Solid Signal’s HANDS ON REVIEW: Televes Yagi BIII VHF Antenna

Most TV channels have moved to UHF, but what if you have one that hasn’t? You could use the Televes DAT790 Mix and that’s a great UHF/VHF antenna. What if you want to take it a step further? If you want truly superior VHF performance, you’ll want a separate VHF antenna that you can combine with a UHF antenna. That’s where the Yagi BIII comes in. You’ll get VHF performance as good as any large VHF antenna and you can point the antenna directly at the towers for the best result.

Before choosing an antenna, ask the following questions:

  • Do any of your channels broadcast in the VHF-High range (Channels 7-13?)
  • How far away can this antenna be from the broadcast towers?
  • Do I have a roof or attic space where I can mount an antenna?
  • Can I install this antenna myself?
  • Do I need an antenna that will stand up to the elements?
  • How important is price?

This review is available in PDF format! Download it now!

The antenna itself

There isn’t a whole lot to the box, as it’s designed to be as compact as possible. This antenna doesn’t have the same number of parts as other Televes antennas so the shipping box is nowhere near as large.

The antenna itself looks very similar to older yagi-style antennas from when you were a kid. The active element, the part that actually receives the signals, is the loop near the edge of the picture. The other elements focus the signal back on that loop so it gets the best possible reception.

With Televes, you know you’re getting quality. In these closeups, you see the high-quality aluminum and plastic that is used for this antenna. It’s hard to really get the sense of quality from a photo but really it’s very impressive. Nothing feels flimsy or poorly made. This antenna is going to stand up to the elements.

Installation

Televes antennas mount to a mast using a hybrid adjustable clamp system that puts the antenna slightly off center on a mast so it can be mounted slightly lower. This reduces stress on the mast and makes the antenna less likely to rotate in high winds compared to antennas that mount to the top of the mast. This clamp system is common to all Televes antennas and so if you’re adding this antenna to an existing Televes installation you’re already familiar with it.

The clamp can be adjusted to allow the antenna to tilt up and down about 5 degrees before being locked in, and in addition to a toothed bar as you generally see on this sort of antenna, there’s also a notched, ribbed steel piece on the opposite side of the bar to help the antenna stay where you put it.

Testing and Performance

Performance on this antenna was absolutely outstanding in the VHF band. Despite the fact that our lab is over 50 miles from the towers, the VHF reception actually maxed out the meter. Gain was outstanding and comparable to the largest VHF antenna we sell. There was an unexplained peak in the UHF band, however, as you can see above. This wouldn’t be a problem because you’re probably going to combine this antenna with another one and use a combiner that separates VHF and UHF bands. Televes mast-mounted amplifiers are perfect for this purpose.

Because of the odd bump in the UHF range, we got the official results from the lab, which you can see here. You can see in their results that most of the reception takes place in the VHF band.

Should you buy this antenna?

This antenna is for people with a specific need. If you have one channel in the vHF-High range that’s giving you trouble, especially if it’s located in a different direction from other stations, this antenna will work for you. It is a great complement to a long-range UHF antenna with a narrow beam width. It’s compact and can be mounted on the same mast as another antenna.

Shop for the Televes Yagi BIII antenna today!

About the Author

Stuart Sweet
Stuart Sweet is the editor-in-chief of The Solid Signal Blog and a "master plumber" at Signal Group, LLC. He is the author of over 10,000 articles and longform tutorials including many posted here. Reach him by clicking on "Contact the Editor" at the bottom of this page.