Cordless Magic™ - 2024 Edition RV Antenna - 450 Mile Range anybody tried it?

[mikeylikesit]

I finally gave DirecTV the boot. (cut the cord and started streaming for home, so far LOVE Hulu.)
Anyway, needed something for the RV, and we don't need alot, so saw this OTA antenna and decided to give it a try. It won't be here for a few more days, and was wondering if anybody here has tried it.
It was reasonably priced ($149) and has a 30 day return window so what the heck....

Thanks in advance!

 

[Lou Schneider]

When I Googled Cordless Magic the ad that came up claimed a 900 mile range. In any event, it's impossible Internet hype. Maybe it can receive a signal from 450 to 900 miles away through empty space, but any antenna on earth is limited by the range of the transmitting tower. Usually 40-50 miles at best if there's nothing in between you and there regardless of the receiving antenna.

Walmart.com has an identical looking antenna for $30 but it only claims a 150 mile range.

Zimtown 150Miles Outdoor TV Antenna

 

[SpencerPJ]

Missing link, no idea what you are getting. But keep us informed!

 

[A Traveler]

The frequencies at which TV is broadcast are “line of sight” signals. Unlike the low frequencies of AM radio, they do not follow the curvature of the earth. They travel in a straight line.

The curvature of the earth dictates that if a broadcast antenna is on a 1,000 foot tower, that signal can be received at only 40 to 50 miles.


Anyone claiming a 450 mile range for television broadcasts is outright lying. It is technically impossible.

 

[DutchmenSport]

A Traveler,
Thank you for post and your image of the curved earth. I was attempting to respond with the same thing and then I somehow blew out my post. But, your's shows it much better.

I found a curvature of the earth calculator on the "net". If a person is only 5 feet tall, standing on the ocean, the distance they see the horizon is only about 2 and 2/3rds miles and then a straight line can't go any farther. Of course, the farther up in the air, the farther the horizon is, and then television signal is lost at a longer distance.

Thanks for your simplistic explanation.

 

[Arch Hoagland]

Let us know how it works out for you.

Inquiring minds would like to know.

 

[DonTom]

Anyone claiming a 450 mile range for television broadcasts is outright lying. It is technically impossible.

Unless done by a moon bounce.

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[Mark_K5LXP]

Starlink approaches that distance but you're not picking that up with a TV set. It works out that line of sight pretty much is it when determining range. I can hear a satellite 120 miles up that's transmitting with half a watt but that same setup at ground level would be good to get more than a mile. My RV came with the batwing dipole and in a good location I've picked up stations 40 to 50 miles out. In a poor location I could have a VLA sized radio telescope dish and still get nothing so the takeaway is with antennas, height is might. If there's no line of sight path all the gain and snake oil there is won't make signals appear.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

 

[chuckbear]

I saw one advertised a few weeks ago at 4500 miles. I just laughed as hard as I could. I don't understand how they get away with advertising this. Chuck

 

[Arch Hoagland]

I actually worked on the "Moon Bounce" transmitter when I was an electronics technician in the U S Navy back in 1963 to 1967.

 

[Mark_K5LXP]

worked on the "Moon Bounce" transmitter

You're going to need the "half million mile" antenna for that one.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

 

[Lou Schneider]

Unless done by a moon bounce.

-Don- Reno, NV

In which case a 450 mile range is woefully inadequate.

 

[John From Detroit]

In addition to grand claims for range... I recall when the US announced an end to analog TV and I was at an FMCA gathering and there was an outfit there selling "HD Antennas:" for like 99 dollars.

IT was just a set top double "Bow tie" UHF antenna 20 bucks at Radio shack with a couple of ZIP ties so you could attache it to the uprights on our Winegard mounnt oh and a 300-70ohm transformer (1.00 at the dollar store)

Moral of this post.. There are companies out there that RIP YOU OFF in broad daylight.
(I build antennas on occasion)

 

[A Traveler]

LOL! There is no such thing as an “HD” TV antenna. I have watched HD TV with a coat hanger plugged into the antenna port on the TV. ANY piece of wire can serve as an “HD” antenna.

 

[Tulecreeper]

For an observer with an eye-level of 5' 7", the distance to the horizon is 2.9 miles. As a comparison, from the viewpoint of an observer flying in an airplane at 35,000 feet, the horizon is 229 miles away. And for a U-2 pilot flying at 69,000 feet, his horizon is 321 miles away.

 

[camperAL]

Since a lot of us travel west sometimes (or most of the time) getting signals get tricky with all the mountains that tend to get in the way.

With that said, I have got signals from Missouri in Indiana. We had a 100 foot tower and I don't know how tall the towers were that transmitted the signal or if they were on a mountain top. There are conditions that help with getting these signals that come into play as well.

I will agree you are mostly confined to line of site for OTA TV and the ads are down right lies unless they were testing them in an high flying airplane.

 

[Ray-IN]

Anyone heard of "skip"? It's somewhat common in the CB radio crowd. I've talked with people in Nevada and I'm in Indiana. It is caused by atmospheric conditions.

 

[camperAL]

The Far range TV conditions are called: tropospheric ducting events can temporarily bring in distant stations, or stations not usually reliable.

Perhaps that is the way they get away with misrepresenting the distance but dishonest all the same.

 

[DonTom]

Anyone heard of "skip"?

A better question would be "has any hams NOT heard of skip?"

I kinda doubt it. But it doesn't happen at UHF, so you need to use the moon.

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[Larry N.]

flying in an airplane at 35,00 feet, the horizon is 229 miles away.

I presume that you left off a zero? 'Cause at 3,500 feet you won't see 229 miles. So you're talking a jet aircraft.

Anyone heard of "skip"? It's somewhat common in the CB radio crowd.

It doesn't work well, in most cases, at the lower (VHF) frequencies of the TV band, and as Don said (almost) not at all at the UHF frequencies. Skip comes from (to oversimplify) radio waves bouncing off of the ionosphere, and generally speaking the higher the frequency the less well it works. Upper VHF and beyond there can be some special situations where skip can happen for a short time, but it's not a normal happening.

And the moon bounce mentioned above takes a special procedure and is not generally suitable for normal communication or TV watching.