Channel Master CM-3000HD SMARTenna

Location is everything. I purchased this for my aunt [located in the valley in Towanda, PA] who has an unobstructed line to a TV tower 6 miles away, and installed outside under first floor eaves at the corner of a porch. Picture quality is excellent. Antenna could not pick up any of the signals about 30 and 40 miles away, however, and I suspect that the only chance of reception of those signals would require mounting the antenna very high over her house. I tried this antenna first in my house in Binghamton NY where I live within 5 miles of several TV towers, I could only get one signal from this antenna, as opposed to two I can get from the same location, same TV, using a pair of old rabbit ears. So it depends on your location, terrain. Product seems sturdy and is easy to install.

Pros: Easy to install, Reception good where signal was strong, less so where signal was weak and obstructed by terrain.

Cons:

Four times I tried to pick up one channel, with absolutely no success. I will need to return this item for it is unusable. There was nothing to work with and the static over the channels was terrible.

Pros: Nice look to the antenna design.

Cons: Very bad reception, overall from someone who has had more success with other antennas. ??

Crutchfield response on 7/24/2016 Whenever you encounter a problem with anything you purchase from Crutchfield, especially a situation like this, please contact our tech support team right away. They can help you solve the problem or set up a return within 60 days of purchase. We forwarded this review to our Technical Support team for follow-up. Lifetime tech support comes with every Crutchfield purchase.

The Channel Master CM-3000 HD picks up every available local channel in our area. I placed it in the highest point of the attic in 2 homes. There was no need to "tune" it or position it. It has excellent reception and offers a crystal clear picture. I ran it through a small 2 way splitter in one home with no problems at all. In the 2nd home I installed an amplified 4 way splitter (ChannelMaster CM-3414) to avoid any problems in loss of signal. It gives us the local channels we want without a monthly cable bill. Have had the first one for 1.5 years with no maintenance problems. Best value for the money.

Pros: Excellent picture quality, good signal strength, ease of installation, maintenance free

Cons: None (even after 1.5 years)

Good Job. Excellent reception for local stations. Nice for attic mounting

Pros: small enough to be easily adaptable to different situations. Reception is surprisingly good.

Cons: Don't know of any to this point.

I was using a rabbit-ears style antenna, & the SMARTenna did not improve reception when used indoors. However, when I installed it on the roof using an existing exterior coaxial cable from a satellite service, I did receive several more channels and better consistent reception. Don't expect miracles, but it's an upgrade from a standard indoor unit.

Pros: Improved reception when installed outdoors.

Cons: It's difficult to install an antenna outdoors.

Always freezes

Pros:

Cons:

tried both indoor and outdoor installations. Both easily accomplished. At my location local station transmitters are at approximately 90 degree angles from one another. This antenna did not pick up as many stations, nor did it pick up the one elusive station I have been trying to receive. Connected the recommended booster but that only made things worse.

Pros: small, light weight, comes with all the necessary installation hardware and good assembly and installation instructions. perfect for the do it yourselfer.

Cons: was not able to pick up the stations wanted, my terrain is evidently to difficult an obstacle to overcome.

This product is amazing! I was having issues using an indoor antenna getting a proper reception and the amount of local stations I knew I could pull in after doing research on various reception maps. I had to combine this antenna with a pre-amp, dc passing splitter, and a mast to get the height I needed, however, once I was able to fully install the right configuration for me I've had zero issues. The picture quality is greatly improved over cable and I was able to double the channel coverage over an indoor device. What was previously my weakest channel comes in picture-perfect. I do recommend speaking to a customer service representative from the beginning if you're a cable-cutter. I didn't mind spending more money for the additional products but I wasted my own time using trial and error when I could have just ordered everything at once.

Pros: Easy to install, unobtrusive, and budget-friendly.

Cons: May need to be coupled with additional hardware depending on your unique location and residential situation. I ended up needing a mast for height, a pre-amp to boost the signal, and a dc passing splitter to share amongst two TVs. Would be good to see a 'package deal' discount if more than one product is needed to address harder-to-solve areas.

I was really surprised at the performance of this unobtrusive antenna. It inexpensive and super easy to install. Picture quality was better than my cable provider. If you're looking to ditch the cable and live within 50 miles or so from TV towers, you owe it to yourself to try it.

Pros: Price, ease of installation, can be mounted almost anywhere.

Cons: None for me.

I hooked this up outside and inside in various places and it did not work even though Crutchfield told me it would work with the cable provided by directTV. Waste of time and money!!!!!

Pros: None

Cons: Did nothing it said it would promised 100's of channels got only three

Crutchfield response on 6/23/2015 Whenever you encounter a problem with anything you purchase from Crutchfield, especially a situation like this, please contact our Customer Support team. Purchases from Crutchfield can be returned or exchanged within 60 days of the purchase.

I would have to say this is the best antenna for free TV. I installed this on my mother in laws house out in the middle of nowhere and she gets 3 without an amplifier which I will be adding soon.

Pros: Good signal

Cons: none

Bought this product to replace an antenna which did not pick up several local channels. Unfortunately the product performance was worst than the one it was intended to replace. It picked up even fewer channels

Pros: None

Cons: See review

This is the third antenna I've tried, and this one works the best. I live in Las Vegas, Nevada, about 8 Miles west of the strip and I could not get any indoor antenna to get more than 11 stations. With this antenna, I was only able to get 9 stations when placed indoors, but when I put it outside on my Directv dish mast, I now get 61 stations, of which only about 15-20 are worth watching. ABC does not come in all the time, but the other major networks do come in. Overall, I am satisfied. I'm saving almost $10 a month from Directv, as I use this antenna for my bedroom tv, so it will pay for itself within 7 months. I can still watch most Directv channels on my laptop or computer if I'm not in my living room.

Pros: works well, easy to install

Cons:

It received the same channels connected as the coaxial did without the antenna connected. We went back to the old antenna and received four more channels. I tried it inside first and then mounted on a mast above our roof line. Considering the other reviews maybe the one we received was defective. Unfortunately I was not able to try it on the mast until after the sixty day return period from Crutchfield, so I guess I'm stuck with it.

Pros: Easy set up.

Cons: Didn't work for me.

I went with an outdoor directional antenna after disconnecting DirecTV. At first I received about 36 channels but after a while I started to lose channels and what remained did not come in about half the time. I ended up with 28 channels that had marginal reception. So I decided to try the Channel Master CM-3000HD because it is an omnidirectional antenna and because of all the good reviews. I attached it to the mast that I has setup for my other outdoor antenna and hooked it up to the cable distribution I had for my DirecTV. Well, I went from 28 to 48 channels! It's been over two weeks and all the channels have consistently good reception. You have so many options as to how you can use this antenna, indoor, outdoor, different mounting options, etc. Being that it is omnidirectional you do not even have to think about where to point it! The antenna works as advertised and I would definitely recommend it for anyone in any situation.

Pros: See review.

Cons: None that I can think of?

Can't compare this antenna to others since this one is the only one I tried, but everything I wanted and expected was fulfilled. I mounted this antenna on the basic mast that was my old DirectTV - adding a 4ft extension to get it higher than my roof peak, and every signal I expected to receive came in clearly. Mine was an easy install and my suburban location is within easy reception area, so any antenna might have worked but for the price and ease of installation, this device is completely satisfactory. I'm confident that I have a good quality alternative to cable TV (plus adding/paying for my internet connection and plus Hulu and Netflix subscriptions). My wife says she prefers this setup to cable (and if she's happy.... well, you know the rest).

Pros: *easy install *elegant design *good reception (in my near-perfect area)

Cons: *had to buy female-female coaxial union to join my existing hookup - wish it had been included with installation hardware pkg

Hooked up this antenna to bedroom TV. Hookup was easy, reception very good

Pros: easy hook up. Good reception

Cons: none

I first tried the antenna indoors with 1 TV set and received 4 out 6 broadcast stations. Moving the antenna outdoors greatly improved reception; 6 out of 6. I added an inline amplifier and a splitter to fed 2 TVs. Works really well. Sharp pictures and no pixelation.

Pros: Well built. Should last a long time. Mine is mounted outside under the roof eave.

Cons: None.

I was slightly disappointed until I considered the range this antenna is advertised as getting. I actually exceeded the distance advertised using a 7778 preamp esp considering I am using it in the attic. Although billed as omnidirectional this antenna is highly directional. A few degrees off and you may have problems. Again, the preamp helped in this regard.

Pros: small, light easy to mount

Cons: much more directional than advertised. I had to make a mount that I could rotate for best results.

We've kissed our cable company good-bye forever! Must admit we had our doubts. First set the SMARTenna up on top of the TV, got 3 channels - none of which were major networks. Moved it to various locations in the room, up near the ceiling, etc - still got the same 3 lame channels. Ran a channel analysis from our address, downloaded a compass app to our smart phone, walked all over the house pointing it at what we thought was the right direction - and still got 3 channels. Contacted ChannelMaster tech support, who responded immediately and suggested setting it up outside. Not sure why we resisted, because it was very simple to mount and now we get - are you ready? - 35 channels!! Picture quality is superior to anything we ever got from cable. Haven't missed cable, or the $175 monthly bill - only wish we'd done this months ago.

Pros: Excellent quality. Didn't mention that in our testing for just the right spot, we managed to drop it from a second story window to the deck below - and it didn't hurt it one bit.

Cons: Online photos suggest that it should work indoors. Maybe for some it does, but we live in a relatively large city, within 12 miles of most towers, and had to mount it outdoors to get it to work.

We purchased this SMARTenna to enhance receipt of local channels. The TV we connected this to has Direct TV which does not allow us to receive several local channels that we watch on a TV that is not connected to Direct TV. We can receive almost all of the channels we were interested in receiving which enhances our channel reception. We are very pleased with this product.

Pros: Good reception of local HD channels not received with Direct TV. It serves the purpose we intended.

Cons: we need to attach a longer cable to reach from the TV location to get closer to the window for better reception of several channels.

At first I thought I was going to have to return it. I hooked it up and only got a few channels at decent pictures. My old rabbit type ears pulled in some stations better, however I would have to move the rabbit ears to get other stations. The reason for getting the omnidirectional, was not to have to move it around, as I want to add a DVR to it. I ended up moving the CM3000HD up into the attic. I got a bunch more stations with signal strength ranging from 69% to 92%. Fox was one of my worst at 69%. I added a Winegard LNA-200 Boost XT Digital HDTV Preamplifier. Wow, what an improvement to the CM3000HD. My signal strength went up between 86% to 100%. Fox, which was 69%, went up to 97%. Channel 12.1, 20.1, 26.1, 45.1 & 48.1 are all 100%. I am also picking up channels that I couldn't before. I might end up moving it all outside with the hopes of getting 100% on all of the local channels. Most stations that I receive are 24 to 29 miles away.

Pros: Nice compact size.

Cons: No built in booster

Perfect for the purpose of getting free TV and cut TV cable

Pros: easy installation. Works perfect even inside the house next to TV unit next to a window For my area there is no need for more expensive aerial antenna to get good 18 or so free TV channels some in HD

Cons:

Easy alternative to cable bill! Unpacked, attached, programmed the TV and have 15 channels - more than with basic cable services!

Pros: Easy, cost effective

Cons:

Easy install in my attic and get all the local channels (about 50 signals detected and about 30 or so viewable) including a few FM and one AM!

Pros: Ease of install and operation.

Cons: None yet!

In the Reno area there are 6 OTA networks available... CBS, NBC, ABC, PBS, FOX, and KAME. I had fairly good results with the CM SMARTenna in that I was able to receive 5 of the 6. It was disappointing that my TV couldn't locate FOX at all even thought FOX is actually the closest station at 4.6 miles. I am using the antenna indoors since we can't have outdoor antennas in the development. The five stations I could get came in very well most of the time, but at times the picture/sound would not come in. I tried playing with the antenna outdoors with it mounted on a ladder, but that didn't seem to help. Anyway, I'm not sure it the antenna will be able to replace my cable TV, but I'll probably keep it for backup in case the cable goes out and it's not too expensive.

Pros: Nicely packaged antenna which can sit up on my TV cabinet. It was able to pull in 5 of the 6 stations in my area.

Cons: The reception wasn't consistent 100% of the time. Maybe 5% of the time, one of the stations picture/sound would fall apart into digital noise. That didn't seem to be a function of the weather.

We are very happy with our SMARTenna even though it didn't work well enough indoors, once we mounted it on our roof antenna we get all the free channels we want. We used to have four TV's hooked up to our roof antenna and on the 40" Sony we watch like 98% of the time we got a lot of pixilation. We have solely dedicated the SMARTenna to this main living room TV and rarely get any digital disruption now. Totally worth the investment.

Pros: Looks great and compact and glad it could be mounted outdoors.

Cons: Mildly disappointed that it didn't pull in all our channels from indoors.

I am using this on my boat. The location is on the Potapsco River surrounded by high rise buildings. The antenna brings in many more stations than the old rabbit ears. However it will sometimes lose the station intermittently.

Pros: Improved reception. May be left outside.

Cons: Intermittent lose of station.

After having recently relocated to SE NC, I decided to try 'cutting the cord' to avoid the frequent QoS problems of cable and the ever-increasing costs of satellite - not to mention we only watched about 3-4 channels of the 18+ advertised. I first tried a big-box antenna - an Antennas Direct Clearstream worked okay but was a little squirelly for certain channels. Next I tried a Trrk from Crutchfield. It actually gave me better pictures, but was also lacking from certain transmitters and left a little to be desired because of the top-heavy structure (liked to turn and tip a little). Finally, I tried a ChannelMaster CM-3000HD and BOY(!!!) what a great little performer! No added amplification, omnidirectional, and it gets all 18 transmitted channels up to about 30 miles away -- and this is from inside my home, sitting beside my TV. Crystal clear reception, NO hiccups or blank reception, and we are completely satisfied with this powerful package! It is definitely a keeper, and I will be outfitting the other TV's in the house asap! My biggest problem now? What to do with the $150 odd dollars PER MONTH I am saving on subscribed services, fees, and taxes with this little beast! Highly recommended! BTW, Crutchfield go my order on both antennas one day, and I received the shipment the next day. BOTH TIMES!! And my return of the Terk was easy, quick, and painless! It just doesn't get any better than that!

Pros: Best pictures of all antennae I tried out. Very little pixelation - only on a distant PBS transmission Great night time performance (sometimes things get a little different at night around here). Visually unobnoxious - almost invisible on the table beside the set Can be mounted on the wall and painted to blend in with non-metallic paint (that's my next adventure). Indoor/Outdoor......

Cons: None Yet.

I have the antenna on my balcony facing Memphis from about 30 miles away. I am on the 3rd floor so there are no walls or trees blocking the signal. Works fantastic. Ditch the dish and use online products and free tv.

Pros: Easy to install. Inexpensive.

Cons: None.

Received the antenna and connected it to the TV downstairs and performed autochannel. Did not have time to mount outside prior to Survival show. Antenna is indoors and 35 miles from Cedar Hill. Antenna picked up all channels, 51 to be exact from Dallas and Fort Worth. Great antenna and will leave on old cable box wall mount.

Pros: Will probably by another. It is as cheap or cheaper than trying to connect either pre-amp or post-amp to deliver signal to remaining TV sets in the house. Works great indoors! Light and small.

Cons: None.

Mid-Manhattan on a low floor can be tough. This antenna seems to do a good job of finding strong signals and rejecting interference, even just inside a window. If it could be mounted just outside, the results would probably be perfect.

Pros: Delivers a clear signal.

Cons: Not quite sensitive enough for difficult indoor conditions.

Clear pictures, great value, light weight.

Pros: Easy installation, light weight.

Cons: None.

Great antenna.. using it for our outdoor television set. Very clear pictures and range is awesome. Great buy!

Pros: Nothing but Pros.. so far

Cons: N/A

There are twelve available channels in my location; this unit found ten of them and one of those missed is a VHF Hi-V. The most distant transmitter is 35 miles and the closest 14. The antenna is sitting about 15" above the floor and jammed up behind a Sony 42" TV.

Pros: Excellent picture quality, does what it is advertised to do, attractive, priced very reasonably.

Cons: No Hi-V reception, although an outside mount at a greater elevation may solve that.

Great reception at a great price. I got this for our vacation home in central Oregon and it works great inside picking up crystal clear HD from towers 30 miles away w/o the need to hang an ugly antenna outside.

Pros: Easy to hook up. Great indoor reception. Stylish slim design.

Cons: None yet

Great value and performance! Simple installation and compact design. Easily mounts to soffit, fascia or pole with included hardware. Simple one wire hook up. (I suggest using a grounding block (Item# 6593274) with outdoor installation.) My installation and channel search were done during tropical storm Andrea. The antenna pulled in 51 channels with the unit inside near a window during torrential downpour . In one month the antenna will pay for itself. My basic cable package only had 35 channels and I was paying $50/month.

Pros: Design - Ease of installation - Value

Cons: No cable included. Base should have been weighted. Poor packaging.