Can Dish receiver work with roof antenna?

The 211k has a tuner in it and yes you can just plug the antenna into it and get OTA stations BUT, it won't work unless the the Dish account is active. I like it because it integrates the over the air stations into the guide.

Will the TV accept the digital signal from the roof antenna, or do you have to go through a converter box. How old is the TV?
I would think that the antenna cable would hook up to the Dish box, and you wouldn't need the other switch box...though you could continue to have the three inputs go through the selector box, which may be easier to keep organized?

The roof top antenna will work, BUT, if it's a directional unit, you may have problems getting the strongest signal, just as you do with the DISH, unless you know where to point it. It may be worth it to upgrade to an omni-direction digital antenna to replace the existing antenna.
Though there are apps or computer sites that will tell you where the various over the air broadcasts are sent from, so you can use a compass and figure things out, but you'd need to change the antenna each time you changed channels....which is why the omni-direction antenna is so nice.

Good luck:)

Ok let me see if I read this right:
You want to attempt to get OVER THE AIR broadcast TV using your Dish' receiver's OTA in, using the Winegard Batwing on the roof and you want to know will it work:

Short answer: YES
Medium answer, Possibly
It will work but if signal strength is not good enough results will be poor

You may stop reading here.. Or continue on for how to make it work BETTER.

Long answer:

When FCC mandated the broadcasters go digital a lot of folks started selling 20 dollar antennas for 100 dollars simply re-labeling them "Digital" these were total rip-offs.. WHY: Because antennas do not know digital from morse code (The very first radio transmissions were morse code) AM/FM, NTSC (old analog TV) ATSC (new digital tv) to then antenna, no difference. the only difference is FREQUENCY or if you like Wavelength (For practical purposes Wavelength in meters = 300 Million/Frequency in MHz, So you can say it either way, Frequency or wavelength, there is a direct, inverse, translation.

Old NTSC analog tv used 3 bands, VHF-Low, VHF-High and UHF
Modern ATSC Digital Tv.... Uses the exact same bands.. and thus works with the exact same antennas.. HOWEVER

There has been a "Migration" Up in frequency (More UHF, fewer VHF way fewer VHF-LO) and the channel number on your screen... Not always the one at the antenna.. But.. you do not (normally) need to know this.

So, the antenna still works.

The other thing is many stations reduced power.. So ... You can use a bit more gain, epically on UHF.

If your antenna is a Winegard Batwing (Sensar II or III) you can improve UHF performance by adding the Wingman, about 30 bucks, you do it yourself, takes just a couple of minutes.. The job:

Raise the antenna and take the kit up on the roof, Take a pair of regular slip joint pliars with you (or any flat jawed pliars set)

Pull 4 rubber "Feet" off the bottom of the batwing,, I did it with my fingers but this is what the pliars are for.

Hold the WINGMAN up against the bottom and line up the holes

Push 4 Plastic Push-Pins in till they lock

Job done.

(NOTE MAKE sure it will fit first,, Sometimes they do not and you end up cutting off one director element).

The second upgrade is the SENSAR PRO, about 100 bucks. Now if you have the good old wall plate with Switch 12 volt outlet antenna connector and light.

THIS, replaces it Very easy instructions are good.

IF not (I have a box of many buttons) it is a bit more complex.

This device has two digital displays, 3 buttons and a column of LED's.
Push top button till it turns off... Selects CABLE/OTHER input.

Push button so LED (Any of them) and displays turn on (SELECTS OVER THE AIR ANTENNA) in the first position past off it searches for the strongest DIGITAL signal and displays the carrier channel (The one the antenna sees) and signal strength.

In the next position you can use the other two buttons (marked UP and DOWN) to scroll through the detected channels I BELIEVE in signal strength order
In the NEXT position you can select a channel using the UP/DOWN buttons, in all these positions the top indicator shows the strength (zero to 99) of the received signal.
IN the next position you can adjust the gain of the Sensar Pro 2nd Pre-amp, This can make a ****BIG**** Difference

And the last (bottom) position gives you the option of turning on a speaker so you can peak by sound like those annoying satellit folkls BEEP BEEP BEEP ing all over the park.

Ok let me see if I read this right:
You want to attempt to get OVER THE AIR broadcast TV using your Dish' receiver's OTA in, using the Winegard Batwing on the roof and you want to know will it work:

Short answer: YES
Medium answer, Possibly
It will work but if signal strength is not good enough results will be poor

You may stop reading here.. Or continue on for how to make it work BETTER.

Long answer:

When FCC mandated the broadcasters go digital a lot of folks started selling 20 dollar antennas for 100 dollars simply re-labeling them "Digital" these were total rip-offs.. WHY: Because antennas do not know digital from morse code (The very first radio transmissions were morse code) AM/FM, NTSC (old analog TV) ATSC (new digital tv) to then antenna, no difference. the only difference is FREQUENCY or if you like Wavelength (For practical purposes Wavelength in meters = 300 Million/Frequency in MHz, So you can say it either way, Frequency or wavelength, there is a direct, inverse, translation.

Old NTSC analog tv used 3 bands, VHF-Low, VHF-High and UHF
Modern ATSC Digital Tv.... Uses the exact same bands.. and thus works with the exact same antennas.. HOWEVER

There has been a "Migration" Up in frequency (More UHF, fewer VHF way fewer VHF-LO) and the channel number on your screen... Not always the one at the antenna.. But.. you do not (normally) need to know this.

So, the antenna still works.

The other thing is many stations reduced power.. So ... You can use a bit more gain, epically on UHF.

If your antenna is a Winegard Batwing (Sensar II or III) you can improve UHF performance by adding the Wingman, about 30 bucks, you do it yourself, takes just a couple of minutes.. The job:

Raise the antenna and take the kit up on the roof, Take a pair of regular slip joint pliars with you (or any flat jawed pliars set)

Pull 4 rubber "Feet" off the bottom of the batwing,, I did it with my fingers but this is what the pliars are for.

Hold the WINGMAN up against the bottom and line up the holes

Push 4 Plastic Push-Pins in till they lock

Job done.

(NOTE MAKE sure it will fit first,, Sometimes they do not and you end up cutting off one director element).

The second upgrade is the SENSAR PRO, about 100 bucks. Now if you have the good old wall plate with Switch 12 volt outlet antenna connector and light.

THIS, replaces it Very easy instructions are good.

IF not (I have a box of many buttons) it is a bit more complex.

This device has two digital displays, 3 buttons and a column of LED's.
Push top button till it turns off... Selects CABLE/OTHER input.

Push button so LED (Any of them) and displays turn on (SELECTS OVER THE AIR ANTENNA) in the first position past off it searches for the strongest DIGITAL signal and displays the carrier channel (The one the antenna sees) and signal strength.

In the next position you can use the other two buttons (marked UP and DOWN) to scroll through the detected channels I BELIEVE in signal strength order
In the NEXT position you can select a channel using the UP/DOWN buttons, in all these positions the top indicator shows the strength (zero to 99) of the received signal.
IN the next position you can adjust the gain of the Sensar Pro 2nd Pre-amp, This can make a ****BIG**** Difference

And the last (bottom) position gives you the option of turning on a speaker so you can peak by sound like those annoying satellit folkls BEEP BEEP BEEP ing all over the park.

Ok let me see if I read this right:
You want to attempt to get OVER THE AIR broadcast TV using your Dish' receiver's OTA in, using the Winegard Batwing on the roof and you want to know will it work:

Short answer: YES
Medium answer, Possibly
It will work but if signal strength is not good enough results will be poor

You may stop reading here.. Or continue on for how to make it work BETTER.

Long answer:

When FCC mandated the broadcasters go digital a lot of folks started selling 20 dollar antennas for 100 dollars simply re-labeling them "Digital" these were total rip-offs.. WHY: Because antennas do not know digital from morse code (The very first radio transmissions were morse code) AM/FM, NTSC (old analog TV) ATSC (new digital tv) to then antenna, no difference. the only difference is FREQUENCY or if you like Wavelength (For practical purposes Wavelength in meters = 300 Million/Frequency in MHz, So you can say it either way, Frequency or wavelength, there is a direct, inverse, translation.

Old NTSC analog tv used 3 bands, VHF-Low, VHF-High and UHF
Modern ATSC Digital Tv.... Uses the exact same bands.. and thus works with the exact same antennas.. HOWEVER

There has been a "Migration" Up in frequency (More UHF, fewer VHF way fewer VHF-LO) and the channel number on your screen... Not always the one at the antenna.. But.. you do not (normally) need to know this.

So, the antenna still works.

The other thing is many stations reduced power.. So ... You can use a bit more gain, epically on UHF.

If your antenna is a Winegard Batwing (Sensar II or III) you can improve UHF performance by adding the Wingman, about 30 bucks, you do it yourself, takes just a couple of minutes.. The job:

Raise the antenna and take the kit up on the roof, Take a pair of regular slip joint pliars with you (or any flat jawed pliars set)

Pull 4 rubber "Feet" off the bottom of the batwing,, I did it with my fingers but this is what the pliars are for.

Hold the WINGMAN up against the bottom and line up the holes

Push 4 Plastic Push-Pins in till they lock

Job done.

(NOTE MAKE sure it will fit first,, Sometimes they do not and you end up cutting off one director element).

The second upgrade is the SENSAR PRO, about 100 bucks. Now if you have the good old wall plate with Switch 12 volt outlet antenna connector and light.

THIS, replaces it Very easy instructions are good.

IF not (I have a box of many buttons) it is a bit more complex.

This device has two digital displays, 3 buttons and a column of LED's.
Push top button till it turns off... Selects CABLE/OTHER input.

Push button so LED (Any of them) and displays turn on (SELECTS OVER THE AIR ANTENNA) in the first position past off it searches for the strongest DIGITAL signal and displays the carrier channel (The one the antenna sees) and signal strength.

In the next position you can use the other two buttons (marked UP and DOWN) to scroll through the detected channels I BELIEVE in signal strength order
In the NEXT position you can select a channel using the UP/DOWN buttons, in all these positions the top indicator shows the strength (zero to 99) of the received signal.
IN the next position you can adjust the gain of the Sensar Pro 2nd Pre-amp, This can make a ****BIG**** Difference

And the last (bottom) position gives you the option of turning on a speaker so you can peak by sound like those annoying satellit folkls BEEP BEEP BEEP ing all over the park.

RoyF wrote:
I haven't tried to use my roof antenna since broadcasters switched to digital. (It's the Winegard that came on my 2008 Hitchhiker II; can't find a model number.) I've got a Tailgater satellite and a Dish 211k receiver. It just occurred to me that the 211v receiver has an input labeled "rooftop antenna". Could I get over-the-air stations by plugging the coax from the rooftop antenna into that input of the 211k? (The fifth-wheel is at a storage yard eight miles away, while I'm at home and have just thought of this.)

If someone out there knows about this, and if the answer is "yes", then what about the switch contraption by which I select a video input (cable, roof, dvd, etc.) In the case of Tailgater, I ran its coax directly into the 211k without going through the switch. Would I do likewise with the coax from the roof antenna?

I can't even get through one of the above posts so I would like to make it a bit more simple.
YES.
Wasn't that easy!
Now, there is no actual benefit for having done so as the coach is already setup to watch OTA TV. Just pushing the selector box lets each TV watch satellite or OTA.
If you wanted to convert your 211K to a DVR, then adding the OTA input would allow you to record OTA and satellite. To do this you would just add a splitter to the coax line coming out of the selector box (To TV 1) allowing one line to go to the TV and the other line going to the 211K.

Bill says there is no benefit using the 211K tuner but when I get to a place I have never been and I don't have a TV guide, I like that the OTA stations are on the guide and I can see what is on or is going to be on. I can't do that with the tuner in the TV and I say that is a benefit at least to me.

Mine's working just fine.

I've used it a couple of times and it works just fine, brings the channels up on the guide and you can fine tune the signal with its strength meter. The only drawback is you have to manually remove the channels from the guide when you move. We normally just change our locals when we move but it would come in handy during bad weather and you lose the sat signal.

Denny

I've used it a couple of times and it works just fine, brings the channels up on the guide and you can fine tune the signal with its strength meter. The only drawback is you have to manually remove the channels from the guide when you move. We normally just change our locals when we move but it would come in handy during bad weather and you lose the sat signal.

Denny