Philips SCP010 Indoor Passive UHF VHF FM HDTV Antenna
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User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars Works well
Cheap and it works well. Get about 25 TV stations (including HD) 10 miles from Philly. Also great for Stereos.
1 Star Save your cash
I purchased this to go on a small TV at home. This item picked up only one channel more than the built in antenna. The extendability of unit is flimsy and will not stay in place. They fall down constantly to the sides. Spend the extra couple dollars and find something of better quality. I regret this purchase.
2 Stars Not much of an HDTV antenna
I bought 3 of these advertised as HDTV antennas. They do not perform as well as the plain rabbit ears I was using, appearing to be too directional to be of much use, where the rabbit ears picked up all 12 digital channels here without moving. Dunno why that would be, but there it is.
5 Stars Affordable and reliable
I have been struggling with clear reception for years. I have a digital tv and was simply using the cable line that the previous tenant had installed as my antenna. This worked, but if I nudged the cable at all I would have to spend the next half hour trying to get decent reception. So, I bought this Philips antenna. I get every channel perfectly now! No more screaming at the tv. Its a great little antenna.
4 Stars Well built with one exception, but might not work for you
This simple passive (unamplified) antenna is solidly built. The base is weighted enough that it doesn’t fall over easily, and the rabbit ears are stiff enough that you can spread them apart without their flopping over.
My one complaint is that the antenna uses a screw-on plug that’s difficult to attach to the TV. When connecting it I wished I had three hands: one to hold the cable, one to steady the TV, and one to twist the threaded connector onto the TV. If they’d used a slip-on plug instead of a screw-on plug then two hands would have been enough. Also, I think the pin on the plug was misaligned, since it took several tries before I could get it to start screwing on.
My wife and I bought this antenna for a new flat-screen television, which is replacing a 10-year old tube television. The rabbit ears (and butterfly) antenna on the old TV worked fine with the inexpensive digital converter box that we’d purchased. (We’d meant to keep the old television for several more years, but then decided to go for a 1080p flat-screen.)
Since the old antenna worked, I thought this new antenna would work just as well, but I was wrong. That’s not influencing my review because so many things can affect signal strength. After moving the new antenna around the house, I think the old antenna worked better because it was sitting ON TOP of the old television, while the new antenna is sitting a few feet lower, next to the new television. If I pick the new antenna up and lift it a few feet I get much better reception on the few channels that are troublesome.
Here are a few suggestions if you’re considering this antenna:
Use an “.org” or “.gov” website that gives guidance on antennas. For the best results, give the site your exact street address, including how high your antenna will be above street level. You’re not likely to have much luck with a cheap passive antenna unless the website suggests a small multidirectional antenna type for all the channels you’re interested in. If you decide you want to aim your antenna then some websites let you print a map showing you the directions that your TV stations transmit from (although you might get a stronger reflected signal from a different direction).
If you buy the antenna and it “almost” works then you can try aiming it. The rabbit ears on the antenna pick up VHF channels. When the ears point straight up they pick up signals equally well from all directions. When they are spread apart in a “V” shape then your best reception will be directly in front of and directly behind the “V”. Similarly, the “O” part of the antenna picks up UHF channels. When you look straight through the “O” then your best reception will be directly in front of you and directly behind you.
