Antennas DirectClearStream 4 UHF Indoor Outdoor TV Antenna, Multi-Directional, 70+ Mile Range, 4K 8K UHD, NEXTGEN TV – w/20-inch Mast, Reflectors

Easy to install. Works as described. Good signal. Built sturdy

I live in Vancouver, Washington, about 21 miles from the Digital Antenna transmitter farm in Portland, Oregon, with some minor hills between me and the farm. I originally tried an indoor Terk HDTVa amplified indoor antenna, which said it should work given my distance from the farm. Yet I experienced very poor reception of the major broadcaster's channels. Even when things were as good as they got, my TiVo HD box would show a paltry 60 signal strength (out of 100).I decided to step it up a notch and try the Clearstream4 antenna and place it in my attic. The antenna strength websites said that I was in the blue reception zone, so it fit my need. It is ruggedly made (great for outdoor installation) and pulls in both VHF and UHF signals. Installation was simple and was completed in about 10 minutes...a small number of hand-turn screws and Philips screws. I mounted it with nothing more than tie-wraps to the attic's 2x4's at the end of 25 feet of basic RCA RG6 coax threaded through the ceiling to my TiVo. The signal was exceptionally strong for most channels but not ideal for a few higher band UHF channels. I took a closer look at my attic and realized that I had placed the antenna in a poor location. A diagonal metal venting pipe rose through the attic about 20 feet between my antenna and the transmitter farm. My web research noted that DTV is very susceptible to multipath distortion from metal pipes, metal sheeting, and big trees. I relocated the antenna close to the attic wall that is as close to the transmitter farm as possible with another 50 feet of coax. The results are impressive across all the channels with most registering 80-90 signal strength and several showing above 95 in a very stable fashion. And this is even with the signal loss you get with 75 feet of coax and no powered amplifier. I now get all of the channels in the Portland Metro area and the TiVo HD box records such a blizzard of shows that there's always something to watch for me and the kids. I just wish that one of my local broadcasters would carry Country Music Television and the latest Sponge Bob episodes for my kids....but it's a small price to pay for zeroing out my cable TV bill. I highly recommend the Clearstream4 antenna.

This purchase was part of a project to save money on cable company bills, which previously were adding up to almost $150/month for internet service, cable programming and converter box. The solution gives me high-definition TV for over $100/month less. I ordered the Antennas Direct CLEARSTREAM4 Antennaand the 75 Cm J-mount/mast to attach the antenna to my roof eave. I used 50 feet of 75-ohm tv cabling to run the signal to my TiVo TCD652160 HD Digital Video Recorder and I was in business. I quit using the converter box and cable tv programming (keeping only high speed internet service) and signed up with TiVO and Netflix at much more reasonable monthly rates.The Clearstream 4 antenna assembled without major hassles. The illustrations provided were more helpful than the written directions, but in the end it will go together only one way. The antenna itself is made of lightweight but well-engineered materials and it has not shown any problems in the strong local winds common in this area. The television stations in my area use mountaintop transmitters to send their signals. I went online to antennaweb.org, plugged in my address, and was provided with a map showing the directions from my house to the various transmitters. The Clearstream4 antenna has a wide signal reception range, so I found that turning the antenna to an azimuth of about 300 degrees (NNW direction) worked very well and I was able to get clear signals of all the local stations. The antenna mounted securely to the 75-cm J-mount mast with a couple of U-bolt assemblies provided with the antenna. The mast was attached to the roof with 5/16" carriage bolts. I attached it near the eave line of my house so that the mounting holes were drilled under the eave and not into the interior of the house, but the bolts and holes were caulked with roofing compound for weather protection. I ran the antenna cable down the side of the house, into a vent space at the foundation and then through the crawl space of the house to the location of my home entertainment center. I removed the trim on the wall behind the center to drill a slanting 5/8" hole down through the floor, stuck a straightened coathanger wire in the hole and then went back under the house to tape the cable to the coathanger so it could be pulled up and connected to the TiVO unit. I caulked the hole around the cable wire and re-attached the trim after making sure everything was working properly.The TiVO HD video recorder TiVo TCD652160 HD Digital Video Recorder really keeps the fun in watching television. Depending upon the time of day and the broadcaster, 15 to 20 minutes of every program hour these days is taken up with commercials. The TiVO lets you record a program, watch it later when convenient and fast-forward through the commercial interruptions. It is possible to record two programs while simultaneously watching a third, previously recorded program (I found that was handy for me on Monday nights). You can use a telephone or internet connection to allow the TiVO unit to get programming information and TiVO service. I used the internet, connecting a CAT-V computer cable from the TiVO unit to my cable modem/router, but a wireless TiVO connection device is available at extra cost. At set-up, the TiVO unit runs a channel scan and then connects with TiVO to download program guide information for the stations received. For some reason, the TiVO setup didn't recognize two stations which I received right away, and it took about 10 days before I started getting TV guide information on these two stations. Seems like TiVO ought to provide a way to manually add (or subtract) station program guide information, since it does allow editing of your preferred channel list. A big benefit with TiVO: you can dowload rented movies from Amazon and Netflix. You can also get You-Tube downloads and other media available online. For example, my basic monthly subscription to Netflix gets me movies in the mail on a regular basis, but the same subscription price (with TiVO services) lets me get instant downloads of over 10,000 movies and TV shows. The quality is probably dependent upon the quality of the consumer's internet connection, but for me it works great. The programs appear to be about 720 resolution, audio is good, reception is reliable and fast and it doesn't cost any more than the regular cost for Netflix and TiVO service. I now pay about $55/month for internet, TIVO and Netflix service-- a savings of $100 over cable provider program costs. I receive over a dozen broadcast channels OTA (over the air), most in high-definition. There are a few cable shows I miss having, but for $100/month, I'm coping. By the way, I ordered the 75 Cm J-mount/mast, Antennas Direct CLEARSTREAM4 Antenna and TiVo TCD652160 HD Digital Video Recorder through Amazon. The prices were competitive, products received were as-described, and everything arrived on time and in good condition.