RV TV Reception
I have a 2004 class C Dutchman motor home. It currently has an an oem adjustable antenna on the roof and an analog TV. We are replacing the tv with a digital. What would be your recommendation to obta...
Forum Discussion
Any wire will work.. There are optimum lengths and optimum layouts but any wire will work. I've used coat hangers (Cut to length) as radio antennas many times, (I have the calculator to cut 'em with) I've used coax cable properly cut and trimmed, I've used test leads.. Just about anything.. and if the signal is strong enough and the noise quiet enough it works.
Better, in fact, with digital since the TV basically ignores the noise till it gets overpowering.
In slightly rounded figures the best length for a single wire antenna is 75meteres/frequency in Mhz of broadcast (So a 1 MHZ (1000 on your AM radio dial) would be 75 meters of wire.. A 50 Mhz (Bottom of Channel one by the way) signal would be 1 1/2 meters (yes I know there is no channel 1, I'm licensed for that frequency block).
I'll let you folks do the math on the rest of it.
For a dipole, (2 wires, one hooked to the center of the fitting/coax and one hooked to the threads/shield) same length on both sides of the center (The connector/coax)
Then you get some fancy patterns, Like the folded dipole.. For this one you need a transformer (300-75 Ohm) Take a length of TV twin lead just a bit shorter than the half wave calc (150 Meters/frequency in Mhz) and short the ends, cut a notch out of the center of ONE SIDE and hook your transformer's 300 ohm leads up there. then coax to the TV.
These are all basic antennas, Now if you want to add gain... Get a computer program that helps you design 'em cause this post is already too long.
Better, in fact, with digital since the TV basically ignores the noise till it gets overpowering.
In slightly rounded figures the best length for a single wire antenna is 75meteres/frequency in Mhz of broadcast (So a 1 MHZ (1000 on your AM radio dial) would be 75 meters of wire.. A 50 Mhz (Bottom of Channel one by the way) signal would be 1 1/2 meters (yes I know there is no channel 1, I'm licensed for that frequency block).
I'll let you folks do the math on the rest of it.
For a dipole, (2 wires, one hooked to the center of the fitting/coax and one hooked to the threads/shield) same length on both sides of the center (The connector/coax)
Then you get some fancy patterns, Like the folded dipole.. For this one you need a transformer (300-75 Ohm) Take a length of TV twin lead just a bit shorter than the half wave calc (150 Meters/frequency in Mhz) and short the ends, cut a notch out of the center of ONE SIDE and hook your transformer's 300 ohm leads up there. then coax to the TV.
These are all basic antennas, Now if you want to add gain... Get a computer program that helps you design 'em cause this post is already too long.
