What’s the antenna you see at the top of this article? I won’t keep you in suspense. It’s Xtreme Signal’s HD8200XL antenna. But, you’d be forgiven if you said it was Winegard’s HD8200U antenna. Both antennas look pretty darn similar. The biggest difference you’ll notice is that our Xtreme Signal antenna is quite a bit less expensive. So, what does that really mean for you?
The technical difference
The Winegard antenna is rated at 65 miles, while the Xtreme Signal antenna is rated at 70+ miles. Either way, these are rough numbers. A lot of factors contribute to the real-world range you get from any antenna. But it’s fair to say that in a comparison, the Xtreme Signal antenna will pick up more distant signals.
The Xtreme Signal antenna is constructed with more directors. These devices on the front of the antenna focus more distant signals on the part of the antenna that receive signal. However, they also narrow the beam width slightly, meaning that the Xtreme Signal antenna does a slightly worse job of pulling in signals that are to the left or right of where the antenna’s aimed. The difference that this makes is very slight, but it does give the Xtreme Signal antenna the advantage in distance. The Winegard antenna will do better in picking up nearby signals that are off at an angle to the antenna. Again it’s a very small difference, though.
Do you even need a big antenna like this one?
Both antennas are very large when fully assembled. They both clock in at over 10 feet long. That may be too large for some homeowners’ associations. Government guidelines say that you have the right to have an antenna that’s 39″ long in any dimension, but these antennas are quite a bit more than that.
The difference comes from these antennas’ ability to pull in channels 2-6. These channels, known as “VHF-Low,” aren’t commonly used anymore. When TV went digital in the mid-’00s, the goal was to get rid of them completely. Unfortunately they aren’t really useful for things like cell phones so instead of losing channels 2-13, TV broadcasters lost access to channels 36-51 which are useful for cell phone signals. That meant some signals had to stay in that range of channels 2-6. There were even some channels, like Philadelphia’s WPVI, that chose to stay at their original broadcast channel.
If you need an antenna that picks up channels 2-6, you’ll need a large antenna like the 8200U or 8200XL. There’s no getting around it. It’s just the nature of how broadcasting works. Those channels have really long “waves” and that means you need a really large antenna to get them.
Why are the names so similar?
Both the Winegard and Xtreme Signal antennas are made by Winegard in the same factory. Xtreme Signal is our “house brand” of antennas here at Solid Signal, and we hire Winegard to make them for us.
Which antenna should you get?
You don’t have to guess which antenna is best for you! Call the experts at Solid Signal. Tell us a little bit about your location and we’ll recommend the best antenna for your situation. The antenna recommendation is free and we’ll even suggest accessories to go with the antenna.
Call us at 888-233-7563 during East Coast business hours. If it’s after hours, fill out the form below. We’ll get right back to you!
