A cutting-edge, “cutting board” over-the-air television antenna

About three years ago, I reviewed two over-the-air television antennas from Antennas Direct. I’m a huge fan of OTA television — here in Chicagoland, there are a plethora of digital television channels available. Every TV in our home is connected to our rooftop antenna, because there’s no better price for TV reception than free!

Earlier this month, DirectTV and AT&T dropped CBS (and in some areas, NBC) from their subscription-tv channel lineups. Several readers emailed to ask me about our antenna setup at home so that they could continue watching their favorite shows over-the-air on these networks.

Our daughter moved into an apartment in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood this month too, which meant that she was also looking for a free television reception solution at her new place. Taking both of these into consideration, it seemed like a good time for another television antenna review!

This time around, we put the Antennas Direct ClearStream FLEX antenna to the test. This is an indoor antenna that looks and feels remarkably like one of those thin cutting board mats you might use to chop vegetables in the kitchen! It’s reversible — black on one side and white on the other — so it can blend in with the wall or the back of your television. It’s easy to install with a non-damaging adhesive strip that sticks to the wall.

The ClearStream FLEX also comes with a small signal amplifier and all the coax cords you’ll need to connect it to your TV. The amplifier has a power cord of its own which can either be plugged into a USB port or a wall outlet.  It retails for about $80.

Our daughter took the ClearStream Flex to her new place and connected it. (She has the black side of the antenna facing forward in this photo so that you can see it. With the white side facing forward, there wasn’t enough contrast in the shadow behind the television to see it well – which I suppose is the idea!)

I’ll share her words about this antenna next:

“The setup for the ClearStream Flex antenna is ridiculously easy and even allows you to adjust the antenna without damaging the adhesive strip.

My TV is plugged into the wall parallel to a window, and my antenna hangs directly behind it. I ended up using the USB port in my TV as the power source for my antenna amplifier, which was super convenient and saved me from plugging in yet another device into my surge protector.

Immediately after plugging it in and turning it on, I was able to clearly get channel 5.2, Cozi (this was even before mounting it to my wall.)

I flipped to channel 2.1 (CBS), which also came in fairly clear without mounting the antenna. I then used that channel to test my connection as I moved the antenna around to get the best signal.”

[It’s pretty common knowledge in Chicagoland that receiving CBS on channel 2 is the test for any over-the-air antenna. It seems to be the toughest one to pull in due to it being a lower-powered broadcast and on VHF. Many bargain-priced HD antennas are built to only focus on the UHF spectrum. In Chicagoland, CBS-2 is also simulcast on digital channel 48.3.]

“Before doing a full channel scan, I had 25 channels already available. After a full scan, I was able to clearly get 75 channels.

Of course, there were a handful of repeated channels, but regardless of the repeats, every single channel I received had a clear and strong connection.”

We were both really impressed that she was able to get so many channels with this incredibly simple-looking antenna! Certainly, her proximity to the city is a large factor here, but she’s able to receive all major networks and a wide assortment of subchannels with this ClearStream Flex.

Here’s a list of the channels she is receiving with the ClearStream FLEX antenna in her Chicago apartment:

* My daughter also let me know that on some days, she also gets 56.1 and 56.2, which are broadcast from northwest Indiana. (I’m jealous, as I love NHK Japan’s programming, but I can only get it via streaming on the Roku!)

UPDATE:  After writing this post, one of my daughter’s roommates expressed interest in having a bedroom-located television antenna too. She loaned the roommate the ClearStream Eclipse indoor antenna that I first reviewed in 2016. While this is an even smaller indoor antenna, her roommate is also receiving the same channels with it as my daughter is with the ClearStream Flex. So, either of these models are good options for city dwellers!

______________________

Whenever I review antennas, I like to try them in multiple locations. For comparison’s sake, I connected the exact same antenna in an east-facing room in our home, which is 50+ miles northwest of Chicago. Here’s what the ClearStream Flex antenna was able to pull in at our house on the same day:

Yes, this is a significant reduction of channels. With our rooftop antenna on the same house, we’re able to pull in far more channels than this, both from Chicago and from Rockford, which is about 35 miles west of us. In fact, we are able to pull in everything on our daughter’s list, with the exception of channels 22 and 24 and their subchannels. Channel 22 is very weather-dependent for us. We are also able to receive channels 13, 17, and 39 from Rockford (NBC, ABC, and Fox, and their subchannels.)

Final antenna thoughts:

Whenever I’m asked to review a product, I strive to present my experiences accurately, and I realize that once again, just as with my previous antenna review, I’m presenting two largely different experiences with the same antennas in different locations.

Television reception can be a a tricky thing. This indoor antenna performed spectacularly well in Chicago, as my daughter’s apartment is within a 10 mile radius of most of the major broadcast towers.  However, she’s also pulling in Joliet and Aurora stations, which are quite far out in the suburbs.  I was able to pull in some networks with the same antenna in my home 50+ miles northwest of Chicago, but I was not able to pull in nearly as many channels as we’re able to get with our roof-mounted antenna.

There are many factors that can affect television reception. Antennas Direct’s installation literature notes that “building material such as brick, metal siding, radiant barrier and stucco” as well as trees and other obstacles can greatly inhibit the signal. If you’re looking for a new television antenna, it’s a good idea to buy from at a retailer with a customer-friendly return policy in case the first one you try doesn’t quite perform the way you’d like it to.

Also, remember to move the antenna around multiple times, rescanning between each move, to see if you’re able to pull in even more channels!

I appreciate, once again, an opportunity from Antennas Direct to review this television antenna. The ClearStream Flex is a small investment to make in having unlimited, free television — always the best price!

More on Antennas Direct:

Learn more about Antennas Direct’s products at AntennasDirect.com. Antennas Direct products are also available at Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, Lowe’s, and other retailers. 

Want to know more?

• In 2016, I reviewed two over-the-air television antennas from Antennas Direct.
• In 2019, I re-reviewed the same Antennas Direct rooftop antenna after trimming a large tree in our antenna path.