Posts
Every so often, Average Joe receives a sample from an
unknown or new manufacturer of a product that we test out and end up sending
back and not reviewing (our mother taught us to either say something nice or
nothing at all). To be honest, we didn’t know what to expect when we received
our first samples of HD Frequency’s products but the very fact that you are
reading these words is a sign of the good product produced by this new
enterprise.
A newcomer to the growing over-the-air TV hardware scene, Massachusetts-based
HD Frequency has entered into the antenna market with its Cable Cutter brand
and initial offering of two sizes of DTV antennas. Designed with the help of an
RF engineer / physicist and tested for extended periods in in OTA-rich New York
City, the products are now available for sale.
The Cable Cutter Mini (above) is targeted at the indoor antenna crowd.
The Cable Cutter (above) is the longer-range product meant for the great outdoors.
Your Average Joe has had the chance to give these two models
a shakedown for several weeks and here’s what can be reported:
Model: HD Frequency Cable Cutter
Size: 19” wide by 20 ½” high x ½” thick
(hardware) Package includes: Cable Cutter, weatherproof connection boot, instructions
Model: HD Frequency Cable Cutter Mini
Size: 5½” wide x 8” high x ½” thick (hardware)
Output: One F-type connector (cable coax) on the antenna for
RG-59 or RG-6 cable
Pros: Compact form factor, good reception range, solid construction and durability
Cons: Somewhat awkward to mount, look is somewhat “industrial” (matching its ruggedness)
Pros: Compact form factor, good reception range, solid construction and durability
Cons: Somewhat awkward to mount, look is somewhat “industrial” (matching its ruggedness)
Build Quality
This Made-in-the-USA
antenna brings to mind the famous American “no replacement for displacement”
engineering philosophy from Detroit’s golden age of manufacturing. These
antennas are the most durable and solid we’ve seen. While other manufacturers are packaging paper-thin aluminium
foil in plastic cases or using hollow rods and easy-to-bend reflectors, HD
Frequency gives a lattice of solid metal that looks likes it could survive a military
application let alone the latest windstorm on your roof. The quality is exceptional
and never for a second did we have to treat either model delicately. Even the heavy
gage wires from the baluns are attached using heavy-duty hardware and the
entire unit is sealed with a high quality coating.
The lattices on the Cable Cutter are quite wide but we didn’t notice any issues related to wind over the weeks of testing as the construction is solid and rigid. And despite the fact that the Mini is technically labelled as an indoor antenna, it is made of the same material and finishes as the Cable Cutter and can be used outside if so desired.
So basically this is definitely not the weak “knockoff” type
of fabrication quality we see from imported clone brands on the internet and
auction sites; it is overall on par with what you would expect from the big
boys in the US antenna scene, and then some.
Installation
Cable Cutter Mini
The installation instructions for the Cable Cutter Mini are
fairly simple. The antenna can be hung from a hook, stuck to a wall or window
or as we found, propped upright on a shelf or table using the heavy duty wire gauge
for the balun as a prop. Being so small and lightweight allows for many
mounting options and word from HD Frequency is a new table top mount is being
looked at to allow the antenna to sit like a picture frame.
One minor thing we noticed, and it may simply be due to the
somewhat early infancy of this product, is that using the included adhesive
mounts is extremely difficult. The reason being that the adhesive pads are so
thin the antenna cannot sit flat against a surface (wall or window) as the
center hardware mounting the balun touches before the adhesive pads in the
corners can make contact. We tried to get around this by rolling the pads into
little balls but even then the antenna would pull back and eventually detach. For
testing, we eventually replaced the adhesive pads with a thicker 3M product
used for non-permanent attachment of objects to a wall (sold in rolls at most
hardware stores). We imagine this will be looked at in future iterations of the
product.
The screws seen above protrude from the surface of the antenna on both sides.
Despite the instructions (top), the hardware protruding prevented the antenna to lay flay and the adhesive pads from sticking (middle). After using a different type of sticky tape installation was complete (bottom).
Cable Cutter
Installation of the larger Cable Cutter is also designed to
be on a surface or attached to a structure via two mounting holes. We imagine for
most people living in apartments or condos this is a great antenna to balcony
or window mount.
Mast mounting the Cable Cutter requires some thought, but is doable.
Due to the fact it appears it is designed for urban areas, the Cable Cutter posed us interesting challenges in trying to use a more traditional pole or J-mount as there was no real way to attach it to a tubular object (barring from drilling holes). In the end we ended up using a combination of tape and a hose clamp for testing, so if you are looking to tower or pole mount this antenna, get ready for some MacGyver moves.
Assembling the antenna
Perhaps one of the best features of these antennas is that
there is no assembly required!
Aiming the antenna
Both antennas had best reception with the largest flat
surface aimed to the broadcast towers and with their position upright, although
“landscape mode” worked fairly well for the Mini too. We informally measured an
approximate beamwidth of 120 degrees which is great if you have signals coming
from all over the place or are in between towers.
For the Mini, finding the right spot to install the antenna and
rotating it to tune the signal took a bit of time but not necessarily much more
when compared to other indoor antennas. It was solid after that.
A great bonus is that there is no reflector on these antennas,
meaning you can easily catch signals from both the front and back of the
antenna.Performance
We tested both models for several weeks in a suburban area. Both models displayed consistent results over time with the Mini grabbing most available locals and the Cable Cutter having reasonable reception for long range stations. Samples of the results are in the table below for various stations across the RF band with some of our top performing baseline antennas for comparison.
Station (RF)
|
Distance (mi)
|
Baseline Indoor Antenna ($50)
|
Cable Cutter Mini ($40)
|
Baseline Outdoor Antenna Setup ($160)
|
Cable Cutter ($90)
|
10
|
12
|
90%
|
73%
|
81%
|
90%
|
13
|
81
|
No signal
|
No signal
|
76%
|
66%
|
14
|
81
|
60%
|
No signal
|
91%
|
85%
|
21
|
12
|
93%
|
93%
|
90%
|
93%
|
22
|
81
|
63%
|
53%
|
83%
|
93%
|
29
|
12
|
53%
|
58%
|
81%
|
85%
|
32
|
81
|
No signal
|
No signal
|
90%
|
66%
|
35
|
12
|
64%
|
73%
|
85%
|
76%
|
43
|
81
|
No signal
|
No signal
|
83%
|
63%
|
We felt it was important to include the prices of the baselines
against the HD Frequency products, especially for our outdoor reference antenna
which also happens to be amplified. The values above are the results given a
fixed location, maximized to bring in the most DTV stations.
Overall, we found the Cord Cutter Mini stacked up well
enough against its indoor counterpart for local stations. The Cable Cutter performed
well for a single-sheet passive antenna, especially in the mid-range, as it seems
to be optimized around RF 22, where we saw the most gain.
Appearance
Both antennas definitely put functionality before appearance
(i.e. there are no plastic cosmetic covers to found anywhere), which doesn’t
necessarily they are bad-looking. If anything, they don’t even look like antennas
and would probably fly below the radar of any overzealous condo board in terms
of exterior mounting (maybe have some roses grow through the lattice of the
Cable Cutter?).
The exposed cables and balun in the center as well as the heavy-duty
hardware gives a fairly industrial look to the antennas, but rest assured it is
anything but garage-shop.
Prices and Where to Buy
Currently HD Frequency products are available from the company’s
website and Amazon.com. The units retail for about $50 for the Mini and $100
for the Cable Cutter with current promotions bringing the price down to $40 and
$90 respectively.Canadian distribution may be coming in 2014 but nothing is confirmed yet.
Conclusion
In an age where some antenna manufacturers seem mostly
concerned in giving their antennas sleek packaging, cute names and fancy
cosmetics, it was sincerely refreshing to see a young company such as HD Frequency
focus on the Engineering aspect and build quality of the design. Despite the fact the antennas
lost points due to a decline in performance at the extreme ends of the DTV band
and some installation shortcomings, both seem to be products that are on the
right track.The Cable Cutter Mini is a solid indoor antenna option for people in apartments or condos where space is limited and robust reception is needed, and unlike a lot of its indoor-only competitors it can even be put outside if need be. The bigger brother Cable Cutter is a great balcony or eaves-mount antenna, and it performed within a respectful margin to the usual suspects we recommend on this site.
Cable Cutter Mini: 7/10
Cable Cutter: 7.5/10
More information on HD Frequency and its products can be
found on the HD Frequency website