does a detached over-the-air television antenna help?

[trailernovice]

12/28/20
Our trailer has the new type of roof television antenna...stays in place, as opposed to the older 'crank it up and down / turn it to point toward wherever signal is best' type

Even with that, sometimes beyond signal range for over-the-air broadcast channels

Came across a tripod-mounted flying-saucer shaped antenna described as: KING OmniGo Portable Omnidirectional Over-The-Air HDTV Antenna, Black...it would sit on the ground, and connect through the 'cable in' outlet on the outside of the trailer

Would this be any better at picking up signals that the factory roof-mounted antenna we already have does?

(not interested in a satellite solution...we're occasional weekenders, and our trailer isn't the type for long-term television watching)

[Old-Biscuit]

wa8yxm wrote:

Old-Biscuit wrote:
Some times our Winegard Crank up would only pull in a couple of channels.....

Good chance you had cable or connection issues.

Most folks do not know this but there is a connection at the roof line. Mine was ...... Well and truly corrorded.

I trimmed and re-dressed the wire ends. Replaced with HIGH QUALITY Weather proof connectors. Re-sealed (Well) and no more tribble. (Till the day I forgot to lower the beast and then I trimmed and re-dressed the OTHER end of the top wire. Replaced the head and WOW (Went from an OLD III+wingman to an NEW IV)

NOPE!!!

[BarneyS]

We have been using the Wineguard Sensar IV with the Sensar Pro Wall plate since it came out several years ago and were quite satisfied until my son bought a Antennas Direct ClearStream 2V TV Antenna
We mounted it on a plywood base and put it on the roof of our trailer and it outperformed our Wineguard by quite a bit. All the pixelating was gone and the stations stayed tuned in much better. Didn't get any new stations but the old ones were much more watchable.:)
P.S. Our trailer is permanently parked in our sons campground now. Does not get moved anymore.
Barney

[wa8yxm]

Old-Biscuit wrote:
Some times our Winegard Crank up would only pull in a couple of channels.....

Good chance you had cable or connection issues.

Most folks do not know this but there is a connection at the roof line. Mine was ...... Well and truly corrorded.

I trimmed and re-dressed the wire ends. Replaced with HIGH QUALITY Weather proof connectors. Re-sealed (Well) and no more tribble. (Till the day I forgot to lower the beast and then I trimmed and re-dressed the OTHER end of the top wire. Replaced the head and WOW (Went from an OLD III+wingman to an NEW IV)

[Hondavalk]

Did basically the same thing as Old-Biscuit. I bought 3 peaces of 5Ft 1 inch thinwall conduit and 2 conectors to make a 15 FT mast. I mounted a ClearStream 2V antenna to the mast. At the back bumper I pound it into the ground a few inches and zip tie it to the back bumper. Aim in the direction of the TV towers and pull in more stations then my RV antenna ever did.

[valhalla360]

Yes, a directional antenna is better but 90% of the time it's height that makes the difference.

The signals are line of sight (hence the really tall TV towers). If there are trees or hills in the way, doesn't matter how good the directionality is, you won't pick up anything. If you can get higher, you may be able to see over the obstacle.

[wa8yxm]

theoldwizard1 wrote:

KD4UPL wrote:
A directional will beat an omni every time. Also, an antenna on the roof should beat one on the ground every time due to higher elevation.

Both statements are accurate !

With OTA being 100% digital, it is harder to tell if you are pointing in the "optimal" direction.

Not at all. The TV has a signal strength meter somewhere in the MENU and if you get the SENSAR PRO optional wall plate it also has one.

[Rover_Bill]

Before you empty your wallet on OTA antennas, see what signals/stations can be received in your specific camping location. Goto AntennaWeb or ANTOP and enter the address where you will be camping. The lists will tell you the signal strength and direction to point your antenna. An omnidirectional antenna will pickup nearby strong stations without pointing. A directional antenna is required for moderate stations and must be pointed directly at those towers. Weak stations require a very big antenna mounted high up and pointed directly at those towers.

If you do purchase your own antenna, be sure it comes with an RG6 cable for best reception. Do not use an RG59 cable.

[Old-Biscuit]

Some times our Winegard Crank up would only pull in a couple of channels

So I went down to an ACE Hardware in the closest town and bought a Outdoor TV antenna for $40 or so (it has been a while...IIRC 2011)
Also bought a 5' section of pipe 1" DIA
*stowed it in basement compartment of 5vr. would just fit side to side

Attached the antenna to top of pipe ...connected a length of coax and mounted the pipe in the Flag Buddy Mounts I had on my Ladder
Pointed front of antenna towards the Tower as depicted on the 'antennaweb.org' site (gives direction/distance/channels available info)

Connected the coax to the 'cable' input on rear of 5vr

Changed BOMB to Cable (turned booster off cause not using the OEM antenna) and Auto Scanned for channels
Picked up roughly 12 channels...10 more then Crank up pulled in

I now use that same antenna on Two 10' pipes at my S&B
roughly 25 channels (that we watch) for Free
and roughly 10 others that we deleted

[theoldwizard1]

KD4UPL wrote:
A directional will beat an omni every time. Also, an antenna on the roof should beat one on the ground every time due to higher elevation.

Both statements are accurate !

With OTA being 100% digital, it is harder to tell if you are pointing in the "optimal" direction.

[KD4UPL]

A directional will beat an omni every time. Also, an antenna on the roof should beat one on the ground every time due to higher elevation.

[Edd505]

Replace the omni with a King, it can be aimed.

[wa8yxm]

The not always a joke about Omni Directional Antennas is "They work equally bad in all directions"

For RV use I would recommend scrap the omni on the roof and put in a Winegard Sensar IV with the optional Sensar Pro Wall plate... This is one you crank up and point.

or you can get any number of fairly good pole mounted... Put 'em up 20 or 30 feet on top of a flag pole and again a directional antenna is your best choice.. that flag pole can be a touch costly though

But a high gain antenna at height can't be beat.

[jorbill2or]

Omni on any antenna means a lousy range in all directions but if your close it’s easy ... no pointing, which to some is “better” . You can get better distance reception with a directional like the winegard batwing with the uhf add on but you will have to get up and point the antenna .. sometimes at different places in the same location depending on where the transmitters are. You can get an app to figure out where that is . Secondly unobstructed height and size is king ! If your antenna is blocked by say , by the air conditioning... no joy.

[Dutch_12078]

The common Winegard Sensar crankup antennas are still the leader in RV OTA antennas. Nearly any directional antenna will beat an omni-directional antenna, but in nearly all cases height is might with antennas regardless of design.