DIGIWAVE ANT-7288 Super HDTV Digital 8-Bay Antenna UHF

[be236]

Anyone know about this antenna?

http://www.summitsource.com/digiwave...le-p-9544.html

Specifications:

DIGIWAVE ANT-7288
Digital UHF Outdoor HDTV Antenna
8 Active Element
Frequency Range: 470 - 862 MHz
Channels: 21 - 69
Antenna Gain: 20 - 36 dB
Beam Width H/V: H 60/ V32
Front-back Ratio: 22 dB
Output Impedance: 75 Ohm
Antenna Length: 820 mm

20-36dB antenna gain! Too good to be true?

[ADTech]

http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=1559

[Dave Loudin]

Dude, you need to focus on the antennas we recommended or consult the antenna chart at digital home. Don't go chasing after clones of dubious quality and dubious claims.

[be236]

Originally Posted by Dave Loudin

Dude, you need to focus on the antennas we recommended or consult the antenna chart at digital home. Don't go chasing after clones of dubious quality and dubious claims.

Yeah, I know... It's just that I'm on the deepest fringe edge of reception here that I find the highest gain UHF as possible and been reading on the various sites and just stumbled on that one. Hence I'm just asking a lot of questions right now.. The claimed gain was just too good to pass up and ask.

Yes, I need to look at the antenna chart at digital home (if I can find its link again).

[oldjake135]

i have installed one , i think it works well , i live in Beaverton ont canada we are in the boon docks , i get all can stations pluse pbs bufflo and other american stations i also was told they are not any good.

[be236]

What channels can you get that show negative NM dB value?

[oldjake135]

ill check it out to morrow and let you no , all canadian cnal. are around 100, percent that i get.

[be236]

Yeah, I'm interested to know... I want to get some channels with NM -8dB to -15dB which are about 130km away...

Also, another question.. the gain listed seems way too high (too good)... so does this antenna come with its own power pre-amplifier? If so, that would make sense for them to claim this "high amp gain," and not "antenna gain."

[No static at all]

With such bloated gain figures, I would personally stay away from this product. They must have been smoking some pretty good stuff to come up with those huge numbers. Don't see any mention of amplification.

[MisterMe]

Originally Posted by oldjake135

i have installed one , i think it works well , i live in Beaverton ont canada we are in the boon docks , i get all can stations pluse pbs bufflo and other american stations i also was told they are not any good.

The DigiWave ANT-7288 is constructed using two 4-bay antennas mounted side-by-side with each side independently adjustable. To say that it does not work would have been a gross overstatement. I am sure that it is no worse than any other 4-bay antenna, but no better than any other 8-bay antenna. Those who are unfamiliar with TV antennas may be impressed with its performance. By way of comparison, a ChannelMaster CM-4221HD 4-bay has average UHF gain of 10.2 dB. Its larger sibling, the ChannelMaster CM-4228HD 8-bay has average gain of 12.0 dB. The DigiWave claims a gain over Channels 21-69 of 20-36 dB. I can see only two possibilities for such dramatic gain figures for the DigiWave. One is that the laws of physics are different for DigiWave. The other is that they are simply adding the dB levels of the two 4-bay sections. Suffice it to say, you can't do that [correctly].

Even though DigiWave's gain claims are false, it probably still does a decent job of pulling in UHF channels. It is the Ginsu knife phenomenon. For those old enough to remember the Ginsu knife infomercials, the Ginsu miracle knives could cut though tin cans and then cut tissue-thin tomato slices. The secret of the Ginsu knife is that it was stainless steel. Any decent stainless steel kitchen knife could do what the Ginsu knife did.

In a like manner, any decent 8-bay antenna will be as good or better than the DigiWave ANT-7288.

[oldjake135]

mine is a 8 bay antt. i get cblt sinal strengh 45, vall. 100, global sg. 56 val. 100 percent , tvo sig. 40 , val. 100, 23 buffalo sig .35, val., 100 , ckvr sig., 60 , val 100., chch sig 39., val 100 ctv sig., 60 val.,100 pbs only at night sig., 50,. val 80 percent most come off cn tower wich is about 70 miles away

[claudeM]

I agree that 36 db does not make sense. They must be quoting the front to back gain ratio.
Someone in marketing must have mixed up the engineering data in the translation.

[claudeM]

Back of the envelope antenna-gain calculation for an 8-Bay antenna compared to a single dipole:
Each time we double the number of dipoles we get 3 dB more gain.
Two dipoles = 3 dB more gain
Four dipoles = 3+3 dB more gain
Eight dipoles = 3+3+3dB more gain
Add an other 3dB when we add the reflector then the total 8-bay antenna with reflector = 12 dB better than a single dipole. (this is assuming all dipoles are adding in phase)

[Emu25]

I hav'nt tried the ANT-7288 but here's where you may be able to get it at a cheaper price,
http://www.homevisiontech.com/hdtv/o...v-antenna.html

[Pete Higgins]

Solid Signal had what appears to be this same antenna advertised this weekend as a “Solid Signal Xtreme Signal HDB8X High Definition Blade 8 Bay Xtreme Antenna (HDB8X)” for $59.99 with $0.05 shipping.

I don't believe their dB claims either, but for $60.04 delivered, I ordered one to try. Depending on how well engineered their matching harness is, I expect it to be in the ball park with any other 8-Bay.

I have a 40 year old Channel Master CM-4228 8-Bay Bow Tie up right now on a push-up mast and a 9 month old 91XG up on a 40' tower. Solid Signal expects to ship around the 1st of June (2013?) so when I get it I'll swap out the 4228 & (unscientifically) compare performance.

I can’t tell much difference between the 4228 & the 91XG with two notable exceptions; the 91XG reliably receives channel 43 (2.1 CBS) but has a hard time with channel 36 (4.1 NBC) and the 4228 reliably receives channel 36 (4.1 NBC) but has a hard time with channel 43 (2.1 CBS). The SNR for the rest of my UHF stations is usually within 1-2 dB with slightly over half favoring the 91XG.