I've rated this OTA Antenna at 4 stars and this is why. After installing 12 of these antennas in our local area (St. Augustine, Fl) I found they do receive stations very well from Jacksonville, FL where the TV Station Towers are from 30 to 45 miles distance. I personnaly have been using this antenna for about a year and I'm pleased with the results. In fact I consistently receive the ION channel coming from Brunswick, GA about 90 miles distance.
Listed here are the major problems I've found and the solutions:
1: Not all TV tuners are made the same. Some have better sensitivity then others. So far I've found the Sanyo to be the worst for OTA (Over The Air) reception. The best TVs for OTA were the LG and the Viseo. The LG and Viseo tuners seem to have greater sensitivity then other models. Also, Sony and Hitachi perform very well. It's interesting to note that the LG tuners are made by Zenith in the US and shipped to Mexico where they assemble the TVs.
2: On three of the installations I've completed reception seemed to be sub par and at first I was unable to determine why. Recently I found that the RG6 cable supplied with the Lava Antenna is poorly made. The ground connection can cause loss of signal strength. When I replaced the cable with quality RG6 a dramatic change took place. On most TVS there is a Signal strength meter to determine signal quality. This can usaually be found, on most TVS, in the Setup Menu. With the better cable the signal strength increased from 50-60 to 90-100 or max. Wow, what a difference.
3: Mounting and positioning the Antenna is also very important. Make sure there are no obstructions between the antenna and the TV Tower i.e. Trees, buildings. FCC regs allow you to mount the antenna, at a maximum, 12 feet above your roof (I'm currently using a 40" pole roof mount).Go to Rabbitears.info for compass heading from your location and use a compass to point your antenna towards the TV towers you wish to receive.
4. In locations where you are receiving signals but they are week I suggest you add a Pre-Amp (Blonder Tongue), available from Amazon for about $12.00. Be sure to connect the pre-Amp last in line and directly to the TV set.
In conclusion it appears the Lava HD-2605 UHF/VHF HDTV Antenna with Remote Controlantenna performs very well when used with quality RG6 cable. You can't get better performance for this price. Also, once installed you can say goodbye to Cable/Satellite bills forever.
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