winguard sensar pro

I just recently installed a sensar pro in my 2001 Beaver coach. I have been having issues with my OTA antenna for a couple of months. I decided to replace the antenna with a winegard sensar 4 antenna ansd install the sensar pro with it.

First issue I had was that I had a bad cable feed wire that had kinked where it enters the roof. I replaced the whole cable from the top fitting of the antenna into the coach.

The sensar pro was mostly switching out the old winegard receptacle that had the 12 volt opening and a button to push for turning the antenna amplifier on. This was easy to do and the directions were quite good. The only issue I had was tracing all my tv cable wires and marking them as to what they were hooked up to. Yours may be just swapping out the three cable wires and a positive and negative wire for the amplifier.

I went from receiving one channel to receiving 31 channels now. I love it. Wish I had done it sooner.

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I installed one in my last MH and it worked just fine. I had to enlarge the opening a bit, but no big deal. As mentioned above, the instructions were spot on, and very easy to hookup. Keep in mind that the new Sensar Pro does not have a cable out on the front panel like the old one, so if you are using it, then you will need to adjust the setup.

The Sensar Pro works very well and is simple to install. It's a wire for wire replacement for your existing Winegard power supply wall plate. If your coach does not have one then things are a little more complicated but the instructions are pretty clear and it should not be a problem for most handy people (can't say handyman anymore!).

Bill.Satellite wrote:
The Sensar Pro works very well and is simple to install. It's a wire for wire replacement for your existing Winegard power supply wall plate. If your coach does not have one then things are a little more complicated but the instructions are pretty clear and it should not be a problem for most handy people (can't say handyman anymore!).

I agree, it made a big difference for me, and was rather easily installed.

A few small differences from the standard winegard power supply complicated things only slightly.

The winegard power supply had the output F connector soldered to a circuit board, that poked through a hole in the faceplate. The input connectors were also soldered on, and on the opposite end of the circuit board. The tiny thing fit inside the ceiling and the faceplate held it in there.

The Sensar however is huge by comparison, and the inputs and output are all on wires, not fixed to anything. I could have enlarged the hole in my ceiling to fit it in, but what about the output connector, it would just be dangling. So I went to Lowes and got a plastic surface wall switch box, the kind designed for use with surface conduit. I drilled a hole in it for the output connector, and glued it in there. I then screwed the box onto the ceiling, covering the existing hole, and then attached the Sensar to it as usual.

I did lose the 12v outlet that was part of the old amplifier, but that's no big deal.

The sensor pro doesn't produce more channels, it just tells you what direction they are,....saves time scanning in 4 different directions.
I too had to mount a standard wall receptical box to mount it in.
Yes, I think Winegard really did a P poor job w/ the change out installation for an otherwise great product

The install depends on if you have a Winegard Wall plate with switch, light, 12 volt outlet and antenna connection or a box of many buttons (Like I do)

First method: Wall plate

Following instructions remove 2 screws from wall plate,, REmove and protect two 12 volt wires, Remove and label 3 Coax cables.. Fit Sensar pro into box, if it will nto go all the way in use the spacer provided and try again.. SUCCESS continue.

I would NOTCH one corner of the box to let the TV one line comne out to the front (if that is you had a TV-1 connected to the front of the wall plate)

Re-connect the 3 coax cables in teh back, Re-connect the two 12 volt leads, hold the TV-1 Cable in the notch (NOTE: TV-1 and TV-2 are interchangable) and mount unit using two screws provided.. Connect TV 1. Press button to turn on.

With box of many buttons.. Obtain and install a standard outlewt box,, Mine is plastic, at any handy install point near your BOMB.

On the BOMB disconnect the ANT cable, and if needed extend it, if not just run it, to inside the outlet box.. label it ANT

Run a newe cable from the BOMB's ANT connection into the box

Tap the 12 volt lines (Splice into them) for the BOMB and run those into the box (NOTE, work on one wire at a time to prevent shorts)

Connect `12 volt to terminals on Sensar Pro.. Connect Cable to BOMB to TV-1 (or TV-2) Connect ANT cable to ANT, (NOTE In my case I notched and brought the CABLE port out as an additional "AUX" in shoudl I ever need it, so far it just hangs there)

And again mount unit in box and press button to turn on

GAIN settings 10 seems to be unity, higher is gain, lower cuts teh signal strewngth (Useful if parked at the transmitter site, or close to it)

Very happy with mine.

Unless you BOMB specifically says "amplified" or has a DVR modulator as well as the other buttons, the box does not need a 12V source and the 12V can be removed from the BOMB and wired directly to the Sensar Pro. The BOMB does not need or use 12V for anything other than providing power to the antenna (except for the above exceptions).

Here are 2 videos I did a while back.

SensarPro Demo

SensarPro install with BOMB

RJsfishin wrote:
The sensor pro doesn't produce more channels, it just tells you what direction they are

This information is incorrect. The Sensar Pro absolutely can bring in additional channels in weak service areas. The Sensar Pro has a built in amplifier which can add as much as 10dB to the incoming signal. You will see an option called "Gain" and this is an amplifier. Setting this to 10 is no additional gain. Going below 10 will attenuate the signal (necessary when you are too close to the incoming signal) and going above 10 will add 1-10dB gain (11-20). It will also tell you what direction to point the antenna but depending upon where you are parked there may be more than 1 correct direction.