Customer Rating: 
Summary: Didn't Work in Columbus, GA
Comment: I tried this product and it received two channels, the same amount as a "bunny ear" antenna that had with one broken antenna. I returned this purchase because it wasn't worth the extra expense. I can say the channel came in a little clearer, but there was still plenty of fuzz.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Very poor reception with Terk (cheaper Philips antenna did the trick)
Comment: We tried to use the Terk antenna for digital over-the-air TV (in conjunction with a converter box) unsuccessfully for several months. We live in Northern Virginia in a location with good overall reception, yet with the Terk, almost every station broke up after a few seconds or minutes, regardless of how we adjusted the antenna position. We found ourselves having to move the antenna for each station, yet the signal still broke up after a short while. We were about to call it quits and subscribe to cable, but wait!
While shopping at CVS, I came across a traditional Philips indoor antenna, Model SCP 020 (rabbit ears with a loop antenna) for $12.99 and thought I'd give it a try. Surprise, Surprise!! We now have CONSISTENTLY CLEAR over-the-air digital reception on seventeen stations, including four PBS stations, and are even pulling in stations for which Terk couldn't even get a signal. Best of all, with the rabbit ears and loop antenna, we only had to make an initial one-time adjustment of the antenna position, and all the stations come in clearly. No more moving the antenna around constantly like we had to do with the Terk! In addition, the Philips antenna has a much slimmer profile than the Terk, and is much less obtrusive sitting atop the TV.
If the Terk works for you - great. If not, before bailing out on using an antenna for digital over-the-air TV, try the Philips Indoor Antenna, Model SCP 020 (for VHF/UHF/FM/HDTV digital). It is HDTV compatible and just might work for you at a cheaper price than the Terk as it did for us.
NOTE - I see that the Philips Indoor Antenna (SCP O20) has only 2 1/2 stars based on 3 reviews on Amazon, yet the Terk has 4 stars based on over 500 reviews. In fact,we purchased the Terk based on the extremely favorable reviews it received.
I guess we're the outlier in the customer data gathered thus far. Again, if the Terk works for you, that's great. If not, give the Philips a try!! At $12.99, our Philips Antenna kept us from having to shell out $30/mo or more for cable.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Nice antenna for an affordable price.
Comment: A nice antenna at a cheap price. I got it before I could get local channels on satellite and it worked out well, once I realized I had to push the antenna all the way into the base up to line that was indicated. I use it on the second floor of a two-story home, picking up signals from about 35 miles away, and it does the job. I'd recommend it, especially if it's a temporary solution or a backup in in case your satellite or cable goes out.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Absolutely fantastic
Comment: This is a review of a few antennas and why I finally settled on the Terk HDTVa. I only tested them with ATSC signals, so I can't comment on any analog reception.
I just ordered this from Amazon.com and I can say without a doubt that it's the best antenna I've ever used. I'm about 25 miles away from most TV transmitters, and it picks up all of them. I was extremely surprised and very happy to see that it also picked up NBC and FOX, both VHF channels here, at full strength, something I was never able to do with my other two antennas.
I ran a longer coax cable and put the antenna on a window sill, I never have to fiddle with the rabbit ears or move it around to get a clear picture. This is on the window sill of a first floor (3 floor building) apartment that is surrounded by other apartment buildings. Also, the UHF element can be mounted with the blades oriented horizontally or vertically, perfect for putting it on the window sill and still being able to close the blinds.
The only con I can think of is that the VHF elements aren't as freely moved as they are on a lot of other antennas, like on an old pair of bunny ears. Basically, if you want to aim them horizontally, they have to be pointing in the OPPOSITE direction of the UHF element, or straight up, or tilted slightly forward. Aiming them horizontally in the same direction as the UHF element is impossible. This is only a minor issue, since the reception is so damn good I could aim the VHF elements however I wanted to and still get a clear picture; this isn't even enough of a nuisance to take one star off for. DEFINITELY get this; it's the best indoor antenna you'll ever use.
This is also the only antenna I've ever used that didn't lose signal on every single channel, both UHF and VHF, when someone was using a cell phone. Definitely a good perk.
GE 24775 Quantum Indoor HDTV Antenna
Mediocre, at best. This is one of the only antennas I've seen with ONE VHF element, which isn't exactly a problem in this market since most of our DTV stations are UHF, but don't count on being able to receive more than one VHF station with this setup. You'll find yourself moving the lone bunny ear around a lot if you've got 3-4 VHF stations you want to watch, even when the transmitters for these stations are on the same tower!
The UHF panel design is a gimmick at best, it does help if one station is in a different direction and you only want to aim one panel at it, but the reception for some reason is not consistent. The FIXED LENGTH power and coax cables are the nails in the coffin.
This antenna would be great at $10, maybe $15, not the $30 GE is trying to sell it at. For some reason, this antenna is also very limited in how many ways you can aim the VHF element; I'd prefer being able to aim the VHF element in whatever direction I want and have limited range on the UHF element since receiving those signals is much easier.
It did seem to like being placed in as high a location as possible; I'm on the first floor so it's not easy to get it very high up. When held to the ceiling reception did improve greatly, and as soon as I figure out how to staple it to my ceiling I'll find a use for it. Right now it's chugging along fine in the living room.
This antenna is definitely a good choice if you're in a tall building or out in the boonies away from any other buildings. WiFi, microwaves, and cell phones only bother it on certain VHF stations, but it can barely pull those in anyways.
Philips High Performance Amplified Indoor Uhf/Vhf/Fm/HDTV Antenna
I used this antenna for the longest time, all while being mildly annoyed by it. First off, it pulls in UHF signals like nobody's business, regardless of how it's oriented or where it is placed. It doesn't seem to mind multipath interference at all. VHF stations are a completely different story; it takes hours and hours of messing with these rabbit ears to get any picture, unlike the other two antennas reviewed. And then when you DO finally have the picture, heaven forbid you start to move around the room or even move on the couch, the picture will drop out.
I had this antenna at my old 3rd floor apartment, and tried it in two locations in my new 1st floor apartment. In the living room, I really couldn't pick up anything useful with it, so I moved it to the bedroom and tried with a Pinnacle ATSC tuner. When I finally had the rabbit ears set up right, for some reason I could no longer tune the strongest UHF signal in the area, go figure.
On the third floor, the only thing I had to worry about was the fact that it was VERY susceptible to RF interference. Is anyone in a nearby apartment using a microwave or making a cell phone call? Signal drops out. Get a text message? No TV. On the first floor, you can only sit in certain spots while watching TV or you've got no picture. This was especially annoying since it was being used to record shows while I was away, the signal would get weaker without someone in the room.
It just might have been my unit that was poorly shielded, but the more I turned down the amplification, the less susceptible it was to RF interference
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great Antenna!!!!!!!!!!
Comment: Highly Recommend the Terk HDTVa Amplified Antenna!!!!! I get several more channels with this antenna than I did with the old 'regular rabbit' ears. Crisp strong signal!
Summary: Didn't Work in Columbus, GA
Comment: I tried this product and it received two channels, the same amount as a "bunny ear" antenna that had with one broken antenna. I returned this purchase because it wasn't worth the extra expense. I can say the channel came in a little clearer, but there was still plenty of fuzz.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Very poor reception with Terk (cheaper Philips antenna did the trick)
Comment: We tried to use the Terk antenna for digital over-the-air TV (in conjunction with a converter box) unsuccessfully for several months. We live in Northern Virginia in a location with good overall reception, yet with the Terk, almost every station broke up after a few seconds or minutes, regardless of how we adjusted the antenna position. We found ourselves having to move the antenna for each station, yet the signal still broke up after a short while. We were about to call it quits and subscribe to cable, but wait!
While shopping at CVS, I came across a traditional Philips indoor antenna, Model SCP 020 (rabbit ears with a loop antenna) for $12.99 and thought I'd give it a try. Surprise, Surprise!! We now have CONSISTENTLY CLEAR over-the-air digital reception on seventeen stations, including four PBS stations, and are even pulling in stations for which Terk couldn't even get a signal. Best of all, with the rabbit ears and loop antenna, we only had to make an initial one-time adjustment of the antenna position, and all the stations come in clearly. No more moving the antenna around constantly like we had to do with the Terk! In addition, the Philips antenna has a much slimmer profile than the Terk, and is much less obtrusive sitting atop the TV.
If the Terk works for you - great. If not, before bailing out on using an antenna for digital over-the-air TV, try the Philips Indoor Antenna, Model SCP 020 (for VHF/UHF/FM/HDTV digital). It is HDTV compatible and just might work for you at a cheaper price than the Terk as it did for us.
NOTE - I see that the Philips Indoor Antenna (SCP O20) has only 2 1/2 stars based on 3 reviews on Amazon, yet the Terk has 4 stars based on over 500 reviews. In fact,we purchased the Terk based on the extremely favorable reviews it received.
I guess we're the outlier in the customer data gathered thus far. Again, if the Terk works for you, that's great. If not, give the Philips a try!! At $12.99, our Philips Antenna kept us from having to shell out $30/mo or more for cable.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Nice antenna for an affordable price.
Comment: A nice antenna at a cheap price. I got it before I could get local channels on satellite and it worked out well, once I realized I had to push the antenna all the way into the base up to line that was indicated. I use it on the second floor of a two-story home, picking up signals from about 35 miles away, and it does the job. I'd recommend it, especially if it's a temporary solution or a backup in in case your satellite or cable goes out.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Absolutely fantastic
Comment: This is a review of a few antennas and why I finally settled on the Terk HDTVa. I only tested them with ATSC signals, so I can't comment on any analog reception.
I just ordered this from Amazon.com and I can say without a doubt that it's the best antenna I've ever used. I'm about 25 miles away from most TV transmitters, and it picks up all of them. I was extremely surprised and very happy to see that it also picked up NBC and FOX, both VHF channels here, at full strength, something I was never able to do with my other two antennas.
I ran a longer coax cable and put the antenna on a window sill, I never have to fiddle with the rabbit ears or move it around to get a clear picture. This is on the window sill of a first floor (3 floor building) apartment that is surrounded by other apartment buildings. Also, the UHF element can be mounted with the blades oriented horizontally or vertically, perfect for putting it on the window sill and still being able to close the blinds.
The only con I can think of is that the VHF elements aren't as freely moved as they are on a lot of other antennas, like on an old pair of bunny ears. Basically, if you want to aim them horizontally, they have to be pointing in the OPPOSITE direction of the UHF element, or straight up, or tilted slightly forward. Aiming them horizontally in the same direction as the UHF element is impossible. This is only a minor issue, since the reception is so damn good I could aim the VHF elements however I wanted to and still get a clear picture; this isn't even enough of a nuisance to take one star off for. DEFINITELY get this; it's the best indoor antenna you'll ever use.
This is also the only antenna I've ever used that didn't lose signal on every single channel, both UHF and VHF, when someone was using a cell phone. Definitely a good perk.
GE 24775 Quantum Indoor HDTV Antenna
Mediocre, at best. This is one of the only antennas I've seen with ONE VHF element, which isn't exactly a problem in this market since most of our DTV stations are UHF, but don't count on being able to receive more than one VHF station with this setup. You'll find yourself moving the lone bunny ear around a lot if you've got 3-4 VHF stations you want to watch, even when the transmitters for these stations are on the same tower!
The UHF panel design is a gimmick at best, it does help if one station is in a different direction and you only want to aim one panel at it, but the reception for some reason is not consistent. The FIXED LENGTH power and coax cables are the nails in the coffin.
This antenna would be great at $10, maybe $15, not the $30 GE is trying to sell it at. For some reason, this antenna is also very limited in how many ways you can aim the VHF element; I'd prefer being able to aim the VHF element in whatever direction I want and have limited range on the UHF element since receiving those signals is much easier.
It did seem to like being placed in as high a location as possible; I'm on the first floor so it's not easy to get it very high up. When held to the ceiling reception did improve greatly, and as soon as I figure out how to staple it to my ceiling I'll find a use for it. Right now it's chugging along fine in the living room.
This antenna is definitely a good choice if you're in a tall building or out in the boonies away from any other buildings. WiFi, microwaves, and cell phones only bother it on certain VHF stations, but it can barely pull those in anyways.
Philips High Performance Amplified Indoor Uhf/Vhf/Fm/HDTV Antenna
I used this antenna for the longest time, all while being mildly annoyed by it. First off, it pulls in UHF signals like nobody's business, regardless of how it's oriented or where it is placed. It doesn't seem to mind multipath interference at all. VHF stations are a completely different story; it takes hours and hours of messing with these rabbit ears to get any picture, unlike the other two antennas reviewed. And then when you DO finally have the picture, heaven forbid you start to move around the room or even move on the couch, the picture will drop out.
I had this antenna at my old 3rd floor apartment, and tried it in two locations in my new 1st floor apartment. In the living room, I really couldn't pick up anything useful with it, so I moved it to the bedroom and tried with a Pinnacle ATSC tuner. When I finally had the rabbit ears set up right, for some reason I could no longer tune the strongest UHF signal in the area, go figure.
On the third floor, the only thing I had to worry about was the fact that it was VERY susceptible to RF interference. Is anyone in a nearby apartment using a microwave or making a cell phone call? Signal drops out. Get a text message? No TV. On the first floor, you can only sit in certain spots while watching TV or you've got no picture. This was especially annoying since it was being used to record shows while I was away, the signal would get weaker without someone in the room.
It just might have been my unit that was poorly shielded, but the more I turned down the amplification, the less susceptible it was to RF interference
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great Antenna!!!!!!!!!!
Comment: Highly Recommend the Terk HDTVa Amplified Antenna!!!!! I get several more channels with this antenna than I did with the old 'regular rabbit' ears. Crisp strong signal!
Terk HDTVa Indoor Amplified High-Definition Antenna for Off-Air HDTV Reception Reviews: Page 2 of 102
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