Antenna question

[mrebele]

I have a question concerning the antenna on my 2012 Springdale 298 travel trailer. It has been on a campsite for 2 years and hooked up to cable TV. We will be taking it to Florida for a month or two this winter and will not always have access to cable TV. I am trying to figure what we need to be able to pick up local channels in Florida. I have attached a copy of a few photos I took today. It is probably not enough info to identify the exact brand of antenna but I was hoping maybe some would recognize it and be able to make a guess about what kind. I know absolutely nothing about antennas so speak in pretty simple terms. Life is a continuous learning experience but it sure is nice when you have friends to help along the way. Thanks.

[mrebele]

Sorry that the pictures are sideways. I'm not sure why or how to correct them. BTW: the antenna has a W on it.

[Dansspirit]

SearchWinegard on this site,and you will find out anthing you want to know!

[Afubar]

Originally Posted by Dansspirit

SearchWinegard on this site,and you will find out anthing you want to know!

Yep, that's what it looks like. What type T.V. do you have in the RV? I have the same antenna in my MH hooked up to a digital T.V. it works fine. Also have a TiVo for over the air hooked to it and it works great. As long as you have a digital T.V. you should be good to go. Don't let people tell you that you must have a digital antenna. Not true.

[mrebele]

Thanks Dansspirit and Afubar. The link to Winegard helped me figure it out. Afubar, it is a digital TV. It's good to know that it works fine for you. My DH is going to climb up and take a look to make sure everything looks good and we'll give it a try. Where we are in the mountains we may not get good reception but once we're on the road, we'll know better.

[Jim A]

If the DH is going to climb up there to check it out, have him remove the coax at the antenna head, and check to see if it shows 12 volts. Easy to check if you are up there anyway. If not, the antenna booster in the head is not getting the necessary power. Maybe it is disconnected, or simply not turned on. But without the power your antenna won't pick up much, and the signal may not even be going to the TV.

Also, adding a Wingman to the existing antenna will help with UHF channels, where most of the digital channels are broadcasting now. They cost around $25 and take 5 minutes to install. It doesn't look like your antenna has it from the pictures.

[wa8yxm]

Your antenna is a Winegard Sensar II or III (I do not know how to tell them apart)

This is a very good VHF and a fair UHF antenna as installed.

Adding the WINGMAN to it (A very fast job needing either no tools or perhaps a pair of regular (Common slip joint) pliars and a ladder, you can do it yourself) will improve the UHF performance.

IF you have the classic wall plate with the switch, outlet antenna connection and indicator light (Must be on for antenna to work) you might consider replacign it with the SENSAR PRO indoor module.

Made a BIG difference in my RV.

[mrebele]

Thanks wa8yxm. We'll probably get the Wingman. I think that should work for us.

[Jim A]

I will second the suggestion on the SensarPro. The Sensar antenna is very directional, so it must be pointed in the proper direction for best results. The SensarPro makes that easy. It also tells you quickly if you are wasting your time scanning for channels when the signals are too low.

[wa8yxm]

As Jim said, the sensar pro is nice.. If you have the wall plate is is almost a direct replacement, if you have the box of many buttons as I do, it's a simple add on.

Feature: Powers the antenna Pre-Map same as the wall plate or BOMB
Can deal with the 12 volts from the BOMB (Not all in-line pre-amps can)
Has several modes:
OFF (indicators all off after a touch of a button) Selects CABLE IN (note if you have the BOMB this is simply off as cable is selected on the matrix switch (proper name of Box of Many Buttons)
All the rest are "ON"
Scan.. will scan for digital tv and display both the carrier channel (Bottom window) and Signal strength (Top) of strongest carrier it finds

You may now aim the antenna to this station.

Display Pressing one of the two lower buttons cycles the lower display through ALL the carrier channels it found,, Top screen shows strength.. Again you may use this mode to point the antenna as well

Select: You use the two bottom buttons to select the carrier channel you wish to look for.. top shows strength, I use this most often to point since I know what carrier channels I'm looking for thanks to Free Antenna Helper on my phone.

GAIN: bottom window displays amplifier gain setting 0-20, buttons adjust Start with 10 and increase if needed (or decrease)

VOLUME: bottom window displays beeper gain (I keep mine on zero) the beeper can be used as an audio signal strength meter for installs where it is hard to see the top window while aiming the antenna.. Since I installed mine, it's where I can see it.

It made a BIG and I mean BIG difference on the number of stations I can see when parked at one of my summer campgrounds.

Where I am now I get cable but some tier 2 stations are not easily viewed, The antenna gets those stations nicely (At gain 20) and the DVRs record them so I can watch the shows at my pleasure.

New product looks interesting Taboo DVR... Do not have one but the 2-receiver version looks to be able to do most of what I do with my Rube Goldburg setup.

[Jim A]

I actually had a situation last year (in Phoenix suburbs) where I increased the gain from 10 to 20, and gained a couple of stations. But I also found I lost a couple of the more powerful stations at the higher gain level! It might be rare, but it does happen.

I bought the SensarPro because I wanted to remove my BOMB, and I needed power for the antenna. But it does far more than that, as noted above. A very worthwhile investment.