Xtreme Signal Long Range HD VHF UHF FM Outdoor TV Antenna (HD8200XL)

So I have tried numerous 70 mile range antennas at my house and although they pull in channels from 70 plus miles away, pixilation has been an issue. I thought why not give this bigger one a shot.

I have been using an LTE filter on previous antenna so cell towers aren't the pixilation issue. I put this up mid November 2018 and our pixilation issue have disappeared and we are now picking up a distant PBS channel I have been trying to get all along. I had it assembled in about 30 minutes and mounted in no time. I paired it with a Channel Master 7777 pre-amp I was already using. I am using a 115ft cable run. All in all a great investment to eliminate the pixilation issues. Definitely is a good purchase for fringe and terrain areas.

Very good antenna!

My previously existing roof mount antenna is an old (27 years old!) Channel Master having fairly similar dimensions to this HD8200XL, having its own built in pre-amp. Unfortunately I can’t find a model number anywhere on it. This entire ensemble is mounted atop a 12 ft. mast at my roof’s peak which includes a Channel Master rotator.



I not only purchased this HD8200XL antenna, but also the LNA-200 Pre-amp kit that included the power module and the 110v adaptor. From all that I read about this antenna and pre-amp I thought for sure I was going to improve my TV reception. Prior to this change I was receiving 41 channels, most all with very good reception. I sought to improve on this.



Prior to removing my old Channel Master antenna I went through every channel I was receiving and recorded each channel’s signal strength value. Then I took the existing setup down. I then very carefully installed the new antenna along with the LNA-200 pre-amp setup. I even talked with a Solid Signal technician to be certain that my components were compatible and that my installation setup was correctly done. I used the best quality coax components and only high quality RG-6 cable and positioned the antenna to the exact same orientation as the previous.



So then I turned my TV on and …… and …… the performance was far WORSE that it was with my previous old Channel Master setup! I even completely lost seven channels (three of my favorite ones!). I again went through every channel and recorded the signal strength values and confirmed that almost all my channels were now far lower in signal strength. This was all done at the same time of evening with the antenna pointing in exactly the same position. I then tried moving the antenna to see if it helped. Only 5 channels (ironically, all Mexican channels) had improved slightly. No mater how I rotated the antenna, I could not improve the situation. I rechecked all my connections and cable runs. Nothing was amiss. The fault was this new antenna setup.



Angry and frustrated I then did something just to prove to myself that the problem was in fact this new antenna setup: I found my old antenna (the garbage hadn’t yet been picked up!) and went thru all the trouble to make some repairs to the old Channel Master caused by its hasty removal. I removed the new HD8200XL and LNA-200 Pre-amp setup. I reinstalled the old antenna back on the roof and half-hazardly reconnected the cables, which lengths were now not really right anymore, plugged in the old pre-amp ….. and presto – all my 41 channels were back and up to their full strength! The problem WAS this HD8200XL antenna and LNA-200 pre-amp setup!!



I also have to comment on the construction quality of this new HD8200XL antenna. In all honesty, when I first pulled it out of the box I noted that it definitely was NOT even close to the quality of my 27 year old Channel Master. The channel Master was of heavier gauge round tubing construction, having much sturdier riveting and bar attachments. The antenna bars were cut and finished much more precisely and secured with far superior attachments. The built in pre-amp was in a protective housing countered to fit perfectly between the parallel tube frame. Everything about it made the HD8200XL antenna look like a cheap China crap assembly that was rushed in its assembly. One of the HD8200XL reflector bars was actually badly bent and twisted. It was in the middle of the undamaged packaging. This was a factory defect! Any degree of quality control would have rejected the assembly just on this damaged component. This repair was actually easy for me being an auto body repairman and having just the right tools for the job. But all this testified to its China Crap (C.C.) quality and assembly.



In conclusion, this antenna may be an improvement over lesser C.C. antenna designs circulating around today, but when matched up against a 27 year old American made Channel Master it was far inferior - in construction, in quality control and absolutely in performance. I totally wasted all my financial investment on this supposed upgrade as well as my many hours of labor and repair work involved throughout this entire change and then my old antenna restoration process.



AS A SIDE NOTE: I’m noticing this trend more and more as old American parts and assemblies that after 20-30 years are being replaced with this new generation’s money savings C.C. replacements which both don’t perform as well and certainly don’t last as long. Only if you’re 60+ years of age would you even recognize this because my generation wasn’t nurtured on China Crap! We had the old pre-NAFTA genuine made in USA stuff that was then even superior to that of German made equipment. Now all we have is this C.C. stuff that is short in performance and service life and this millennial generation doesn’t even have a clue.

more channels is the bottom line! if it would keep the weak signal in the hot humid air would have given a 5 star!

Not a good Antenna at all. I bought thinking that I was going to receive good signal but did not happen. I was only able to get 10 channel and was not able to receive channels that are 45 miles away from my area, the antenna is very weak. I paid $ 10.99 to get ship to me thru FedEx. When shipping it back I paid $39 thru FedEx and was not even going to arrive right away. I was not happy at all. Not a happy customer.

I live in a hilly, rural area with very tall (50+ft) trees, but VHF signals reach here well with a directional antenna and preamp, and NYC and Philly are full of VHF signals. I replaced an older LPDA Yagi at about 30 feet above ground (I'm located at 800+ ft above sea level which helps a lot). The VHF is very good, picking up stations over 75 miles away with a preamp. However, the Yagi (UHF) isn't calibrated for the post-repack channel spectrum (centered on channel 36, 605 MHz). I may dismantle the directors and driven element and re-assemble them for better gain. Adding more aluminum boom and directors to the front-end would help both from a weight-distribution as well as UHF-gain perspective the antenna isn't centered on the mount point and leans back because of the weight of the rear VHF elements. Adding more weight to the front (yagi) side may help counteract this, but it's already a pretty big antenna. I'm in a challenging location and I purchased the antenna at a very good price, but Solid Signal could re-design a better UHF yagi at the front, or at least reposition the mounting point.

I've tried a variety of UHF antennas, and finally found one that works best. We live almost due east of Baltimore (81 mi) and Washington DC (65 mi), and with smaller antennas, I was able to get about 20 stations. With this one, now we receive 77 stations from both major markets!



It is a BIG MAMBO JAMBO! The entire antenna is about 12 feet long and 12 feet wide. Be careful constructing it not to break off the tabs on the matching transformer (I did this by overtightening the screws). I had to strip the wires and solder on new leads, but this was my fault, not the device.



The antenna is mounted on my house at the peak of my roof using a 5' mast, properly grounded, and wired with RG-6. I use an amplifier without it, we can't get hardly any signals.



Very happy with this product!

This antenna allowed me to pick up 23 channels in an area that all expert technical support staff told me that I wouldn't be able to pick up anything (except one tower 32 miles away). I did install another antenna (bowtie) that picks up MORE UHF channels (increasing my channels to 39 channels) - however I lose some VHF channels with the bowtie antenna. My next step is to install both and join them with a combiner - hopeful that I will be able to receive at least 45 channels. Keep in mind I am more than 65 miles away from all broadcast towers (except the one) and in a heavily wooded area - so I am very well pleased with this antenna. It performs as advertised! (and I've now tried five (5) antennas that didn't...lol)

I ordered this antenna to feed 5 tvs. it does work very good even when it's too windy outside (30-40 mph). image won't pixelate. I don't have a pre amp on this antenna. i live in the city 87031 so i'm not that far from tv towers. because its a 12ft long antenna, could be too heavy I found it better to put it on the ground 20ft tall, some guy wire and let the antenna do the work. This is a directional antenna so I had to do research on channels available then aim it very good.

I connected this antenna and found a slight increase in channels (8 to 12) that I was able to receive. These channels however tended to pixilate and fade in and out. However, I wasn't really happy with only a very slight improvement for the money spent. However, I then added a mast amplifier to this antenna and the improvement was drastic! I now have access to 35 channels which are extremely reliable during the evening. I don't know why most of these stations go away during the day (towers are in Atlanta) - but that doesn't really matter to me since we work during the day. Either way, we are at a minimum of 62 miles away from almost all of the towers - but yet receiving 35 channels now. Very pleased....