Customer Reviews: Read 72 more reviews...
 A poor performer... March 23, 2002
84 out of 91 found this review helpful
I bought Terk TV55 for my RCA F38310, an HDTV. Considering the price, I thought it would be one of the best in the market, but to my surprise, the signal reception was EXTREMELY poor. So I returned the unit and purchased Winegard HD-7080, an outdoor antenna, instead. This HD-7080's been performing well so far, enabling me to receive all the "picture perfect" HD signals from local stations (*CBS, NBC, ABC, KCET, etc) in the greater Los Angeles area. If you're looking for a reliable HDTV antenna for over-the-air HD signals, pass Terk TV55 and consider either Winegard or Channel Master. (A side note: Preamps manufactured by Winegard or Channel Master will greatly improve the overall reception. I have Winegard AP8275 to compliment my HD-7080, and these units give me the clearest picture imaginable!)
 OK, but rabbit ears are better March 15, 2002
39 out of 40 found this review helpful
Purchased this unit (mounted indoors) because I got tired of adjusting rabbit ears (I refuse to pay $50/month for cable). Unfortunately the reception quality is mediocre, if not subpar for its price. I get cleaner pictures with my old amplified rabbit ear set.
 Exceptional performance October 15, 2005
20 out of 21 found this review helpful
I was really suprised by the extreme differences in experience that buyers were having. But the good reviews convinced me to give this product a try. I have spent the last 3 hours getting very frustrated with the poor performance UNTIL, I found that my problem was 2 fold, placement really matters and use all RG6 cables. Some of my patch cables (the cheap stuff that came free with my VCR completely lost the signals). Now I am picking up channels that never even registered using the Terk HDTVi. I am getting more channels than Antennaweb.org mapper said I could get with a large directional antenna.
 Works exactly as promised -- getting ALL local HDTV signals! May 21, 2004
18 out of 20 found this review helpful
After trying a number of smaller 'set-top' antennas with zero success, I decided to try the Terk TV55. I purchased at Circuit City for their ease of return, even though there were lower prices online. Turns out I will not need to return this unit. I live in a heavily wooded townhome community and was nervous about my chances to receive local digital channels, even though the transmitters are less than 20 miles from my house. I opened up the box and had it connected to my Hughes HTL-HD receiver within 2 minutes. I bought 15' of RG6 cable (beware: the unit only comes with 3'), thinking that I would need to route the antenna outside under an eave or wherever. Well, I didn't even have to go that far. As soon as I flipped to my local digital channels (we have 20 here in Norfolk), I was AMAZED at the reception quality. No drop-outs or pixellation. And this was by just having the antenna INDOORS, ON TOP OF MY TV!!!! Now that I know I can get such great results, I plan on mounting it outdoors so I don't have to look at it indoors. Well, that's it. I have never written a review here before, but I just wanted to add my two - cents worth after getting such terrific results with the Terk TV55. Thanks Terk! My next step was going to be a monstrous YAGI type antenna on the roof, so I am obviously happy that I didn't have to go that route. Great product...works as promised. Good luck to you.
Location is Key October 15, 2004
18 out of 18 found this review helpful
I bought this antenna to replace a Terk TV4. I wanted to get better reception on some weak UHF stations.
I was a little leery of the TV55 based on the negative reviews, but I wanted something I could mount on the back porch if necessary. I was very pleasantly surprised. True, in my living room it didn't do much better than an indoor antenna. But out on the porch it's fantastic. I'm getting VHF from about 40 miles away and UHF to 25 or so. And this is an urban neighborhood with lots of tall buildings.
Best features are the versatile mounting options and the inline amp, which greatly improves UHF signals. Drawbacks are that it's expensive, and works much better outside than inside.
Most importantly you should look for the best reception location before you buy. My living room is tough for TV but the porch is fine. It sounds like some of the negative reviewers don't understand that it varies from room to room.
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