Winegard HD8200U Platinum Series High Definition VHF UHF TV Antenna
For All Channels 269; Ultra Efficient Transfer Of Signal With ; Range Up To 40 Miles Winegard HD 8200U High Defintion Platinum VHF/UHF/FM Antenna (HD8200U) The best of the best. The HD8200U has some of the highest gain of any consumer grade antenna. Built to last, so if you just want to purchase an antenna once, this is the one you want. Includes weather proof cartridge house for download module with 75 Ohm coaxial connection.
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars GREAT Reception!
For years we had an RCA VHF/UHF antenna mounted to our chimney, but it came down Easter weekend of 2009 from a tornado. Since several of the Nashville stations had already began broadcasting digitally, we were really enjoying digital TV. For a replacement I decided to try a DB8 from Antennas Direct, but it failed to live up to its reviews (don’t get me started). It was only UHF and upper VHF and none of the stations were all that strong.
Well… it’s a new day and a new antenna. Got the HD8200U from Amazon and it really sucks! That’s a good thing! It sucks in every broadcast station in middle Tennessee. It’s pulling in over 10 different stations, most of which are broadcasting with subchannels. I now have 23 different channels/sub-channels to choose.
Part of what makes this antenna work so well is its size. This is a BIG antenna. It’s 14′ long and over 9′ at the widest. But, it was amazingly easy to assemble and install. It is very light weight and well balanced. I installed it myself – took about hour to assemble it and then another hour or so to get it installed. Do not even think about installing it with anything stronger than a breeze. It accepts a 2″ pole, but I just used a 1-1/4″ top pole from a chain-link fence. Worked great. Oh, this is without any amplifier and it’s split to three TVs. Most stations are pegged around 98% signal strength with a couple around 85%
Now that I’ve gushed over how great it is, let me say a few things that really ticked me off. They’re minor, but very annoying. 1) Ordered the antenna and one of the vanes was installed backwards at the factory. It was riveted on so I couldn’t correct it. Because of this, it wouldn’t lock in to place. Returned it to Amazon and had them ship another. 2) Second antenna was OK, but there were some nuts and bolts missing. Had to make a trip to Home Depot to get what was missing.
At any rate, I’m very pleased with the reception and how easily the installation went. Except for the two problems, it’s about as perfect as can be. While this isn’t a cheap antenna, it’s a whole lot cheaper than paying for cable or satalite each month!
2 Stars Big Disappointment
I used the Winegard web site for their recommendations and followed it by the letter. Antenna must be assembled on the ground. Impossible to do on the roof. It is big and bulky so have at least another person to help you get it to the mounting position. The signal strength is worse than the 20 year old antenna I had in the attic which was 1/2 the size. I get fewer stations with the new Winegard than I got prevoius old antenna. The new antenna is outside and 20 ft higher than the old and pointing in the same direction. Big expense, poor results. May work fine if you are in a strong signal area but I bought it to improve recepption as I am out 50-60 miles.
3 Stars Rather Disappointed
This unit was purchased to replace a 20+ year old antenna that was somewhat corroded and had several bent or missing elements. The old antenna was pulling in all of the local Baltimore stations well, but reception of Washington DC area channels (particularly UHF) was spotty at best. After reading the overwhelmingly positive reviews here and elsewhere, I had high hopes that the HD-8200U would improve my reception substantially.
As others have noted, the instructions do leave a bit to be desired. With careful review and some common sense, though, assembly is not too difficult. In general, the antenna appears to be well constructed. I did encounter one manufacturing issue, however, when attempting to join the front and rear sections. A bolt hole that had been punched in the tube had not been done so cleanly. The result was a large “burr” on the inside of the tube that needed to be broken off and filed down before the parts could be put together.
After completing assembly and mounting the unit in the same orientation as the previous antenna, I hurried into the house – anxious to check out signal strengths and rescan for any additional channels. I was surprised to find that I had in fact lost several stations. The receiver was no longer detecting DC channels 4, 5, 20, and 66 at all. I spent considerable time adjusting the antenna rotor, but to no avail. Signal strengths for all of the local stations (both UHF and VHF) are quite good but about the same as with the old antenna.
I am not running a preamplifier, but I really expected this unit to perform at least as well as my previous weather-worn, beat up antenna without one. This has been a waste of both time and money for me.
3 Stars Muy buena antena
tiene muy buena calidad de imagen pero lo unico malo es que es unidireccional y tienes que estar moviendola para que agarre otros canales y si compras un preamplificador no hace ninguna diferencia aun tienes que seguir cambiando la direccion
5 Stars It’s in the attic
I live 30 miles from Chicago.
Before purchasing this antenna I read all the reviews. Most of the concerns that people seemed to have had nothing to do with the antenna, but actually centered around the flimsy cardboard box it was shipped in. When our antenna arrived the box was loose at both ends and there were a few nuts rolling free in the box that could have very easily fallen out. But we lucked out and everything was there.
By the way – we utilized the super free shipping that Amazon offers. The antenna arrived a couple of days after we ordered it.
We put the antenna in the attic of our two story home. Our home is surrounded by larger houses and lots of very tall trees. We get all our normal channels, plus a few I never knew existed. I was concerned that, with such a powerful antenna, we might pick up too many channels and they would spill over on each other, but since this antenna is very directional, that has not happened.
I am very pleased with this antenna. It feels like I’ve purchased a lifetime of free reception for the mere cost of about three months of cable TV.
By the way, be careful when exiting your attic. My ladder slipped and I fell out of the attic. But don’t worry! I’m okay….just pulled a muscle in my arm while trying to break the fall.
