Antenna Upgrade
For those who have done it, is the King Controls or Winegard HD Antenna worth the upgrade over the stock bat-wing antenna? If so, is it better to get the one that mounts right above the roof or the o...
Forum Discussion
I have run both from the same crank-up assembly. The difference for me was minimal... The BATWING for me had a wider beam pattern meaning I didn't have to zero-in as close as I did with the King antenna.
They both performed well...
I would say it would be a install situation where perhaps the BATWING being the larger footprint might be interfered with by the radio shadow of the roof mounted Air Conditioner.
I am back to using the BATWING Antenna which has the UHF DIPOLES added to it. My BATWING is of the older ones which looks like this one shown here on google images... The newer BATWING has a different shaped main body area...
google image
The KINGS antenna is a very simple swap out using the standard RV crank-up assembly. Takes just a few minutes to do and uses the same RG CABLE hookup and 12VDC Amplifier control signal from the older Antenna Panel in my case. I found the KINGS JACK antenna had to be more precisely pointed to the transmittiing tower...
For me it would not be worth the money to replace the original BATWING setup... I have no experience with the newer so called HD BATWING antennas and there fancy control panels. There is no such as a HD antenna. You just need to use a UHF Antenna to match up with what the HDTV Transmitter towers are transmitting now.
I am also currently using the same BATWING Antenna mounted on a easy mounted pole on the side of my OFF-ROAD POPUP using LOWES five-foot antenna pipe sections and a PVC PIPE manual rotating method antenna on my OFF-ROAD POPUP trailer. Works like a champ for me picking up the local UHF Digital NATL BROADCAST channels from the local towns which are transmitted free to the public in full blown HDTV format.
I tried the KINGS JACK antenna on this same portable setup on the OFF-ROAD POPUP trailer with no significant gain in performance... I originally used a $90 LOWES large YAGI antenna on this portable setup and it was the best antenna ever for me. However I ended up destroying it a short season by taking it up and down for travel and that is when I changed over the BATWING antenna. I prefer the BATWING for my use.
Right now I am experimenting with the Eight BOW TIE DIPOLE Array which is very good long distance antenna array and currently pointing to the Washington DC antenna Towers some 50 miles plus away from here in Northern Neck Virginia. This is currently mounted at the peak of my house (15-feet high) and with the two halfs being adjustable I can get some 80 digital channels from the three main towers on the East and West side of Washington DC. This antenna has to be pointed toward the transmitter towers with accuracy. Just a few degrees off the direction and you get nothing at at. This BOW TIE array panel is around $60 from Solid Signal... I also have a RCA PRE-AMPLIFIER unit mounted on the bottom of this array which is powered by a DC VOLTAGE coming up the RG COAX like the BATWING and KINGS JACK requires. These two panels of four BOW TIE dipoles has alot more gain then the BATWING and JACK antenna has and also has a large front-to-back gain in the direction it is being pointed at. Not sure if all of this will help my over the BATWING antenna in the woods or not... makes a great CLEAR ANTENNA here at the house that is free to the public and picks up around 80 digital HDTV channels coming out of Washington DC over 50 miles away from me... Makes for a great BACK-UP system...
We ham radio guys always playing with something...
Roy Ken
They both performed well...
I would say it would be a install situation where perhaps the BATWING being the larger footprint might be interfered with by the radio shadow of the roof mounted Air Conditioner.
I am back to using the BATWING Antenna which has the UHF DIPOLES added to it. My BATWING is of the older ones which looks like this one shown here on google images... The newer BATWING has a different shaped main body area...
google image
The KINGS antenna is a very simple swap out using the standard RV crank-up assembly. Takes just a few minutes to do and uses the same RG CABLE hookup and 12VDC Amplifier control signal from the older Antenna Panel in my case. I found the KINGS JACK antenna had to be more precisely pointed to the transmittiing tower...
For me it would not be worth the money to replace the original BATWING setup... I have no experience with the newer so called HD BATWING antennas and there fancy control panels. There is no such as a HD antenna. You just need to use a UHF Antenna to match up with what the HDTV Transmitter towers are transmitting now.
I am also currently using the same BATWING Antenna mounted on a easy mounted pole on the side of my OFF-ROAD POPUP using LOWES five-foot antenna pipe sections and a PVC PIPE manual rotating method antenna on my OFF-ROAD POPUP trailer. Works like a champ for me picking up the local UHF Digital NATL BROADCAST channels from the local towns which are transmitted free to the public in full blown HDTV format.
I tried the KINGS JACK antenna on this same portable setup on the OFF-ROAD POPUP trailer with no significant gain in performance... I originally used a $90 LOWES large YAGI antenna on this portable setup and it was the best antenna ever for me. However I ended up destroying it a short season by taking it up and down for travel and that is when I changed over the BATWING antenna. I prefer the BATWING for my use.
Right now I am experimenting with the Eight BOW TIE DIPOLE Array which is very good long distance antenna array and currently pointing to the Washington DC antenna Towers some 50 miles plus away from here in Northern Neck Virginia. This is currently mounted at the peak of my house (15-feet high) and with the two halfs being adjustable I can get some 80 digital channels from the three main towers on the East and West side of Washington DC. This antenna has to be pointed toward the transmitter towers with accuracy. Just a few degrees off the direction and you get nothing at at. This BOW TIE array panel is around $60 from Solid Signal... I also have a RCA PRE-AMPLIFIER unit mounted on the bottom of this array which is powered by a DC VOLTAGE coming up the RG COAX like the BATWING and KINGS JACK requires. These two panels of four BOW TIE dipoles has alot more gain then the BATWING and JACK antenna has and also has a large front-to-back gain in the direction it is being pointed at. Not sure if all of this will help my over the BATWING antenna in the woods or not... makes a great CLEAR ANTENNA here at the house that is free to the public and picks up around 80 digital HDTV channels coming out of Washington DC over 50 miles away from me... Makes for a great BACK-UP system...
We ham radio guys always playing with something...
Roy Ken
