Pingbingding WA-2608 Antenna (With Rotator) Review

By Greg Martinez / November 4, 2019
Pingbingding HDTV Antenna Review

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The Pingbingding WA-2608 might have a funny-sounding name but it’s a popular brand – and for good reason.

In fact, I would say affordability and an easy set up are among its top advantages.

What do I mean, easy to set up? Well it comes with a number of goodies straight out of the box, which save the effort of figuring out what you need and having to get them separately.

With an advertised range of 150 miles, it comes with a built-in rotator that allows you to turn and re-orient the antenna from the comfort of your couch.

The antenna also gets dual UHF/VHF reception, as it includes a VHF reflector that you snap on during assembly.

Table Of Contents
  1. Features and Benefits
  2. Channel and Frequency Types of
  3. Assembly and Installation
  4. Using the Rotator
  5. Conclusion
  6. Pingbingding Manual
  7. Specs

Features and Benefits

Sporting small UHF loops in the front with a big VHF reflector in the back, this antenna has a unique design compared with your everyday receiver.

Rotator and Preamplifier

It’s made of both metal and plastic but is durable nonetheless. The antenna unit itself houses both a preamplifier and a rotor for turning the antenna 360 degrees.

The built-in preamplifier boosts radio frequency signals received by the antenna, strengthening them before they arrive at your TV.

This overcomes both any weakness in received signals, and compensates for signal degradation along the coaxial cable.

Keep in mind this is a long-range antenna so it may not be ideal if you live less than 10 miles away from your nearest stations (you can check TVFool to find where your broadcast towers are located).

The reason is that the preamplifier might introduce too much noise to already-strong signals if you live closer than 10 miles from TV towers (but you can turn the preamplifier off to eliminate such noise).

Included Coaxial Cable

The unit comes with 40 feet of RG6 coaxial cable that you connect to the included control box. The control box should sit near your TV since it allows you to control the antenna rotator using the infrared remote control.

You then connect the control box either to your TV or converter box. If the 40 feet of cable from the antenna isn’t long enough, you can extend it by adding MediaBridge Ultra Series tri-shielded cable with F-type connectors.

Built-In Splitter

The antenna allows you to connect up to two televisions: the control box has an extra port allowing you to run a coaxial cable to another TV in your house.

If you want to connect more than two TVs, you would then need to install a splitter to install between the control box and the TVs.

Antenna Range

Although the advertised range is 150 miles, the average homeowner is likelier to less than  60-80 miles tops, due to limitations imposed by the curvature of the earth.

Of course the stations you’ll actually get will depend on signal strength at your location.

Channel and Frequency Types of

The Pingbingding HDTV antenna receives both high VHF and UHF.

You can find out your local RF — or station broadcast — channels by entering your address in TVFool.com. The antenna supports broadcasts of up to full HD (1080i).

Assembly and Installation

The Pingbingding offers tools-free assembly, meaning you can put all the parts together and fold out elements by hand. It also comes with a flexible J-mount, allowing you to mount the antenna in different places such as on the top of your roof or on the side of your house.

In the box you’ll also find several cable ties for securing the antenna coaxial cable to the mast.

You don’t need to separately install elements such as the rotator and preamplifier as these are already built into the antenna.

Installation consists of mounting the antenna in the best place of your house that you can find, attaching the coaxial cable to the antenna, and running this coax down to the supplied control box next to your television.

To get optimal reception, make sure you orient the antenna to directly face transmission towers. Sometimes a compass or compass app on your smart phone can help you to more accurately orient it. You should also ensure the vertical portion of the J-mount is perpendicular with the ground.

Although the manufacturer states the antenna doesn’t need to be grounded, you should nevertheless ground both the mast and the coaxial cable separately.

Using the Rotator

Once you’ve set up the antenna outside and connected it to your TV, you can use the remote control to turn the antenna towards local stations.

Antennas ideally need a direct line of sight to transmission towers to get optimal signal.

For this reason the best place on your house will have the least obstructions in that line of sight — and don’t forget, the higher you mount your antenna the better.

Pros

  • Can rotate antenna 360 degrees with remote control
  • Sturdy and weather-resistant design
  • Includes preamplifier, coaxial cable, and built-in splitter for two TVs

Cons

  • Must purchase extra coaxial cable if length of supplied cable isn’t sufficient

Conclusion

The easy set up and included parts of this Pingbingding WA-2608 antenna makes it a good choice for someone wishing minimal hassle to get free over-the-air TV programming.

In fact, it’s hard to think of anything else it should have in terms of parts you’ll need to set it up in short order.

Unlike other long-range antennas offered on the market, this is actually more of a kit (than a single antenna) for helping you get started with your OTA experience.

It’s also affordable, as all the necessary parts are offered in one package.

NOTE: For a comparable product that comes with a rotator and preamplifier, you might want to check out the Vansky Outdoor Amplified HD antenna.

Pingbingding Manual

In case you need more technical details on this antenna, here’s a link to the Pingbingding WA-2608 installation manual.

Specs

Design

Direction

Unidirectional

Coaxial cable length (feet)

40

Dimensions in inches (H x W x L)

 13 x 4.5 x 17.5

Preamplifier

Our rating

4.5 / 5

Reception

Antenna range (miles)

150 (likelier max 75)

Channels

Full HD (1080i)

Frequencies

UHF/VHF

Help & Support

Warranty

1 year

Email support

Phone support

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Greg Martinez - September 5, 2019

Hi Dana, this Pingbingding model already comes with a rotator so no need to buy 2 of them! Rotators are great for changing antenna orientation but if for any reason you can’t use one, then yes you can purchase 2 different antennas and aim them in separate directions – I just wouldn’t combine 2 of these Pingbingdings (as they already have a rotator built in), but rather buy another antenna type entirely like a Yagi-style or multidirectional one.. See my article on combining antennas for more info!

Dana - September 5, 2019

I would like to use two of these simultaneously to reach channels in two different markets. Is that even possible?

Greg Martinez - October 23, 2019

Hi Nick, just to note, this antenna model already has a preamplifier which should be sufficient to distribute the signal to two televisions. Have you bought and tested this antenna with this length of coax run? If you’re not getting as many channels as you want, then I’d consider buying a distribution amplifier to install right before the control unit (that is, between the antenna coaxial cable and the control unit box). Good luck!

Nick Matlin - October 23, 2019

How close does the amplifier need to be from the antenna? my cable run is well over 100 feet if needed to be closer to the antenna I can just run a coax

LoganW - November 6, 2019

Besides the attic and roof, where can this be mounted? I am thinking a pole in the yard or maybe on top of the old car…..not sure what to do. would really appreciate your thoughts on this. Thanks.

Greg Martinez - November 8, 2019

Hi Logan, you can mount this antenna pretty much anywhere, even in your living room on top of your TV – though I wouldn’t advise this! Hm, on top of your old car eh? Just make sure you don’t drive it anywhere! As for your idea about the pole, you can definitely mount this atop any pole of up to 1 inch diameter.

Marion Sewell - November 19, 2019

I have mine mounted outside. But to test it initially, I just had it in my living room pointed at the stations 22 miles away. It worked great. Much better than the large aluminum antenna we have in the attic. I put it outside and it worked even better. I ended up buying another one for a TV at the other end of our house.

Judith M - November 22, 2019

based on my own experience, this antenna works just awesome. We had an old outdoor HDTV antenna, and we live in a semi-remote area. We only got in 5 channels which often would “freeze” up. Obviously this made watching local tv so much more tedious. After installing this antenna outside we now get 19 channels in and rock solid pictures on all with no break up. We didn’t even have to adjust the orientation with the motor. We really are very happy with this product.

Loreta Burns - November 25, 2019

Great review you got there but for the best reception possible, does this antenna have to be on the roof or can it be in my attic?

Greg Martinez - November 25, 2019

Hi Loretta, I’d say you can install them in both places! While attic installations are always easier than on your roof, these spaces often introduce some interference that may degrade signal (stemming from house structure, radiant barriers, etc.). Nevertheless I would try first in the attic and if you’re not satisfied then try to mount it on your roof.

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