These antennas are imported and sold under many different names
with slight variations in design..
I really try not to bash antennas on my website but these cheap imports are tempting and so many people are asking about them. I'll keep it brief and just say this. 1.You get what you pay for. 2.They say a picture is worth a thousand words, look closely! Yes, those are plastic thumb screws that hold the antenna to the mast. The antenna won't install to a standard mast pipe either, the mounting hole on the antenna is too small. The rotor broke before we could finish our test.
Every antenna will work good someplace! This antenna will too but it definitely has its limits. We found that stronger signals had a tendency to overload (overdrive) the built in preamplifier and the weaker signals could not be received due to lack of antenna signal gain.
Use this antenna where the signals arn't too strong or too weak and you may be okay as long as you don't mount it outside. It won't last...
You can see for yourself that the performance of the import antenna won't live up to the claims. The imported antenna shown above is a "Yagi" style antenna design just like the HD Stacker.
See the HD Stacker image at the top of the page? Look at the VHF portion of the Stacker antenna. All of those elements on the top Stacker boom are tuned and all work together to receive VHF TV signal. Compare the Stacker VHF to what you see on the import. Not much there only a short 13" loop.
Now look at the UHF portion of the Stacker antenna and compare it to the UHF portion of the import. Both have director elements on the main boom but look at how many more directors the Stacker has. The import only has 9 inches of directors while the Stacker has 60 inches. Compare the little plastic UHF reflectors on the import to those on the Stacker. You don't need to be an engineer to see the difference and why the made in the USA HD Stacker antenna will easily outperform and outlast the imports.
Denny
