Help on a TV antenna

There is absolutely no way that $25 antenna can get signals from 150 miles away or the full range of VHF & UHF signals. If you want to find out what you CAN get with a good antenna, go to TVfool.com, enter your location and see what is available. There are no industry standards for testing and listing of how far away antennas can get a signal and distances are often inflated. Some signals will be line of sight and long distance will be reflected off the atmosphere. The problem with a roof mounted RV antenna is that they need to be able to withstand high wind speeds from road travel and in some areas, heavy snow loads. I agree Winegard is behind on antennas for today's RV-ers. Just about anything larger than the Sensar IV should be better.

The Winegard Sensar IV is about as you can get for an antenna on the roof of an RV. To do better than that, you'll want a yagi style antenna that is wider and has a longer boom or a bowtie array style. Getting it higher should help but not always. A basic/compact yagi style antenna would be something like the popular Winegard HD7000R in 1st pic and is listed as good for 30 miles. RCA and one or two others make a similar one. An example of an antenna designed for long range would be something like the Winegard HD8200U in 2nd pic which is listed as good for up to 65 miles, but it's huge at 14' long by over 9' wide. If you want to see what's available in OTA TV antennas, Solid Signal has a good listing of the various brands and types.

I've been looking at getting something better than our Sensar IV but the problem is not only physical size, it's that larger antennas are going to be fragile. Have also been looking at a sectional or telescoping pole but would need to figure out how to attach it our TT. An amp will also be needed and will need to be able to rotate the antenna.

I have the rotatable batwing and it works fair but for better signals I bought a more directional antenna. I mounted the antenna on a 10' piece of EMT and a 5' piece on the rear bumper. At the campsite I can slide the 10' into a coupler on the 5' and connect the cable on the side of the camper. I compared the two antennas in my driveway and found the batwing got 4 local channels about 22 miles away, the directional got 22 channels from 75-80 miles away. The directional has a built in rotator motor and cost under $40. Pics shows the antenna stored inside and the 5' EMT on the rear bumper.

Bill.Satellite wrote:

1Longbow wrote:
We have a stationary antenna on top of our TT. It sits about 8 inches off the roof. What would you all suggest for a better antenna replacement,that does not require a lot of work,but would improve reception. Thank you

If it looks like a flying saucer then most anything is an improvement. The best is the Winegard Batwing antenna but this requires drilling a hole in the roof. It's not hard but you have to have a bit of knowledge about what you are doing.
Winegard makes a dome style antenna called the Rayzar Automatic which has a directional antenna inside and could likely be installed without running any new wiring.

We had a flying saucer antenna on our 5er. Really wasn't much of antenna. Would have installed a conventional batwing version, but with the high ceiling in the 5er we wouldn't have been able to adjust it.

We replaced the flying saucer with the Rayzar Automatic. Works much better that the old one, but probably not as good as a batwing. The install was pretty easy. Cost more than we wanted to pay, but it is an improvement from what we had.

wa8yxm wrote:
I will agree that 150 mile Wal-Mart job is a good antenna.. BUT. it is NOT designed for RV use.. This means at 60 MPH going down the highway.. You may find a tangled mess when you next park.

The Winegard is DESIGNED to go down the road (In the lowered position)

Another thing.. HEIGHT IS MIGHT. the higher you can raise the antenna.. The better. (Up to a point but that point is well OVER 100 feet up)

We strap our to the ladder when we arrive and remove it before we leave.

I will agree that 150 mile Wal-Mart job is a good antenna.. BUT. it is NOT designed for RV use.. This means at 60 MPH going down the highway.. You may find a tangled mess when you next park.

The Winegard is DESIGNED to go down the road (In the lowered position)

Another thing.. HEIGHT IS MIGHT. the higher you can raise the antenna.. The better. (Up to a point but that point is well OVER 100 feet up)

So, how did the $25 antenna perform for you?

This one was interesting so I ordered one. Got it today and put it together. Going camping tomorrow and will do a real world test against a Sensar that has the digital readout amp. I'm going to put the $25 antenna on a window washing pole that is 14' extended and bungee it to the rear bumper of the trailer. If it works well and I see no reason it shouldn't then I'll try the 24' window washing pole.

Being in middle TN at the campground I may have access to Chattanooga, TN (probably be blocked by Monteagle), Huntsville, AL, Cookeville, TN and Nashville, TN stations. That's the good the bad is that the campground has fairly thick standing trees so that will probably be a factor.

RJsfishin wrote:
This antenna will outperform a WG Batwing 2 to 1.

As far as I'm concerned, Winegard is way behind on OTA antenna technology.


https://www.walmart.com/ip/Ematic-HD-TV-Motorized-Outdoor-Antenna-with-150-Mile-Range/46998188

I second this, but more like 5 to 1! Best $25 I EVER spent on the RV!

This antenna will outperform a WG Batwing 2 to 1.

As far as I'm concerned, Winegard is way behind on OTA antenna technology.


https://www.walmart.com/ip/Ematic-HD-TV-Motorized-Outdoor-Antenna-with-150-Mile-Range/46998188

The antenna ScottG supplied a picture of, is the same one a friend of ours has on his new trailer. It was amplified but does not rotate.

He happened to be aimed in the right direction, and close enough, to pick up available channels where we camped.

We kidded him about the need to rotate the trailer to properely aim the antenna in the future. He was under the impression the antenna would rotate when he purchased the trailer.