As a cord cutter, finding streaming sources of television has become important. One thing many streaming services ignore is over the air locals. Most local channels have 3 or 4 channels packaged together, and the HD quality is much better than what is found on a satellite. The Winegard Elite 7550 is an excellent streaming option for those local channels.
The Winegard Elite 7550 is a compact indoor/outdoor television antenna with a 70 mile range. The antenna also comes with an ultra-low noise amplifier and a mounting pipe. The amplifier is best used between the coax cable and TV. I plugged mine into the USB port on my television to power it, but it also comes with a cord and USB plug adapter if needed. The only thing you will need to supply for installation is screws to secure the base to where you are placing the antenna.
When I first looked into the box, I thought it would be difficult to assemble with all of the parts. The instructions are easy to follow, however, and I literally had it put together and headed for the roof in under 10 minutes.
Make sure you follow the instructions on which side is up and which parts need washers etc.
Once the main unit is assembled, it is best to attach the mounting pipe to the foot and figure out the angle needed so that the antenna is vertical. This only took me a couple of tries and I did it while on the roof to make sure it was installed perfectly. I had an older antenna installed on my old Dish Network pipe that was still on the roof, but the Elite 7550 does not fit that large of a pole; had it fit, that would have made installation only take seconds.
The Elite 7550 can be used indoors or outdoors, but you will get much better reception outdoors than in an attic. I placed mine as high on the eve as I could to get maximum range. I already had an antenna, so I did not need to add any cabling. When I cut the cord a few months ago, I simply used the cable from the old satellite and added a splitter in the attic connected to the coax that already ran to my TVs.
Once installed, you will need to point the antenna towards the broadcast towers. If you are unsure exactly where these towers are located or what channels are available, Winegard has a handy tool right here to show you. Just enter your Zip Code and see what is available and at what distances. There are also product options that list their range so that you can find the right product for your situation.
I was able to point the antenna in the correct direction and ran a channel scan. The final tally was 23 channels, which is 6 more than I received with my old antenna. The extra range on the Elite 7550 added ABC and a few other channels. With cord cutting and the addition of over the air programming becoming more common, I highly recommend utilizing an antenna and getting some free HD media. The Winegard Elite 7550 is a compact, yet strong option if you are looking for longer range broadcast towers. The Olympics looked fantastic on my TV this weekend using the antenna.
The Winegard Elite 7550 is available for $149.99 directly from the manufacturer.
Source: Manufacturer supplied review sample
What I like: Compact, easy to assemble and provides long-range television viewing
What could be improved: I really wish the pole-mount option was larger so it would have easily fit on the old mount from my satellite
