![\"Dubious](\"https:\/\/advisorator.com\/members\/uploads\/cc-images\/Dubious-TV-antenna-claims.jpg\")
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As an Advisorator member, you have access to ad-free, uncluttered versions of every cord cutting column I’ve written, dating back to 2014. View the full archives here<\/a>, and see all your membership benefits here<\/a>. Thanks, and enjoy!<\/em><\/p>\n Did you know that with the right over-the-air antenna, you can watch free broadcast TV stations from across the Atlantic Ocean?<\/p>\n It\u2019s true, at least if you believe the marketing from antenna makers on sites like Walmart and eBay, which prominently advertise indoor antennas that supposedly pick up broadcasts from thousands of miles away. The situation isn\u2019t much better on Amazon, where unscrupulous vendors hawk \u201clong-range\u201d indoor antennas with ranges in the hundreds of miles.<\/p>\n Antenna experts say that in reality, even the best outdoor directional antennas are unlikely to pick up signals from more than 70 miles away. But don\u2019t just blame the sleazy antenna vendors for their inflated claims. Misleading antenna marketing is a systemic issue made possible by today\u2019s sprawling online marketplaces, in which strict oversight is nearly impossible.<\/p>\n I know this because I wrote about this exact issue in\u00a02019<\/a>, and little has changed since then. If anything, the problem is only getting worse.<\/p>\n A few years ago, the worst offenders on Amazon were advertising ranges of around 100 miles for their indoor antennas, which is still well beyond what users should expect. Those claims almost seem honest compared to what antenna vendors are advertising now.<\/p>\n For example, searching on Amazon for \u201cOTA antenna<\/a>\u201d shows a sponsored result with an advertised range of \u201c380+ Miles.\u201d<\/p>\n Caption: Amazon\u2019s top sponsored \u201cOTA antenna\u201d search result advertises \u201c380+ Miles\u201d of reception.<\/em><\/p>\n Credit: Jared Newman \/ Foundry<\/em><\/p>\n From that antenna\u2019s product page, you\u2019ll also find a slew of related listings promising reception from more than 400 miles away.<\/p>\n Caption: These inflated range claims are everywhere on Amazon.<\/em><\/p>\n Credit: Jared Newman \/ Foundry<\/em><\/p>\n At other sites, antenna sellers have gone to even further extremes.<\/p>\n On eBay, the top search result for \u201cantenna<\/a>\u201d is a sponsored listing for an indoor flat panel model that advertises a 3,600-mile range, roughly equal to the flight distance from New York to Madrid<\/a>. This antenna has been sold more than 3,000 times according to eBay\u2019s public data.<\/p>\n Caption: eBay\u2019s top \u201cantenna\u201d search result promises 3600-mile range.<\/em><\/p>\n Credit: Jared Newman \/ Foundry<\/em><\/p>\n Meanwhile, eBay\u2019s third non-sponsored result advertises a range of 5,600 miles, and the same seller also has more than a dozen copycat listings.<\/p>\n Walmart\u2019s top search results for \u201cantenna<\/a>\u201d aren\u2019t quite as exaggerated, with the top sponsored result promising a range of 130 miles\u2013although it also commits a different sleazy marketing sin: Its promotional picture suggests that ESPN is available over-the-air. It\u2019s not.<\/p>\n Caption: The double no-no: Inflated range claims and a channel you can\u2019t get over the air.<\/em><\/p>\n Credit: Jared Newman \/ Foundry<\/em><\/p>\n Another listing further down the page shows a 960-mile antenna with cable channels ESPN, CNN, and Fox Business in its promotional art. If you search hard enough, you\u2019ll find 5,600-mile antennas<\/a> as well.<\/p>\n To be clear, I\u2019m not just cherry-picking examples. These antennas appear prominently in search results, and in some cases are paid listings that get top billing. Search for an antenna on these sites and you\u2019ll run into wildly inflated range claims.<\/p>\n Richard Schneider, the president and founder of Antennas Direct, says that even the best outdoor antennas don\u2019t exceed a range of 70 miles, and indoor antennas top out at 60 miles under perfect conditions. A first-floor antenna with no obstructions, he says, would achieve a range of 30 miles at best. He doesn\u2019t advertise reception beyond those ranges, and is bitter about losing business to companies that do.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re at a disadvantage because we can\u2019t lie,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Amazon has not yet commented on the latest round of sleazy antenna marketing. The last time around, the company responded by removing some (but not all) of the offending listings.<\/p>\n A representative for eBay asked for product links to see if they might violate the company\u2019s policies, but has otherwise has not commented. Walmart has not answered a request for comment. We\u2019ll update this story if these companies do respond.<\/p>\n Caption: This antenna on Walmart\u2019s website goes all-out with bogus marketing claims.<\/em><\/p>\n Credit: Jared Newman \/ Foundry<\/em><\/p>\n Even if these companies take down some of the listings in question, it\u2019s not clear how they\u2019ll keep similar listings from coming back. Amazon, eBay, and Walmart all operate vast marketplaces full of independent sellers, and antennas are barely a blip on their radars.<\/p>\n Government regulators seem unlikely to solve the problem either. Last year, the Federal Trade Commission did settle a case with a New York-based company for deceptive marketing<\/a>, but that case revolved around claims that were not directly tied to mile range. (For instance, the vendor allegedly misrepresented which channels cord-cutters could get over the air and passed off other companies\u2019 product reviews as its own.)<\/p>\n Caption: This antenna, with an advertised 250-mile range, is a \u201cBest Seller\u201d on Amazon.<\/em><\/p>\n Credit: Jared Newman \/ Foundry<\/em><\/p>\n Schneider believes the FTC has been reluctant to pursue antenna makers based on inflated range claims because the exact range of an antenna is difficult to measure. The agency is more likely to pursue vendors for cut-and-try offenses, such as implying you can watch ESPN and other non-broadcast cable channels with an antenna.<\/p>\n (Despite its role in enforcing truth-in-advertising laws<\/a>, the FTC\u2019s Office of Public Affairs said my inquiry would be better-directed to the Federal Communications Commission, which did not respond to a request for comment.)<\/p>\n Schneider also notes that many unscrupulous antenna vendors aren\u2019t based in the United States, which would make FTC enforcement even harder. Still, he\u2019s putting together a list of offenders that he plans to turn into the agency, and is hoping at least some enforcement will help keep vendors honest.<\/p>\n \u201cIf it works, I guess it\u2019s like getting Al Capone for tax evasion,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re looking for the best over-the-air antenna, my advice is to avoid getting hung up on mileage claims in the first place. Instead, plug your address into AntennaWeb.org<\/a>, where you\u2019ll get a general guide to the size and type of antenna that you need.<\/p>\n As I wrote last time<\/a>, you can also reward vendors that don\u2019t inflate their range claims. Antennas Direct, Channel Master, Winegard, and Antop are all reputable brands that avoid wildly overpromising.<\/p>\n Caption: An infographic from Antennas Direct shows how the earth\u2019s curvature prevents even the best antennas from working beyond 70 miles or so.<\/em><\/p>\n Credit: Antennas Direct<\/em><\/p>\n But even among those brands, understand that their estimated mile ranges represent the absolute best-case scenario. (After all, they\u2019re being forced to compete with companies that have no problem making outlandish claims.) Don\u2019t take any advertised reception capabilities at face value.<\/p>\n You can also shop at stores that aren\u2019t allowing antenna range claims to run amok, including Best Buy, Target, and brick-and-mortar Walmart stores. Solid Signal is also a reputable online vendor<\/a> that downplays range claims in its product listings.<\/p>\n And if you\u2019re living more than 70 miles from your nearest broadcast stations, you should just consider other ways of watching local network TV content<\/a>. You\u2019re not going to pick up an over-the-air signal no matter what some random Amazon or eBay seller has to say.<\/p>\n Sign up for Jared\u2019s Cord Cutter Weekly newsletter<\/a> to get this column in your inbox every week.<\/em><\/p>\n No, you cannot pick up over-the-air channels from 5,600 miles away. Published: May 11, 2022 3:00 am PDT As an Advisorator member, you have access to ad-free, uncluttered versions of every cord cutting column I’ve written, dating back to 2014. …<\/p>\nEvidence of sleazy TV antenna marketing<\/h2>\n
![\"380+](\"https:\/\/advisorator.com\/members\/uploads\/cc-images\/amazonsearch400miles.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"Amazon](\"https:\/\/advisorator.com\/members\/uploads\/cc-images\/amazonspon400miles.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"eBay](\"https:\/\/advisorator.com\/members\/uploads\/cc-images\/ebay3800search.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"Walmart](\"https:\/\/advisorator.com\/members\/uploads\/cc-images\/walmartespn.png\")
<\/p>\nOnline seller responses to dubious antenna marketing\u2013or the lack thereof<\/h2>\n
![\"Walmart](\"https:\/\/advisorator.com\/members\/uploads\/cc-images\/walmart5600.png\")
<\/p>\n![\""Best](\"https:\/\/advisorator.com\/members\/uploads\/cc-images\/amazonbestsellerantenna.png\")
<\/p>\nWhat you can do about false antenna claims<\/h2>\n
![\"Antennas](\"https:\/\/advisorator.com\/members\/uploads\/cc-images\/No-such-thing-as-a-150-mile-antenna.jpg\")
<\/p>\nRead more cord cutting columns<\/a><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"