ANTOP Antenna Review (Pros + Cons)

Knowing your satellite TV provider and the structural requirements for your particular situation will help you choose the best portable satellite dish for your RV. The optimal type for you will depend on how you plan to use the antenna; for example, you might choose a dome-shaped auto-pointing ANTOP Antenna.

That works while you’re moving or a low-profile, collapsible dish to place on the roof of your RV. Or you could require something compact and simple to set up for tailgating or camping like the Winegard Elite 7550.

We have alternatives for any circumstance once you know where and how you’ll use the satellite antenna dish to receive TV while traveling.

ANTOP Antenna Review

The Antop AT-800SBS HD Smart Panel antenna performs an admirable job of picking up TV channels that smaller models may miss, but it isn’t subtle. The Antop AT-800SBS is primarily designed for outdoor installations and can also be used indoors. It comes with a range of hardware and the required wires to handle most circumstances.

Only serious cord-cutters or those who live in remote areas should apply because this antenna costs close to $170 and requires a larger financial and time commitment to install. Our findings showed that this outdoor model, which also has a programmable amplifier and an FM tuner option, is among the best we’ve tested.

Design

The Antop AT-800SBS is big and bold, and while it may not be particularly attractive, its white plastic shell should shield it from all but the worst hailstorms and extreme weather. Nearly two feet tall and more than four inches thick describe the Antop AT-800SBS. It is prepared for installation on a wall, roof, or pole because it has a metal bracket already attached to the back.

A 13-inch J-pole mount for installation on a roof and a wall mount are also included in the box. Two matched screw-on pole antennas that protrude outward horizontally to enhance VHF reception are used. If you choose to use the TV antenna indoors, it also comes with a plastic stand that you can snap on.

The bundled amplifier has two coaxial output connections that can link two TVs or connect it to a TV and a receiver for improved FM reception. It is roughly the size of two decks of cards. The amplifier includes a power adaptor.

Antop claims that this model should be able to filter out interference from adjacent 4G LTE towers and that you shouldn’t need to point it at specific stations because of its multi-directional construction.

Similar to the one included with the company’s Antop SBS-301, the Antop amplifier has multiple adapters for FM connections, including a female coaxial connector, a 3.5-millimeter stereo audio adapter, and a two-pin male AT733 adapter for older radios.

Setup

You have a ton of installation options with Antop. With the plastic-sheathed pole antennas installed for enhanced VHF reception, we tested it both inside and outside. The antenna is somewhat obvious for most living rooms or dens with a 35.75-inch wing spread, or nearly 3 feet when both poles are in place.

Additionally, although Antop claims that the AT-800SBS is ideal for RVs, we believe that campers will find the antenna cumbersome because it needs a stable, permanent perch. We were able to set it up because the provided 40-foot wire could extend outside. You might need to pay an additional $15 to $20 for a spool of extra coaxial cable if you have a larger home or want to install it in the attic to reach farther-flung locations.

On the TV side, the amplifier must be installed in a location where owners can access the box in the event that they need to change the power increase. Once more, the 5-foot box-to-TV cables that were given worked well. Overall, DIYers shouldn’t have much trouble installing the AT-800SBS, but if you’re working above ground outside, we advise having a spotter.

A snap-on plastic stand is included if you want to mount it indoors. To connect the stand, the Antop handbook directs owners first to remove a metal bracket from the antenna’s back; this takes a sizable Phillips screwdriver. The step is not necessary, though, as the stand can be added without removing the bracket.

Performance

Like Antop’s indoor SBS-301 antenna, the 800SBS has a 4G LTE filter to decrease cellular tower interference and an adjustable amplifier called Smart Boost to help with weaker signals. Specific channels’ picture quality and dependability can be improved using the amplifier, but it won’t perform any miracles. An amplifier still won’t bring in a station if it is wholly out of range.

We initially connected the antenna to the tuner of our test Samsung KS9000 4K TV with the power amplifier turned all the way up to see what it would do inside. The Antop AT-800SBS picked up 38 channels in this location, the same amount as a powered Mohu Curve. While the surrounding Fox stations were not clear, we clearly received the local CBS affiliate.

In addition, while some programs, like The Brady Bunch, were as sharp and clear as possible on MeTV in an upscaled mode, other channels had distortion and were prone to dropouts. In the end, we discovered 33 dedicated channels inside.

The Antop AT-800SBS performed best when powered up outside in our test location. Sixty-nine stations were tuned in during the initial scan at this location, and all except one were received clearly. (For those keeping count, that equaled 68 dedicated channels.) All of the major network affiliates, including Fox stations and PBS channels, which are often unreachable by indoor antennas like our powered Mohu Curve, were simple to tune in.

Even challenging channels like Buzzr, which broadcasts vintage game shows from the 1970s (Match Game, anyone?), were grabbed by the Antop. All of the main Spanish- and Chinese-language stations in our New York City location also came in clearly.

Star Rating

4.4 out of 5 Stars

Product Testing

It was fairly simple to connect, and at first, I just stuffed the antenna into the window curtains because I assumed I would have to fiddle with it to gain reception. After all, the stations are dispersed all around me. I was surprised to see that 45 stations came in once my TV started searching for channels. Even though I won’t watch about 15 tracks, all of them, including the local networks, came in remarkably clear.

Product Comparison

The Winegard Elite 7550 is the sensible choice and the best TV antenna for outdoor installation when you require an outdoor antenna with superior reception. The Winegard Elite 7550 delivers a staggering 73 channels in our tests while being slightly more expensive.

We put the Antop AT-800SBS to the test outside with various amplification levels for further comparison. An initial search at roughly 50% strength also revealed 69 channels. However, 10 of those stations turned out to be unwatchable.

The poorer PBS stations were plagued by sound and picture issues, while CBS, NBC, and ABC appeared good. Numerous shopping channels experienced regular outages and distortions as well.

Final Summary

In contrast to other outdoor versions we’ve tried, the ANTOP Antenna did a decent job tuning in TV channels in our urban region. For instance, while costing around $60 less, the Winegard Elite 7550 Outdoor HDTV Antenna had comparable performance. However, some customers might find the black look of the Winegard Elite’s antenna arms less aesthetically pleasing.

Furthermore, the Antop AT-800SBS outperformed several indoor/outdoor versions, including the ClearStream 2MAX HDTV antenna we tested (that model received 24 fewer stations). In the end, we believe that most TV viewers will find the Antop AT-800SBS’s higher price premium justified, given the antenna’s greater variety of watching possibilities.

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