Winegard Wingman

Before spending money on the 'Wingman" and modifying your antenna, I would look at installing the JACK HD digital antenna head. Can be purchased at Camping World and was on sale I believe last week. I changed to this last year and have had great success in pulling in several more stations than I did with the batwing and wingman combo. I'm sure there will be others here that will debate this but for me it works great. Tim

Second JackHD. Took the batwong off caught the Jackhd on sale at CW for $37. Went from 3 fuzzy channels to 2 dozen.

A 3rd on the Jack! it`s not really an HD antenna (because there is really no HD antenna), however the Jack is optimized for pulling in HD stations. and this it does very well. I can get up to 70 stations in my driveway where before I was lucky to get 10 or so. even at other campgrounds I`ve been going to for years. a couple places I couldn`t get any stations now I can get at least 10.

If you mark (or remember) the angle on the directional plate in transport mode, you shouldn't have to change the mount at all. Rotate the directional plate to where the antenna should be at rest and lower.

Sensar installation instructions

Wingman attachment instructions

I also replaced my Winegard antenna with Wingman with a Jack head and have had very fair results. I say very fair because I have not had a chance to determine if it is better than the Winegard setup. At this point it is equivalent but on the other hand it is much smaller and attracts less wind loads. This may well be the best solution for the OP. The cost is also not prohibitive at around $60. Installation is a 5-minute job.

Jack is currently on sale at Camping World for $38.21. Not that much more than the Wingman at almost $30. Tim

wmoses wrote:
I also replaced my Winegard antenna with Wingman with a Jack head and have had very fair results. I say very fair because I have not had a chance to determine if it is better than the Winegard setup. At this point it is equivalent but on the other hand it is much smaller and attracts less wind loads. This may well be the best solution for the OP. The cost is also not prohibitive at around $60. Installation is a 5-minute job.

Can you explain what the process is for installation of the Jack antenna.

Before removal of batwing antenna make sure it is in the fully upright position and signal booster is off.

1) Unhook coax cable from batwing antenna
2) remove spring clips from the two retainer pins
3) remove the 2 retainer pins
4) remove the batwing antenna from mast
5) Place JACK antenna head on mast
6) install retainer pins
7) install spring clips on retainer pins
8) connect coax cable to JACK antenna head
9) turn on antenna booster. Red light should illuminate on underside of JACK head.

When I installed my Winegard, I had to install it so that it folded down to the side instead of to the rear.

It should be fairly easy to rotate the base. Raise the antenna and remove the knob assembly on the inside being careful not to lose the spring and washers. On the roof, clean off the sealant and remove the screws. You will probably have to use something like a putty knife and work under the base and pry it loose. Rotate the base to the desired position. If the coax goes through the base plate, you probably will have to drill another hole. Apply sealant and screw it in place then apply sealant over the screw heads and any holes.

I would suggest sticking with the Winegard, especially if there are VHF stations in the areas that you will be in. The 'batwing' with the Wingman is the best RV antenna available.

1mtnman wrote:
Can you explain what the process is for installation of the Jack antenna.

Certainly.

In a nutshell you have to (and this is from memory):
- Crank up the existing antenna and disconnect the coax cable. (Make sure you are not using the TV and that everything is off - including antenna booster - just to be sure).
- Undo the two bolts that hold the Winegard antenna to the mast (there are 2 hollow square tubing parts to the mast) and remove the antenna.
- Correctly orient the Jack replacement head on the mast and re-install the 2 bolts. I can't remember if I had to use an adaptor between the Jack head and the masts.
- Reconnect the coax cable and you are done.
- Test the little LED is on (underside of the Jack head; might be hard to see in the bright sunlight)
- Go inside and watch TV.