Rayzar Air retrofit antenna

IAMICHABOD wrote:

MNtundraRet wrote:

As usual the promotional information supplied so far will confuse a lot of people. "omnidirectional" in this case does not mean getting mean getting signals in all directions (the absolute worst type of antenna for television). It means in only two directions (off front and back) which is a good thing, and an improvement over the current antenna.

As for which is better (Winegard IV versus Rayzar Air) I am waiting for more testing.

It looks like the information already has confused some, this antenna IS NOT "omnidirectional" it is BI-DIRECTIONAL.
From Winegards own website.
" The Rayzar Air's multi-directional reception pattern gives it more coverage than the Sensar, which will lead to less tuning required to receive programming. It is also optimized for UHF reception, which a majority of US over-the-air stations are broadcast on."

In its own Ads it is shown as a replacement for the Sensar.


I think in testing The Batwing may still be better for distance,as some have said but for my needs and application this is the best it can get.
Ether way Winegard wins.........:C

People write off VHF in general, and that's simply not the case nationwide. Living in sunny Southern California, you are obviously aware that channels 7, 9, 11, & 13 are alive and well. VHF is far from dead, and in fact it's not CBS, but there is another transmitter up and running on Channel 2 from Mt. Wilson.

As with all antennas...

A high gain antenna like the batwing with wingman is best for stations tightly grouped and far off (Or close in, really does not matter if the grouping is tight enough)

As you get closer and closer to the transmitters you need more "Side Vision" so a medium job like the Jack, has a wider "Field of vision"

Then comes the Rayzr

And finally the roadstar.

MNtundraRet wrote:

As usual the promotional information supplied so far will confuse a lot of people. "omnidirectional" in this case does not mean getting mean getting signals in all directions (the absolute worst type of antenna for television). It means in only two directions (off front and back) which is a good thing, and an improvement over the current antenna.

As for which is better (Winegard IV versus Rayzar Air) I am waiting for more testing.

It looks like the information already has confused some, this antenna IS NOT "omnidirectional" it is BI-DIRECTIONAL.
From Winegards own website.
" The Rayzar Air's multi-directional reception pattern gives it more coverage than the Sensar, which will lead to less tuning required to receive programming. It is also optimized for UHF reception, which a majority of US over-the-air stations are broadcast on."

In its own Ads it is shown as a replacement for the Sensar.


I think in testing The Batwing may still be better for distance,as some have said but for my needs and application this is the best it can get.
Ether way Winegard wins.........:C

The Batwing is still better for distance. The directional part makes it work better that way. I posted the results here on the signal strength between the Batwing and the Rayzar Air pointed correctly, pointed out 90 and 180 degrees and the Rayzar only point 45 out. The results, I thought, were interesting with the Batwing winning when properly pointed but varying results compared to the Rayzar Air when not.
I also forgot to mention that the Rayzar Air and the Jack are not designed to receive channels 2-6. I am currently in Las Vegas where NBC 3 is broadcast on channel 2. The Batwing can receive this station but the Rayzar Air does not.

Based on the manual's warning, I guess if you forget to lower this antenna before driving off, if the trees don't get it the wind will destroy it once you reach highway speeds.
:S

I guess we will need more signs to warn us to lower the antenna.
:B

As usual the promotional information supplied so far will confuse a lot of people. "omnidirectional" in this case does not mean getting mean getting signals in all directions (the absolute worst type of antenna for television). It means in only two directions (off front and back) which is a good thing, and an improvement over the current antenna.

As for which is better (Winegard IV versus Rayzar Air) I am waiting for more testing.

Home Skillet wrote:
Looks like a slight wind may rip it off.

I suspect this is why they provide a shorter lift rod.

Home Skillet wrote:
Looks like a slight wind may rip it off.

Yep it may catch a bit of wind but it is rated to 70 MPH.

As stated on Page 5 of the user guide

"WARNING: Don’t travel with the antenna in the
deployed position. Stow the antenna before
traveling.If the included (16”) boom has been
installed, also stow the antenna when wind speeds
reach 70 mph or greater. If the existing boom is being
used, stow the antenna when wind speeds reach 50
mph or greater".
It blows pretty hard in our high deserts and I have had no problems with it at all.

No, a slight wind will not bother it. Neither will a larger wind. But I must say, I do love coach potato diagnosis.
I compared the antenna to the Batwing in an earlier post an, of course, the Batwing won but compared to most anything else I think you will find that it stands up very well against most anything else.

Looks like a slight wind may rip it off.

I just posted this a bit ago from my last trip with the Rayzar.

It may be helpful, it also has a link to another discussion about the Rayzar.

Rayzar