How to tell bat wing type

If your crank-up antenna looks like this then you are good to go... This antenna is pointing to the transmitter station to the right of the photo... Note this BATWING Antenna has the small dipoles which makes it much better for the high VHF and UHF TV stations.

This is the antenna I use here and typically pick up the National Broadcast digital tranmitting stations in the 60-70 miles away range from my location...


You must have the ANTENNA WALL PLATE turned on to power up the amplifier inside this antenna... You also have to use the Digital TV settings for Antenna and do the scan for digital TV stations before being able to watch TV...

My setup here is much like this pictorial...


enjoy...

Roy Ken

Crank it up
Turn booster ON
Then AIM it......face of head pointed towards transponder towers
TV Input set to Air---Antenna (not cable etc)
TV Auto scan for channels

AIMING..
If other campers are around and getting OTA then point same direction as others and just fine tune when you get channels (small movements to increase signal strength)

If unsure.
Then there are Digital OTA websites that will give compass directions of towers based on present location

Everytime you relocate you have to do the same routine


Antenna Web

Thanks for the good info. It does have a booster. I have a newer ( 4 year old lcd) tv. So I think I may give it a try tomorrow.

. deleted duplicate info

Lucky you with a real RV TV antenna. You might need to add the Wingman accessory if it does not already have it to maximize UHF reception. You can replace most of the key components if any are damaged or worn out.

firemedic08 wrote:
I've never had an RV with the crank up antenna. My new to me 5er has one. How can I tell if it is able to get the digital OTA signal? Will I need anything else to make it work with my tv?

there is no such animal as a 'digital' antenna. any antenna engineered for TV reception can receive digital signals. if you have a digital TV you'll get the digital programming. if you have an old analog set you'll need a digital-to-analog converter.

when the FCC mandated the broadcasters make the switch from analog to digital they permitted them to also seek a change in their tranmit frequency. many stations in the lower part of the VHF portion of the band changed to UHF frequencies. your batwing receives both VHF and UHF signals...VHF on the 'wings' and UHF in the center head of the antenna. you can add a low-cost add-on called the 'Wingman' that will improve UHF reception of those stations who made that change. you should also have an amplifier in your 5'er. be sure to use that when using the batwing. have you found that?

many broadcasters have lowered their transmit power. that, coupled with digital tv's characteristic of the signal being there or not, makes reception more problematic than in the old analog days. with analog the farther away you were from the transmitter or if there was something between you and the transmitter such as higher terrain, buildings, etc. or if you were in a wooded area the result would be 'snow' or hash. the hash would get progressively worse until the picture just faded away. with digital the picture is either there or not. instead of hash you're likely to see what many call 'pixelization'...large colored squares instead of a picture. that's an indication of interference. your batwing is also directional so twisting it one way or the other will help draw in a better picture.

hope this helps.