Community Forums

Longweekends · 04-18-2012, 01:17 PM

Are there any other AC MH owners who use their television antennas rather than the satellite for local channels? On my previous discovery antenna I purchased the digital adaptor that fit on the antenna and was able to pick up some of the digital channels. Have not been able to find a digital adaptor for the fancy electric antenna on this coach. Am I the only one who is to cheap to pay for satellite tv in my coach? BTW, most of the campgrounds I go to have cable so even harder to justify the extra cost even if I can get Dish on a monthly basis. Thoughts?

hooverbill · 04-18-2012, 03:18 PM

Guess I don't understand the problem or question. Our our AC Allegiance, we crank up the antenna and use as we did on any of our previous RVs. BTW, we also refuse to buy into sat TV since most CGs have cable.

Tha_Rooster · 04-18-2012, 05:46 PM

I believe it's your tv's not your ant. they probably aren't digital. I use sat. at home so it's only 6 bucks a month for the coach. If I can get a signal I'll use sat. if not we use cable or ant. if that doesn't work no ones happy if you get my drift.

TXiceman · 04-18-2012, 07:01 PM

First there is no such thing as a digital antenna. Any VHF/UHF antenna will pick up analog or digital signals. If you do not have digital TV sets, you will need an analog to digital converter box. Some work OK, some not so OK.

We ditched the old analog TVs and went to a new digital TV.

Ken

Mr_D · 04-18-2012, 07:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TXiceman

First there is no such thing as a digital antenna. Any VHF/UHF antenna will pick up analog or digital signals. If you do not have digital TV sets, you will need an analog to digital converter box. Some work OK, some not so OK.

We ditched the old analog TVs and went to a new digital TV.

Ken

Exactly what we did too. I did try the converters for a while but they didn't work too well so gave up and upgraded the TV's.

Longweekends · 04-18-2012, 07:25 PM

Hooverbill,
With my 1999 discovery, I had to add a digital adaptor to the antenna that came on the coach. Then for the non digital tv in the bedroom, I had to use a digital adaptor between the antenna and the TV. I was thinking I needed to have a digital antenna for this coach also. Actually purchased a part that was to be added to the antenna but it didn't fit the electric antenna on my coach. Maybe because mine is a 2006 model year it is not digital capable?

**NLOVNIT** · 04-18-2012, 07:43 PM

Nope, you're not too cheap. We don't do satellite either. We take what we can get with OTA or cable, if the CG has cable.

Since you've got a 2006, there's a chance your TV's aren't digital. I looked at the 2006 brochure for your Tradition & LCD HDTV's, which I think were digital then, are listed as "optional". If you've still got the flat screen analog TV that was standard on AC's then, you'll need a converter box as Ken stated. That's what we had to use until we upgraded our TV's.

I'm not familiar with the electric antennas. Do they not fit a Wingman (what we use to better pull in digital signals)?

Lori-

TXiceman · 04-18-2012, 07:55 PM

As I said, any antenna that will receive the VHF/UHF band will work for a digital or analog TV. The TV signals now being transmitted are in the UHF band for the most part. A few stations are in the upper part of the old VHF band.

The converter is not for the antenna, it is for the TV signal. A digital to Analog converter (D to A) takes the signal from the TV antenna which is now in a digital format and then converts it to the appropriate analog signal on channel 3 or 4 for the TV.

I think the best antenna for the RV is the Winegard Sensar IV which includes the added Wingman to help on the UHF signals. The digital signals are weaker and you either have a signal or you don't...there is no longer a weak picture with snow. The antennas are more directional and they take a bit more time to get zeroed in on a signal.

A digital TV will not require a converter, just a signal from an antenna. The antenna does not know if the signal is in digital or analog format.

Ken

wa8yxm · 04-19-2012, 06:23 AM

First: There is no special antenna needed for Digital Over The Air tv, the standard Over The Air antenna from last century works just fine,, Though, that said, the Winegard Sensar (Batwing) can benefit from the addition of the Wingman, which improves it's UHF performance.

Now, if your televisions are newer and have ATSC tuners (They will have a "Dash" or period button on the remote and or display channel numbers like 7.1 or 7-1). then you need no adapter, it's buit in.

IF you have older TV's like I do,, Radio Shack still sells adapters.. Some other places do as well. I'v enot shopped for one in a long time.

My set upt.. Wineguard Sensar II with Wingman (Making it a S-III) Winegard multi-switch (Box of many buttons) feeding two different converters (DTV-Pal and Insignia/Zinith, one each feeds one of two Replay TV DVR's (Think TIVO on Steroids) feeding two older analog only NTSC televisions.

I can record two shows at once, and watch one on my tv while wife watches other, OR, we can both watch same, don't matter which machine did the recording.