I am set up in Des Moines for the weekend and have a problem with my TV antenna reception. As a result, I am looking for suggestions on what might be my problem.I have cranked up the antenna, I have made sure that the booster is set for antenna and not cable. I do not fully understand the booster display, but it appears that I have reception. When I auto-search for stations I only get one station on both the televisions. I know from experience that I should see about 15. I did not find any stations at the last campground, but I was unfamiliar with the area and wrote it off to where I was parked. Before I left home a few days ago, I had all the stations that I should have seen.All connections were checked. All settings on BOTH televisions are set to ANTENNA as is the signal booster. I am inside the city limits where I should be able to pick up all the networks without even cranking up the antenna.Now my question, where should I start my search for a remedy? This will not ruin my trip because I have better things to do than watch the tube, but I do like to watch the news at night.

You might use this website to locate the direction in which to point the antenna. Plug in your zip code and see what's available in the area.Make sure the batwing is up and the booster light is on. Ensure that the signal source is set for "antenna" before doing your scan/search. Good luck.

Additional troubleshooting:Disconnect the cable, run a scan, see what you pickup. Connect the cable, with the system setup for cable run a scan, see what you pickup.Certainly possible the bat-wing amp has died.

notruffinit wrote:I am inside the city limits where I should be able to pick up all the networks without even cranking up the antenna.Being in a zone with strong signal could mean that you don't need a booster, but having antenna properly oriented and unobstructed is still important. More important than having a booster.

Not sure if I can help or not but here is how mine works. We use it alot camping off the power grid.My OTA ANTENNA is a BATWING with a built-in preamp and is controlled by this ANTENNA WALL PLATE PANELAll I do is push the BLACK BUTTON on this panel which lights up the LED. This is indicating to me that 12VDC is now being applied to the built-in PREAMP in my BATWING OTA antenna.The next thing I do is point the BATWING OTA antenna toward the town that is transmitting the HDTV digital signals. Then I go to the MENU of my 22-inch VIZIO HDTV TV and select ANTENNA from the menu. Then I select AUTO SCAN from the menu and the TV starts scanning ANALOG signals first then starts on the DIGITAL SIGNALS. If I don't see any DIGITAL signal not counting in the first 15% of the digital scan I will stop scanning and move the BATWING antenna a few degrees in one direction or the other. Then RESTART the scanning again.We normally get 6-36 digital TV signals scanned in just about anywhere we go here on the East side of the US. All of these digital HDTV signal are full blown high def full screen HDTV signals.This is what we do when using the OTA BATWING antenna to pick up the digital Natl Broadcast signals from the local towns (CBS-ABC-NBC-FOX-PBS)...I guess the PRE-AMP in the OTA BATWING Antenna can go bad...This is my setup at any rate - yours may be different...Just my thoughtsRoy Ken

Sounds like something isn't connected correctly, or some setting on the TV is wrong. I just met somebody who couldn't receive OTA on their flatscreen using the Batwing. Turned out the flatscreen wasn't new enough to receive OTA DTV. It only offered OTA Analog and Cable. This couple had never used a site without cable to that day. Told'em they needed a Converter Box or a new TV.Wingard Batwing is fully HDTV capable. They offer an extenstion add-on called "Wing Man" that dramatically improves DTV reception, and it requires no tools to install. Just pop out the rubber feet on the bottom of the antenna head and install the Wing Man with plastic push pins provided. Just be sure the antenna lowers into a space that allows room for the extension.

OTA Antenna questions | Good Sam Community

camperpaul
Explorer
May 26, 2013
Lynnmor wrote:
I understand that, but all I need is a source, make or model number of a product that someone has tested with a TV. If you could point me to such a product, then there would be no need to waste time and money to test different products.

Here is one eBay store; check out the different products they offer.

Taken from: "My LEDs".
notruffinit
Explorer
May 27, 2013
Sorry. Don't mean to interrupt your conversation on LEDs.

OK. So I got an external antenna and hooked up my TV. I got 15 channels right off the bat. I guess the problem must be in the signal booster.
camperpaul
Explorer
May 27, 2013
notruffinit wrote:
OK. So I got an external antenna and hooked up my TV. I got 15 channels right off the bat. I guess the problem must be in the signal booster.

It could be the booster or a bad connection; the power to the booster is fed through the co-ax.
Lynnmor
Explorer
May 27, 2013
notruffinit wrote:
Sorry. Don't mean to interrupt your conversation on LEDs.

OK. So I got an external antenna and hooked up my TV. I got 15 channels right off the bat. I guess the problem must be in the signal booster.

You were asked if you use LED's, and you never answered that.
RoyB
Explorer II
May 27, 2013
LYNNMOR - Does my heart good to see someone having RFI from LEDs. I thought I was the only one haha... Just about every regulated type LED lamp I found would create enough RFI to blank out my OTA reception of HDTV signal...

Most folks say theirs works just fine >>> go figure...

Roy Ken
notruffinit
Explorer
May 27, 2013
Lynnmor wrote:
notruffinit wrote:
Sorry. Don't mean to interrupt your conversation on LEDs.

OK. So I got an external antenna and hooked up my TV. I got 15 channels right off the bat. I guess the problem must be in the signal booster.

You were asked if you use LED's, and you never answered that.

No
notruffinit
Explorer
May 27, 2013
camperpaul wrote:
notruffinit wrote:
OK. So I got an external antenna and hooked up my TV. I got 15 channels right off the bat. I guess the problem must be in the signal booster.

It could be the booster or a bad connection; the power to the booster is fed through the co-ax.

I have the winegard SensarPro and it is powered. I will keep investigating. Thanks all for the suggestions.
MNtundraRet
Navigator
May 28, 2013
Does your coaxial off the antenna amplifier plate go to a switch-box and then the TV?

If so, disconnect the coaxial cable going to the switch-box and connect it directly to the television coaxial input. Make sure the amplifier is turned on (LED is lit). Now set up television to "antenna" and do the auto-search.

If the stations are found the problem is the switch-box (wrong buttons pushed/bad cable connections/or otherwise).

Did you remove the amplifier-plate screws, and pull the plate slightly away form the wall to make sure the coaxial-cable is tightened correctly to the back of the plate power injector? If not no power to antenna amplifier or good signal connection.

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