Jack digital antenna

[Pepper2]

Has anyone had any experience with this antenna? I find I'm in need of a new antenna. Don't ask.

[CLIFFTALL]

Here's a link to some previous threads which may be of assistance to you.

https://www.google.com/search?q=Jack...earch=irv2.com

[Pepper2]

Thanks for the reply Cliff and for not asking.

[CLIFFTALL]

Originally Posted by Pepper2

Thanks for the reply Cliff and for not asking.

You're not the first or probably the last to need a new antenna. We don't need to ask

[wildtoad]

I replaced my very old batwing with a Jack (just wanted to) and it has worked fine. Get more channels. The reason I went with the Jack was I could not upgrade to the newer Winegard model which includes the wingman due to where the antenna is installed on the roof. There have been many posts on this and one member did some detail research and the newer Winegard with the Wingman have provided good service.

[Go Dawgs]

I put the Jack on my last Class A because the very old batwing gave out. Loved it. Great HD reception and it still works great for my friend who bought the MH. I will probably put one on my C this spring. Only takes about 15 minutes to switch out. I think CW has them on sale for around $40.

[Murf2u]

Originally Posted by Pepper2

I find I'm in need of a new antenna. Don't ask.

A couple of observations based on my experience;

First, it's not as directional as the other one, so if you're near an urban area and there's several stations but they're spread out, you'll get them all well, not just the few you're pointed at.

Secondly, if you need the antenna while driving, or happen to forget it's still up ( ) and drive off, it won't matter.

But I'm not asking. ;-)

[Pepper2]

Thanks everyone. Have an appointment to have it installed next week.

[SCVJeff]

I did tests between the Jack and the Batwing, with and without the Wingman attached. I did this real world in a motorhome at aprox. 40 miles from Mt. Wilson, both antennas on the Winegard mast, and all within an hour to minimize weather/ inversion issues from tainting what I was doing. The measurements were made on VHF-Low, VHF-High, and UHF. I looked at forward gains of the antennas, as well as side and rear rejections on all bands. All of this was done on a $70,000 Rhode & Schwartz ETL Spectrum Analyzer. It doesn't lie...

In every test the Jack failed to perform even close to the Batwing w/ Wingman combo, and barely equaled the non-Wingman Batwing..

I did this because I knew the Jack antenna wouldn't do as well, but thought that since it is a much newer design, that the newer amplifier in the Jack may make it worth the switch. That proved to not be the case.

Anyone that says that the Jack outperforms their Batwing, has a broken batwing as has been mentioned above, it's that simple.. The numbers don't lie. If you need the smaller footprint of the Jack, thats a different discussion from it's performance.

I posted this test over on RV.net, and have seen a few threads with that link posted on iRV2, and would post it here, but RV.net has been down all day. I will post the link once they get the servers back up if interested.

You might want to hang back and read it before making your decision.

[SCVJeff]

RV.net just came back up after a 30hour outage.

Here is the link:

http://forums.woodalls.com/Index.cfm...d/27171026.cfm

[TXiceman]

In a campground side by side my Winegard Sensar with Wingman out performs the neighbors, Jack antenna. More stations and higher signal strength.

Next, there is no such thing as a digital antenna. All the antenna does is receive a signal and the TV is what converts it to a digital picture on the TV.

I can run Morse code (the oldest form of digital radio signal), FM, single sideband or digital modes from the same antenna with my short wave radio.

I'd get a Winegard Sensar IV with the Wingman attachment.

Ken

[fountain42]

Originally Posted by TXiceman

In a campground side by side my Winegard Sensar with Wingman out performs the neighbors, Jack antenna. More stations and higher signal strength.

Next, there is no such thing as a digital antenna. All the antenna does is receive a signal and the TV is what converts it to a digital picture on the TV.

I can run Morse code (the oldest form of digital radio signal), FM, single sideband or digital modes from the same antenna with my short wave radio.

I'd get a Winegard Sensar IV with the Wingman attachment.

Ken

I installed the Jack and in short it is a piece of crap!!!!!!

[TXiceman]

Originally Posted by fountain42

I installed the Jack and in short it is a piece of crap!!!!!!

A to the point opinion...

Ken

[SCVJeff]

And correct too