Antennas Direct DB8E Outdoor Attic Antenna Review

[@AntennaMan]

📡 Do you have reception problems? Consider an antenna recommendation from me below! antennamanpa.com/antenna-recommendations.html

[@WhiteWolf-xm8ws]

We just installed this antenna. Pulls in 89 stations crystal clear. Thanks for your links showing us where our towers are. Made the install super easy! Used the existing hardware from our dish as it was already grounded. Slid right on the pole. Happy I cut the cord! Saves me 180 per month!

[@cheetahb5]

I added this antenna up in my attic. I have 2 sets of towers about 100 degrees apart (NW & WSW) which is why I went with the independent rotatable sections. So far this has been a great antenna for me. All my channels increased by 10-15dB (7.85-12.85dBi). I would often lose my PBS stations at different times of the day with my old antenna. They are rock solid now and I picked up about 6 additional channels I didn't have before. So all-in-all, I'm glad I went with this one.

[@keithbender2061]

I bought this a week ago to replace my ClearStream 2 Max. I Love it so far, my signal has improved enough that I dont get the Pixelating effect anymore. I also purchased the add on VHF. I wanted a flat antenna that would install on my deck railing. This one did the trick. Both are aimed in the same direction.

[@AntennaMan]

Glad it works for you!

[@jburghau]

I wire-tied four recycled aluminum rabbit ear antennas horizontally directly behind each pair of my DB8 antenna`s bowties at the back of the reflector. This helped my VHf reception tremendously. My VHf stations are only 10 miles away but the reception was often very poor. Tyler`s review of the Channelmaster 8bay and the comments and other forums solved my problem after all these years . Thank you Tyler.

[@terryfennell3331]

Thanks for showing this. I was thnking of getting one but every time I see a review on any one that I have been looking at, it always sends be back to the big directional with a rotor

[@JRobert111111]

The Televes brand is impressing me on your channel Tyler. I've been in touch with a lady at Televes and I'm waiting for the 148381 VHF/UHF antenna to come in; hopefully by the end of May, but I'll wait and hopefully get some great performance from it.

[@abrahamnorthhampton3327]

I have this antenna in the southern suburbs of DC (where, surprisingly, we have no significant VHF stations). Works great! I am considering rotating one bay to the south to see if I can also pick up Richmond stations. If I can, and I don't lose significant gain on the DC area stations, I will probably modify the connections to make this two separate antennas on one pole. Very versatile!

[@caseyhartman7094]

We just have ABC and CBS that broadcast on VHF, but Baltimore's ABC affiliate WMAR can be easily picked up. I'm not sure if the DB8e will consistently pick up RVA stations from NoVA, but they might occasionally come in. It depends on how far south you are.

[@abrahamnorthhampton3327]

@@caseyhartman7094 Cool. Thanks! In the old days, we could occasionally pick up Richmond stations AND Baltimore stations under the right atmospheric conditions. The independent stations, in particular, did provide alternative programs we didn't get on the DC stations

[@tbkulavik]

That Antenna Direct VHF clip on works like a charm.

[@ruhtra-k]

I live in southwest Michigan, technically in the South Bend market. But because I live about 15 miles from Lake Michigan I get the Chicago stations really well. I use a DVR I didn’t want a rotor. This antenna works really well for me. Very happy with it. I have had this antenna for a few years now. I installed their signal booster too.

[@vickiegrant3325]

The tropospheric refraction over the Great Lakes is sometimes amazing. On an unusually humid day in Manistique, MI (the northern tip of the lake), I received two Willis Tower (Chicago) UHF stations. The antenna? A jumbo paperclip inserted into the antenna connector.

[@Robert-sl7jo]

I’m happy with my Channel Master CM-4228HD with excellent UHF reception out to 80 miles and it doesn’t require a separate VHF kit and is actually smaller than the DB8e. I’d like to see how the DB8e compares to the HD Stacker antenna. This is an antenna that doesn’t have a professional review separate from Denny’s.

[@PC4USE1]

Wow -more bow ties on that antenna than a tuxedo makers convention. Great review,by the way.

[@dannycalley7777]

R.B. ……………….more bowties then Chevys at a dealership !!!!!!!

[@bacondoesthings123]

One of the perks of living in the Lehigh Valley is that you can either choose between the big O&O stations in Philly or the smaller, more local stations in Scranton.

[@metrotechguru5863]

Great review. Also, I really like that cable-knit sweater you are wearing. It's very flattering on you.

[@JLilliquist]

This is one of my two antennas the DB4E since I need VHF for two channels in one direction, CW and PBS. The secondary gets both.

[@IceBergTYS]

I'm using the DB4e 4 element version of this antenna with a Channel Master LTE filter and distribution amp and currently pick up around 52 channels. It's been an excellent antenna.

[@mrjcbuc]

I thought the antenna only picked up the major networks. What do folks mean when they say they’re picking up 50+ stations?

[@be236]

I just set up this antenna outdoors on a 6-ft pole off the ground, and can pick up VHF R13 with this (about 60 miles away), without using that VHF extender kit. Likely due to a strong RF 13 signal where I'm at, as I can pick it up using a small 2-bow antenna as well. But your comparison shows it is good performance to Televes one. Will need to mount this on the roof once I'm done testing it.

[@DAVIDGREGORYKERR]

You are going to need a mast and two antennas one for VHF and one for UHF + Antenna combiner and booster to accommodate the length of cable between the mast and the house. .

[@Craig1967]

Excellent video - great!

[@canadianmike711]

I thought the same thing

[@patrickmartin4996]

Thanks Tyler for the great review. I had wondered about a 4-8 BAY UHF antenna for here, but not knowing how well a Bay antenna would work compared to the 91XG Antenna Direct, I can seed the 91XG would do better. Plus we have high winds. My translators are all in the same direction at 12.2 miles and the 91XG has the highest gain I have found here. The only way to gain anymore would be the stack two of them. Which I could do as I have my old one, but I doubt I would need that. Too much gain then.

[@miketammaro5609]

This type of antenna is the best of them. Whether its DB4 or DB8 they will do the job almost every time.

[@eminence_front6043]

I considered that antenna when I was looking to upgrade my setup. I live between markets and get signals from three directions and I was concerned with multipath myself. Glad I decided against that one.

[@villumschroeder1255]

Herman which one did you get? How's it working for you?

[@eminence_front6043]

@@villumschroeder1255 I bought the Extreme Signal HDB81X. I'm well satisfied with its performance but the aluminum elements are somewhat fragile. Been using it for about three years and it's still working good. I'm used it with a Stellar Labs vhf long range antenna.

[@villumschroeder1255]

I see. Thanks!

[@antonioterrell354]

Hey Tyler ... Good video review, but ironically this kind of antenna appears to have actually (and "finally") corrected a very annoying multipath interference problem that's bedeviled some of my TiVo OTA DVRs for years. Causing intermittent sound and picture breakup on some important channels mostly on the VHF-hi band, but occasionally UHF ones too. Located here in So. LA only about 20 mi. SW of the towers high atop Mt. Wilson and Mt. Harvard, so in a strong signal area. And pointing a directional antenna squarely at the towers to the NE gives excellent signal strength on all the channels, but some of the channels suffered from the multipath interference. However pointing a directional antenna due east and receiving off-axis eliminated the m-p problem, but caused a number of stations to drop to unacceptably low signal levels. So on a wag, bought an HDB8X antenna by XtremeSignal. And aimed one bay east and the other NE, and "voila." The peculiar m-p that plagued some of my TiVos for years disappeared in one day ... Go figure ...

[@brianpercival1829]

Also depends on the day and what the sun is doing. Intense sun flares can cut down reception by 10% and enough to cause drop outs. I couldn't figure out why some stations come in at 68 and next day 60.

[@danbasta3677]

Very true. This does indeed happen. I loose channels around this time of the year, springtime when the trees start growing their leaves again and the ultraviolet sun rays begin taking an effect on the digital transmissions.

[@michaelcorkery7108]

Great video. Tyler always does a good job. Easy to understand.

[@blueschild61]

Sweet cable knit sweater bro.

[@amerigovespucci4076]

The DB8E seems to work well on the UHF band it is designed for. However, as Tyler indicated, most areas have at least one high band VHF channel., (Rf 7-13). The Televes DAT Boss Mix LR outperformed the DB8E on UHF plus has hi-VHF and a preamplifier built in as well. That's a whole lot less expensive than purchasing the DB8E, the Stellar Labs Hi VHF antenna plus a combiner. The Televes also makes for a neater, simpler installation.......

[@villumschroeder1255]

Good point Amerigo.I may end up getting that Televes DAT Boss Mix LR instead of the SL 30-2476 and Vzenit I have now. We'll see.

[@kensolar69]

I made one of these out of wire hangers, pvc pipe, a few slats of wood and an amplified connector, then made a 30"x40" window screen covered w/ tin foil for the reflector. Cost 35$ and works the same, without the dual direction.

[@craigosterberg5045]

Thanks for the review.

[@caseyhartman7094]

Antennas Direct makes quality antennas with a high beam width capability although I think it increases the chance for multi-path interference. They are a good solution for those who live in areas where broadcast towers are greater than 45 degrees apart and less than 50 miles aways.

[@murraymacneill2545]

What this antenna does best is it allows you to get more stations loaded on your TV when you do a scan. It scans from a wider area.

[@charlesmartel5520]

Would it make more sense to use a 2 input amplifier instead of their combiner or use their combiner and a 1 input amplifier? Or would it make no difference?

[@TimDowell]

Great review. I have the DB8E and it works well for my area.

[@John_Schulz]

Superb Informational Presentation. Most helpful, indeed. Thank You Kindly, and Take Care.

[@mothman-jz8ug]

This might be a good choice for me. There are UHF stations at ~33 miles in southeast and southwest. There is only one VHF station which is listed as being in my reception area, but it is around 50 miles away, and that extra distance is all high hills and woods. I have friends and family living more than 10 miles closer to the VHF station (broadcasting on VHF 10)than I am, and none have been able to receive the station since analog went bye-bye. Thus, having a VHF antenna would likely do nothing for me anyway.

[@Robb403]

I think it would be cool if someone took that design a little further and added individual rotors and some kind of smart box that finds the best signal for the channel you are watching. Seems like, if they can put GPS and all that other gimmickry in a cheap smart phone, they could make it work for an antenna.

[@cdmcl3]

wondering about developments since your thorough summary/recap about what can be expected when we get stations with the new protocols--both the broadcasting and the contents. about eight months ago, you had said you expected more information fairly soon. thinking maybe a recap and update might be good about now, etc. thanks for all you do. also, you needn't share details about your new digs--but maybe just enuff to enable a better idea about related, expected product reports, etc., if not your wonderful abode itself!

[@nekansasfisherman2334]

We have several VHF in the Kansas City market

[@nelsongonzalez4928]

There is a new antenna from a new technology as they are claiming. It's called antenna boost that receives from satellite. Can you do a review of it?

[@PhoneSpecificationsUSA]

If you combine two antennas of the same band, say two UHF antennas, using a two way splitter in reverse, will still produce multi path interference. If you combine two antennas of different bands, say UHF and VHF, using a splitter in reverse, you would need to place a VHF filter on the UHF antenna and place a UHF filter on the VHF antenna. Antennas Direct makes a VHF & UHF antenna combiner that includes the proper filters so that multipath interference doesn't happen. I just don't know how you would combine two antennas of the same band, using a splitter in reverse, and not get multi-path interference. Could your briefly explain how this can be done?

[@Traci_S_Aaron]

Just a thought your Televes LR I do believe has a preamp at the antenna so the comparison is just a tad off because of that

[@AntennaMan]

I tested the Televes antenna both with and without the preamp on. The preamp made no difference in the numbers because I use a very short coax cable connected from the antenna to my tuner.

[@daviddavid9837]

Tyler, I've scanned your vid list and didn't see one for top attic antennas. Either way, I'll be contacting you for a specific recommendation, probably in a couple months.

[@glennsvoboda6602]

Hi. I live in Summit,N.Y i talk on 11 meter radio. Myself and my across the street neighbor use roof TV antenna. While my C.B. dont interfere with my tv, it blanks out across the street TV. They are at least 400 feet away. My CB antenna is up 50ft

[@jamessmith6012]

With the two parts of the antenna pointed in different directions, 1/2 of the signal is being radiated out the other antenna. This is not multipath, it is the weakening of what would otherwise be an adequate signal by not having both antennas pointed the same direction.

[@johnsiders7819]

What is your opinion of using two televes and their mast mounter amp to do this ? I have stations to my north east and south east would it be worth the expense don’t really want a rotor since I have 3 TVs and some one will be watching different channels at the same time .

[@AntennaMan]

It's worth a shot but you can still get multipath interference.

[@johnsiders7819]

@@AntennaMan would spacing the antennas further apart help that ? like CO phasing antennas they always said keep them 9 feet apart ? put them on a cross beam ? (old ham and CB guy here )

[@lesgobrandon]

Fantastic bro

[@extrapilator9119]

The Winegard HD8800 is better, but it isn't made any longer. It does a really good job on the current UHF band, because most of it's gain is below channel 40. It will also pick up VHF channels from 9 - 13 with enough gain to be usable if you live under 40 miles from a broadcast.

[@stevez340]

Am I correct in thinking that the Televes antenna is less expensive and has much better combined UHF/VHF performance?

[@AntennaMan]

Your correct but the DB8E would work better if the stations were slightly spaced out and the LR Mix wasn't able to get them all in one direction.

[@lucywork9260]

Thank you

[@Brickport]

The combiner that comes with the db8e is crap. If you use the Televes Dual Input Antenna Preamp to connect the bays instead, it should blow away the other antennas you compared. With a cable run of ~20ft, a station that was 14dB became 17dB after.

[@robertogalvez3865]

That would be an interesting test.

[@Brickport]

@@robertogalvez3865 This was my experience with the db8e. I would like to see him retest this with the Televes preamp noted above.

[@channelview8854]

Is that preamp available separately?

[@ThreePhaseHigh]

How to program all your channels into your TV when you have a antenna rotor I can’t seem to get the job done any ideas ?

[@ThreePhaseHigh]

I still prefer using a rotor, but I haven’t figured out how to add one channel at a time because if you turn the rotor while it is self programming, it doesn’t work. Any ideas?

[@AntennaMan]

See video below: kzbin.info/www/bejne/j3W0q6l8fJiWntU

[@fredsinternetisland137]

Interesting review. Too bad about the multi path. I wish You Tube would not interrupt the video every few minutes for another commercial. Very annoying.

[@monstrok]

Tyler, is the multi-path issue as pronounced if the two elements are pointed 180° from each other? I am in a market with channel clusters both north and south. Thanks

[@AntennaMan]

Yes, the mulitpath issue may still happen

[@XMguy]

Ok so multi path interference might be what I’m getting. I will have a signal that is 70% strength, 60% quality, then it will disappear and reappear fully. I thought it was trees in my LOS. I’ve cut a lot down. But who knows.

[@jimharvey9894]

You emailed me a recommendation for this antenna. Just got it today. To dark to install tonight lol. I did assemble it tonight. Tomorrow we shall see.

[@douglash5366]

I just mounted it on my roof pointing in 2 different directions due to being between 2 markets and I receive 69 channels clearly.

[@AntennaMan]

Great to hear!

[@markszott3623]

Does the antenna on top of the TV next to you in the video work well?

[@AntennaMan]

Not really. It's just a cheap dollar store antenna. I reviewed it on my channel but the video got few views so I deleted it.

[@johnrencheck2283]

What i learned from this tesr buy the televis long range nodel

[@bretlinden8248]

If you live in the desert, as I do, don't use this antenna to try to get two different markets...like I tried to. I tried so hard to get both Phoenix and Tucson. I wanted it so badly. But, I never succeeded, including my attempt to do so with this antenna.

[@AntennaMan]

Yeah it won't work well in very weak signal areas if the bays are split

[@amerigovespucci4076]

The Casa Grande area is not conducive to Tucson stations. Any other areas should be OK or better for PHX and TUC. I lived in NE Phoenix and received KVOA, KUAT, KGUN and KOLD for years until KOLD moved it's main transmitter to West of Tucson. I could even receive KZAZ/KMSB Nogales/Tucson late at night from Bell and Tatum in Phoenix. Now live in Prescott, AZ. Have received KGUN Tucson from Prescott Valley several years ago.

[@robertogalvez3865]

@@AntennaMan Wide beam width. Not a very directional antenna.

[@JLilliquist]

AntennaWeb also does not consider altitude. I am pretty high for the area.

[@villumschroeder1255]

Isn't the Televes LR Mix an amplified antenna? Not really apples to apples then...

[@AntennaMan]

I knew a comment like this would come up. I actually still got higher results on the LR Mix without the amplifier plugged in.

[@XMguy]

@@AntennaMan I got better performance from the Channel Master 3020 than the Televes LR Mix. But I need the Televes higher. Then I think it’ll improve.

[@robertogalvez3865]

The Televes DATBOSS LR can work in passive mode (amp OFF) or active (ON). Apples to apples would be passive mode, just raw gain for both antennas.

[@trevorbartram5473]

You beat me to it, Tyler, please always compare "apples to apples".

[@AmericanBandstandAgain]

Wont ATSC 3.0 eliminate the multipath issues?

[@AntennaMan]

It can but we are years away from it launching in every market. There is also a chance of georestrictions on ATSC 3.0 which means out of market channels can be blocked.

[@normkirkland1999]

@@AntennaMan Tyler, that's the first I've heard about ATSC 3.0 being capable of georestrictions. I tried to find some information on that with no success but did learn that advertising may have the capability of targeting based on geo-tagging a viewer's location. Apparently, this will be done through web-enabled devices. At some point, when rollout is imminent, can you do a video on georestrictions and other such things for us cord-cutters?

[@AmericanBandstandAgain]

@@AntennaMan Hmmm, geoblocking doesn't make sense. People would not connect their internet to the 3.0 tuner if they knew that was a possibility . I'm in Canada and they're firing up Buffalo NY tomorrow to 3.0. I can receive it easily an no way would I connect any ethernet to the tuner.

[@Justin-Hill-1987]

@@AntennaMan I predict people will protest that idea to the FCC (USA), the IFT (Mexico) and the CRTC (Canada) by saying "georestrictions are censorship" in the future...

[@Justin-Hill-1987]

@@AntennaMan I predict people will protest that idea to the FCC (USA), the IFT (Mexico) and the CRTC (Canada) by saying "georestrictions are censorship" in the future...

[@opeyshop]

so what best amp for 70 plus miles away

[@kiwistraw159]

17.4!? That's some serious UHF gain.

[@diycarhome9151]

It's 17.4 dbi - 2.15 = 15.25 dbd not that great. A Extreme HDB91XG is 16 dbd

[@channelview8854]

By my reckoning, it would be about 9 dBd, maximum. A single dipole is O. Two in phase is +3 dB. Another bay would double, so 6dB. Another pair of bays adds another 3 dB, so a total of 9 dBD for the entire antenna. Assumptions are that element and bay spacings are optimal, feedline losses are negligible, and finally, each individual element is functioning as half-wave dipole. If each element half is near 5/8 wave length, then it is an array of "extended double Zepps" so marginally more gain than estimated earlier.

[@truebengalsfan]

Would this be better than a clear stream 4v ?

[@AntennaMan]

Yes for UHF but not for VHF.

[@votown1003]

Tv signal meter works both on tv and satellite signal?

[@AntennaMan]

I don't know what works for satellite but this DTV box is the signal meter I use in the videos. If you press the info button twice it will bring up the signal meter: amzn.to/2ELWA2h

[@ozz44755]

Cool, dig the new opening before the antenna knowledge bombs get dropped.

[@leobrocato3230]

their fail point is how they got it cobined co phases harness would of been better

[@AntennaMan]

Someone in a facebook said they asked Antennas Direct about not using phase lines. The company said they tried but had problems.

[@leobrocato3230]

@@AntennaMan can u review the sky Blue Antenna SB48 8 Bay?

[@ai4ijoel]

Use separate downleads into a switch to prevent multipath interference.

[@Its303AcidBass]

You can get local TV with Locast.org

[@bretlinden8248]

I have one in my yard I can't sell. I can't sell anything at all. This town is full of deadbeats :(

[@highlander200268]

grounding an antenna is not for lightning, it is to atenuate any static build up

[@KYLE-zo4bm]

antenna web over estimates the channels i get

[@ClassicGuy57]

3:39 It says “Phoot Courtesy”.

[@utubemtk11]

Please help us with good WiFi the way you do with OTA. I have one gig fiber, Netgear 6 mesh WiFi router. Terrible. I love Pluto, but navigating is so slow it ruins it. My Alexa disconnects every day. I get buffering on my Roku even right near the WiFi router. My iPhone 11 drops my WiFi too. I paid a lot but cannot get decent WiFi. HELP!

[@genesky61]

Truth and Quality , Practical and Useful Information. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- An example of the latest and greatest is not always the best. Tyler does OTA cord cutters. He does not do every thing because then he will not get anything done , and states this clearly from time to time. ------ As you know , many help web sites do not help anyone. It's just a bunch Humans , blab , blab , blab , about nothing useful. A - Click - of Humans stroking each other. ------ Call me - Old School - I like wires from point A to point B.

[@caseyhartman7094]

Higher frequencies, such as what WiFi 6 use, aren't able to penetrate walls as well or broadcast as far as lower frequencies. If you are in an apartment or condo, there might be some channel overcrowding that can be address with manually setting the router to broadcast on a less used one. I have read some bad reviews of Netgear routers that use WiFi 6 so perhaps ASUS and Linksys routers perform better.

[@JohnnyD]

Most of my channels are uhf.

[@ClassicGuy57]

Same here. I only get one channel on the VHF Band. The rest are on the UHF Band.

[@villumschroeder1255]

@@ClassicGuy57 In Portland OR?

[@ClassicGuy57]

@@villumschroeder1255 No, Buffalo, NY.

[@Productions151]

3:39 Phoot? What’s a phoot? Oh, photo courtesy.

[@villumschroeder1255]

I didn't catch that.

[@AntennaMan]

It's a typo. Eight hours goes into each video I make. I miss some things once in a while.

[@Pallidus_Rider]

Book of Tyler verse 1 - "There is no such thing as a HD antenna." - as read from archive 2136 AD

[@ClassicGuy57]

Book of Tyler Verse 2- “What is UHF and VHF?....”

[@Justin-Hill-1987]

@@ClassicGuy57 VHF (2-13)/UHF (14-36)

[@5argetech56]

Sorry, Still can't beat my homemade Double Grey-Hoverman...

[@jimross2101]

Depends on the wavelength a person is trying to receive.

[@dsloop3907]

check the text in the image @ 3:40......phoot.....

[@wgdavis5353]

What is Forward Slash?? I have knowledge of Slash and Backslash.. ♠W.G.

[@unclefester6033]

all the antennas he does have channels within 42 miles! how about channels as far as 70 to 100 miles & how do they stack up? 42 miles is really not that far to compare any antenna to as most will pick them up!

[@bretlinden8248]

Anyone want to buy one of these, I have one I'd LOVE to find a home for.

[@thomasnietz8831]

T

[@jayjones2929]

That antennaweb is a bunch of hokum! Screwed around there for 15 minutes and no results except for ads. That my friend is all I’m giving you plus the 2:06 of your video.

[@greigbarker5054]

Anolog tv is no more so get a life

[@AntennaMan]

Analog is actually still around and people think it's cool. Check out my video on it. Over 229,000 views! kzbin.info/www/bejne/o5ikqZiiqt2Mobs

[@EllySensei]

You're quite a funny guy are you? Even though you think that analog TV isn't a thing anymore, over the air TV still does exist strongly in digital, and any antenna works with it, the format is just different.

[@greigbarker5054]

@@EllySensei prove it i dare ya too

[@greigbarker5054]

@@EllySensei i never had an antenna when i had Anolog tv so why do you need one now

[@joeweaver9913]

@@greigbarker5054 who hurt you, Greig?