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Review on 1byone 360° Omni-Directional Amplified Outdoor HDTV Antenna | Long Range Reception for 4K, 1080P UHF VHF Free Channels | Indoor/Outdoor/RV/Attic Use by Matthew Goyette

Revainrating 5 out of 5

Excellent antenna with bugs

This is a great antenna but it has some drawbacks. We used the Mohu sheet as we are 13-18 miles from our transmitters but it was an issue. We worked great for a while, but over time we had trouble getting signals. I usually had to stow these by the window and now and then someone in the kitchen tripped over the cable, causing the antenna to fall. This antenna is easy to install after we separate the live dish. Regarding the signal, we get 5/5 signals on the scoreboard, but we face a problem where the channels stop working randomly. It's a software bug where you basically have to change channels 4 times (on 4 tuner boards) and when you come back it's clear as day. We didn't increase the channel count at all with this antenna, but (for what it's worth) we installed it once and didn't have to fiddle with it. I used the TV Fool to point myself right in the center where all the antennas are since they are all northwest of us. The antenna has a certain kink in the overall design. Not sure how it will hold up in high winds and ice but it can be replaced cheaply. 1byone does not pack this very well and it is likely that 4 antenna areas were damaged during shipping. This square strip in the center was about 1 inch by 1 inch. A few small rods on the reflector and front arm were so worn that the chrome was removed over an area of 1" x 1". It's not bad, and it's almost entirely cosmetic, but can we put plastic bags or foam board in the box? Weatherproof coaxial cap is too small. Even if you cut the bottom to put a coax cable through, it's too small to put a straight coax connector through. The actual mount is secure, but the toothed section closest to the antenna is higher than the toothed clamp on the other side. This isn't technically a suggestion, but since the clip is higher, you technically have to cut the hair lower than you'd expect. Since I'm reusing a direct mount pipe I need all the height I can get since it's barely a foot tall. I had to use an amplifier with this antenna because although I'm about 15 miles away from the transmitters on average, there are some hilly areas between us. I connected the Winegard USB amp but went back to the Mohu amp. If you have direct cable TV and satellite TV, it's easy to replace. Do your homework first. Check the coax box at the back of the house to make sure it's grounded with a ground block. If you don't need to split the signal to all the TVs I would buy some plug to plug coax adapters so you can get a stronger signal. Directv coaxial cable has a built-in amplifier. You need to find this and turn it off before working with the antenna. If you google the DirectV Power Inserter, this is what ours looked like. In addition to purchasing this antenna, I also purchased a coaxial surge protector. It's this little adapter that protects you (within reason) from lightning strikes to the antenna. It didn't affect our signal in any way and just needed it. On the back of the scoreboard I have a surge protector, an amplifier and then the actual antenna line of our installation. I hope that makes sense. It's a big antenna, but it doesn't weigh at all and you can easily drag it up the stairs with you. Given our issues with the Mohu omnidirectional antenna, I chose it based on the overall positive reviews, directivity, and low cost. If that doesn't work I'd probably buy a google fiber since I'm in the kc region or upgrade our Playstation Vue line. As always, everyone is different and I'm glad I found something that worked. This is probably our 5th antenna we've tried, but this is the first outdoor antenna. An attic was not an option as we would have a Pooh Bear kind of situation.

Pros
  • electronics
Cons
  • disappears