AntennaCraft U8000 8 Bay UHF Antenna HDTV Bow Tie Reviews

[cowboyup4christ]

AntennaCraft U8000 8 Bay UHF Antenna HDTV Bow Tie U-8000
this is the one I use and pick most of my stations from 50-60 miles away This antenna is well built and light weight it has no wire grid like the channel master which makes it have a little less forward gain 12db but if weight and wind load are an issue this is a good choice in an 8 bay UHF. I also use a wine guard 4800 pre amp which gives a 28 db gain with a 2.7 db noise factor, and a Channel Master 9521A Programmable Rotator this antenna has a narrow beam of 15 degrees which means if your transmitters are greater than 15 degrees apart you will need a rotator This is the setup I use and here in central NC. I receive 35 digital channels with the antenna at 30 ft.


Specifications:
• HDTV 8 Bay UHF Deep Fringe Antenna
• 34 Electronic Elements
• 12 dB Gain
• 17.3 db Front to Back Ratio
• Width 40.5"
• Height 36"
• Durable Design
• Pre-Assembled for Easy Installation
• UHF Range 60+ Miles
• UHF Channels (14-69)
• Includes 300 to 75 Ohm Balun Connector

 

[U8000User]

No Assembly required on the U8000, which is nice not having to put together every nut and bolt. I purchased mine about 6 months ago to improve reception over an old Yagi antenna (which was installed by the previous homeowner), and I now receive the full range of stations. I live about 55 miles from transmitters, and have minimal reception problems on windy days, but being located just outside of Chicago, we get plenty of wind and rain. Originally I had added a preamp to try and improve reception on some outside stations, but didn't seem to make a difference. My recommendation to anyone on this antenna is as Cowboy has recommended, use a rotator if your stations are not located generally in the same area.

 

[Tim58hsv]

The distance range of bowtie antennas is way under estimated. A 2 bay is suppose to be good for only 20 miles but the one in my avatar reaches out to channel 53 in Chillicothe, Ohio which is exactly 54.7 miles from here according to Antenna Web. There's some occasional minor pixilation but for the most part it's picture perfect.

I also have the antenna craft 4-bay model which is rated at only 45 miles but the same channel is perfect at least 99% of the time with that antenna.

BTW, both antennas mentioned above are recieving those signals from my attic.

Don't have an 8-bay model but I'd imagine it's range to be well over the 60+ mile zone.

 

[U8000User]

The distance range of bowtie antennas is way under estimated. A 2 bay is suppose to be good for only 20 miles but the one in my avatar reaches out to channel 53 in Chillicothe, Ohio which is exactly 54.7 miles from here according to Antenna Web. There's some occasional minor pixilation but for the most part it's picture perfect.

I also have the antenna craft 4-bay model which is rated at only 45 miles but the same channel is perfect at least 99% of the time with that antenna.

BTW, both antennas mentioned above are recieving those signals from my attic.

Don't have an 8-bay model but I'd imagine it's range to be well over the 60+ mile zone.

I think they're definitely under rated and estimated. I had a hard time trying to figure out what to go with because they're aren't a lot of reviews for 50-70 mile distance antennas, but I had a local antenna tech do a signal test and recommend the U8000. My dad's house in Chicago has the 2 bay bowtie design, little bit different from the picture in your profile, but it works great.

 

[Tim58hsv]

Just found a couple of new versions of bow tie antenna's at the Summit Source web site. They have one called the Super G 1483 which is two 4 bays stacked and, now get his, they have two Super G's ganged together to form a 16 bay bowtie antenna. That dude's rated in the blue zone! Check 'em out here... http://www.summitsource.com/outdoor-antennas-uhf-tv-antennas-c-47_57_60.html

btw the drawing they show of the 16 bay actually looks to be an 8 bay. Guess their artist is on vacation.

 

[AndyTiedye]

Even that 16-bay they only rate for "blue zone". What do you use in purple?

 

[Tim58hsv]

Even that 16-bay they only rate for "blue zone". What do you use in purple?

Far as I know there are no antenna designs for reception beyond the blue zone. To get reception any further out you would have to stack or gang the same type antennas or add a pre-amp or both or elevate an antenna very high, etc.

 

[cowboyup4christ]

purple is a blue zone with a pre amp

 

[Eureka]

How is the U8000 on highband VHF channels?

 

[Piggie]

Comparing some commercially available antennas

Scroll down to

Using a UHF antenna for VHF

I don't see that antenna listed but you can "assume" it is in the HD 8800 range, because it has similar directors that are not continuous.

 

[Don_M]

How is the U8000 on highband VHF channels?

Based on the plot Piggie mentioned, I sure wouldn't count on it for full-power VHFs beyond 25 miles, even mounted high above the roof. Its best performance is channel 9 at ~ -3 dBd -- not even as good as rabbit ears. And 7, 8 and 10-13 are sharply downhill from there. Depending on vendor, a U8000 can also be significantly more expensive than an HD-8800.

 

[Piggie]

25 miles to a 50KW VHF on a 500 meter tower.

The only reason to use an 8 bay antenna for VHF is when the UHF stations are very weak and distance and the VHF are 15 miles away and 30 or more KW.

With out a TVFool plot it's hard to tell but more people fall into being much better off with the Winegard 769xP series of antennas. If things are strong but you need some outdoor help the HBU22 works for suburban (not any fringe). Partly why I like even used the smallest of the Winegard 7694P as it will work suburban to near fringe where you would want a small amp.

 

[Eureka]

I've used Winegard 7694P antennas with good results ~45mi from the transmitters.

But a friend is looking to replace a damaged 4228 that has worked well for him on chs 9, 10 & 13, (plus UHF, of course). His most distant ch is RF 10, ~70 miles from his house. 26kW ERP, from a 2,000' tower on a 1500' hill. I was hoping the U8000 might have similar gain. I guess maybe he could attach the screens from his old 4228 onto the back of U8000 to help w/ VHF gain.

I was hoping someone had actually tested the U8000 to compare it to the old 4228.

 

[Piggie]

I've used Winegard 7694P antennas with good results ~45mi from the transmitters.

But a friend is looking to replace a damaged 4228 that has worked well for him on chs 9, 10 & 13, (plus UHF, of course). His most distant ch is RF 10, ~70 miles from his house. 26kW ERP, from a 2,000' tower on a 1500' hill. I was hoping the U8000 might have similar gain. I guess maybe he could attach the screens from his old 4228 onto the back of U8000 to help w/ VHF gain.

I was hoping someone had actually tested the U8000 to compare it to the old 4228.

may or might not work. There could be other factors such as the feedline and or distance from the screen to the elements that all aided in VHF. Basically I don't have a clue. Email Ken, his email is on his site.

 

[cowboyup4christ]

I get ch 8 ch11 on a U8000 with no problem they are both VHF at 45 miles

 

[Eureka]

THANKS! I'll tell him it might work. If not, he can always add a ch 7-13 antenna below the U8000 later.

Too bad the new channel master 4228 is a piece of junk.

 

[rickcain]

I just bought a U8000 and I'm no techie so I can't give you any statistics, just my experience with it.

It arrived already assembled, but I guess Fedex managed to crush it to some degree. Luckily its aluminum and with some pliers I was able to make things right again. I replaced my CM4221 in the attic with this and all I can say is WOW. Signal strength is nearly pegged on all the channels except PBS. My lowest channel is physical channel 7, but the U8000 picks it up just fine. The towers are about 28 miles away so they're not that far but still far enough away to need a decent antenna to feed 4 rooms with. The analog channels come in much stronger than with the CM4221 and even though the U8000 is supposed to be highly directional, it still picked up an analog station that was about 80 degrees off center. Even with my attic RG6 runs being at least 75 feet long each, I didn't need a preamp.

 

[Don_M]

... It arrived already assembled, but I guess Fedex managed to crush it to some degree. Luckily its aluminum and with some pliers I was able to make things right again. ...

I'm glad the repair was so quick and straightforward. Still, I've read way too many stories like this one about FedEx. I really wish antenna vendors would stick with UPS for their superior attention to detail.

 

[SWHouston]

Reading this thread and viewing the specs on the U8000 is really exasperating !
If the darn thing will do VHF-hi, why don't they say so !
Advertising it at UHFonly, probably really cuts into the Sales.
But the AC isn't the only Mfg that doest that.

Have a good Day !
S.W.

 

[Don_M]

If the darn thing will do VHF-hi, why don't they say so!

Most often it's because the maker didn't design them with the VHF high band in mind -- and because they seek to minimize dissatisfaction and product returns. Antennas like these "work" where VHF signals are strong enough that they can capture an intelligible stream, even though their gain figures for channels 7-13 are typically well down into negative territory.

To illustrate, consider AntennaWeb's color codes -- yellow, green, light green, red, blue and violet. An antenna needs only 0 dBd gain to be marketed for use in red zones, suggesting that antennas coded yellow, green and light green offer gains of less than 0 dBd for the channels in question.

Large, 8-bay bowtie designs like the U8000 probably sport average VHF-high gains in the -6 dBd to -8 dBd range, so they're far from useless in the presence of moderate to strong signals on 7-13. These gain figures translate into AntennaWeb's yellow zone, and possibly even the green zone. Makers also don't want buyers to misconstrue distance or performance claims as being valid for both UHF and VHF, and so they simply don't go there.