though I was farther away from the signal towers, I pulled in 13 stations, and did not have to move the antenna once I determined it's optimal position. The design of the Winegard Compan FL-5000 FlatWave HDTV Indoor Flat Antenna has been described as looking "like a place mat at a table setting." That's accurate, it's just a coaxial cable attached to thin rectangular pad looking piece. Despite it's flimsy and non-techy appearance, this antenna works very well for me. I presently live in Bridgeton, MO, a northern suburb of St. Louis. I am in the middle of a subdivision and our house is on the crest of a hill. It is surrounded by 60 foot trees, but they don't seem to interfere with the signal. Installation is easy. You attached the end of the cable to your TV or monitor, go into the channel setup and scan for channels. I installed this in my basement. I have a Sanyo TV/Monitor that I have attached to my computer, and I attached the antenna to it. Initially, I hung the antenna from the ceiling of the basement. The antenna comes with 15 feet of cable, which is more than most of them have. I used cable connectors and added 2 more 6 foot sections to it so I could place the antenna in one of the basement windows on the other side of my basement. After I did that, I was able to pull in 20 stations, of which 16 come in strong and steady. I highly recommend this antenna, but with the qualifier that as stated in the beginning of my review, be mindful of the other variables affecting reception. It works best if you can install it in or near a window. I bought this one used for $20 and consider it a bargain.
Top critical review
12 people found this helpful
Good signal strength detection, average signal reception
By Bill C on Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2023
I live in Sunnyvale, CA and I want receive the major networks from Sutro Tower 31 miles away. I was only picking up one or two channels with the basic antenna I bought earlier. I was hoping this antenna with the built in signal strength meter would help me find the optimal position to receive all of the channels I wanted. The signal strength app was a bit clunky, but I was able to find the optimal position for the antenna. I received all but one channel I wanted. However, quality of the picture was marginal on some of the channels. The video would cut out with block artifacts often enough to render the channel unwatchable. Repositioning the antenna would improve some channels but make others worse. This wasn't going to work. I later tried the Antennas Direct ClearStream FLEX to see if the reception improved. The picture quality was significantly better. The only channel I could not receive (on any antenna) was KGO channel 7. It broadcasts on VHF HI which is more difficult for these types of indoor antennas to receive. I hope this helps someone trying to to receive free over the air HD transmissions in the south bay area.

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