PBD HDTV Preamplifier, TV Antenna Amplifier Signal Booster, HD Digital VHF UHF Amplifier, with 4G LTE Filter

Wow, I can't believe the difference this little gadget has made! The PBD HDTV Preamplifier with 4G LTE Filter is a game-changer for my TV setup.Setting it up was a piece of cake. The instructions are straightforward, and I had it up and running in no time. Plus, it's pretty compact, so finding a spot for it was no trouble at all.But what really blew me away is the signal boost it delivers. I used to get those annoying pixelated screens and signal dropouts, especially during the big game or when watching my favorite shows. With this preamplifier, those problems are history. My TV signal is now crystal clear, with no interruptions whatsoever.The 4G LTE filter is another cool feature. It blocks out any interference from mobile networks, so you can enjoy your shows without worrying about signal disruptions.And it's not just about performance; this thing feels solid and well-made. I'm confident it'll last for ages and keep my TV signal in top shape.In a nutshell, the PBD HDTV Preamplifier is a must-have if you want to upgrade your TV experience. It's easy to use, it works like a charm, and it's made my TV time way more enjoyable. No more fuzzy screens or dropouts – this little device is a total winner! I'm super happy with it, and I'd recommend it to anyone who's tired of TV signal problems.

I ordered this antenna preamp to specifically mate with the latest PBD antenna (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PHMSTFF, you can see my posted review for that antenna without any preamp). My HoA is ..err…” on my case” for having too large an antenna for their old tired eyes, so in the interest of keeping the peace I’m searching for alternatives.An antenna preamp will do two things – (1) make up for coaxial cable and splitter losses, and (2) maybe- MAYBE – pull in some weaker channels that don’t have enough signal to register with the TV for either any picture or a pixelated picture. It will NOT improve the signal-to-noise ratio of your signal – the antenna preamp amplifies any in-band RF energy (signal or noise) and even adds a little bit of noise of it’s own. But if you live in a marginal signal area, it’s certainly worth trying. The results below are typical of how the amplifier performed in my specific case.I first tested the advertised gain of the preamp using the VHF and UHF channels in my area, using the RF Explorer Spectrum Analyzer (https://www.amazon.com/Studio-Explorer-WSUB1G-spectrum-analyzer/dp/B0789D75S5). The results for Hi-VHF channels 8 and 10 are shown in the first 2 images; the indicated gain is approximately 13 dB +/- 2dB, about the claimed gain in the product description. I did a similar test on the UHF channels in the area (not shown in pictures), with displayed gains of about 20 dB +/- 2dB, just slightly less than the claimed number but not a big issue.S/N ratio is difficult to measure with OTA TV transmissions, so I went right to the bottom line- how many more watchable channels, if any, can I get if I use this amplifier. I used an older Emerson/Funai TV (LC320EM1F) and did A/B-type channel searches with and without the amplifier in the circuit. Those results are shown in the next two photographs. I don’t think I need to tell you which picture is which. Note that these results include quite a few Spanish-speaking channels from Mexico. The Tijuana border is about 70 miles from me, but I have no clue how far away the transmitting towers are for some of these additional channels are.Another menu displayed something the manual calls “channel quality” with no further technical elaboration. I picked a channel (6.1) that was highly pixelated with no amplifier and came in fine with the amplifier in line. The A/B comparison of the “channel quality” with the amp in and out is shown in the final two photographs.Obviously, the amplifier will be installed with the antenna on my roof if and when the HoA police descend in force. This amp definitely gets 5 stars from me, just keep in mind that your results will be highly dependent on your physical location (hill, valley, etc.), the height of your antenna, and sometimes the time of day (TV signals, especially VHF, propagate much further at night). This amp is definitely worth your consideration, and FYI will work with any VHF/UHF combination antenna that has no active electrconics built in.

Installed last Fall, Inspected a little bit ago. I always check the tightness of the coax cables every year or so. The coax connector on the power supply cracked the case when I snugged the cable with my 7/16th wrench. Taped it up with some electrical tape. Went up on the roof and checked the coax connectors going into the amplifier box and very lightly snugged the coax and heard a small cracking noise and stopped before anything broke. Plastic cases may not fare to well out in the weather. But it's still working great, so no issues. Just be gentle!

UPDATE: Lowering to 1 star:I kept wondering why I wasn't getting VHF channels reliably. I even took a laptop and TV tuner up on the roof, hooked it up there, and saw that I was getting okay reception. That's when I replaced the bad included cable that came with the amp. But even though it helped some, it was still not as good as it should have been.Finally I realized I should do a test again bypassing the amp altogether. I left the amp installed at the antenna but instead of going through the power injector, I went straight from the antenna download into the TV tuner. Well, those troublesome channels were now coming in great. I went up on the roof and took out the amp entirely and it's even better (without the extra loss of having the unpowered amp in the circuit of course).Well, to summarize, it was doing okay at first but seemed to slowly get worse. VHF was basically unusable even at the start, but even the UHF channels were starting to suffer.I thought I was getting a decent amp considering the price, but lesson learned. I'll get something with higher quality. I do get signal loss on the cable run, so I do want an amp, but this is not the one.----------------Original review:I have about 90-100 feet of coax from the antenna to my distribution system, and even though it's a good quality quad-shielded RG6, it was losing a lot of signal along the way. I finally got around to adding an amp on the roof at the antenna itself, and this unit seemed like a good fit.I started out by testing signal quality at the antenna directly (took a laptop up there with a USB tuner so I could scan and get the actual signal levels). Then I wired up the amp and repeated the process at the end of 100' of coax. Initially I was underwhelmed. Some channels were fine, but some actually did worse!I got back on the roof and noticed that the short cable that came with the amp (that goes between the amp and the antenna) was kinked pretty bad in a couple spots. Maybe it was a result of the way it was coiled up for shipping, or maybe these cables are just not that great.Whatever the case, I dug out a quality coax cable from my stash and used it instead. Lo and behold, the signal at the end of the long coax run was great now on all channels. I threw the included cable in the trash where it belongs.Remember that an amp like this can't boost a bad signal, so if you're not getting a good signal at the antenna itself, this amp won't help you one bit. But if you have a long cable run like I do, or maybe you're feeding a splitter to run to different TV's, this amp will take that good signal you already have and make sure it gets where it's going at the other end.Summary: Good amp, terrible jumper cable so make sure you have your own just in case.

Wow, it’s official, I love my PBD Digital HD Yagi Antenna and PBD HDTV Preamplifier combo! I installed them on my roof in Eastern Iowa 2 weeks ago and have had flawless digital TV reception since then. I struggled with intermittent spotty TV reception and image pixelation for years on my favorite channels. My PBD antenna + preamplifier combo solved these reception issues and I can watch any of my 39 channels anytime with clear reception. I waited for 2 weeks to write this review so I could experience reception in a wide variety of weather conditions and reception has been great throughout this entire period. I highly recommend getting & installing this equipment. A huge bonus is the tremendous customer support and practical guidance I received from Bill and the PBD team. Working with Bill and installing & using my PBD equipment is the best online customer experience I have ever had.I started my PBD journey by installing their preamp to boost the signal of my existing antenna, located on a 5-foot pole on the peak of my roof, 20 feet above the ground. The antenna cable from my roof routs to a 2-outlet splitter mounted on the exterior of my house with one cable going to the basement and one to the main floor. I needed to change this splitter to get one that allows power pass so that the PBD preamp located on the roof can receive power through the splitter from the power source inside my house. Bill helped me with this via email & even offered to send me a free PBD splitter with power pass, but I had already purchased one for $6. Once the preamp was installed, I continued having reception problems and Bill determined my existing 2-antenna (see old antenna photo) array on a single pole was probably causing signal interference. Bill suggested using the compact PBD Yagi antenna (see Yagi antenna photo with black preamp attached to the pole just under the antenna) and told me to set it facing Northwest. After watching PBD’s assembly and installation video, I was able to easily install the Yagi antenna on my existing antenna pole. From the moment I rescanned channels on both TVs, after installing the PBD antenna & preamp, my reception problems vanished and I have enjoyed glorious, interruption-free reception. The compact Yagi antenna also looks much better!Both the PBD preamp and Yagi antenna are well made, with easy installation instructions and come with all the necessary cables, brackets and materials to make installation a breeze. Bravo to PBD for great products & support.