Winegard Boost XT LNA-200 Outdoor TV Antenna Preamplifier

I wanted to "cut the cord". I live between Baltimore and DC. I purchased an indoor antenna that let me watch Baltimore VHF stations and a few Baltimore UHF stations. After adding the amp, I can watch all Baltimore stations and all but one DC UHF station. I did an evaluation which I hope you will find helpful. First, a little background. There are two kinds of TV amplifiers. The cheaper is called a "distribution amp". Use this amplifier if you have strong signal at the antenna, but want to use that signal for many TVs. When doing this, you will need one or more splitters, which divide the signal between the TVs. For example, a 5 to 1 splitter will give each TV about 1/6 of the signal. (Some of the signal is lost because the splitter is not perfect.) By the time the signal gets to the TV, the signal strength is reduced. A distribution amp overcomes this signal loss, but it adds noise. Adding noise is not a major problem because the signal was strong to begin with. You can save a few bucks. If the antenna signal is weak, you need to amplify the signal while adding as little noise as possible. You need a "pre-amp", which costs more. In most cases, the pre-amp will also overcome the splitter losses. You get both functions in one device, but pay a few bucks more. Just a little more background. TV broadcast signals are divided into VHF and UHF bands. VHF is channels 2 - 13 and uses 55 to 220 MHz. UHF is channels 14 - 69 and uses 450 - 800 MHz. No matter which type of amp you use, you want both bands amplified. This is difficult to do with one amp. The better approach is to separate the two bands and use two amps -- one for VHF and one for UHF. This amplifier is two pre-amps in one package. It covers both VHF and UHF bands. It adds about 1 dB of noise, which is very good for an inexpensive device. If you are solidly grounded in TV technology, you will know there are other factors that are very important in making a good amp. I won't go into them here, other than to say my observations are that this amp performs amazingly well. When evaluating how well an amp works at your house, channel scan is not a very good indicator. For example, my TV's scan picks up channel 5, a DC VHF station. But the signal is so poor that the picture only shows up for a few seconds now and then. The better way to evaluate is to do the channel scan without the amp. Then measure the signal strength for several stations with and without the amp. TVs have a signal strength meter in the menu, but you have to do a little digging to find it. For my TV, it's in setup -- channel setup -- Digital TV. My scan without the amp picks up channels 5, 11, 66, and 67 (among others). The signal strength without the amp is 0, 83, 42, 63. I picked these channels because 5 is useless (seldom shows a picture), 11 is excellent, 66 usually shows a picture put pixelates a lot, 67 is pretty good but pixelates occasionally. I can watch 11 and 67, but not 5 and 66. Now I know that I want the signal strength to be at least 65. These numbers are for my TV. Other TVs may display different signal strength numbers. What's important is how Your TV's numbers relate to the quality of your picture. Also, for this test, it's best to do it with one TV and no splitters. If you do this and get good signal for all stations, you can stop reading right now. A pre-amp won't improve anything. After I inserted the amp, the signal strength was 60, 83, 56, 87. Channel 5 went from useless to pretty good, which is amazing. Channel 11 didn't increase, but 83 indicates a strong signal with a perfect picture. Channel 66 went from unwatchable to good. Channel 67 went from good to excellent. What more can one ask of an antenna amplifier? Where should you place the amp? I did these tests without any splitters -- all of the signal was going to one TV. You want the amplifier to be before any splitters, but it doesn't have to be physically close to the antenna. My antenna is on the 2nd floor. It has a 6 foot cable, which plugs into a socket in my wall. On the other side of the wall is a 60 foot cable to a low voltage box in my basement. The box has splitters and other cables that go to other sockets in other rooms. I can't place the amp right at the antenna. But I can place it either on the 2nd floor or at the low voltage box. I tried both. There was no difference in performance. Not even one digit changed on the signal strength for any station. The point is, there is no measurable loss in signal between the antenna and the other end of the coax cable, even if the cable is 65 feet long and includes two connections (one on either side of the wall.) (Assuming you use good coax cable with screw connectors.) You don't need an outdoor amp, even if you have an outdoor antenna. After I purchased this amp, I found another from the same manufacturer that was exactly the same electronics but packaged for indoor use. I could have saved a few bucks by buying the indoor amp. If you have an outdoor antenna, you will benefit by not having your amp out in the weather, and lose almost nothing. Just make sure the amp is before any splitters.

This LNA 200 Preamplifier has proprietary designed "TwinAmp" Technology that separately amplifies VHF and UHF signals for maximum performance. The Boost XT preamplifier works with any passive outdoor TV antenna. It can improve the strength of signal detected and in some cases it is possible to boost "fringe" signals enough to be visible. Some call it enhancing signals, but with every decibel of amplification the amplifier also adds a little "noise" or detracting interference. Inserted interference is every very foot of cable, connector or splitter which by nature degrades the signal information. Eliminating the loss by Inserted interference is perhaps the greatest goal of the Low Noise Amplifier. The concept is to find the lowest ratio of Noise to Amplification (or Gain) possible. Although amplifiers can improve a weak reception signal to some degree, they are more capable and beneficial by maintaining the strength of signals as they leave your antenna and travel to your HDTV. I would say the diminish signal strength (Roof and Trees) are offset by the strengths of elevation and proximity. I imagined I only had the "inserted" noise to deal with. I hooked up a TV without the amplifier and no splitter, with a twenty foot run of new coaxial cable. The Phillips HDTV scanned the signal and searched for channels. The Signal Strength came up at a 97 on it's built in signal strength meter and 72 Channels found, which impressed me. I started installing four line splitter, and hooked the other three TV's to the antenna feed. Checking the same set, with a four splitter installed, came up now at 90 in strength and a 70 channel scan of available channels . (Those two channels lost both were UHF in the 60's range seem to be a continuous screen message "This channel available for Lease" so I didn't worry too much, but it seemed odd anyway). The longest run, at about 50 feet, was found to have a strength of 87 and 70 channels. The remaining runs came in at 89. (all these measurements were "pre" amplifier only. We had positioned, aimed, and physically secured the antenna in the best reception position we could determine). I then installed the amp and found we boosted reception signal by either 5 or 6, we did rescan, and the two channels were now available on each set, and they were still available for lease (head scratcher). So we went from 97 to 96 with our first set which we were happy with. You are simply trying to maintain and improve the signal's loss of strength after it leaves the antenna and starts going through all the components and eventually to your TV. This does a great job of keeping the lowest ratio noise to gain and keeping performance in line with all the parameters of the install. That said, if you only read this little bit of advice it will all be worth it. There are two critical and distinct points I found out about over the air antennas, first it's a confusing process and and second, usually the fault of signal anomalies lies with the antenna selection. The biggest mistake people make is purchasing the wrong size and type antenna initially. Such as too small, performance suffers. Too large, wallet suffers. Omni or directional? narrow band, built in amplifier or passive, rotational, or fixed etc.) Then, having started with a slight handicap, you start fiddling and buying components. Trying to compensate for faults with peripheral equipment can be expensive. HDTV over the air is quite fickle. It is not like the analog days where built in rabbit ears and tinfoil could give you a decent black and white picture. When my father purchased our first Color TV,(a first in our neighborhood, we should of charged people a quarter admission fee) he declined, over the objections of the Salesman, to have a new antenna installed when the set was delivered. Instead, he hooked up his faithful Rabbit Ears, turned it on, and found the picture so lacking he actually believed there was something wrong with the set. He diagnosed the problem, and told the small group assembled that the antenna was inadequate. He drove to the dealer, and somehow he got a really good deal on the "Diamond Class" antenna, and a custom pole that would allow him to view same picture that he viewed on showroom display. They even had it installed with the an hour. They knew if one person bought a Color TV set, there is a huge volume of potential customers who would look at Dad's set, but not come to their show room just to satisfy their curiosity. Any good publicity, and Dad even did a great pitch on the whole deal. It was only second to a car purchase in it strategic importance. He even managed to get the antenna installed the same very same day, with along with a deck of the Store Salesman's business cards and a handful of brochures. He was clearly second showroom, one more casual. No pressure,no commitment to close a deal right then. Dad was quite the pitchman. There were a lot of sets and antenna's popping up all around the neighborhood within a week. I won't go into the holdout over the need of a separate UHF (Until Hell Freezes) antenna that came up a few years later. I only give this to prevent you from thinking this amp will cure all ills and be as disappointed as my Father was when he shelled out only a belated 39.99 (and tax to) in order watch his new color TV. Most people aren't aware that antennas are constructed for different signal frequency situations. If the broadcast tower is 100 miles away, an antenna constructed for a signal of distance of 50 miles won't deliver the same reception signal as one designed for 100 miles. Being in the valley is never as good as being located on a hill. The first thing to help you determine any prospective attempts to correct a signal would be to check your antenna. Go to http://www.fcc.gov/guides/antennas-and-digital-television and enter your physical location, then make sure you are grabbing as good a signal as you can. Make sure your antenna is sized and orientated (aimed) properly for your location. Make sure all your components are function properly, coaxial fittings, splitters matched for outputs desired, be methodical, test and check each change or adjustment to ensure maximum performance. Don't get caught up in the biggest or most expensive will guarantee the best results. If it were true, it would be easier. Oh, I would encourage the use new material and parts whenever possible. Good luck and may all your stations be clear ones.

I get more channels with better reception to more TVs with it than without it. I installed a Clearstream 2V on my roof, which required about 75' of coax outdoors (barrel-connected once). Inside is another 50' of cable or more for each home run to each TV. That exceeds the 100' cable length threshold that recommends a preamplifier like this. Connecting directly to one TV, I received the expected channels, but the signal was a bit shaky on a few. Adding a 3.5 dB splitter knocked out most of the reception entirely, so I was right on the edge of the signal budget. Adding this amplifier improved the signals to the sole TV (improving the shaky ones to "good") and enabled splitting to other TVs. Splitters add up quickly, especially if you want to get creative about mixing and switching and aren't cutting the cable service cord entirely. This device adds 18 dB, and I use up much of that with splits and cable run, with a bit left over, so perfect for me. One quibble is that the embedded FM trap is not switchable; it's always on. The VHF section of the TV antenna delivers passable FM reception, better than using a dipole antenna indoors for a radio, so it would have been nice to add radios to the antenna mix along with the TVs, having taken the trouble to install a roof antenna. Then again, the amp may have just increased noise and made FM signal separation more difficult; would have been nice to try that, though, since I don't have problems with nearby FM transmitters (which the FM trap is included to combat). This device otherwise performs well and is easy to install. Very small and light. I put the power inserter conveniently at the point the coax enters the house, before splits to various home runs throughout the house. Even smaller quibble is that the USB cord included was a bit short. I had a longer one laying around and they're not hard to find, but kind of an unnecessary corner to cut on an awfully simple $50 piece of kit.

I live on the eastern shore of Delaware, within 40 miles of 4 major transmitters - WRDE/NBC 31; WBOC/CBS-Fox 16; WMDT/ABC 47; and WCPB/MPT(PBS) 28. I have an Antennas Direct - ClearStream 4MAX Indoor/Outdoor HDTV Antenna rated for 70 mile performance. The topography here is flat. Air quality goes from sunny and dry to hot and very humid. I cannot install an outdoor antenna, so I have it installed in the attic. When I installed the Clearstream, I had problems pulling in WBOC and WMDT. I added an RCA 4 output 10dB distribution amplifier and picked up WMDT and a very faint signal for WBOC. I added a Kenable 4G LTE Shielded In Line Filter F bought from Amazon and did not notice any improvements, but all recommendations say to use an LTE filter. I had a total of 23 channels coming in, but WBOC was still weak and pixelated. Wanting to have stronger signals, I purchased the Winegard LNA-200 Boost XT package from Amazon because I could not find it locally and it had a good mix of reviews. It was delivered the next day (thanks Amazon Prime!) so I was anxious to install it. I installed the Winegard preamp right after the LTE filter at the antenna. Ran the auto channel search and lost all the channels except for WRDE. I added the provided inline signal amp and saw no improvement. I removed the inline LTE filter. Resulted in a loss of all channels. I removed the RCA distribution amp. No improvement - no channels. I reran the channel auto search feature on the TV (Sony Aquos) each time. I tried several combinations with no improvement. Finally, I just removed all the Winegard equipment and set things back up the way it was before hand. Unfortunately, now I'm only pulling in 20 channels as I've completely lost WBOC (CBS and Fox). But it has turned into a very hot and humid day so signal performance is likely impacted. I plan to return the Winegard equipment and try a different signal amp. I'm guessing I either have a defective Winegard LNA-200 or the Winegard does not pair well with the Clearstream antenna. Unfortunately, working with antennas has always been a trial and error experience, but once you get it to work, it usually works real well. I do like air TV better than cable - I find the picture quality better. And have you ever had cable that worked perfectly? I don't intend to cut the cable, but want to have broadcast TV to use in other rooms in the house (bedrooms, kitchen and office). So for Winegard, I rate it 1 star for picture quality, 5 stars for ease of installation and 3 stars for weatherproof (the inline signal amp must be installed indoors, not on the antenna).

100+% satisfied! I am the perfect storm for this product: Living in Rural Montana, surrounded by mountains and splitting a weak signal to 5 tv’s! Not wanting to climb my roof to properly install pre-amp as recommended, I decided to just conveniently place it in line as a (proof of concept) test. The results were amazing! Immediately improved the signal of the existing 9 channels but after a new scan picked up 5 additional channels I wasn’t even aware were available. Product is “plug&play” and well worth the money.

6/04/19 Edit: Updated review. I am upgrading my rating on the LNA-200 based on the performance of the replacement unit. The warranty replacement LNA-200 has been perfoming adequately for about three weeks, so I'm hopeful it will continue. The original LNA-200 failed after two weeks and it took me quite a lot of back-and-forth with Winegard to get a warranty replacement, but so far (three weeks in) it is still enabling me to receive the channels I expected to receive. EDIT: I'm editing my original review because I finally received by email a commitment from Winegard to issue an RMA and replace the defective product. When I receive the replacement I'll hook it up and see how things go. I'm hoping for the best and I really want this to work (and not just for two weeks like the failed one). I understand that electronic components can fail and I'm happy to see Winegard stepping up and taking care of it. I'll update once the replacement unit is installed. (Original review) I always read the reviews for a product before I purchase it. This was no different. The reviews for the LNA-200 were a mixed bag of positive and negative, but overall the positive reviews outweighed the negative ones, so I took a chance. I gambled and lost. The upshot is this-- if you get a good LNA-200 that works for you for more than a couple of weeks, that's great and I'm happy for you. If you get one that fails two weeks after installation (as did mine) , you're just out of luck. After no less than a half-dozen email exchanges between myself and Winegard Tech Support I have gotten absolutely nowhere with them and they refuse to send me a replacement. A bit of background: In February of 2019, my aging Radio Shack (go ahead and snigger, it worked) booster failed due to the seals in the mast-mounted unit breaking down and allowing water intrusion, which corroded the internal circuitry. After viewing different products to replace it, I decided to purchase the Winegard LNA-200. At first, it worked beautifully. I am located about 75-80 miles from the broadcast towers in Little Rock and use a deep-fringe antenna mounted on a mast at 25 feet. I was pulling in 19 digital OTA channels (including subs) with the LNA-200 and I was happy with it, given my location and distance from the towers. Two weeks later I came home to find that I couldn't pick up any channels. I power-cycled the preamp but got no change in the results. I let the preamp sit, without power applied, for over an hour and then rescanned. I got four channels (including subs-- PBS 2-1, 2-2, 2-3, and 2-4). I after verifying that my cabling was still intact and finding no problems, I contacted Winegard Tech Support by email. I actually got a reply from them the same day, instructing me to check the voltage at the preamp and verify that it was at least 5 volts. I did so, and reported back to Winegard that I was getting 5.2 volts. Since the voltage from the USB power supply was adequate, I asked them to send me a replacement preamp. They dodged my request and once again asked me to verify the voltage. I did so, again, and reported back to them that the voltage was still 5.2 volts. I asked again that they send me a replacement preamp. They dodged the request again, and once again brought up the issue of voltage, but this time the technician went further and told me he (?) was surprised I could receive any channels because it was clearly a line-of-sight issue due to trees leafing out. I presumed, at that point, he must have entered my address in Google Earth and looked at the location, so I did the same. If he had looked at the Google Earth image closely, he would have seen that the main beam of my antenna is pointed about 30-degrees northwest of the nearby tree, and what he was seeing in the image was not the tree, but the long, late-afternoon shadow of the tree in question. I replied again by email and asked him to explain to me, then, how the previous Radio Shack booster had pulled in the channels in question for several years (until it was destroyed by water intrusion) but the LNA-200, after two weeks, had lost its ability to do so. I have not yet received a reply, so let me say this-- I always try to give the vendors I purchase from ample opportunity to work through technical issues or issue a RMA for defective products before jumping on Amazon at the drop of a hat and writing a bad review. But this has gone on long enough. I've been stonewalled over replacement of a clearly-defective unit and I get the idea that their customer support strategy is to dodge and stonewall long enough that the frustrated customer eventually gives up. So let me say this: if you buy the LNA-200 and it works well for you, I'm happy for you. If it lasts longer than 2-3 weeks before failing, I'm ecstatic for you. But if you get a defective unit and expect Winegard Tech Support to make it right, you're setting yourself up for an exercise in frustration and futility. And the sad thing is that they could have replaced the device that maybe cost them all of $20 and this review would not have been necessary. But I'm tired of companies selling inferior crap and then refusing to be held responsible for it, so if this review prompts someone else to bypass the Winegard LNA-200 and keep looking, then perhaps Winegard's marketing division will eventually break down the metrics and come to the realization that the obstinance of their technical support division is costing them much more in lost sales than simply replacing a failed part every now and then and keeping a frustrated purchaser like me from posting a negative review about the abysmal tech support.

The LNA-200 is an excellent piece of hardware that can produce significant benefits in over-the-air TV reception. That being said, its benefits can only be realized when signal conditions are appropriate and it is installed correctly. From analyzing the negative reviews, it appears that many of the problems that were encountered with this equipment were the result of inappropriate use and/or installation. The particular situation in which this amplifier works well is one in which the receiving equipment is signal starved but not noisy – a low-level signal (e.g., transmitter tower is distant from the receiver and/or of relatively low power) embedded in a relatively low noise background. While expensive instrumentation is required to definitively determine when this situation exists, it is possible to use the signal strength diagnostics built into most modern digital TV’s to get a strong hint that this is the case. In particular, if a TV owner uses the Menu option to access a screen which shows the signal strength and/or signal-to-noise ratio and/or signal quality, a reasonably clear picture of an appropriate application may be possible. If these parameters are low – i.e., they reflect a small signal – or vary relatively rapidly in time, it is likely that the desired digital signal is being adversely affected by environmental or propagation distance effects. The best way to make this kind of observation is with a single TV set connected to a single antenna – either upper-VHF or UHF band – so that the intrinsic signal effects are separated from noise or losses arising from multiple splitting effects/losses and/or intrinsic receiver/line noise. Under these conditions, use of a high-quality, low-noise pre-amplifier (i.e., more than 10 dB gain, noise factor of 1 dB or thereabouts, but not more than 1.5 or 2) is likely to be very beneficial. If not, an amplifier like an LNA-200 is unlikely to be very helpful. [Note: Amplifiers with higher noise figures may be useful as distribution amplifiers for multiple splits AFTER the signal levels are brought up to usable levels.] To use a pre-amplifier like an LNA-200 effectively, it should be connected in the coax cable line after the antenna but before any other components (e.g., before splitters used to divide the signal among multiple TV sets), so that it increases the signal level without amplifying any noise or loss effects introduced by the installation plumbing in a user’s home. Other amplifiers, most often characterized as distribution amplifiers rather than pre-amplifiers, typically have much higher noise figures – anywhere from 4 to 15 dB – and may be useful downstream further downstream in a home wiring network. In such locations, they can maintain signal strength after being multiply split, but these amplifiers are not useful in bringing up signal levels from the intrinsic noise floor because they introduce additional noise which is amplified and drives down the intrinsic signal quality. A good measure of overall signal quality is the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), if a TV set’s menu of diagnostics provides this parameter: modern tuners must be designed (by the ATSC tuner standard to which they are bound) to lock onto digital signals when the SNR is at least 15 dB, and values less than generally result in poor/no picture and/or image tearing. Signal levels of 20 dB or so are OK, but – in the presence of atmospheric turbulence or weather – may be degraded below useful levels. In this situation, an amplifier like an LNA-200 may provide the boost needed to generate a useful, reliable TV image. While details of the negative reviews that area associated with the LNA-200 rarely have enough detail to diagnose the reason for the failures, they give hints that many of the problem areas are likely to have arisen from the following: (1) inappropriate application, such as at the bottom of a cable-splitting chain next to a TV set, rather than at the antenna; (2) incorrect installation of the in-line-coax power supply, which can fail to provide the DC power needed if it’s installed backwards or if a signal splitter (most of which are not “DC passing” if not specifically ordered to allow power to be passed up the line for amps/rotators as the signals come down the line); (3) incorrect installation of the amplifier, by connecting the inputs from the antenna and the output to the TV to the wrong terminal which can damage equipment in the lines, including the amplifier or TV. Reports of units being dead out of the box (DOB) have also appeared in the reviews of this equipment but it’s not clear what the frequency of this problem is. Sadly, in the case of most modern electronics, a disappointingly large fraction – 5 or 10 % is not unusual -- of newly shipped units either are DOB or are perceived so. Some of the perceptions are from users who don’t know how to set up or connect the equipment – probably the majority. The actual number of really DOB units is typically a few percent, and may reflect either poor quality control or damage in transit/handling – but the reviews which appear online don’t provide the information needed to determine what the real problem is. In the case of the LNA-200, my guess is that most of the problems with applications lie with improper application, installation, or connection. The Winegard folks have been around for a long time and are known for their excellence in design and production of durable hardware. If you do encounter a problem, I’d recommend that you give them a call or send them an e-mail to determine the genesis of the problem – they’ll almost certainly connect you with an applications engineer who can determine whether you’ve got the right gear, installed it correctly, and are using it the way it was supposed to be operated – or whether you’ve just got a dud. They’re a good company – probably the best at what they do – and my experience has been that they stand behind their gear.

This product really helped! It increased my television reception dramatically. I decided to try and cut the cord. For years I had cable, and then I switched to directv. My directv bill averaged $98 per month and really all I watched were the ESPN’s and the network channels. I decided to cut the cord. I have AT&T Internet so WatchESPN streams on my Roku and AppleTV’s at home perfectly. I thought that if I could get the network channels then I could cancel Directv. The problem is, I am located about 50 miles from the broadcast tower and 2 of the 4 network channels are broadcast in VHF while the remaining channels are UHF. This would mean that I would need 2 antennas. So I went to antennasdirect.com and began researching. 2 websites that were a huge help were http://www.antennapoint.com and http://www.tvfool.com Both websites have data on the closest television towers at your address. They show the frequencies and the direction in relation to your home. Over the air (OTA) television is directional meaning you antenna must be aimed at the tower broadcasting the channels you plan to pick up. (Especially the further you are from the broadcast tower). I decided to order 2 antennas. UHF and VHF. VHF antenna (Clearstream 5 – I highly recommend. It works great): https://www.antennasdirect.com/store/vhf.html UHF antenna (DB8e – This antenna worked wonderfully as well): https://www.antennasdirect.com/store/DB8e-Ultra-Long-Range-Outdoor-DTV-Antenna.html The clearstream came with a VHF/UHF antenna combiner. So I used the combiner to combine the two antennas. A combiner is nothing more than a splitter used backwards from what I could gather. I intended on splitting my signal to 4 different televisions. Everything I read said that when you run long runs of coax cable, the television signal is diminished drastically. So, I purchased a pre-amp and a powered 4-way splitter. Pre-Amp: http://www.amazon.com/Winegard-LNA-200-Boost-Digital-Preamplifier/dp/B00DQN3R9O/ref=pd_sim_e_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=0NDCZXJGZZ8ZK1PEMR6P 4-way splitter: http://www.amazon.com/Antennas-Direct-CDA4-Distribution-Amplifier/dp/B0082ZJNW6/ref=pd_sim_e_6?ie=UTF8&refRID=0NDCZXJGZZ8ZK1PEMR6P I decided I would install my antennas in the attic. I felt like I would get more life out of the cables, antennas, and splitters if they were out of the elements. I wasn’t sure if the signal strength would be strong enough but I thought I would try it, and if it didn’t work then I could mount onto the roof. I installed the antennas in the attic and hoped I wouldn’t need the pre-amp or the powered splitter. The first thing I did was hook up a regular 4-way splitter and ran a channel search. All the desired channels came in, but the signal strength was too low and there was a lot of buffering. I decided to hook up the powered 4-way splitter and that increased the signal strength a bunch but still it was in the 65-70% range and that was not what I wanted. I then hooked up the pre-amp and boom! I had a 90% or more signal strength on all channels. I also made sure to use only RG6 coax cable and cut the cables to be as short as possible. Here are the RG6 cable tools I purchased. Cutter and stripper: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0099DIV4G/ref=sr_ph?ie=UTF8&qid=1420732747&sr=1&keywords=RG6+cable+tools Cable end compression tool: http://www.amazon.com/RG59-Connector-Waterproof-Connectors-Crimping/dp/B0050N0S36/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1420732747&sr=8-8&keywords=RG6+cable+tools Cable ends: http://www.amazon.com/PCT-TRS-6-Universal-Coaxial-Compression-Connector/dp/B00760VRCM/ref=pd_bxgy_hi_img_y I also used two mounts in the attic. They worked great. Here is the link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000WOVD1Y/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 That’s it…that is all you need to get free OTA television. I was able to receive all the channels available in my market. WMAB 2/WMAE 12 (x.1 PBS/MPB, x.2 PBS HD, x.3 Create) WCBI (4.1 CBS, 4.2 MNTV, 4.3 The CW) W07BN-D (IND/TBN) WTVA (9.1 NBC, 9.2 ABC) W25AD (TBN) WLOV (27.1 Fox, 27.2 Me-TV, 27.3 This TV) W34DV/W39CA (UBN) WEPH (49.1 CTN) The best part of all this, was calling Directv and canceling my service.

I live in a concrete building facing the opposite side of all TV transmission antennas. I am positioned in the opposite way of all TV signals and about 30 miles from the main TV antennas. Before, I was getting barely 8 unstable channels. I was not expecting much from this amplifier, since my geographic position is very unstable and deficient. I read many of the negative comments about Winegard LNA-200 Booster. I was not convinced that I should spend that money for a product that could perhaps lead to deception. I took a chance and ordered it anyway, since I had not much to loose on this issue. I have a good antenna and ordered a good quality 30 feet coax cable and hooked the amplifier as shown on the instruction paper. WOW !!! It went from 8 unstable channels to 18 very stable channels, even though my location is very poor !!! What a difference, and since I don't watch TV that much, I get the best of all as HDTV and the signal is 100 % + the quality of the image has improved quite a lot. I also don't get any over amplified signals! I can tell you, if you have a good antenna, non defective cables and you connect the whole thing together the right way, the Winegard will certainly do the job. I can say that I am more than satisfied with the result. Therefore, if you do not get the same good result, it cannot be the fault of Winegard LNA-200. That's why I give a 5 stars rating!

Just getting into the OTA antenna space after getting fed up with the cable companies, so knowledge is fairly limited ... Definitely improved the signal strength and stability and added say 2-3 channels more ... In south Caledon and the U.S. Channels were iffy (abc and cbs primarily) but now the signal strength is solidly in the high 80's ... To be honest though I haven't really tried any other preamps so can't compare but this one came highly recommended ... I am happy and suggested the same to some other family members who are cutting cable or have done so but are getting limited channels. One key thing though, do some homework on pointing your antenna properly rather than "just point it to the CN Tower" (if you're in the GTA). This had a huge impact as I discovered after installing my antenna (attic) ... Even a few inches to the south west makes a massive difference ... All in all, I'd say worth the cash.

I live in Toronto and have a mostly clear view of the CN Tower and Ash Bridges Bay / Lake Ontario from my apartment balcony. I recently purchased a Clearstream V2 antenna as an upgrade from my TERK antenna. Without thhe Wineguard, I'd get about 20 channels and about 15 of them would be always clear. I was curious to see if I could amp the signal because, at times, I had been able to pull in CBS, NBC, FOX, CW but not great (40-50% signal so they'd usually drop at night). The Winegard was pretty easy to install - I did need to get an extra coax cable though to attach to the antenna input. It did take me a few tries until I got the hookup right because my set up was different from the instructions - AntenasDirect helped me very quickly with their customer service team (online and on the phone). Now once I got this plugged in - wow - it definitely was great. As soon as I rescanned, I got 47 stations!! All the US networks (which was my goal) in addition the the Canadian ones. Here's what I am able to get - now of course, you might have something different depending on your set up and where you have the antenna pointed (mine is ESE about 110 degrees). WSTM (NBC) WSTQ (CW) CNY CBC WROC (CBS) BOUNCE LAFF ESCAPE CTV WHEC MeTV WHEC (NBC) CHCH WHA (NBC) CW GRIT TV TVO WXII (HD,W,C) CBC FR Global (SD/HD) TCN CKWS WUHF (Fox Rochester) Antenna COMET-T CITS (YES) WGBT ThisTV TuffTV TNNT4 MyRoC QVC ION QUBO IONlife Shop HSN CITY TV Anyway, in order to get the most out of your antenna, I would highly recommend getting this booster!! I was skeptical at first but now it's doubled my stations and it will make cutting the cord even more worth while.

First let me say that I was very happy with the delivery and return process (in my case I needed to request a refund and it was granted immediately and the return process was hassle free). In terms of the product, in my situation I have an exterior grade, multi-directional antenna installed in the attic with a long run of coax cable from the antenna into the basement of a two storey home. The cable is then connected to another coax cable that runs up to the 2nd storey media room where I split the signal to a flat screen in that media room and to a coax cable that runs back to the basement and there it connects to the coax cable that runs to the first floor den flat screen. I'm using that configuration simply because the home is pre-wired that way by the local cable company with coax running to several rooms in the home from a central junction point in the basement where cable tv would normally be installed. That's the set up, now for the review of the Wineguard 200. Prior to installing it I received 25 channels with the antenna alone, but with a signal strength indicator tool I could see that there were about another 15 channels I could potentially receive but the signal strength at the set showed as too weak to provide a picture and a few of the stronger ones sometimes appeared briefly or in pixelated fashion. After installing the Winegaurd (following instructions to the T, and double checking with their web site and googling other user forums on the subject to verify there was nothing else I could do to improve my installation, I received only 2 stations with the Winegaurd versus 25 without it. From all my research I understand others have had great success and it is one of the best such devices on the market. However, in my specific environment it made performance much worse than without it. Hence my low rating, but I wouldn't let that deter you from the product as it may perform well in your environment. It could have just been my type of antenna (even though on paper it met the antenna type criteria Wineguard recommends this booster for).

Seems a bit overpriced compared to what this sells for in the U.S.(exchange rate considered) but still worth every cent in my situation. I realize what works for one may not for another. I live in rural Ontario with a fairly new CM 100 mile antenna on a 30 ft tower. I used the CM Titan 7777 30db pre amp (new style) for one year and got several U.S. and local stations.but always wondered if a lower gain would be better since their are at least a couple strong local stations and overpowering may be a problem...as the CM tech rep originally suggested. While I can't directly compare this to the CM Titan 7778 (16db) I went with the Winegard because of the good reviews (low noise) and poor reviews of the new Titan amps...not just on Amazon but from a local antenna installer and electronics supplier. Bottom line; I'm not sure if its the lower gain but this works much better than the CM7777 for long range. I easily get a few more US stations.that I never got before. Just for interest, I bypassed the pre amp for one week and got all the local and a couple US stations but the antenna had to be aimed just right...very directional.. The beauty of a pre amp is the antenna is much more forgiving. I get most of the stations in one or two close positions without constantly moving it (weather related of course). With so many (free) stations in HD quality compared to expensive cable/satellite, this pays for itself quickly. Update: Something happened about one year later and I suddenly lost around 4 good US stations like Fox. Its worked the same ever since and I never get those stations. Not sure if I want to replace it because I've read its a known problem?