A while back, I made a poor decision of purchasing Clear TV Antenna. It was really a big mistake because I could not get to have the local stations. The sound and picture quality was terrible. I had scanned several times to get more channels to pick up but was unsuccessful. The cost was about $15.00 from Walmart but it was not worth it. For anyone thinking about trying it out, please beware. Anyone else tried it out because maybe I just bought a defective one?
I think it largely depends on the area you live in and various factors that influence the signal strength. A lot of these cheap antennas don't seem capable of doing the job they are intended for properly unless you live in a very strong signal area. I have not tried the clear antenna but something similar and ended up just throwing it away. I think we have both been the victim of the saying ''buy cheap buy twice.'' I don't think places like Walmart sell good quality electrical items in general and as for antennas i believe it is better to pay the extra and have them professionally installed to guarantee yourself a functional product.
Was there a way to plug in your zip code and/or address prior to buying it, to see which channels the antenna should have been able to pick up? I have checked out a few different antennas on Amazon, and at least some of them have had that option, which I appreciated. I'm about 35 miles from the nearest large city, which means I have to get an antenna that will pick up signals from at least that far away. Most antennas that I've researched have shown a distance range that they're supposed to be good for, so if I bought one and wasn't able to receive the channels it had projected, based on the distance I entered, I would try to return it.
I have a similar product that has worked fairly well. Sometimes I can only get 2 or 3 channels, never channel 9. Most of the time I look at the same stuff over and over even when I have seen it just to avoid moving the antenna.
Which product do you have, @Pat? Do you think the problem is the actual antenna, or the distance from your home to the closest television stations? I'm about 35 miles from most of the stations, and was able to pick up some, but have always had an issue picking up NBC, in particular, which seems to have a weaker signal.
I heard about the Clear TV Antenna and wondered how it would work. I thought about getting it too because I thought there would be extra channels that I didn't have. It is good to know that I would have possibly wasted my time getting it if it doesn't work.
I looked into buying this, because we don't watch much t.v. and I don't want to invest in cable. After a little research, I realized that because of the rural area we live in, I would only be able to get about 3 channels. Please do your research before buying. If you live in a big city or an area where there are a lot of local stations, it may be worth it, but for me it was a big NO!
I've seen the commercial for this. They make it sound like it's such a big deal and oh baby, you're going to get all these channels. It is just like putting an antenna on your house although I suspect it's not even that good. If you live in a big city, maybe it will be able to pick up a lot of local channels. For those that live in rural areas, it's not going to pick up anymore than an outdoor antenna.
