|
 Terrestrial
antennas seem to be a thing of the past, but with so many new high definition
channels available, many will be pleasantly surprised at just how good
a picture is available for free over the airwaves. While the vast majority
of households now have cable or satellite service providing local stations,
the classic rooftop antenna is still as functional as it was 50+ years
ago. The big difference is the unbelievable picture quality from a high
definition signal. Content providers make it easy for customers to get
local channels. However, many of these providers heavily compress the
signal which results in artifacts that can often be seen with fast motion.
Winegard is well known for their terrestrial antenna products and have
recently introduced the HD 7694P DTV terrestrial antenna designed
to specifically receive channels 7 through 69, covering all of the new
digital broadcasts. We installed the new Winegard HD 7694P outdoor
antenna with a clear line-of-sight to Mount Wilson, the location where
all the major transmitters are located in the Los Angeles area. Our antenna
was mounted on our existing rotor, which allows us to fine tune the signal
for each channel. Installation was simple and all the hardware needed
to mount the antenna was included. The smaller lightweight design of the
HD 7694P makes it easy to manage. As always, we recommend anchoring
down the mast using guy wire to prevent the wind from knocking it over
during bad weather.
 The
HD 7694P is constructed with 28 active elements (17 UHF and 11
VHF-Hi) and has a boom length of 65-inches. The hardware unfolds in seconds
and locks tightly into place to withstand strong winds. The antenna elements
are manufactured from high tensile aluminum for a strong, compact structure.
The high quality polymer finish protects the surface from oxidation. The
wraparound mast clamps with four locking jaws secure the antenna to a
mast as large as 2-inches in diameter. The HD 7694P includes a
compact weather proof cartridge housing where the phasing lines are coupled
to a state of the art surface mount coupler board to ensure the most efficient
transfer of the digital signal to an unbalanced 75 ohm coaxial connector
jack. A weatherproof boot is provided to cover the F-connector when the
cable is mated to the antenna.
 Performance
We connected our Dish
Network ViP722 that has a built-in ATSC tuner for local broadcasts. All
of the channels we were able to tune in the Los Angeles area had a great
signal level. Our HD 7694P had a clear line-of-sight to the transmitters
so it is not too surprising that we received a strong signal. Our set-top
box found 66 digital channels here in Los Angeles. Our digital standard
and high definition content looked excellent with no signal dropouts during
our review.
Conclusion
Winegard's newest HD
7694P medium
to long range "yagi" DTV antenna outperforms any antenna its
size. This antenna will receive all the DTV channels in 98% of the United
States. However, there are some local DTV stations in the US (~2% of the
population) that will have a low band VHF DTV station. To
receive the VHF-LO channels,
a different model (Winegard HD 7080P) is required. We recommend
checking to see which one meets your specific needs. Whatever antenna
you decide on you can count on Winegard to deliver a solid DTV signal.
-
Kevin Nakano
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