Why are rv antennas so crappy?

[spicercars]

Anybody found a better antenna for there rv? There has to be something better then what they come with. Thanks

[SteveC7010]

Anybody found a better antenna for there rv? There has to be something better then what they come with. Thanks
Before we blame the RV's antenna for all the problems, let's first acknowledge a couple of problems that are not attributable to the antenna itself.

First, Keystone does not always do the best job at installing the coax system and connector plates throughout the trailer. There have been way too many reports here of loose connections not to accept this as a hard fact. Most folks who use their TV's a lot have have had to go through the entire trailer, pulling the connector plates off the walls and double checking tightness of each and every connection. You can not blame the antenna for this problem.

Second, digital television is much fussier than analog when it comes to processing the signal it receives. With analog, you could tweak a weak signal with antenna position to an acceptable display. However, with digital, you get a good picture, a badly pixelated picture, or nothing. And the range is typically a good bit less than with analog. Again, this is a hard fact of digital OTA television.

A corollary here is that we've all gotten used to our satellite or cable tv signals and quality, especially with all the HD channels available now that we tend to forget that OTA is going to be variable depending on where we are.

Third, we have to remember that we need to do the television's new channel scan when ever we arrive at a new location. At home, we did it once way back when we installed the new TV and forgot it.

Fourth, if our antenna is the familiar batwing, it is highly directional and needs to be well aimed to bring in the best signal. If you are in an area with a less than perfect signal, it takes some tweaking to get the best possible signal to the TV. Not directly the antenna's fault if the user doesn't put some effort into fine tuning the reception. Our OTA antenna at home has always needed to be tweaked for the best pic. The difference there is that we didn't need to re-tweak because it was permanently located. We travel with our RV's so the aiming is essential at each new location.

Given the fact that these antennas need to survive at highway speeds, I don't think the manufacturers are going to come up with large and fancy arrays to improve reception.

I would also point out that since the antennas are fastened to the RV, achieving any significant height above the roof beyond the two or three feet offered by the batwing's collapsible design is going to be a major (if not insurmountable) problem. If you want to dramatically improve reception, take a batwing and mount it on a 10' pole above the roof of the RV or better yet, 20 or 30 feet or more.

Now, what exactly to you find "crappy" about RV antennas?

[hankpage]

The Winegard "bat-wing" has been around forever and with the addition of the Wingman attachment is as good if not better than just about anything out there. Since 2009 all stations have gone digital and most are now on UHF bands which is basically "line of sight" so the range is limited and aiming is much more critical. Another decent antenna is the Jack which is a little easier to aim but still needs to get up higher to pull in UHF channels. Many new trailers are now coming with omnidirectional antennas mounted flat on the roof which in my opinion are useless unless you are camping next to a broadcast tower. Also many VHF stations reduce power after dusk so channels you get in the daytime are gone at night.

Sooooo, If you have a batwing try adding the wingman. (around $30 and a five minute install) If that doesn't work there may be something wrong with your trailer cables or you need to move closer to the towers. :rolleyes: Everytime you move the antenna you need to do another channel search for new channels. :banghead:

[JRTJH]

The function of any antenna is to "capture" Radio Frequency" signals that are being "broadcast" through the air. The "size" of the antenna is relative to the ability to "capture" these RF signals.

If you look at the Winegard Antenna website: http://www.winegard.com/hdtv-outdoor-antennas?q=offair or the Channel Master website: http://www.channelmaster.com/Outdoor_Antennas_s/20.htm, you'll see that as distance from the broadcast source increases, so does the antenna size. The more elements, the greater the ability for the antenna to "capture" a signal. Add height to the antenna (to clear nearby objects that impede signal reception and the curvature of the earth) and you'll find that a "non-crappy" antenna is about 10-16' long, has elements that span 4-8' and must be positioned 30-60' above the ground.

That's very difficult to do with an RV antenna, so many years ago, Winegard developed a small, sensitive antenna (batwing) with a booster amplifier. It worked extremely well for analog TV reception (even mounted just 15' off the ground) on most RV's. Since digital TV has been "required" by the FCC, the quality of the signal decreases significantly the further from the broadcast site you get. That means that you simply won't get the "quality reception" with digital signals that you used to get with analog signals, especially when you're located many miles from the broadcast source.

To help remedy that problem, Winegard developed the Wingman accessory. While it does improve the signal reception, it makes the antenna much more sensitive to directional pointing. If you're not "pointed at the broadcast source" you won't get a good signal.

It's not a matter of "crappy antennas" but rather a change required by the FCC coupled with the physical limitations imposed by the RV size and use.

If you really want "non-crappy" TV reception, just stick a Channel Master Digital 100 (100 mile rating) on a 60' tower beside your RV and never plan to camp more than 100 miles from the "preferred" TV station. You'll get a little better reception (but not the same as cable or satellite). Just remember that the antenna is 90" long and 61" wide and would need to be stored during travel.....

When compared to the alternatives, Winegard does a "stellar job" of making TV reception available for RV'ers in a small, transportable package. So far, almost all "attempts" by electronic companies to build a better TV antenna have failed, some miserably. Winegard remains the "gold standard" for the RV user. Little else compares, though some have come close.

[Javi]

Anybody found a better antenna for there rv? There has to be something better then what they come with. Thanks

Yes... it's called DIRECTTV :D


It's a little too pricey for me... but I hear it works very well..

[chuckster57]

Yes... it's called DIRECTTV :D


It's a little too pricey for me... but I hear it works very well..

I just take a receiver from the bedroom and it doesn't cost any more. :cool:

[Hoef]

I strongly agree with the above replies. As one who is new to RVing (with TV), I was, pleasantly, amazed at the quality and quantity of "free" OTA channels available.
It sounds as though a bit of troubleshooting is in order... :)

[dcg9381]

Yes... it's called DIRECTTV :D
It's a little too pricey for me... but I hear it works very well..

You've still got to aim it... Or push the "aim" button.

For OTA setups where I didn't want to mess with that wineguard antenna or where we didn't have a good outlet, I simply bought a "leaf" antenna. They work great. I didn't run into any conditions where the Wineguard outperformed the LEAF, but in theory, the directional antenna should be much better.

[chuckster57]

You've still got to aim it... Or push the "aim" button

Not really. I just plug my "Carry out" into 12VDC and it finds the satellites on it's own. Only real work is using my app to verify clear view of sky. As long as DW gets her HGTV its a good camping trip :D

[buzzcop63]

Our Travel Trailer came with the Winegard Sensar IV HD Antenna, which you crank up and then can turn to tune in stations. We added the Wingman to increase signal strength. Next I installed the Winegard Sensarpro TV Signal Meter, which replaced the standard power supply and acts as a signal strength indicator, adjustable amplifier and wall plate power supply, it added specific search modes, eliminating guesswork. Also found a foam rubber clock, like the one you might use to train your kids how to tell time. I cut out the center with the hands and placed it over the ceiling crank so that once stations are found you can mark down their location then when you wish to change the direction of the antenna for a specific station or group of stations you know exactly where to turn the crank to align the antenna. Also the following web sights will allow you to put in the zip code of the location you are going to camp at and it will show the RF number and stations that can be viewed by your antenna and the strength of their signal and location to give you a better chance of locking on. And last I found that once the Sensarpro TV Signal Meter locates the most stations I let the TV search and lock in those stations, the TV seems to pull in more then I get by just selecting the channel. Be aware that not all stations are the common ones you are used to, many have an RF number like 45 and will represent channel 12 or Fox on the signal meter.
http://antennaweb.org/Address.aspx
https://www.tvfool.com/modeling/