Friday, March 29, 2013

Winegard Indoor Antenna

Review:
Winegard Company FL-5000 FlatWave HDTV Indoor Digital Flat Antenna 

PCT 1-PORT BI-DIRECTIONAL CABLE TV HDTV AMPLIFIER SIGNAL BOOSTER WITH PASSIVE RETURN PATH

Both purchase through amazon.com.

You definitely need the signal booster in order to get the best and most channels. It helps that I am less then 25 miles from central DC.
I think the max range is about 33 miles from a tower but terrain affects it as well as weather. 
Set up was a breeze, however you will need at least 3 addition coaxial cables (less then 6 feet each) in order do my set up.

the signal booster came with the booster and power adapter and that's it!! you'll need a coaxial to power the booster. Why they couldn't include a piece of coaxial that would have cost them an addition $.45, is beyond me.



The antenna comes with double sided tape to hang it up. Right now I have it on the window with scotch tape so it was easy to move around while I found the best placement.
Placement of the antenna is the vital part of this whole set up. I originally had on the window next to the window it is now and it made a 20 channel difference. I picked an additional 20 channels just by moving it 3 feet. 


The only negative I can think of is that it doesn't blend in with the rest of the furniture that well. I could care less but some other people in the household was not crazy how it looked. I'm not mentioning any names but her name rhythms with Sun, and starts with an S and has a O instead of a U. 

You may have to rescan for channels several times in order to get all the channels. 
sidenote: why the F do I get every single fricken spanish channels??

The picture in HD is amazing!!! if you watch HD on cable or satalite, they suppress the signal to preserve bandwidth. With an over the air antenna the picture is stunning!!
You will get some pixilation with fast moving pictures. My setup picked up 58 channels, 35 of which are spanish. Just kidding, it was more like 34.
I get 2 NBCs, 2ABCs, 3 PBS, ION, CW, 2 FOX, CBS, a british channel, 2 chinese CNN like channel, a korean channel, and Al Jazerra. Don't ask.

It's been over 6 months with the antenna and I love it. The fact that there isn't a monthly cost is the best part. The weather does play a part in the reception once in a while but it is usually the exception. The picture is nothing short of amazing and is a great long term investment.

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