questions about antennas
My trailer has a antenna that looks like a jack antenna, but its not a jack its some garbage. What I got with my winegard, I get less then half now. Yes the amplifier is on and works. is it hard to p...
Forum Discussion
SoundGuy wrote:Gdetrailer wrote:
OP was asking if they could replace their CURRENT "JACK" antenna which is a omni-directional antenna with a WINEGARD which is a directional folded dipole.
Once again, the King Jack antenna is NOT omnidirectional but rather directional, which is why it needs to be rotated for best reception. The Jack simply has a wider angle of acceptance than the Winegard "batwing" antenna, which is why some believe it's easier to find stations when rotating the antenna.
Regardless, the "King" has no ELEVATION when compared to the Winegard "Bat Wing".
King sits only a few inches above the roof where the Batwing can be extended nearly THREE FEET HIGHER.
The "advantage" goes to the Batwing because you can get it ABOVE obstructions on your roof like, say your AC unit?
Antennas ALWAYS perform MUCH better when they ARE ABOVE ALL SURROUNDINGS.
But, MR "Soundguy" you obviously do not understand that very simple concept.
An additional concept to consider, UHF is extremely "line of sight", UHF by it's very nature DOES NOT BEND TO THE EARTHS CONTORE, instead it makes a straight line right accross the horizon and into the atmosphere the further away from the broadcast tower you are..
Height can be critical, that 3ft extension above the roof can easily make or break getting the station.
Something else to consider, those "Jack" style antennas are not designed for optimal VHF LOW band, yeah, Jacks information states it can receive VHF low, but the antenna IS TOO SHORT for BEST and OPTIMAL VHF LOW.
The Batwing, however, Winegard NEVER changed the VHF element, it is STILL THE SAME length as the ones designed 30 years ago which was designed for VHF LOW, VHF HIGH and UHF..
I still say that the Winegard IS the BETTER DESIGNED ANTENNA for a compact RV design.
If you want better than the Winegard then you MUST consider the DIY approach with a separate LARGER antenna like the Channel master I showed and not the cheap stacked "Bowties" that everyone seems to always push on this forum..
The longer and larger the antenna, the BETTER RECEPTION YOU ALWAYS WILL GET.
Small compact antennas like the Jack and KING JACK are nothing more than a coathanger.. I can easily make the same antenna from a metal coathanger and get THE SAME results as the King Jack and my version costs NOTHING to make.
