Winegard Platinum Outdoor TV Antenna VHF UHF FM (HD8200U)

Several weeks ago, we had a very strong windstorm here. The wind toppled 2 huge 70+ ft tall, 50 year old pine trees in my yard. Plus other wind damage around my home. This antenna withstood hours of high wind, plus what I believe was a high powered storm cell that moved through my yard. NO PROBLEM! I will never return to pay TV again!

i bought this antenna about 6 yrs ago. i love it i pull stations in from surrounding states. i get 38 stations .unbelievable picture quality color depth is better than cable or satellite. it also picks up the dolby digital surround signal when its broadcast.i still have good reception even in the worst storms.i also bought a rotor but i fond that i really dont need to use it very often with this antenna.if you aim it properly in the first place this thing picks up stations from any direction.the only times i use the rotor is when ther is a storm on the remote stations and once for setup.some people recommend a preamp im not sure i can do much better but woul like to try only because i have a long run of cable from the antenna to the tv.i find that alot of people dont realize that the cable you use has to be capable of carrying enough information for hd broadcast .also a quad shield cable will keep interference out .you cant just use your old rg59 thats in your basement already.this thing is big but to tell you the truth i dont think anyone notices it until i mention it.the setup was easy .what else can i say great ,great product.

8200u=CM7777 preamp + CM Rotator is a perfect combination! I'm receiving 40 +/- channels from multiple directions up to 115 miles away. My local Radio Sh*ck rep told me to forget trying this and cutting the cable, due to our mountainous terrain. Thanks for proving him wrong, Winegard! The size is large and frankly makes me chuckle - bigger IS BETTER when it comes to fringe reception, including low VHF. 2 of my major networks are on VHF, BTW. Thanks for steering me correctly on this purchase Solid Signal! Very happy.

I live on the outer fringe of broadcast towers that are in Albany NY and Hartford CT.(80-100 miles away) I installed this antenna because it looked like it was heavy duty and it is made in the USA. I am very happy with the result. I pull in all major networks plus many more in beautiful high definition. The picture is so much better than cable was, without the electricity sucking cable boxes. I installed this weingard with a pre-amp and a rotor at a height of 40 feet. It has been 6 months and it has survived a couple of nor-easters. At this point I am confident that the antenna will last for many years. I am keeping my fingers crossed for the Chinese made rotator and pre-amp.

I've used this antenna a dozen or so times and I'm relatively happy with it. It seems to pull in channels up to 100 miles away as I think Winegard suggests. I won't bother going into details such as trees, elevation and such that every installer should know about his area. I will mention that it is a highly directional antenna, which is good and bad. You should definitely have a rotor installed with it to get the optimum benefit . More importantly are the reasons I only gave the antenna 4 stars. It's touted as being "heavy-duty", but I'm not very impressed with the construction. The elements don't really lock solidly into place. There's way too much play in their seating. you have to do a lot of positioning to align them and then, of course, be VERY careful taking the antenna up the tower. Either way though, you know the elements won't remain parallel after the first good wind. The other problem I've got with the construction of the antenna are minor issues that make assembly very awkward. Holes that are punched to accept the bolts NEVER have the "chads" removed so you can't put the sections together until you run a screwdriver inside to knock them off. And the elements are folded down in such an odd way it seems to make it a puzzle to unfold. The HD-8200U uses a snap-in balun so you can start your run with co-ax which should be very convenient, but...like the rest of the construction, it fits together poorly and it's difficult to be sure that it's securely engaged. On one installation I had a bad balun which made for a VERY long and VERY bad day. Because of the way the antenna is constructed and packaged the box is too long to have an extra on the truck (it's also too long for convenient storage as inventory). When I contacted Winegard, they were happy to send me another balun and expressed surprise that one was bad. Maybe this was just a fluke, but if a reader of this review is an installer, I strongly recommend buying an extra balun to keep on the truck! If a home owner buys one of these antennas for himself, I'm sure he'll overcome all these little annoyances and have great reception, but for an installer they become a real nuisance. Winegard makes a private label version of this antenna (adding an XL to the model no.) and it eliminates a few of my complaints...box size, balun, and directionality, I think. Plus it's a little cheaper. I like that one better.

If your in a marginal reception area or looking for excellent reception, this antenna is for you.

Best antenna I have ever owned. I use an antenna craft amplifier that works great and doesn't get blown up by lightning the way others do.

I Install this 8200u with wingard pre amp 201 . They Both Work Flawless together . In my Area with out the Rotor on I received 52 channels . if had to correct one thing would be a bigger pre amp .to bring in those few stations that stutter .But with my rotor installed i picked up wheeling Cambridge Pittsburgh which added another 13 stations . my antenna only 30 foot high when antenna sat on the bare ground i received 17 channels .so you can see I played around with my installation .I bought antenna in January waited till this weekend when had my kids home had time to just do crazy experiment . only hitch was dropped pre amp off the roof aside from that we had good time .in close please get higher pre amp if in Louisville area Ohio we plan to change the pre amp but we have other need to tend to with double rail the antenna stays very firm in place laugh so strong i could move pole with out rotor on it Thank Solid Signal

I'm located about 35-50 miles from the cluster of antennas that serve this part of the Sacramento valley. I had tried using a 20+ year-old antenna on the roof that was from the previous owner, but although I got channels, the TV was prone to weather pixelation and sound interruption during rain and winds. I assembled the antenna carefully and with help from my son, placed the antenna on the existing mast. We aimed the antenna and I not only received a few more channels, but each one was very clear. This was definitely worth the money and we will save $700.00 this year and more next year. Free TV is the way to go!

I just received this antenna from Solidsignal and installed it. I live in South Central Kentucky in a area that quite hilly. I must admit that I was skeptical about purchasing the antenna because after reviewing the map on the net about digital coverage in this area it didn't look to promising. However I installed it on a 30ft piush up antenna ple along with the preamp from Solidsignal and was astounded at the signal that I received. The coverage map indicated that I would receive 9 channels at the most and only 3 moderate and the rest poorly. Wrong I receive a total 31 channel crystal clear from KY.TN. and IND. Absolutely amazed and thrilled with reception. I would strongly recommend the Winegard 8200U and the Winegard CB2130 preamp.