Antenna upgrade
I have a standard crank up type antenna, not sure of make or model, but it does not perform very well. I might pull in 4 channels with it sitting here in my yard. We had friends stay with us last summ...
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Ken, I'm GLAD!!! A true Christmas Gift!!!
Our Winegard system was built and installed on our coach in 2002. A number of years ago we added the Wingman and it really helped reception. But it became very difficult to raise, lower, and rotate. It wobbled. I got the "Tenna Tool" wrench and kept adjusting the nut up inside the roof. Either bound up or wobbled. Then on a trip we lost virtually all our reception. About then, friends lost their Winegard forgetting to crank it back down on the fifth wheel. Our coax did not go down the hole Winegard provides. It went to a spot on the roof, fortunately above the little compartment the power supply "plate" backs up into.
I decided "too much wrong...too many variables...at my age I'll leave it up." So I ordered a "Jack" system from King along with the plate that covers the holes from a Winegard. That and a tube of Dicor.
Installed the Jack this week with a new pre-assembled RG-6 from the Jack down the hole, through the inside box that contains the signal strength gadget, then across about 6" of ceiling and into the compartment where the plate is. Snugged every connection with just a little tweak from pliers. So now, all brand new, using only factory-made cables.
Chris' article about cable terminals was an eye-opener for me. Who WASN'T stripping their coax with a pocket knife and "ringing" the coating on that center conductor??? If you don't understand what I'm saying, read his article for that reason alone!
So we'll see. Trip coming up soon and I'll report. It'll be into a fringe area. I have no doubt the Winegard, latest version, especially with the integral wingman capability and a booster plate, is the Alpha Antenna. I'm also pretty sure the all-new Jack system will be so much better than what we've been putting up with for years, that we'll be satisfied. Like I said, we'll see...
Our Winegard system was built and installed on our coach in 2002. A number of years ago we added the Wingman and it really helped reception. But it became very difficult to raise, lower, and rotate. It wobbled. I got the "Tenna Tool" wrench and kept adjusting the nut up inside the roof. Either bound up or wobbled. Then on a trip we lost virtually all our reception. About then, friends lost their Winegard forgetting to crank it back down on the fifth wheel. Our coax did not go down the hole Winegard provides. It went to a spot on the roof, fortunately above the little compartment the power supply "plate" backs up into.
I decided "too much wrong...too many variables...at my age I'll leave it up." So I ordered a "Jack" system from King along with the plate that covers the holes from a Winegard. That and a tube of Dicor.
Installed the Jack this week with a new pre-assembled RG-6 from the Jack down the hole, through the inside box that contains the signal strength gadget, then across about 6" of ceiling and into the compartment where the plate is. Snugged every connection with just a little tweak from pliers. So now, all brand new, using only factory-made cables.
Chris' article about cable terminals was an eye-opener for me. Who WASN'T stripping their coax with a pocket knife and "ringing" the coating on that center conductor??? If you don't understand what I'm saying, read his article for that reason alone!
So we'll see. Trip coming up soon and I'll report. It'll be into a fringe area. I have no doubt the Winegard, latest version, especially with the integral wingman capability and a booster plate, is the Alpha Antenna. I'm also pretty sure the all-new Jack system will be so much better than what we've been putting up with for years, that we'll be satisfied. Like I said, we'll see...
