Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I tried the following items in different combinations and setup each antenna both amplified and non-amplified. Antennas: Winegard Company FL-5000 FlatWave HDTV Indoor Digital Flat Antenna - Winegard FV-HD30 FreeVision HDTV Antenna Mohu Leaf (Non Amplified) GE HDTV Quantum Antenna - Silver (24775) from target. RCA Simple antenna from Wal-Mart ANT112R Combiner/Splitter and Amplifier: 2-Port Bi-Directional Cable TV HDTV Amplifier Splitter Signal Booster with Passive Return Path CHANNEL PLUS 2512 DC + IR Passing 2-Way Splitter/Combiner I really wanted to ditch DISH network, I felt with Hulu, Netflix and HD OTA TV I'd be set. My main goal was to find something that would get all my local channels plus WTVD 11 ABC which is in VHF. Any other channels where icing on the cake. I live in Cary, NC near RTP NC. Antennaweb and TV fool says all my local channels are UHF and 22 miles or less from me with exception to ABC WTVD which is VHF. I am using Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-2250 PCI-E x1 Dual TV Tuner connected to my PC with Windows Media Center. I first tried each antenna individually in the same location and wrote down the channels they achieved and signal strength after rescanning. I then tried them in combination using the combiner and would add the amplifier to see if results were better. I found when I amplified the signal I would get channels from further away but then it distorted the local channels. I found the best setup to be from the Winegard Flatwave alone mounted on the wall in my office about 8 feet high. The antenna is a little bit bigger than the Mohu Leaf but produces all the local channels except for ABC 11 which is VHF. Not a single setup I tired could get ABC 11.1 on WTVD. I even tried RCA simple antenna with bunny ears (dipoles). I found with the Winegard Flatwave that it reach so far away that I was able to get ABC from Greensboro on channel 45.1 in UHF. TVFool says the signal is 52.3 miles WOW! I was still skeptical and we had thunderstorms the other day. I was able to watch the channel 45.1 in heavy rain no issues, I was in shock! So now I get all the major channels plus bunch of other channels. Total around 35 channels and some repeat from another region. The Mohu Leaf is comparable to the Winegard in appearance but the Winegard edges it out a bit in performance. I also like that the Winegard is not glossy and has a 15 foot cable to allow more flexibility in placement. Both produce very good results for the design and size. In conclusion, I highly recommend Winegard Flatwave antenna and I hope this ends up helping someone trying to decide between which antennas to choose. Update: 8/8/2012 I still have the Winegard Flatwave and was working great but decide to get an antenna in the attic and run coaxial cabling to all 3 TVs. I choose this option because I had multiple TV's and didn't want to get an antenna for each. Not everyone has this option but if you do I highly recommend this antenna: Winegard HD7694P High Definition VHF/UHF Antenna. I used Antennaweb and my iPhone with free compass app to find best direction to point the antenna. I decided to use 2-Port Bi-Directional Cable TV HDTV Amplifier Splitter Signal Booster with Passive Return Path directly off the antenna. I now get 96-100% signal on 3 different TV's in the house. I have yet to see any freezes or issues with the picture quality. My work has 2 plasma TV's and wanted to show the Olympics but has no satellite or cable. Since I am in IT dept, my manager figured it was something I could handle. Thanks to messing around with stuff at home I was well versed. I headed over to our local big bricks and mortar and purchased two antennas. Both costing $29.99 and both amplified. One by GE 34763 and other by RCA ANT1450BR. I wanted something sleek so it would not startle our employees as would huge rabbit ears. I attempted to get the antenna hooked up on both TV's at work and neither picked up the NBC station we needed. The RCA didn't get any channels at all, no matter how I placed or angled it. The next day I brought in my Winegard Flatewave into work and rescanned for channels. It found over 30. For some reason I just was not surprised, LOL! Moral of the story this still one of the best antennas out there! Good luck to you all and remember to use your resources like Antennaweb to do the research on the best antenna for your needs.