Jack antenna replacement

[Campfire_Time]

We regularly camp in a place that we can only get a few TV stations in. We're considering replacing our Winegard batwing with a Jack antenna. Please share your experiences with the Jack replacement, good or bad. I want to know if this is worthwhile. Thanks!

[gotsmart]

dlos wrote:
Geez....

My crank up leaks and I can't stop it from doing so, this one gets torn off by branches.

Can't win here! We don't even watch the TV, would really just like to take it off, seal the hole and be done with it!

This may interest you: Jack Antenna Mounting Plate
Use when replacing an existing crank-up style antenna and mast assembly with a JACK antenna.
Covers all screw holes left by the old antenna for a water-tight seal. Durable ABS plastic is weather-resistant and UV-protected. Pre-drilled for easy installation. Attaches to base of JACK antenna with included hardware.

-remove the Bat Wing antenna
-cover the hole with the Jack Antenna Mounting Plate
-install the Jack Antenna on the mounting plate
-add self-leveling lap seal over all of the mounting screws. I'd probably cover the entire mounting plate with lap seal as well - for sun protection



The Jack Antenna itself comes in white or black.

[B_O__Plenty]

I put just the replacement head on mine. Took all of 5 minutes and I raise it up and down just like the old one I replaced. The main reason I changed it was to get rid of that dang rattle every time the wind blew. The old one even rattled when it was lowered. As a bonus, I think I picked up a couple channels too. One religious and one that has a lot of stories about plants and animals I never heard of...Oh well it doesn't rattle anymore..

B.O.

[dlos]

Geez....

My crank up leaks and I can't stop it from doing so, this one gets torn off by branches.

Can't win here! We don't even watch the TV, would really just like to take it off, seal the hole and be done with it!

[johnvb]

The Jack came stock on our Open Range 5er (the non-crankup version). Got taken out by a low hanging branch as soon as I brought the RV home, driving down the "wrong" street. Replaced it and have been lucky so far since. Others on the OR owners forum have replaced theirs more than once, due to branches.

Performance aside, the non-ability to crank down the Jack is a liability. If mine gets damaged again I will be replacing it with a crank up.

[lynndiwagon]

Be sure and get the signal strength meter with it.

[mikebo]

I have a Jack antenna on my current motorhome, we had one of the newer winegard antennas on our last motorhome. In my opinion the reception when properly aimed is pretty close to being equal. The big difference is that the Jack antenna is nowhere near as directional as the winegard ones. I had a sensor pro on the old motorhome which went a long way towards accurately aiming it. We have camped in some of the same sites with both motorhomes where there is marginal TV reception and the results were very similar.

[jorbill2or]

For less money you can add a wingman to your existing winegard and make it a better uhf antenna. Of course UHF signals are very directional and in many areas the transmitters can be in different directions. We Thought about the Jack but it also has to rotate to face the transmitter and we got several negative reports on other forums .. With the wingman on the winegard its as good as or better than the Jack was what Ive heard. a fellow camper in our group has one and I was able to receive more stations than them. only asked one time and haven't anymore data than that one "test" YMMV

[IAMICHABOD]

HappyKayakers wrote:

Campfire Time wrote:
You don't need to do anything. You can buy just the head which directly replaces the Wingard Batwing. Its a simple bolt on mod.

Or even the non-Winegard batwings.

And it looks like this when done.

[TurnThePage]

wfred wrote:
My new camper came with a Jensen that was about as useful as a plastic bowl. I mounted a fixed mount Jack antenna to replace it and was floored with the difference. I had a winegard sensar on my previous trailer and the fixed mount Jack pulled in more channels than even the old winegard. Immediately I ordered the replacement head for my dads class B that has a non-winegard batwing antenna. He also saw the same results. You definitely want to get the signal meter to put in-line so you can see where you get the best signals.

I recently put a Jack antenna on the roof of my house and am seriously disappointed with it. I can get 20+ channels on my camper with it sitting in the driveway using the Jack. With the Jack on my roof I can get 2-3 channels in my house. I haven't called King Controls yet to start diagnosing the issues but I will.

Buy the Jack, don't even hesitate. PPL motorhomes has the best price and they ship fast.

Fred

RV antenna systems typically include an amplifier. Do you have one on your home system?

[HappyKayakers]

Campfire Time wrote:
You don't need to do anything. You can buy just the head which directly replaces the Wingard Batwing. Its a simple bolt on mod.

Or even the non-Winegard batwings.

[Campfire_Time]

You don't need to do anything. You can buy just the head which directly replaces the Wingard Batwing. Its a simple bolt on mod.

[grandpalarry]

OK I'm going to get a Jack but my question is what do you do about the crank and hole inside ?

[Campfire_Time]

Awesome replies folks! I didn't know if our dealer was jerking my chain or not. Apparently not! You've sold me on this! Thanks!

Fred, thanks for the pointer to PPL motorhomes. Great price but it turns out that with shipping its the same price as our dealer, which strangely enough is cheaper than Amazon.

[Campfire_Time]

rockhillmanor wrote:

Campfire Time wrote:
Sure, but I'll be honest, if you don't know what it is, then you really can't help me. I'm looking for real world experience, not guesses.

http://www.kingcontrols.com/jack/digital_tv_signal_finder.asp

WOW. Sorry for asking for clarification. :R:R

Didn't mean to come off offensive, but your plain request for a link didn't sound helpful. Lots of people chime in on these threads with opinions about things they have no experience with and I find it tiresome. If you didn't know what it was, you might have stated that as a qualification of why you were asking. Again, sorry if I came off short.