Antennas Direct VHF Retrofit Kit

Getting Hi on Antennas Direct … VHF-Hi, that is.

As we wrote in previous reviews of their products, Antennas Direct is making itself out to be one of the more innovative and reputable antennas brands in North America since the DTV rebirth of the late 2000’s. Its antennas have shown great punch for their size – but mostly in the UHF range of TV frequencies (channels 14 and up).

With many areas still being services by VHF-Hi signals (channels 7 to 13) Antennas Direct created the VHF dipole kit for its popular Clearstream 2 antenna a few years ago. We showed that with a little ingenuity, it was possible to adapt this kit to other models.

However there’s good news on the horizon for people that don’t feel like channeling their inner MacGyver in order to boost the VHF properties of the already awesome UHF-hungry AD products. Earlier this year, Antennas Direct launched a new universal dipole kit that can work on most new and existing models, from the indoor Micron to the recent DB4e antenna. Here’s the scoop on this new product:

Model: Antennas Direct Extended Range VHF Kit

Size (fully deployed): 80cm L x 8cm H x 5cm D (31 1/2” x 3 1/8” x 2”)

Package includes: VHF diploe kit, 3ft coax cable with weatherproofing boot, 4X ty-wraps, English instructions

Input: One UHF IN F-type connector (cable coax) on the antenna for RG-59 or RG-6 cable

Output: One VHF/UHF OUT F-type connector (cable coax) on the antenna for RG-59 or RG-6 cable

Fits Models: Micron series (R & XG), Clearstream series (1, 2, 4) and DB series (2e, 4e, 8e). Independent mast mount option available. *** UPDATE: later revised, see below.

Pros: Robust build quality, reasonably priced, good performance, fits well and easily installs on the Clearstream and DB series antennas

Cons: Universal installation (directly on mast) seems somewhat suspect as it only relies on ty-wraps for mounting, Micron series installation appears to be somewhat clumsy as an end product.

 

Build Quality

The kit comes well packaged in a box and includes clear instructions with all the necessary pictorials.

 

The plastic used in the housing is of good quality and the clips are robust and properly reinforced. The dipoles themselves are of a fairly sturdy diameter and everything seems well fitted and manufactured. The coax cable included is of high quality and properly terminated with a well-fitting rubber weatherproofing boot.

 

What’s also nice is unlike the VHF kit for the Clearstream 2, the VHF/UHF joiner of this kit is enclosed inside a well-sealed plastic casing. This means there are less connections exposed to the elements in the long run.

Overall, the entire kit gives the impression that it will survive for many years of outdoor use. There are no suspect areas.

Assembling the Antenna

The dipole kit is very easy to assemble – simply flip out the dipoles and they securely snap into place. The dipoles can be retracted if so desired but a bit more force is required. We were able to do so several times without damaging any components, further confirming our confidence in the robustness of the unit.

 

When compared in the image below to the original Clearstream 2 kit (bottom), this VHF kit (top) is more compact across dipoles (about 18cm shorter) and most importantly does not come with a reflector.
 

Appearance

This device is a very basic and simple dipole; overall we noticed it blended in well with the larger Clearstream and DB series outdoor antennas. However, given its size (span of 80cm) it seems a bit clumsy and somewhat out of place on the ultra-compact indoor Micron series.

Installation

The installation instructions are well illustrated and easy to follow and cover various mounting conditions.

For the Micron series, the kit screws onto the unit directly. Although we did not have a Micron antenna to test this out, we verified some of the dimensions of the Micron and this seems like a somewhat clumsy addition; especially considering the nicely-compact Micron is used indoors which usually means up on a shelf somewhere. How well would adding 32” dipole to a 10” wide cube work in a restricted shelf area and still allow for easy rotation and adjustment? Hard to tell. UPDATE: On the Micron series, this kit is no longer recommended, see addendum below.

For the Clearstream series, we tested the kit out on a reflector from a CS2. The unit clipped on easily and firmly held its place with its four plastic clips. No issues with slipping or looseness which shows it was built with exacting manufacturing tolerances.

 

For the DB series, we tested the kit out on a DB4e antenna. The unit was just as easy to install as the CS2 and we found the best spot for it was a few rungs down from the top as this area on the reflector had the correct spacing for the clips and allowed the cables to easily reach the UHF connection on the antenna without bending too tightly.

 

For the independent or universal mount, we did some preliminary testing but with the kit only holding on to the mast via ty-wraps we weren’t able to conclude that it would hold firm over time. In any case, the times when the dipole would be used in this fashion would be rare (for example, perhaps if the VHF station would come from a location different than the UHF ones).

Aiming the Antenna

For our test conditions, we found the dipole worked best when aimed straight on to the transmitters (i.e. signal coming in perpendicular; across the full length of the dipoles). The dipole is also able to catch weaker channels from the sides. It is not by any means multidirectional, but if your VHF signals are coming from different directions have the dipoles come across perpendicular to the weakest signal source and you should have a chance of still catching stronger signals from the sides.

Performance

This antenna is listed at about 3dB of gain for VHF and a range of 50 miles. We tested the dipole kit outdoors against a general VHF/UHF antenna for three VHF-Hi stations and as well against its Clearstream 2 VHF kit predecessor as a reference. The results are below:      

Station (RF)	Distance (mi)	Clearstream 2 VHF Kit ($20 USD)	VHF Retrofit Kit ($16 USD)	Baseline Outdoor Antenna Setup
10	12	83%	85%	93%
12	12	82%	85%	97%
13	81	60%	62%	68%

In summary, the dipole worked as advertised and impressively pulled in a distant VHF-Hi station with almost the same strength as the larger aerial.  By no means can this be considered a speciality VHF antenna, but it has fulfilled its mission of breathing VHF life into these popular UHF antennas.

 

Prices and Where to Buy

The VHF kit can be purchased directly on the Antennas Direct website, or domestically for most Canadians from OTA superstore Save’and’Replay .

The kit currently retails for $30 CDN, which is about equivalent to the price of ordering from the US where shipping costs and the exchange rate will bump up the price tag when mailed to Canadian addresses. Unfortunately it rarely comes on promotion, but does come built-in with the price of certain “complete” antenna bundles from Antennas Direct.

Conclusion

The strength of this dipole kit is in using it to upgrade the Clearstream and DB antennas for better reception on VHF-Hi, all at a reasonable cost with minimal handiwork involved. If speciality VHF reception is required, there are other products that you should be looking at.

If we ignore the clumsy mounting on the indoor Micron series and the ty-wrap mast mounted approach, this dipole kit performs as expected and comes at a reasonable price. In the end, it’s a great and affordable little upgrade in order to get the total package from the Clearstream and DB series of antennas.

Final Score: 9/10

More information on the Antennas Direct VHF add-on kit for your existing AD antenna is available on the Antennas Direct website.

 

UPDATE:

A recent update by Antennas Direct to its manufacturer specs showed that the kit is no longer recommended for use on the Micron, most likely due to the issues we pointed out above in our review. The differences between the product as tested and as currently sold are outlined below in the earlier version (left) and current version (right) snapshots of the instruction manual.

 

 

As we mentioned, this kit seems best suited for application on the Clearstream and DB series of antennas and as a result those are the applications we are recommending it for.

 

 

Antennas Direct DB4e gets a Boost From the Clearstream VHF Dipole Kit

Use the Clearstream Dipole Kit to Make This Great UHF Antenna fit your VHF Needs

With the shrinking of the broadcast TV spectrum in the great DTV transition of 2009 (US) and 2011 (Canada) a few years back, the door was opened for antenna manufacturers to optimize and design antennas for the new range of DTV channels. Antennas Direct was perhaps the most proliferate as it produced its Clearstream antenna line to much success ... and then pushed the envelope further with its newest DBe line, again proving that compact antennas can pack good performance.

The Antennas Direct DB4e, the newest and most powerful compact UHF antenna on the market (Photo courtesy of Antennas Direct)

To the dismay of some Canadian consumers,  the DBe line was exclusively designed for UHF reception only (channels 14 and up), putting people living in areas with stations still broadcasting on VHF-Hi (channels 7 to 13) on the sidelines. These people would either have to purchase a separate antenna for the VHF channels or forego the DB4e altogether and its awesome UHF reception power in favour a different brand VHF + UHF antenna.

Well, the good news is that this predicament is no longer the case thanks to the creation of the Clearstream VHF kit, a set of antenna dipoles and signal combining hardware that can be used to add VHF-Hi reception on any Clearstream or DBe series antenna.



The C2V Reflector Kit (top) adds VHF-Hi capability to a Clearstream 2 antenna (above). With some mods, the kit can fit a DB4e. (Photos courtesy of Antennas Direct)

The kit itself comes designed for the Clearstream 2, as it is meant to be form-fit-function replacement of the reflector.  However, with a new set of instructions from Antennas Direct and some basic handyman skills that kit can be modified and adapted to work on the DBe line.

With some handiwork the C2V kit fits on the DB4e. (Photo courtesy of @MontrealOTA on Twitter)

Your very own Average Joe got his hands on the DB4e and the Clearstream kit and decided to test out if this simple kit is enough to redeem the DB4e in VHF zones.

Model: Antennas Direct DB4e + Clearstream VHF Dipole Kit

Size:  37” high x 8” deep x 21” wide (becomes 38” wide with addition of VHF dipole)

DB4e package includes: DB4e antenna, mounting hardware for pole mount, instructions

C2V VHF Dipole package includes: Dipole reflector kit, UHF/VHF combiner, necessary coax cables to combine dipole to DB4e, instructions

Output: One F-type connector (cable coax) on the antenna for RG-59 or RG-6 cable

Pros: Great reception range in fairly compact design, strong UHF performance, dipole kit adds good VHF-Hi performance, wide reception angle, good quality connectors and signal combiner

Cons: The antenna doesn’t exactly blend in with its surroundings, cost becomes quite substantial when you add on the dipole kit

Build Quality

Overall, the antenna and dipole kit both have good build quality. We liked that the antenna elements are well put together and the connectors are high quality and protected from the elements. The DB4e mounting clamp is strong and sturdy and the plastic trim pieces are of decent quality. We did notice that some of the metal pieces were a little low end in terms of fabrication tolerances with some holes appearing to be drilled off-centre and some of the reflectors were misaligned (bent). It was nothing major as we simply bent items back to where they should be to get everything nice and lined up. The dipole kit itself is very robust; once deployed from its folded position the clamps hold the dipoles securely with no risk of them collapsing under use.

Nice attention to detail: Weather protection is provided on all the cables in the kit and the balun and signal joining components are of high quality. Well done, Antennas Direct.

Assembling the antenna

The DB4e comes almost fully assembled with just the forward antenna element assembly needing to be mounted to the reflector assembly with two spacers. In all, it was an easy setup and took no more than five minutes.

Preparing the dipole kit was a bit more involved as the reflector assembly had to be removed and then hardware had to be swapped in order to install the dipoles on the antenna. As the included instructions were only for mounting on a Clearstream 2, I contacted my local Antennas Direct retailer who then emailed me a PDF of special modification instructions. In the end it took a total of 20 minutes to create what I call the “DB4eV”.

 

Overall, the assembled antenna and VHF dipole is very robust yet still lightweight.

Installation

Installing the antenna was simple. Although on the larger end of the compact antenna category, it is still very lightweight and was easy for one person to carry up the ladder and manipulate. The clamp fits on a large variety of tower poles and can even be installed on J-mounts. While some people have used the DB4e with satellite J-mounts, we suggest going with longer 39” J-mounts over the conventional ones meant for satellite dishes due to the size of the antenna.

We aired out the DB4eV for testing line-of-sight to our transmitters.

Aiming the antenna is easy as the beam angle is so wide that as long as the front is facing the approximate direction of the broadcast towers you’re bound to get a great signal. We love the fact that the DB4e has wing nuts for the mast clamp as it makes it easy to adjust and aim using just your fingertips, then once you have it pointed in the right place you can tighten it with pliers.

 

Performance

We tested the DB4e is Montreal for one main reason: this area has a distant Fox station from Burlington that is difficult to catch on RF 43. The DB4e has some of its peak performance in that area so we wanted to see if the DB4e had enough gain to bring in this signal. Until now, we would never even think of recommending this antenna as-is due to the 3 VHF-Hi stations in the Montreal area. With the addition of the diploe kit, here is how the “DB4eV” stacked up. We also included results of a previous brand-name antenna already installed at that same testing location.

The test was conducted by mounting the DB4eV outside and taking five readings at 3-hour intervals during the same day by comparing the UHF and combined outputs of the DB4e. The baseline reading was only taken once as a reference. All signals went through a pre-installed pre-amp of an approximate gain of 12dB and all stations were line-of-sight.

Station (RF)	Distance (mi)	Baseline antenna	DB4e	DB4e + VHF dipole
TVA 10 (10)	12	93%	No signal	93%
CTV 12 (12)	12	91%	No signal	90%
ABC 22 (13)	81	74%	No signal	76%
FOX 44 (43)	81	60%, unstable	88%	88%

We saw the reception on RF 43 increase as we had hoped to lock in the distant Fox station. What we were surprised to see was that this simple dipole kit also brought in another distant ABC VHF-Hi station from the same area with a fairly strong signal! While we had predicted the two local VHFs to come in easily, seeing this was a pleasant surprise.

Appearance

While not one of the prettiest antennas out there, it’s definitely not one of the worst we’ve seen. Its ample grills, bright red tips and exposed wiring gets even more bizarre looking once the diploe kit is added on making it a far cry from the sexy Clearstream line we’re used to from Antenna Direct. OK, so is it that bad? No, but don’t expect to use it as the centerpiece of your Thanksgiving dinner.

The antenna will stand out like a glorified BBQ grill when mounted on your house, but the good news is this very compact antenna has enough punch to replace any big rusty behemoth you may already have on the roof. It is also compact enough be tucked away off a chimney or modestly mounted off the eaves in a corner of your house to be somewhat discrete. For apartment dwellers or condo owners, it can also fit hanging off a balcony assuming your building regulation allows it.

Overall, it isn’t that bad looking considering the high quality reception it will give you.

Prices and Where to Buy

In general, the price of the DB4e ranges from $80 to $120 which is a very large range so be sure to shop around.  Unfortunately it is not carried in major retail chain stores, but the good news is there are several online retailers in Canada that sell this item so shipping is reasonable.

The official Canadian distributer for Antennas Direct is online OTA mega-retailer Save And Replay which sells both the DB4e and the VHF Dipole Kit. The dipole kit is a bit hard to find but there are other online sources and some local speciality store will carry it as well. The DB4e is more available and is even carried online by some discount electronics retailers. Earlier this year, Best Buy Canada also had a sale on the DB4e as limited stock item online but does not appear to stock it regularly.

Conclusion

In the end, the VHF kit is enough to redeem the DB4e as a viable open in areas with VHF and UHF signals. We were surprised to see the dipole pick up a US VHF-Hi station more than the rated 60+ miles away in our test.

The good news is Antennas Direct has realized the popularity of this kit and will soon introduce a more universal dipole kit that will be more plug-and-play with the DBe series and not require disassembly of the reflector.

If you’re OK with installing a larger “flat” antenna and need some high-powered hardware, be sure to check out the DB4e with the dipole add-on.

Overall Rating: 9/10

More info on the DB4e and the C2V dipole kit can be found on Antenna Direct's website:

http://www.antennasdirect.com/store/DB4e-extended-long-range-outdoor-dtv-antenna.html
http://www.antennasdirect.com/store/ClearStream2-VHF-Reflector-Assembly.html