Outdoor HD Tv Antenna

haste maker wrote:
We have a Winegard antenna...amplifier is turned on

There are so many misstatements in this thread it's difficult to know where to start. :R

First, as already pointed out there is no such thing as an HDTV antenna ... that's merely an advertising term as the antenna doesn't know or care what type of signal it's receiving, whether HDTV signals or coded data messages from Mars. What you're really looking for is an antenna designed for greater sensitivity in the UHF television broadcast band which is where most stations are currently broadcasting, 'though as Jeff pointed out that is likely to change in the future and will ultimately prove to be the Achilles' Heel of the Jack antenna which performs really poorly in the VHF television broadcast bands. Conveniently the manufacturer fails to point that out. :W

Secondly, as so often repeated in forum discussion many if not most "assume" that wall plate you're turning on is an amplifier - it's not, it's merely routing 12 vdc to the antenna head which is where the signal amplifier is located in a Sensar III or Sensar IV. Yes, you could add a Winegard SensarPro which does contain a 10 db amplifier but as Jeff already pointed out overall signal strength improvement is marginal because signal noise is amplified as well. I've got one and while it does help it's not the magic panacea that Winegard would have you believe. :R

Third, we know you have a Winegard antenna but unfortunately we don't know whether it's a Sensar III that's most sensitive in the VHF television broadcast band or a Sensar IV which has the Wingman added to it to improve it's sensitivity in the UHF television band where most stations are currently broadcasting. Your 2013 Laredo could have either but if it's a III then the most obvious improvement you can make is to add a Wingman to bring it to Sensar IV specs.

Jeff's comments that antenna elevation, weather, tree coverage, etc, can all affect reception are certainly true. I park my own trailer here at the house which is located within the Greater Toronto Area here in S Ontario and in early spring receive all stations in this area including those broadcasting from the CN Tower and including all the major US stations broadcasting out of Buffalo. In the last few weeks however tree foliage has filled in and most of the Buffalo stations are now really intermittent, usually unwatchable. The only solution is to elevate the antenna even higher (impractical) or install a larger array (also impractical) or both (totally impractical).

You've not mentioned scanning but without first rotating the antenna completely and doing multiple scans there's no way your HD television is going to be able to receive all HD television signals available in your area ... i.e. you can't just crank the antenna up, turn on the television, and expect to receive much of anything. Antenna rotation with multiple scans is a necessity, not an option.

Bottom line, if you're expecting to receive HD television signals as you did analogue signals a few years ago you'll be sorely disappointed. If this is so important that you can't get along without it while camping then you should be looking at satellite reception and forget about conventional OTA.