Home > Consumer Reviews > RCA ANT1400M Multi-Directional Digital Flat Passive HDTV Antenna (White)

First let me say I do not like RCA products and I would never recommend them. My experiences with their TV's, universal remotes, & various electronics have been terrible. I think RCA was once a good brand but now just a name that older people still trust unknowingly.

That being said I was very impressed and surprised by this product. The sales gentleman at Best Buy insisted this is the antenna for me. I questioned him because I was originally considering antennas in the $50 to $60 range. I went against all my own rules (never buying RCA, never take a Best Buy person's recommendation without research) and am very pleased I did.

Things to know and what worked for me:

Go online to this website: http://www.antennaweb.org
Click on "Choose an Antenna" in the middles of the page, enter your zip code and find out where your local towers are and the type of signal.

These next steps are important. This is not just Plug and Play like a VCR or DVD. You may need to try different locations (Flat, Hanging, etc.) and re-scan for channels multiple times.

The first time I connected and scanned, 4 channels came up. I live in a Metropolitan area with many stations so I knew this wasn't right. I re-scanned and 4 more channels came up. I was still missing NBC & FOX so I revisited AntennaWeb.org and realized these were both VHF not UHF signals. I decided to unhook the antenna and re-scan to essentially clear any channels out that were already picked up and stored. I did this twice, reconnected the antenna and scanned. JACKPOT!! I got all the channels listed on the website and more. My distance from any Broadcast Antenna is at least 26.3 miles.

The moral of the story, be patient and try different scenarios. This antenna buying process has been frustrating for me because of all the negative reviews out there. I think if people were more patient and took some time with this, things would be different and reviews would be more accurate. Maybe my story will help others to have a good experience.

I bought this one for my Sony 46XBR2. I was very skeptical at the beginning whether it will work or not because it does not have an amplifier that most other antenna has. After plugged it in and did the rescanning, I was able to receive 10+ digital channels in addition to the local analog channels.

I've been paying Comcast for years for the local analog channels. With this antenna, I am definitely going to cancel the Comcast which will save me $11 a month.

What's great about this one is it does not require the amplifier!!!

I purchased this antenna to replace a set a rabbit-ears I had connected to an LCD-flat-panel TV. Wall mounting this antenna was a simple task, and the reception of HD/digital signals was just as good as or better than with the rabbit-ears. I'm not sure how it works, but there is truly no adjustment necessary! I originally tried hiding the antenna directly behind the TV, which is connected to a wall by a swivel-arm, but this affected the reception. I would recommend hanging the antenna closer the ceiling, or wherever the least possible interference might be. This antenna will not correct problematic reception in areas of your home where reception is severely compromised. You will need to purchase an external antenna to correct issues associated with physical obstructions or building materials which may shield weaker signals.

The unit is easy to place around your flat screen given its reasonably small footprint. At first I thought this antenna was going to be another waste of money as when hooked-up to one flat screen TV it received no local digital stations at all (worse than cheap rabbit ears); HOWEVER, hooked-up to a different flat screen TV in another room of the house it pulled in stations that no other antenna I had tried had been able to consistently receive.

Based on other's reviews, I bought this antenna. Now I can get a signal from all stations in my area (17 channels). For best results, try your antenna in several locations,rescanning each time you move it until you get the most channels. I'm very happy with it. We live in a rural area but 4 towers are within 25 miles. I plan to buy the same antenna for another TV.