Wingman v/s New Jack Antenna

[gjtrafl]

I have an '07 National with the standard Winegard Batman antenna.

My question is where do you get the most bang for your buck... going with the Wingman attachment or would I be better off by replacing to the Jack Antenna?

Costs seem to range from in the $30-$40 range for the wingman and $60-$70 for the Jack.

Looking for a cheap improvement. Any thoughts and experiences?

Thanks!

[Bill_Satellite]

two-niner wrote:
I have never seen a Jack torn off the roof as a RVer departs the campground.

Yes we have one (Jack) and our HD is the most sharp & clear. If you need to receive a station 100 miles away something is wrong. It's called camping.

Actually, it's called watching TV. Some want to do it and some do not, no matter from how far away the signal is coming.

[Dutch_12078]

two-niner wrote:
I have never seen a Jack torn off the roof as a RVer departs the campground.

Yes we have one (Jack) and our HD is the most sharp & clear. If you need to receive a station 100 miles away something is wrong. It's called camping.

We call it "living". Our coach is our home for most of the year, and our batwing w/Wingman and Sensar Pro regularly pulls in distant stations the Jack can't see. Particularly on the low VHF channels.

And yes, I have seen a Jack ripped off an RV roof, both the direct mounted and the batwing replacement models. In both cases, a raised batwing would have been damaged as well of course. As Jeff said...

[SCVJeff]

two-niner wrote:
I have never seen a Jack torn off the roof as a RVer departs the campground.

Yes we have one (Jack) and our HD is the most sharp & clear. If you need to receive a station 100 miles away something is wrong. It's called camping.

that has to do with stupidity not performance.

[two-niner]

I have never seen a Jack torn off the roof as a RVer departs the campground.

Yes we have one (Jack) and our HD is the most sharp & clear. If you need to receive a station 100 miles away something is wrong. It's called camping.

[Bill_Satellite]

The Sensar Pro max gain is 10dB (20 on the scale). The setting of 10 on the Sensar Pro is 0 amplification (and 0 attenuation). Moving up 1 number from 10 is a gain of 1dB. Moving down 1 number from 10 creates some amount of attenuation with a 0 setting being unusable!

[Bill_S_1]

Another vote for the wingman. I've had this motorhome for 12+ @years, and added the wingman maybe 6 years ago. We are always amazed at how many ota stations we receive.

[SCVJeff]

Pre-amp technology hasn't changed since then, but the UV degradation of the housing certainly is an issue.

Mark: I think they will tell you they did with the Sensar Pro even though it's not in the head. But it's not a pre-amp, it's a line amp. I don't remember the exact gain at a 15, but that's where I run mine. Anything more kills the TV

[Chris_Bryant]

To the original question, I am hesitant to add a wingman to a 7 year old antenna- I think replacing it with a new Sensar IV head would be the best.

[MNtundraRet]

Jeff:

It would be very nice if Winegard could replace their current amplifier with an adjustable one that would at least get maximum gain to 15 DBS.

I find that I could keep most of my extra channels on the 100 mile range by tuning gain back to 13 to 15 DBS.

The Razor Air has two bolts to connect to the short mast. On the original longer mast it is necessary to drill an extra hole. Their directions incorrectly list the need of a 9/16th inch drill bit. Hard to find one. I used a 1/2 inch drill bit which ended up the correct size. I expected wiggle the bit for a larger hole but it was not necessary.

I suspect the owner of the one you saw flapping was only installed with one bolt. One bolt can loosen from wind buffeting on a windy day. A second bolt eliminates either bolt from being loosened that way. An option they listed but did not recommend. Also; having the mast slightly lowered from straight vertical (5 to 10 degrees) gets rid of the slight looseness of the shaft when rotated.

Mine seems quit stable on windy day.

[SCVJeff]

True the Rayzor will pick up more channels but not deep fringe, that takes gain that the Rayzor just doesn't have. My complaint with it was watching it flap like a paddle when i saw one at the beach last year. Its not real aerodynamic when deployed and cross to the wind. Not sure how common that is ?

I'm hiding the analyzer at home to do an Apples to Apples against my Batwing/ Wingman combo. Since so many stations have come and gone, changed antennas and power since the last one, I'll need to do both again.

[MNtundraRet]

I consider "way more fun" being the other campers coming by to ask me how we are getting way more channels than they have to watch. :B

Also; many keep staring at our roof trying to figure out what kind of new antenna we are using (Winegard Razor Air).

[SCVJeff]

Because your pre-amp is just, and only that. This is way more fun.

[MNtundraRet]

SCVJeff wrote:

Bill.Satellite wrote:

Ron3rd wrote:

Bill.Satellite wrote:
Get the Wingman.

And if you add the Sensar Pro, you'll have the gold standard for RV antennas.

+1

+2

Maybe the "Fool's Gold Standard"

I don't understand your reasoning since my normal range with just a Radio Shack (RIP) $30. in-line amplifier has given me more than double your range on a daily basis for 4 years now. First with the Sensor III plus Wingman, and now with the Winegard Razor Air.

Maybe the rest of you have never learned to think out of the box.

[Bill_and_Marie_]

+3