Complete concept, text, descriptions and photos copyright ©2009-2023  by  mediaman6-eBay. All rights  reserved and enforced!

"THE TRUTH AMPLIFIER"©™
Professional Quality  HDTV 
Antenna Signal Booster Amplifier
LINEAR VHF - UHF

ATTENTION! PLEASE READ THIS ENTIRE DESCRIPTION CAREFULLY ...
So that you know EXACTLY what you are buying with our offering!
If you are using a "Smart Phone" browser, please choose "DESKTOP VIEW"!  



PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS AN ABBREVIATED version
of our original listing description!
You can find the original detailed description
version on our website, OTCraftworks.com .

We hesitated for years to present an abbreviated description
since we believe that ALL the info we include in  the  original  
is BENEFICIAL  and, in some cases for the novice buyer...
NECESSARY information 
for anyone  considering buying an amplifier.

The preface of the original description also contains
an interesting explanation  (we think),
the "TRUTH IN  A  NUTSHELL", about how our  handmade amp
evolved to utilize a mint tin housing
and, thus, became the  "TRUTH  IN A MINT TIN"!


PLEASE ALSO NOTE THAT, MOST UNFORTUNATELY...
DUE TO NEW EBAY POLICY  OF OCTOBER  2017  ...
 WE CAN NO LONGER PRESENT ILLUSTRATIVE PHOTOS
AT THE APPROPRIATE PLACES WITHIN OUR DESCRIPTIONS
DUE TO THEIR NEW FORMATTING HTML  RESTRICTIONS.

THEREFORE, PLEASE REFER TO THE FEWER PHOTOS ABOVE
IN THE EBAY PHOTO SECTION  ONLY.

NOTE TO "WATCHERS" ...  
IF YOU ARE WATCHING AND WAITING TO SEE
IF THE  PRICE  WILL BE LOWERED
I ASSURE YOU, OUT FRONT THAT IT WILL NOT BE!
THE "TRUTH" WAS ONE OF THE FIRST, AND BEST SELLING,  HDTV AMPLIFIERS ...
 AND STILL  ONE OF THE  FEW TRULY DIGITAL SIGNAL OPTIMIZED
AMPLIFIERS OFFERED ON EBAY
AFTER THE DIGITAL    BROADCAST TRANSITION IN 2009!

 WE  NEVER OFFER DISCOUNTS...
OR  REDUCED  PRICING ON EBAY, FOR ANY REASON!

HOWEVER ...
WHEN YOU CHECK OUR ALTERNATE  LISTINGS ...
YOU MAY FIND AN AUCTION LISTING   FOR BIDDING...
WITH THE STARTING BID PRICE
  A  LITTLE  LOWER THAN THE BUY-IT-NOW-PRICE HERE.
Thank you!

Each truth amplifier is carefully handcrafted from beginning to completion
by the original designer, retired broadcast engineer and experimenter, O.T. Hudson.

There is NO mass production involved. Each unit is individually hand assembled with circuitry expertly silver  soldered ...
with meticulous attention to detail at every step of the process.

Then, each amplifier is carefully individually tested, TWICE, for performance  ....  first on the RF test  bench and then in a "real world" receiving setup prior to being certified for shipment. You won't find many other items manufactured this way nowadays!

O.T. can only build and sell a few  of these per month in this manner ...
So, obviously, his motive is not to "get rich" ...
(although he does remind you that any proceeds  go to his favorite charity ... HIM!)
Instead, he is truly motivated by his desire to share his niche creation with as many as possible who will benefit by  its  application.

When you consider the fact that eBay gets 10% off the top ...
the USPS gets another 10% plus for  shipping  ...
and PayPal gets an additional 3.5% ...
then toss in the costs of all the parts ...
you can readily see that O.T. is not getting much
for all the time he devotes!
 

The unit for this listing is completed, tested and ready to ship NOW!
Remember, too, that you will also receive extensive, detailed printed application notes and tips (4 pages!)for helping  you  optimize your own reception setup! Please read these CAREFULLY BEFORE installation/application! 


This version of the "TRUTH" amplifier is an indoor amplifier with included plug-in remote power supply. We have removed the mast mount version from our eBay listings because that unit requires some minimal  technical knowledge to apply it and many of our recent eBay buyers had no idea what they were buying or how to  mount it or utilize it. If you are a knowledgable enthusiast and would like more info on the mast mount version you  can find details on O.T.'s website- OTCraftworks.com

SPECS ...THE TRUTH: Guaranteed low noise figure of 1.4 dB (typically 1.2 dB) Linearly amplifies complete RF spectrum VHF, FM, UHF 75 ohms in/out Input clamped for static/overload protection On board power supply decoupling conditioning Improves the noise figure/sensitivity of most current generation digital TV receivers Outperforms some brand name "pro" units in the $150 to $250 range Designed and built for a lifetime of reliable performance with proper use  Flat stable gain of 18dBmv (+/- 1 dB) 50 MHz to 1.2 GHz *NOTE*-  When it comes to gain with digital amplifiers...  the sophomoric approach that "more" is always better, does NOT apply! We feel that about 18 dB of true, linear signal gain is perfect for digital antenna signals without adding noise or  distortion!

A signal amplifier is just ONE component in a signal chain which is always only as good as its weakest  link. 

Furthermore, EVERY location and EVERY signal reception situation is unique unto itself with, at least,  a  half dozen or more unique variables affecting performance. Therefore, it is ALWAYS   IMPOSSIBLE to  predict results, let alone guarantee it, for RF propagation and reception consistently. One simply has to  use  good information, common sense and some experimentation to get the best results at his/her unique  location  with his/her specific setup and circumstances.

There are, however, general accepted guidelines to help one make an educated determination as to  what  SHOULD work in a given location to possibly improve performance for each component in the chain.  We try  to  cover most of these in our descriptions which I urge you to READ CAREFULLY (TWICE!)  BEFORE  PURCHASING our  amplifier!

One of the best of these suggestions and one of the best ways to determine possible, expected  reception  performance for your particular location is to go to the TVFOOL.com website and enter your address  into  their search form. They will issue a chart for your specific location showing the available channels for  your  address arranged according to signal strength (with the strongest first in descending order to the  weakest). It  will also show you the available transmitted signal strength in dB, the distance of the transmitting station  from  your location and the exact compass coordinates for pointing your antenna among other useful  information.

Assuming the PROPER passive antenna (such as our "TruTenna" design in our alternate listings),  properly  located and positioned, our amplifier  properly applied along with the other necessary peripherals (including good coax, connectors and  an  adequately sensitive receiver/tuner) ....THEN you can conclude with some certainty, assuming all  conditions  are accounted for, that you should be able to receive all of the channels they list in their chart in the  green  and yellow sections, as well as most of the pink, fairly consistently. The weakest ones listed at the  very  bottom of the pink section may only be available at night or sporadically and some few in the top of the  weak,  grey area may be available under the best of propagation/reception conditions but not consistently.  This  chart will not be 100% accurate (nothing is) but it is usually a very good "ballpark" indicator.

Again we emphasize that an amplifier is only ONE link in a signal chain and it all starts with a good,  properly  positioned, passive antenna. Where an amplifier is required or desired, and properly utilized and  applied,  our TRUTH amp has been proven time and again to be as good as it gets in terms of digital signal  amplification. But, remember that NO amplifier can "invent", or help improve, signals that are not  traveling  down the coax to the amp input whether they are either just not there for detection by an antenna to  begin  with, or interfered with in some way by airborne or electrical disturbance, or not properly developed by  an  inadequate  antenna.

The exact style AC/DC wall transformer may vary.
The TRUTH amp accepts any DC power source from +9 VDC to +12VDC
The amplifier draws about 10 ma at 9 volts and about 14 ma at 12 volts DC
The polarity of the 3.5 mm plug/jack is tip positive, sleeve negative.

TESTIMONIALS   We continue to receive some very nice feedback from eBay buyers ... While you can find these and many, many more recent ones interspersed throughout our feedback profile... I thought it might be beneficial to bring just some of of their many interesting comments up front  here in the description so that you can see at a glance what a few other eBay buyers have to say about our TRUTH amp offered here! TRUTH UHF VHF HDTV Digital Antenna Signal Booster Amplifier I bought a few...this one is tops! Don't judge by looks. Works Great! eBay user- keith390blues          (#130517734786) TRUTH UHF VHF HDTV Digital Antenna Signal Booster Amplifier He could easily charge $100.00 or more, it's that good!!! Fast shipping! Thanks! eBay user- palmettopounder       (#130754643682) TRUTH UHF VHF HDTV Digital Antenna Signal Booster Amplifier Thanks for a smooth transaction!!! Second one purchased and THEY WORK!!! eBay user- palmettopounder        (#141034548145) TRUTH UHF VHF HDTV Digital Antenna Signal Booster Amplifier This is a great product. It works as described and is quality made. Thank you. eBay user- ray755                   (#130451222211) TRUTH UHF VHF HDTV Digital Antenna Signal Booster Amplifier Amazing! 150% signal gain, clarity is (now) perfect. THIS IS THE AMP YOU NEED! eBay user- bright_one               (#130435526792) TRUTH UHF VHF HDTV Digital Antenna Signal Booster Amplifier Digital channel improved 50%, got 5 more chnls. Will build new TruTenna also. Thanks! eBay user- belka510                  (#130664067203) TRUTH UHF VHF HDTV Digital Antenna Signal Booster Amplifier Super fast shipping!!! The "Truth" is now truthfully boosting my DTV!!! eBay user- elkherdcheer             (#130597962344) TRUTH UHF VHF HDTV Digital Antenna Signal Booster Amplifier Works great! Picked up 15 more channels!! eBay user- bigflower                     (#130650531299) TRUTH UHF VHF HDTV Digital Antenna Signal Booster Amplifier went from 19 channels to 36 most are 75 to 135 miles away good product thanks... eBay user- 44magnum53               (#13097336729) TRUTH UHF VHF HDTV Digital Antenna Signal Booster Amplifier Works great! Getting ready to buy a second one from this seller for different tv eBay user- bb.ww.aa                    (#130961757430) TRUTH UHF VHF HDTV Digital Antenna Signal Booster Amplifier This signal amplifier/item works very well! He's telling THE TRUTH! eBay user- frypan2112                  (#131089663489) TRUTH UHF VHF HDTV Digital Antenna Signal Booster Amplifier lowered my pixelization by 90% over the commercial unit, buy one! eBay user- n8rspowr519                (#1310506110340 TRUTH UHF VHF HDTV Digital Antenna Signal Booster Amplifier Doubled my signal strength without degrading the sensitivity of my receiver. eBay user- mr--s                             (#130823648096) TRUTH UHF VHF HDTV Digital Antenna Signal Booster Amplifier This seller knows his stuff, very helpful, great product, I'm very happy eBay user- ja1614love                   (#130731521263) TRUTH UHF VHF HDTV Digital Antenna Signal Booster Amplifier helped the strength of the signal rom 30% to 65% thank you!!!!! eBay user- hawkhead77                (#140876268165) TRUTH UHF VHF HDTV Digital Antenna Signal Booster Amplifier works as described, recommend, thanks, good bye directTV eBay user- mellisph702                 (#131092534812) TRUTH UHF VHF HDTV Digital Antenna Signal Booster Amplifier makes the chinese 2din stereo w/ atsc tuner in my truck worth what I paid for it eBay user- glovester1988               (#130868216113) TRUTH UHF VHF HDTV Digital Antenna Signal Booster Amplifier Works well. Still some good AMERICAN MADE products out there. Keep it up! A+ eBay user- theboog10                     (#130837519797) TRUTH UHF VHF HDTV Digital Antenna Signal Booster Amplifier Amp seems as good as the renowned Winegard HDA-100, is cheaper and in one piece eBay user- dds6263                        (#141004137745) TRUTH UHF VHF HDTV Digital Antenna Signal Booster Amplifier super product, 10x better than my old radio shacker THANKS AGAIN!!   eBay user- hogmann60                        (#131223325571)   TRUTH UHF VHF HDTV Digital Antenna Signal Booster Amplifier WORKS BETTER THAN ANY STORE BOUGHT or BRAND NAME AMPLIFIER! Thats the TRUTH! magicpassion4u      (#131223327103)  TRUTH UHF VHF HDTV Digital Antenna Signal Booster Amplifier Far surpasses all my expectations..couldn't ask for more....thank you. josephl8470               (#131219402433

You can buy a lot of "run-of-the-mill", so-called "HDTV booster amplifiers", mass-produced in China, Taiwan, or  Mexico from about $10.00 to $50.00  depending on the particular unit and the source. You are probably looking at a list of some of  these now if you did an eBay search to get here. Some of these may even work to some degree ... for a few  months.

Or, alternately, you can spend just a bit more and buy our one-of-a-kind, original, HAND-MADE with personal care (in  the  USA), individually  tested, ultimate  quality, "TRUTH" amplifier from this single, exclusive source, which INCLUDES shipping and handling, and have yourself a TRUE signal amplifier that REALLY works for you ... a real, TRUE, LIFETIME, quality performer.

The "TRUTH" amplifier was named for the faithful way it performs in maintaining full signal  integrity.  Unlike  many  on the  market, this amplifier is specifically designed, fabricated and tested to be the ultimate low noise,  broadband,  linear, OTA  broadcast television signal amplifier performer available today, period! Utilizing a single, state-of-the- art low  noise  transistor with  minimal, low noise support components, uniquely applied in a special circuit configuration with an  esoteric,  surface mount,  stripline groundplane layout technique, powered by a non-typical internal power supply  decoupler/conditioner ...  TRULY,  recognizable superior performance is the result !

Now, with a remarkable, guaranteed maximum noise figure of 1.4 dB or less, a predictable, stable gain of  18 dB over a flat, linear response curve of within 1 dB from 50 MHZ to 1.2 GHZ, this amplfier will do the job for you  IF ANY WILL !  

BUT ... keep in mind, that not ALL lost signal is due to "weakness" (often "glitching" and lost signal  can be  interference  related - the included 4 page applications notes offer some valuable tips for troubleshooting interference). Also, NO RF amplifier can "boost" a signal that isn't there to begin with. So, please make sure you have optimized your antenna system, feedline and connections before ordering and applying our  "TRUTH"  amplifier.   

Assuming you have an  antenna that develops at least some usable signal current above the inherent signal to noise  margin  limitations of your location, then this  amplifier will deliver it with strength and fidelity to your TV tuner or receiver. Digital signals  that were once  sporadic will typically lock strongly and some of those previously, completely undetected may now  be  viewable, with consistency, with  the "TRUTH" amplifier in the line.

The designer developed this unit to complement his own homebrew antenna design (a description  of  which  may  be seen  in our other eBay listings) for FRINGE reception under less than ideal conditions. This  combination  has  performed  remarkably,  consistently pulling in digital broadcast transmissions from stations in markets as far as 70 miles away and even regularly picks up one station from a little over 90 miles distant (although mileage distance alone has  less to do with  signal strength than the power of the transmitter and the location/height of the TV  transmission  tower) ! 

It was developed out of personal frustration after he had tried many other antenna/amplifier  combinations out  there  on the  market, yes the well known, heavily endorsed brand names as well, with unsatisfactory results. So, we know from  this  extensive, past experience that this amplifier will deliver the precision, low-noise,  signal level needed for digital lock when a lot of others won't.

We have comparatively tested it along side of some of the biggest brand names including some of the MOST  expensive, heavy duty, well-known, industry standard commercial units used by cable TV companies. Our  "TRUTH" amplifier typically exceeded many of these in performance with weak signal input (probably due to our  unit's superior noise figure and highly stable, low distortion, reliable broadband gain). In fact, it was the frustration  after buying the expensive, brand name CATV  amplifier, that actually led to the development of the simple,  "TRUTH" amplifier to begin with. It worked where the others we tried would not ...  and that IS the simple TRUTH! 

Keep in mind, you ALWAYS need a GOOD antenna and the best location for it possible. But,  when  you  REALLY need  an amplifer  to make the final difference with a signal being captured or not, then you REALLY do,  TRUTHFULLY,  need  our  "TRUTH"  amplifier!

Also be aware that you may NOT need a preamplifier IF ...
you live within twenty miles of all the transmitters you wish to receive so long as you have the proper  antenna mounted in the proper location. Exceptions to this would be if you have to run more than 75' of coax from your antenna to your receiver or if you  need to split your signal to two or more sets. Then you may need an amplifier to make up for the signal loss from  a very long cable run or splitter loss.

However, there is one school of thought that a GOOD, LOW NOISE peamplifier will improve ALL  antenna- receiver  situations as  long as the preamplifier has a noise figure below 3 dB since most commercial receivers still often have a 3dB, or  higher, noise figure in their first RF stage!

And, if you are like many of us located 50 to 70 or more miles away from transmitters, then you  definitely  need a  good,  properly mounted antenna AND a good amplifier to enjoy consistent, dependable day and night  digital  broadcast  reception. If you would like to see information on obtaining our complement DIY, "TruTenna" TRUTH  antenna  design  info ...

Please see our ... OTHER eBay LISTINGS linked above.

From what we read, we see a lot of people are telling you that there is NO DIFFERENCE in HDTV  transmissions  from regular  "old fashioned" transmissions and that devices labeled "HDTV" or "DTV" are usually just hype.  Well,  this  may be  true to some  extent but not entirely. For example, of course there is definitely NO difference in the kind of  antenna  employed for  one signal  type or another. Any antenna well designed to receive the old ANALOG transmissions will  certainly  work just  as  well for digital  so long as it is optimized for today's lower UHF bandwidth (and many on the market are  NOT).  But,  there  really IS a  difference in the signal itself and, while older analog type amplifiers might work to amplify digital  signals,  many  times, some of  these traditional designs can actually DEGRADE the existing digital signal thereby making  reception  worse! 

The biggest noticeable difference in the digital signal envelope, as opposed to analog, is the way it  is  modulated.  Old analog  transmissions utilized amplitude modulation for the video portion of the signal, which meant the  picture  signal  was  encoded by  varying the peak strength of the carrier signal by small margins. On the other hand, the digital  encoding  process  allows the full,  peak amplitude of the prescribed frequency carrier wave to be maximized and maintained at all  times.  Our  "TRUTH" amplifier  design takes into full consideration this new signal transmission medium, in the way it is  processed  internally, so  that we  really can say, TRUTHFULLY, that the "TRUTH" amplifier is an ideal "digital" signal amplifier!

We remind you again that The TRUTH Amplifier
is only available from THIS SOURCE ...
If you see one sold elsewhere  ...IT IS COUNTERFEIT...
and we, and eBay, would  appreciate knowing  about it!

Since these are handmade to auction one at a time...
and are quite time-consuming to produce ...
we MUST pass along some purchase responsibility to the buyer!

We have sold thousands of these since we began in 2009 ...
and, with the exception of just  FOUR  known instances we can recall to date....
where an amp actually was defective within the warranty period...
ALL the other user  issues with the  amplifier have turned out to be some form of MISAPPLICATION!

SO ...
BEFORE YOU PURCHASE ...

PLEASE be sure that you need, and know how to correctly apply, a  precision UHF/VHF  signal amplifier!

Understand that NO RF amplifier can work miracles if there is no usable signal developed by  the  antenna to begin with!

Further understand that amplifiers to not "create" channels, the signals must be available in your area  to  begin with (one recent complainer actually believed otherwise!)!

Also understand that an AMPLIFIER is NOT a tuner, or a converter box, and does not receive/decode  channels on its own.

Note that the TRUTH amplifier is a PREamplifier and should be used at the beginning of a signal  chain right after a passive (non-amplified) antenna and BEFORE any other devices EXCEPT an optional FM trap  which  should preceed it.

Realize that this amplifier can not be used in conjunction with any active antenna that already has its  own built-in preamplifier. This will result in non-decodable digital distortion and will NOT work!

Furthermore, do NOT, necessarily, expect this amplifier to outperform another amplifier that you  now  own  which already offers both TRULY SIMILAR noise specs (few do!) combined with TRULY HIGHER  gain  figures (some do).

Understand that the "sophomoric" approach to buying an amplifier that "more is always better" does NOT  apply to amplifier GAIN! Often higher gain amplifiers sijmply boost noise and distortion making things  worse! We feel that the 18 dB of gain offered by the TRUTH amp, with its low noise figure, when  combined with a good, passive medium gain antenna is the best combination.

Be certain that your antenna that you use with the TRUTH amplifier is, indeed, a  PASSIVE  antenna and that any "amplifier" which you replace with ours is, indeed, actually an amplifier and  not,  instead, a POWER SUPPLY for an active antenna (this has happened on several occasions!).

Do not expect the TRUTH amplifier (or ANY amplifier) to improve the performance of poor, or  gimmick,  antennas.

Every TRUTH amplifier is individually, professionally proofed (TWICE!) prior to shipment to  certify  our advertised  specifications. Thus, we know that each one performs exactly as we say they do and so do  hundreds  of satisfied buyers ...  this is, after all, the only way we could afford to offer them!

In short, if the amp is not defective (DOA), then it should work in all situations where an  amplifier  is applicable.

In setups where the TRUTH amp would not improve the signal ... then, obviously,  it  is NOT a situation that an amplifier can improve to begin with!  We will  correspond with you in detail both before and after your purchase to help you with your application but  YOU must make the effort to contact us!

Therefore, if you truly need an amplifier that will perform as ours is described and apply it properly  ... 
there should be no reason to be dissatisfied with your purchase except for the unlikely scenario  whereby  the amp  should arrive dead on arrival!

.

However ...

In the HIGHLY unlikely event your amp would arrive damaged or defective ... we  would promptly  replace it at no cost to you (including your return shipping!).

 Furthermore, we now extend  the  warranty to include any ELECTRONICS failure within NINETY DAYS!
(Cosmetics/hardware  not  included nor is electronics damage by misapplication, power surges or lightning)

Any failure outside the warranty, or subsequent to ninety days, would be repaired for just a  minimal  $10.00 bench charge and return shipping fee. 

In addition to replacing a defective item at no cost (which is so rare we have had only FOUR to date!) ... If you are not satisfied with your purchase for any reason, or having application problems ...
PLEASE, EMAIL US FIRST at the email address provided in the included applications notes and we will correspond with you personally to try and determine the problem  and walk you  through basic troubleshooting.
 

PRICE INCLUDES  PRIORITY MAIL SHIPPING IN THE USA !

I USE FLAT RATE PRIORITY MAIL EXCLUSIVELY FOR MANY VALID REASONS ...

IT COSTS ONLY A LITTLE MORE THAN THE OTHER MAIL CLASSES 

IT RECEIVES TRUE PRIORITY CARE AND HANDLING IN ALL ASPECTS  BY  USPS 

DELIVERY IS FASTEST POSSIBLE AIRMAIL - 2 TO 3 DAYS  ANYWHERE  USA 

IT UTILIZES POSTAL SERVICE APPROVED, AND SUPPLIED,  SHIPPING  MATERIALS 

PRICE INCLUDES GUARANTEED SAFE, CONFIRMED, DELIVERY  WITH  TRACKING

INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING ADDITIONAL BY CALCULATION


IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER:
By purchasing this device you signify your own  full responsibility for it's application or misapplication.
The supplier is NOT, and CAN NOT, in any way, be responsible,  or liable, for any damages to person or property that might occur while this device is in use!

IF THIS AMPLIFIER WON'T IMPROVE
YOUR VHF/UHF DIGITAL TV SIGNAL RECEPTION  ... 
THEN NO AMPLIFIER WILL!

The simple "TRUTH"©™

Complete concept, text, descriptions and photos copyright  ©2009-2022  by  mediaman6-eBay.
All rights  reserved and enforced!