Wacky, Tacky OTA Gear (What NOT To Buy!)

[stampeder]

Have you found a link, photo, or advertisement for one of those gimmick antennas that promises to be the best one you've ever owned? Scan it, post a link, or just tell us about it in this thread.

I call them "P.T. Barnum" antennas, because when it comes to OTA signals, there's a seeker born every minute.

If I owned one of those fly by night antenna companies I'd call mine "The Miracle Antenna" with the ad slogan "If your antenna gives you good reception its a Miracle!"

Originally Posted by HDTV101

I found this site and it was a great laugh "Tacky TV Antennas"

http://www.tackyliving.com/hg/antenna.html

[stampeder]

I think this was probably the only bad antenna that Jerrold ever made... what a stinker.

[stampeder]

Mommy was a bit unsure about such a big antenna and as she was leafing through a magazine she saw this ad and was really impressed with its capabilities, so she ordered one instead.



After reading that write-up don't you just want to run out and get one today?!!! I think someone who was selling antennas like this got busted for false advertising, so if you look at the ad copy now it actually seems to be making fun of anyone dumb enough to buy it in the first place! A fool and his money are soon parted.

[stampeder]

I'm not sure what the little parabolic dish on this thing is for. I suppose rather than chuck it in the garbage when you see how awful your picture is, you could use it as a little finger bowl for mixed nuts... or maybe a very small pet could drink water from it... it could be an ashtray...

[stampeder]

I really dug the mix of patchouli and apple smell in her hair, and when I dropped the tone arm down on "Omaha" by Moby Grape she made this sort of twist over my outstretched body, and as the weight of her tummy pushed my peace sign belt buckle deep into my gut I turned my head and just grooved, wondering if her far out Rembrandt antenna was actually a clock, or if it held the secret to eternity... all you have to do is look deep into it and surrender your bad karma, man, or you'll freak out unless you got ripped off on the brown blotter and bum out.

[stampeder]

This one lets you know just how long you've suffered with it:

[sleemo]

Originally Posted by stampeder

Mommy was a bit unsure about such a big antenna and as she was leafing through a magazine she saw this ad and was really impressed with its capabilities, so she ordered one instead.

Heh, I remember those ads...

I knew a girl back in high school (80s) who was soooo excited because her dad was going to buy her a "satellite dish". She made it sound like her dad's got "connections" and can get it super cheap. Man, did I ever burst that bubble.

[stampeder]

For those of you who don't know him, Tigerbangs has been doing professional antenna installations for over 35 years. This wonderful passage of his about the Terk-55 antenna was copied and pasted from a post he made at the Home Theater Spot:

Originally Posted by tigerbangs

If one more person comes on this forum and suggests the Terk 55 for anything other than as a baseball bat, I will hunt them down and beat them with their beloved antenna until they finally relent or bleed to death, whichever happens sooner matters not in the least to me! How many people have to spend their hard-earned money on this turkey, only to find out that it is about as useful as sticking a finger in a crumbling dike? Give me the $75-100 you spend on that piece of excrement, and I will actually get you some TV reception!

Don't say you weren't warned!!!

Originally Posted by danbcman

This antenna is very poor at VHF with very little good in it for UHF either. I have one which I bought, tried out, and then put in the storage locker as an experiment that went really bad. It takes so much aiming and rescanning for every little bit of change in direction and then it grabs next to no signal - what it does get is poor. It is an overpriced pipe dream.

And this is from HDTVPrimer:

Manufacturers to avoid:

· Terk – Severe hype. The equipment works, but Terk marketing prevents intelligent decision-making.

· Xium – Totally fraudulent antennas

To their credit, Terk seems to have gone into a rebranding deal with Winegard over the past year or so, I presume to hopefully ditch their bad reputation from the 55 and other such scrap.

[HDTV101]

This ones worth a few laughs!

...It may be unorthodox in appearance but the Omnimax is a firm favourite with caravanners, truckers and boaters all over Europe...

...and maybe some people committed to a mental hospital!

[sailmaker]

Mom this is the antenna we need to get Rocket Ship 7 from Buffalo!"

with Commander Tom !!!! ah, memories. sailmaker

[stampeder]

Commander Tom? On Rocketship 7?! BZZZZZZZT... Promo, destroy him!

Commander Tom was never on Rocketship 7: he had his own show in the afternoons, and it was Dave Thomas who was on Rocketship 7.

http://www.rocketship7.com/

Now Promo is on his way to crush you for that...

[Maxwedge]

Originally Posted by stampeder

Commander Tom? On Rocketship 7?! BZZZZZZZT... Promo, destroy him!

Commander Tom was never on Rocketship 7: he had his own show in the afternoons, and it was Dave Thomas who was on Rocketship 7.

http://www.rocketship7.com/

Now Promo is on his way to crush you for that...

And don't forget Mr. Beeper! Then Dialing for Dollars with......Nolan Johannas (sp.) with the amazing Johnny & Jimmy Duo!

[stampeder]

I think they're all wacky and tacky, but which one did you mean in particular?

[Paul.v]

I hope this is allowed but I couldnt resist...I love what is going in this forum and I stumbled over this...I love the one ontop of the HDset, and the ones blocking the roof plumbing vents! have a look, hope its no one here! haha

http://cgi.********/HDTV-Digtal-TV-An...QQcmdZViewItem

Paul

[hugh]

Paul.v, for what its worth, we don't normally allow ebay links but this one was so goofy that I have put it in a separate thread and let folks have a look