Amazon's price for this antenna was the best I could find.I ordered it on a Sunday before a Monday holiday and it was delivered the following Wednesday via their Super Saver free shipping, which I considered to be excellent service.This antenna looks better than a twin-lead dipole antenna, appears to be well-made, comes in an attractive box with a balun coil (matching transformer) for connecting to screw terminals and also an alligator clip for hooking it to a built-in antenna.
Since this antenna has received mixed reviews from other users I decided to be as "scientific," as my skills and equipment would allow.I used my training as an FCC licensed broadcast engineer to compare it to the standard twin-lead dipole antenna that was included free with my tuner.I had already oriented my existing dipole antenna for optimum reception, using my tuner's signal-strength indicators.I then used my tuner's scan mode to see how many stations it could find and I carefully wrote down the frequency and signal strength for each of the many stations that I can receive.Since I live about halfway between New York City and Philadelphia, my FM dial is crowded with stations.
After establishing a base-line of performance with my ordinary dipole antenna, I replaced it with the C. Crane FM Reflect Antenna and experimented with dozens of antenna positions to obtain best reception.Remarkably, mounting the C. Crane FM Reflect Antenna in the exact same position and location, that my twin-lead dipole antenna had been installed, gave me the best performance. After this optimum positioning, I once again used my tuner's scan mode to see how many stations it could find.I then carefully compared the signal strength from each station that my tuner found using the new antenna, with the signal strength that I had received with my previously-installed antenna.Although I saw no indication of a stronger signal on any of the existing stations, I was able to pick up two more stations in my tuner's scan mode with the new antenna.
As a percentage of the large number of stations that I could already receive at my location, I considered two additional stations a very small improvement.The difference easily could have been due to minor changes in atmospheric conditions between the tests.It was certainly not as dramatic as the improvement that I expected when comparing a $3 antenna with a $30 antenna.If you're using a good twin-lead dipole antenna and have adjusted its position for best reception, I believe that you'll need to upgrade to an outdoor antenna, such as the Winegard HD-6000 FM Stereo Antenna, to get a noticeable improvement.I could not find that the C. Crane FM Reflect Antenna is significantly better.
To understand why the results turned out as they did, it might be helpful to understand how antennas work.The most effective antenna elements in the FM and TV band are the length of the radio wave that they're tuned to receive.Our FM band extends from 88Mhz to 108Mhz, which represents a wavelengths from slightly more than 109 inches to slightly more than 134 inches.The higher the frequency, the shorter the wave.
A typical folded dipole antenna is about 61 inches wide, which is half the length of the average FM radio wave.Since the dipole is folded onto itself, it has an effective antenna length of about 122 inches, which is the average between the 109 inch and 134 inch wavelength extremes of the FM band.
There are several ways to increase the gain of an antenna.One way is to increase the number of active antenna elements that are exposed to the radio waves and connect them together.Another is to use a reflector to concentrate the radio waves onto the antenna.Satellite antennas, for example, reflect and concentrate very short waves onto a rigid dipole antenna by using a dish.Outdoor Yagi FM (and TV) antennas use multiple elements connected in tandem with reflecting elements in the rear to focus the antenna's sensitivity in a single direction.Such antennas are very efficient because they use both multiple elements and reflectors to increase gain.
Ultimately the Crane antenna, no matter how attractively it may be designed and packaged, cannot defy the laws of physics.It has only a single active T-shaped folded antenna element which is exactly the same as an inexpensive twin-lead folded dipole antenna.It is, therefore, not surprising that several reviewers including me, who have compared it to the cheap variety, have found that it gives no better reception.
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C. Crane FM Reflect AntennaProduct Description: Whether you listen to a portable radio or a top-of-the-line stereo receiver, the quality of sound coming from an FM station is dependent upon the station's signal strength in your area. Adding an FM antenna can help greatly, so be sure to select the best FM antenna for your needs. The FM Reflect Antenna will work with any portable or stereo receiver. This antenna incorporates a new dipole design for maximum gain across the entire FM broadcast band. Up to 213 percent more powerful than a standard dipole antenna, it covers the entire FM band with an almost flat response, where standard dipoles start to fall off near the end of the band. Many FM stations now broadcast their signal with circular polarization. The FM Reflect Antenna is the only FM antenna that can be adjusted to take advantage of this. It is not affected as much by surrounding objects and people as other FM antennas are.
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This inexpensive devise greatly improve my FM radio reception of numerous stations, and is definitely recommended.
I live in an area with very poor AM reception. My home is located in the mountains west of Denver. And for years from time to time I have tried every external AM antenna available and several different types of AM radios with no good results. The antennas included all of the TERK'sand CC Crane'sferrite loops both active and passive, dipoles, "long wire" antennas used by HAMS and a variety of active antennas with built in amplifiers with nogood results . My problem seems to stem from local inference radiated by my household and neighbor's AC wiring (noise from florescent lamps, computers, LANs, plasma TV's, motors, and light dimmers, etc) and generally weak AM signals shielded by the local terrain. My home does not have any line- of- sight to the AM transmitters I'm trying to receive from Denver 50 miles away. 
I was hoping to improve reception on a few stations , so I decided to replace the twin lead dipole (passive) antenna that came with my new tuner with the Terk Tower. I have the AM Advantage loop and that works fairly well, so I figured this powered antenna would be a lot better.
I bought the Terk antenna in an attempt to pick up some AM and FM radio stations I was struggling with on my new bookshelf stereo system.Perhpas because of my apartment building, or the quality of the stereo, the antenna didn't offer me much success in picking up stations any better than the factory-provided antenna.I did notice improvement in the static (or lack of it) on stations that were already tuning in fairly well (they went from great to excellent), but the stations that were tuning in "poorly" got no better with the Terk antenna.Overall, it was probably not worth the money paid.
When I replaced my old analog FM tuner with a new one that receives HD, I was not satisfied with the signal strength and quality that I was getting from HD via my indoor dipole antenna.It was time for me to upgrade and this was the solution.
My HD radio is a Sony XDR-S3HD. So this comparison is only true for this radio and my location (just north of Washington DC). I tried the accompanying wire and dipole antennas first, and then tried this Terk HDRI Antenna and a Philips Magnavox MANT-110 Indoor Passive Antenna. The Terk box says it is specifically for HD radio. The Philips box says it is for VHF/UHF/FM/HDTV.
Ihave a Yamaha HTR-5750 receiver which I was using with a Radio Shack FM amplified antenna.I had tried various ways of improving my FM reception including the classic 300 ohm twin lead folded dipole antenna.The rabbit ear setup helped but still did not yield satisfactory results.I still had difficulties receiving some nearby FM stations that were considered moderate strength stations.
This antenna works fine - I did not get much of a radio signal in my apartment before adding the antenna, but I wish I had just picked one up at a Radio Shack or Best Buy or something.There's nothing special about this product, and you can get one much cheaper at any electronics store.The bose antenna is also really long and can be unsightly - for the same price you can get something more compact.
This antenna is designed to be a step-up from the wire antenna that likely came with your system. I use this in a high rise apartment with a steel frame, which wrecks havoc on FM signals. The Terk FM+ does not pull in stations from miles away that you normally wouldn't receive, but local stations that I previously had difficulty keeping static-free now come in crystal clear. If you're looking for an improvement to stations that are within range but need a little improvement, this product is for you.