Over The Air Antenna

want-a-be wrote:
We are in need of a over the air antenna that is not directional since we have no way to turn it. We have tryed a Rayzar RZ 8535 and only got 4 stations.
People in the park with batwing antennas or getting 30 plus stations, I know they pick up better but there should be a antenna that picks up more then 4 stations without putting a hole though the roof.
Thanks for all comments

Well according to your owners Manuel on page 4-6 you can move your antenna.
Television Antenna You can automatically search for channels that are active in your area by editing and scanning channels on your remote control. To do this you will need to:
? Press the power button to turn TV on
? Press Menu
? Go to Setup, press “OK”
? Go to Ant/Cable Setup, press “OK”
? Make sure ANT IN is on Antenna to program Antenna or on Cable to program cable
? Then press “OK” on all channels
? When scanning is complete, press “OK”
NOTE: The booster must be on for ANT (green light will appear) and off for the cable. The booster is located in the front, right cabinet of your unit.

If you do not receive the desired channels, re-direct the Antenna with Control located in the upper cabinet in front of the passenger seat. After re-directing the antenna, you must rescan channels.


Bill

First there are many ways to turn an antenna

I will describe several antennas by type. Only one by model

First: The best RV antenna is the Winegard SENSAR IV especially if you install the Sensar Pro. indoor module.. NOTE Many antennas can benefit from the Sensar Pro.

NONE of the following antennas will out perform it

The worst: is a pure omnidirectional antenna.. No gain, And subect to multi-path reception which can actually cancel out a signal.

Better: RCA once sold a "Flying saucer" shaped antenna that had a rotor inside, it was a direcitonal antenna, operated via a remote control.. Note that when I say "Once" I'm talking the 1970's.. That antenna was prodced under several lables (I'm not sure RCA mad it, but they sold it) Radio Shack calls it an "HD antenna" (Marketing hype. all TV antennas are HD and SD, they are "I don't care" D" to the antenna it's all radio, period).

And finally there is the Winegard automatic antenna

There is also one automatic antenna that "Chats" with selected TV's or digital converters.. However it's not a long rang antenna no where near as good as the Winegard.

With the Winegard I understand (But since I don't have one can not tell you how to operate it) it defaults to aiming at the STRONGEST signal it receives.. You can.. if you choose. pick the 2nd or 3rd or 4th strongest (#th) and doing so may give you more choices.


The Sensar Pro module.. This replaces the traditional wall plate with switch, 12 volt socket, light and antenna connection.. You lose the useless 12 volt socket, and all the connections are on the rear (But on short cables) so you need to do a bit of "Work" to get a front panel connection.

It adds more gain, a signal strength meter, a signal "Scanner" and also provides 12 volt to the antenna head to operate the antenna's electronics.

IF your antenna can use it.> I highly recommend.

We stayed at a local campground recently and for the first time, my Winegard Batwing with the Wingman extender didn't pick anything up. A bunch of the seasonals had one of these on the end of a 15 foot pole and were picking up 10 stations.

I built one and tried it out on the last trip of the season and it did work and picked up a few more than the Batwing.

I am replacing a HD view 360. I put the Razar in the same place, no trees around nothing on roof to close, the RV getting 30 plus stations is 50 or so feet away. The lady I talk to at winegard said that the razar booster is not that strong and that there is not that many station that I could pick up where I am located.

for 425$$ that razr should be made of gold??????
bumpy

Location, Location, Location. I have a Rayzar. First, you cannot get your antenna as high as the batwing. Second, try various locations as high as possible in your camper. I was camped for a week and found that my first instinct put the antenna by the kitchen. No real reception, I think because of the refrigerator and other blocking metal. I moved it all the way down to the end of the camper and had remarkably improved reception.

I assume this unit is mounted on your roof. Did you cut the cable or extend it beyond the factory standard. Have you reset the unit. Is this the first location that you have tried to find a signal. Remember just because your neighbor is getting a lot does not mean you will. You are not setting in the same spot he is. Do you have trees or other things in the antenna line of sight.

I notice that on the installation instruction that they want required amount of space around the unit.

want-a-be wrote:
but there should be a antenna that picks up more then 4 stations without putting a hole though the roof.
Thanks for all comments

Maybe there "should be" but I don't think there IS.

Of course you could attach an antenna mast to something like your ladder and then put up a batwing and take it down every time you stop......and maybe use the "cable" input to get the signal inside.
But then turning it to get the most stations would be kind of a pain.

(And good point in the previous post. The 8535 requires power to the little control panel to make it work. Without that the performance would be VERY poor.)

That Razar model is one of the best you can get. It should be about comparable with the batwing antenna. If you are not getting good results compared to your neighbors I would suggest you have something else wrong.....TV, cabling, switching, defective RZ 8535, or perhaps you are not operating it correctly?