Winegard HD-1080 HDTV High Band VHF Antenna

WINEGARD HD-1080 HDTV HIGH BAND VHF ANTENNAOUTPERFORMS COMPETING BOW TIE ANTENNAS; BOOSTS GAIN 2 TO 3 ITEMS ON VHF HIGH BAND; COMPACT VERTICAL DESIGN; RANGE UP TO 40 MILESZONE 2; HI VHF/UHF ANTENNA OPTIMIZED FOR CHANNELS 769; DIMENSIONS: 34.5"W X 18.25"H
Customer Review: Great reception in a small package...
The first thing you need to know before purchasing an HDTV antenna is whether or not you will need a VHF/UHF antenna or just UHF. Winegard states "VHF-Hi band is needed in 98% of 2009 DTV markets". The puts most of my local transmitters between 37.8 and 41.8 miles. The 1080-HD's stated range is up to 40 miles for channels 7-69...the only channels available once the digital switchover has been completed. In San Jose, all channels except 11 are broadcasting HD on UHF, but digital channel 7 is scheduled switch from UHF 24 back to VHF 7 once analog brodacasting ceases after June 12, 2009. The HD-1080 is rated at -11 db gain for channel 7. Channel 12 is rated about 0 db gain and I am receiving a strong signal from 37.8 miles. If channel 7 starts giving me dropouts in June, I may have to upgrade to the Winegard HD7694P HDTV High Band VHF/UHF Antenna which supplies higher gain in the VHF-HI range with its 65" boom and Yagi design. Note that you'll save about 20" in boom length for the same gain by purchasing a VHF-HI/UHF antenna designed for HDTV without the channel 2-6 elements such as the Winegard HD769 series. The dimensions of the assembled 2-bay HD-1080 are 34.5"W x 18.25H" (the dimensions on the Amazon page are of the shipping box). The instruction sheet was a single page but the instructions for connecting the front and back sections of the antenna were a bit confusing. Careful examination of the illustrations clarified the spacer strap installation. Newer models use a different style of spacer between the sections and indicate only a single mast clamp. I bought a J-mount Mast hoping for a nice, compact mount. The problem that I ran into was the fascia I was mounting to wasn't perpendicular to the ground and I couldn't plumb the installation without using some washers as spacers to bring the bottom of the bracket out, but I did avoid having to penetrate the flat roof with any mounting hardware. Overall, I am very pleased with the antenna. I went from 10 stations with an indoor antenna to 43 stations of clear digital. I will re-evaluate the antenna in late summer after all of the TV stations have settled into their final broadcast slots and finalized their power.
Customer Review: Probably a good antenna if it had good instructions
I'm sure the antenna is pretty good, but there are a lot of parts and nothing that explains how they interconnect. There was a lousy, one-page instruction flier, but it didn't define any of the terms that it used.

A video tape degrades with time because it is made of magnetic media. What you see ten, twenty years later is nowhere as sharp as when the tapes were first created. So, what is the shelf life of a magnetic tape (which includes Betamax, VHS, 8mm and mini-DV)?

If you ask a professional or a photo studio that question, the answer you get can range anywhere between 5 to 10 years. This is because it depends a lot on how 1) you handle it, 2) how you store it and 3) how often you played and rewound it - as opposed to letting it sit for years and years. Here are some tips to extend the shelf life of your tapes:

How to Handle Your Video Tapes

Never touch the tape itself. Hold it by the side of the cassette

Rewind the cassette before storing it.

Keep away from curious kids, avoid dropping or banging the tapes.

Keep cassettes away from magnetic fields

Don't leave a cassette in the car where it will be exposed to heat and cold

If using a new cassette and it's still cold, let it warm up to room temperature first.

Occasionally fast forward and rewind a tape that's being stored a long time.

Where to Store Your Video Tapes

The conditions in which magnetic tape is stored and used can extend its shelf life. Observe these video storage tips:

Store in conditions that are stable, cool and dry.

Stay away from hot, humid and dusty.

Store cassettes in the cassette case.

Store your tapes vertically and not flat (see picture) to distribute the gravity pull equally and stably.

But why wait in the first place? The best transfer quality you can get is YESTERDAY. The longer you wait, the more chances you are taking about the tape magnetic media degrading Not to mention video transfer costs don't go down, they only increase.

Find out more about the VHS to DVD transfer process at videotransferboston.com

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