Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)This thing picked up 40 channels the night I set it up (compared to 25-30 channels I got with the amplified GE Quantum 3-panel with VHF mast). I also used a ClearStream4 at a remote cabin that had all poor edge signals and it picked up most of the channels with no amplification, so I believe these are superior UHF antennas.
However, it appears the ClearStream antennas do not pick up high-band VHF very well... it also doesn't help that the FCC mandates minuscule power levels for high-band digital VHF stations now (post-transition), but I have this thing aimed at the tower, line of sight, 12.5 miles away, and still have very poor reception of the VHF channels in Seattle (KCTS 9, KSTW 11, KCPQ 13).
KCTS is 21.7 kW, KSTW is 12.5 kW, KCPQ is 30 kW. KCTS cuts in and out, KSTW doesn't come in at all, and KCPQ (nearest to UHF) comes in just adequately enough to not drop out.
A lot of people have spent a lot of money on HDTV antennas and most of them are UHF only or UHF plus a tacked-on high-band VHF stick as an afterthought, but some stations decided to move to VHF and submit to the mandatory power cut anyway, so the viewers are left out in the cold unless they subscribe to cable or buy a really high-end VHF roof antenna. It seems these stations' only reason to continue broadcasting is so the cable companies can tune the station for rebroadcasting over cable. Too bad satellite TV subscribers (using OTA) and straight OTA viewers.
Anyway, when the literature for the ClearStream antennas said a few months ago that their antennas were optimized for "the whole post 2009 DTV spectrum", they are now quietly changing it to say "across the whole post 2009 UHF DTV spectrum", "powerful across the core UHF DTV spectrum", or "additional capability on higher level VHF frequencies", though they still do say "Designed for reception on high VHF (Ch 7-13) and core UHF (ch 14-51)"... well maybe if the high-band VHF stations broadcast at 800+ kW like most of the UHF stations instead of the tiny [almost-pirate-radio] 10-30 kW that the FCC limits them to.
My advice: If you have VHF DTV stations in your area that are hard to receive, the ClearStream antennas won't pull them in (but they will pull in even very weak UHF). Instead get a really big VHF roof antenna and a signal combiner to go along with a good UHF roof antenna like this one... or just give up the VHF stations because they surely don't care about you.
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