Antennas Direct ClearStream Eclipse HDTV Antenna

Today I realized that the Super Bowl is in six days and I no longer have cable TV so today I ordered an Antennas Direct ClearStream HDTV Antenna for $63 online. It arrives tomorrow so I’ll have a few days to set it up before Super Bowl Sunday.

Back in May I became a cord cutter, and I don’t watch too much regular TV. With the help of some streaming apps I’ve been able to watch the sports on the big four networks but the experience isn’t that good. Since the Super Bowl is on CBS I should be able to watch in for free over regular TV.

I didn’t have a lot of time to research which indoor HDTV antenna to buy so I went with the recommendation from the WireCutter. The picked the Antenna Direct ClearStream Eclipse HDTV antenna. Antennas Direct has two models one for $40 and one for $60. The $60 one is the same antenna as the $40 one but it includes a powered amplifier that might help boost the antenna signals. You can use the $60 one with or without the amplifier so it just a matter or seeing whether you get better reception with or without it.

I ended up ordering mine from Best Buy because they were out of stock on Amazon and the delivery date was for after the Super Bowl. I thought I was going to have to run out to BestBuy to pick one up but they offered free next day delivery. Antennas Direct ClearStream Eclipse HDTV Antenna

I’ll post again after I get the antenna and get a chance to try it out.

I can’t believe I put off getting an HDTV antenna for so long. Ultimately I wanted to install an Outdoor antenna on my roof or in my attic but that is a bigger project. It’s January in New England and a bit too cold for working on the roof or in the attic.

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Check out my video below to see the unboxing and setup.

After I set up my antenna, I received 52 channels in the Boston Metro area. Reception wad excellent. I used the included amplifier and have not tried the antenna without it to see the difference. So far I am very satisfied with the ClearStream Eclipse.

There are some things I didn’t like and some improvements that could be made.

The 15 foot antenna cable has rounded knurled ends that make it easy to attach one end to the antenna and the other to the TV. However, if you get the amplified version of the antenna, it also includes a short 3ft cable and you need to connect the antenna to the amplifier and then the amplifier to your TV. The 3ft cable has nuts on the connector which are very hard to attach to the back of the TV without a wrench.

Antennas Direct point out that the antenna is reversible white on one side and black on the other. This lets you choose which color best matches your wall. But the 15 ft cables is black so you are going to have a black cable hanging from the wall. Perhaps they could make the 8ft of the cable white and the other 7ft white.

Finally, my used the included sticky tape to secure the antenna to the wall. It worked but about 10 hours later it fell down. In fairness, the instructions say you should attach the antenna to a smooth surface. My wall is very textured, so it may not have gotten a good grip. I ended up using a piece of gaffer’s tape around the base and cabke to help secure it to the wall.

Currently the way the antenna is secured to my wall in the family room isn’t acceptable. It looks terrible. If I was going to leave it where it is I’d paint the antenna to match the wall (its paintable). I’d also look to paint the cable too.

My plan however is to move the antenna out of sight to the adjacent sun room behind the family room. That way I won’t see it at all.

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