RadioShack 1500321 Question ???

Alan909 · 9-Feb-2013, 9:11 PM

Ok All, go ahead and shot me and get it over with, lol...ya, I bought the RadioShack 1500321 out of pure curiosity...and to my surprise, it did and is working...went from 6 channels to 13 channels in all..."My question is"...Why is all most everyone against this preamp???
] Before preamp, I got 12-1,12-2, 12-3, 24-1, 35-1 and 35-2...added channels with preamp are all on 26 and channel 50...
http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...1ddab366573b12

Stereocraig · 9-Feb-2013, 9:57 PM

Unless you post your TVF, nobody has any reference to give you advice, on whether your results are good, or bad.

Alan909 · 9-Feb-2013, 10:19 PM

Sorry Stereocraig...I posted my signal report...but...my main question still remains as maybe I did not ask this question correctly...
"Why are so many people on the forum so against this preamp???"
I read several threads to get rid of them, return it or toss in the garbage can with no explanation why???...NM is 3.5, not good but not bad either...just a curious question, nothing more...

No static at all · 9-Feb-2013, 10:32 PM

Looks like an Antennacraft pre-amp to me & it should be decent quality if so.

After looking at the reviews, the only ones that didn't like it appeared to not understand exactly what they were doing.(overloading for the most part). One guy was even trying to use it to improve FM reception. Anyone with the slightest knowledge of amplifers knows that FM is best left un-amplified as it will likely only make things worse.

Alan909 · 10-Feb-2013, 12:14 AM

Thanks "No Static", I know there is better preamps on the market but could not control my curiousity on this one and tried it, so far, so good...I am using a Winegard HD7084P with 50ft. RG-6 coax, directly into the preamp, distribution unit and to the TV...no splitters and not grounded yet but will ground it tomorrow...
"Still like to know why some(maybe most) people say toss it in the garbage can, lol..."

No static at all · 10-Feb-2013, 3:13 AM

Holy s___, did that pre-amp really cost 67.00???????????

Alan909 · 10-Feb-2013, 11:12 AM

Yes it did cost $67...that's why I said in the beginning..."Ok All, go ahead and shoot me now and get it over with, lol"...I had a little money to play with so I tried this preamp...Still going to order the AP2870 PreAmp and the MXU59 antenna tomorrow...and put the 1500321 in my closet for an emergency preamp...For $67, sure don't want to toss it in the trash can, lol...It's still working fine and have all 13 channels from having only 6 channels...a bit weak on 26 and 50 but hope by stacking the MXU59 will cure that and pull in FOX channel 22(66)...Bet my TVFOOL REPORT is the worst anyone have seen, sheesh...

Stereocraig · 10-Feb-2013, 1:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan909

Yes it did cost $67...that's why I said in the beginning..."Ok All, go ahead and shoot me now and get it over with, lol"...I had a little money to play with so I tried this preamp...Still going to order the AP2870 PreAmp and the MXU59 antenna tomorrow...and put the 1500321 in my closet for an emergency preamp...For $67, sure don't want to toss it in the trash can, lol...It's still working fine and have all 13 channels from having only 6 channels...a bit weak on 26 and 50 but hope by stacking the MXU59 will cure that and pull in FOX channel 22(66)...Bet my TVFOOL REPORT is the worst anyone have seen, sheesh...

Is there any chance you can return the preamp?
Yeah, stations are a bit sparse in your area.

Alan909 · 10-Feb-2013, 6:02 PM

Yes, I have 30 days to return the preamp, and get a full refund..."why do you ask???"...I am looking at the PA18 suggested by others for $80...less gain but also less NM...think I will give it a try next...unless you suggest something otherwise for me to review and/or test...

No static at all · 10-Feb-2013, 6:08 PM

This or this are just as good at half the price. You could buy even both & have enough left over for Burger King!!

GroundUrMast · 10-Feb-2013, 6:48 PM

My general complaint re. RS product stems from the lack of access to relevant specifications. Gain, Noise Figure & Overload Point are the main items I need to know when specifying an amplifier of any type.

The amplifiers sold under the RS brand rarely have anything other than gain published. As I've gained personal experience with RS products and read others experience and results, giving credence to the reports based on tests performed with lab grade gear, I've developed the opinion that RS branded preamps and DA's have poor noise figures compared to competing products.

FWIW: Gain in excess of the cable, splitter losses & tuner noise-figure in your system is of little or no benefit, and can cause trouble in some situations. That means an amp with 12 dB of gain may be better than one with 29 dB... or vice versa.

A good amplifier has a low noise-figure. RS branded amplifiers are known as noisy amplifiers. The lower the NF, the less damage an amplifier will do to your hard won signal.

Maximum output, maximum input or third-order-intercept are all variations of ways to help you understand how much signal an amp can handle without overload. Often you are left with an ad copy statement in loo of an engineering grade spec. If you are in the city, close to strong signal sources, avoid using any amplifier if you can. If you prove the need for an amp, avoid one sold as 'for deep fringe' or 'weak signal'... again, when faced with strong signals.

And last, antenna gain is always better than amplifier gain. Antennas don't overload and they have a NF of 0.0 dB. A high gain antenna is generally more directional than a low gain antenna, thus a high gain antenna is able to receive more desired signal while receiving less interfering signal from directions other than the point of aim.

Hope this helps a bit...

Cheers

ZippyTheChicken · 20-Oct-2014, 3:55 AM

Gees son do you live in a cave lined in lead?

I though I had it bad with a half dozen in 20db half dozen more above 14db but I am a good 55+ miles from the antennas so its flakey... especially during sun up.

you don't have signal ... you have negative signal..

I made my own 4bay and stuck an RCA 22db amp on it but i need something a bit stronger.. I don't think the RCA is really putting out 22db probably 12db.
probably should go with a commercial antenna too but I did get a little help with the design so it should actually be a 10-15db antenna...

I really like when people list their real results about products because it lets other people realize that some of the ratings that might work on a bench in a lab aren't what you get in the real world even if you follow every step perfectly.....

I am actually looking at a 100db distribution amp on ebay direct from china figure its probably 40db actual heh... but still it has a gain dial on it so

Son you give me hope .. you an your black hole of antenna signals .. heh

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan909

Yes it did cost $67...that's why I said in the beginning..."Ok All, go ahead and shoot me now and get it over with, lol"...I had a little money to play with so I tried this preamp...Still going to order the AP2870 PreAmp and the MXU59 antenna tomorrow...and put the 1500321 in my closet for an emergency preamp...For $67, sure don't want to toss it in the trash can, lol...It's still working fine and have all 13 channels from having only 6 channels...a bit weak on 26 and 50 but hope by stacking the MXU59 will cure that and pull in FOX channel 22(66)...Bet my TVFOOL REPORT is the worst anyone have seen, sheesh...