The conversion to digital TV went live last Friday. Many with perfectly good TV sets went and got the converter box and upgrade without any issues. Some have reported issues with getting decent receptions using their old antenna. If you are one of those folks, this may be a good time to invest in a better antenna. We are in Boston and have had good experiences with our Clearstream C1 antenna. If you live in a more remote area, you may want to give the larger C4 a look.
The Clearstream C4 is a lot bigger than the C1, but still quite a bit smaller than a comparable traditional TV antenna. The C4 antenna is also flat. The flat design has the advantage of allowing the antenna to be mounted on the side of the house rather than on the roof.
Assembly of the Clearstream C4 was very straightforward. The supplied directions were clear, but not really all that necessary. We will not describe in detail the steps as the photo series is pretty self-explanatory. The only tool required was a Phillips screwdriver.
There was only one spot where we ran into a slight snag. We had tightened the black figure-8 to the frame, but in order to attach the cable connector, the wing-nuts (red arrows) must be removed...which you cannot do at this point. So there is no need to tighten the figure-8s.
Once assembled, the C4 is very structurally stiff. We would expect it to be able to fare quite well outside. However, we have always mounted our TV antenna in the attic. The wooden frame of the house does cut down a little bit on the receptions, but for folks who are close to the TV stations, this is an easy way to make the antenna last a long time. The big antenna under the C4 is about 40 years old and it is still pretty much brand new.
With the Clearstream C4 mounted, we did a side-by-side test of the two antennae. We are happy to report, the C4 did every bit as well as the much larger "cloths-line" antenna.
If you are not getting good reception with your old TV antenna, we would definitely recommend investing in a new one. We like the Clearstream antenna because they are flat, easy to put together, and worked really well...even in the attic :-) [Permalink] - Clearstream C4 Antenna
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