Magic HD Antenna Upgrade

[mel s]

Originally Posted by AnimalCop

OK, I think I said something wrong, it is the Jack Digital Antenna Jack Digital HDTV Antenna Replacement Head - King Controls OA-8000 - Over-the-Air Antennas - Camping World

Now here is what I am not understanding, My RV has only the old TV's I do not have any flat screens, So is was my understanding that all I needed was that Jack Antenna and I would be able to receive those over the air digital channels.
So I know I am missing something, do I need any type of converter to go in between the Jack Antenna and the old style TV's.
Do I need to purchase something additional or should I just get a Flat Screen. I eventually want to upgrade to the flat screens, but did not want to do it yet.

AnimalCop
You will need either a "converter box" OR a "digital TV" to view "DIGITAL TV programs/broadcasts", from any antenna.
see: HowStuffWorks "Do I really need a digital converter box for my TV?"
Mel
'96 Safari

[gemini5362]

Mel provided a good reference website. I am not sure that it explained the difference in simple terms.

The simplest explanation is that no antenna is going to allow you to use your old tv with todays over the air channels. AS previous posters have said you will need a converter box. My recommendation is to get rid of the old picture tube televisions and get a flat screen. The converter box is a pain to use and did not give that good a results when I had one.

The explanation why is fairly technical but has to do with the way the TV turns the signal from the antenna into the picture that you watch. The old televisions work from an analog signal. Analogue signals are changing voltages a change from 10vdc to 12vdc to 8vdc in a controlled fashion would be an example of an analogue signal. Todays television work off of digital words. Basically the screen you look at on your computer works off of digital words. Digital words are all the same voltage coming off of the antenna.

I am not sure this explanation is simple but hopefully it will help you to understand.

[Ray,IN]

Originally Posted by AnimalCop

OK, I think I said something wrong, it is the Jack Digital Antenna Jack Digital HDTV Antenna Replacement Head - King Controls OA-8000 - Over-the-Air Antennas - Camping World

Now here is what I am not understanding, My RV has only the old TV's I do not have any flat screens, So is was my understanding that all I needed was that Jack Antenna and I would be able to receive those over the air digital channels.
So I know I am missing something, do I need any type of converter to go in between the Jack Antenna and the old style TV's.

My Mistake I said Magic Jack, thinking of that Telephone thing, it is only Jack.

Now maybe this post makes sense. Do I need to purchase something additional or should I just get a Flat Screen. I eventually want to upgrade to the flat screens, but did not want to do it yet.

Since the coverter boxes are no longer produced, you must find one on Craig's List or a garage sale. I would suggest you spend that money on a new television with a dual-tuner that received digital signals and analog signals. The old analog still exists for low-power stations only.

[Rich-n-Linda]

I worked in radio frequency electronics for a good part of my life. I sold, serviced and repaired TV sets, CB radios, VHF FM 2-way radios and others. I have repaired more than 5,000 2-way radios and TVs in my life.

I have a formal education in radio frequency electronics, with many hours devoted to the study of antennas of all kinds.

Let me state this as clearly and distinctly as I can...THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A "DIGITAL" ANTENNA OR AN "HD" ANTENNA. Almost ANYTHING can be used as an antenna and the TV will not care. I have watched beautiful HD TV using a coat hanger as an antenna. (It was all I had handy.)

This nonsense about having a "digital antenna" or a special "HD antenna" is just that...a lot of nonsense. If you already have a TV antenna on your coach - even an old one - it will pick up ALL the TV stations in the area you are in...digital and HD.


Rich & Linda
'06 Mandalay 40E
Freightliner XC-R chassis
Cummins 400 HP ISL

[mel s]

Originally Posted by Ray,IN

Since the coverter boxes are no longer produced, you must find one on Craig's List or a garage sale. I would suggest you spend that money on a new television with a dual-tuner that received digital signals and analog signals. The old analog still exists for low-power stations only.

OR buy one a new one from Radio Shack, Best Buy, Amazon, etc.
see: https://www.google.com/#q=buy+digita...verter+box+usa
Mel
'96 Safari

[gemini5362]

Originally Posted by Rich-n-Linda

I worked in radio frequency electronics for a good part of my life. I sold, serviced and repaired TV sets, CB radios, VHF FM 2-way radios and others. I have repaired more than 5,000 2-way radios and TVs in my life.

I have a formal education in radio frequency electronics, with many hours devoted to the study of antennas of all kinds.

Let me state this as clearly and distinctly as I can...THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A "DIGITAL" ANTENNA OR AN "HD" ANTENNA. Almost ANYTHING can be used as an antenna and the TV will not care. I have watched beautiful HD TV using a coat hanger as an antenna. (It was all I had handy.)

This nonsense about having a "digital antenna" or a special "HD antenna" is just that...a lot of nonsense. If you already have a TV antenna on your coach - even an old one - it will pick up ALL the TV stations in the area you are in...digital and HD.


Rich & Linda
'06 Mandalay 40E
Freightliner XC-R chassis
Cummins 400 HP ISL

Ok I am going to respectfully disagree with you on your post. There might not be anything like a HD antenna or a Digital antenna. There are antennas that have been tuned to give a higher gain on the frequency ranges the new signals are being transmitted on. If a company wants to say we have a tuned antenna for UHF frequencies a lot of people are going to say WHAT is that. If they say we have a new antenna for the digital signals people are going to understand that. You can call it marketing or you can call it ease of communication. Using a coat hangar for an antenna is fine if you are at the exactly right point for maximum signal strength. How well did that antenna work for you 100 miles from the tv transmitter. The antenna does matter to every RF device made. Usually it is something as simple as the length in order to match the frequency but it does matter. There will always be off the wall examples of weird occurances. I worked as a security guard in college while I was in my car one night talking on my CB with a magnetic mount antenna, I was talking to a guy that was crystal clear. He asked me where I was and I told him the city name he asked what state and when I told him he told me he was in a city about 600 miles away. I looked up how that could occur and learned about waveguide effect of the atmosphere. Those occurrences do happen but rarely. Basically the antenna needs to be matched for the frequency of the signal it is carrying.

For everyone that is thinking about a new antenna just do what I did contact the company that makes the new antenna. Tell them what you have and ask for a comparison of the signal gain. The answer will be in DB's and basically the signal strength doubles for ever 3 db so an antenna with 18 db gain will give a signal that is twice as strong as one that is 15db. You then compare ease of installation, price and signal strength.
oh and for the people that like form over function you also comare that way that is looks.

[mel s]

Originally Posted by Rich-n-Linda

Let me state this as clearly and distinctly as I can...THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A "DIGITAL" ANTENNA OR AN "HD" ANTENNA. Almost ANYTHING can be used as an antenna and the TV will not care. I have watched beautiful HD TV using a coat hanger as an antenna. (It was all I had handy.)
This nonsense about having a "digital antenna" or a special "HD antenna" is just that...a lot of nonsense. If you already have a TV antenna on your coach - even an old one - it will pick up ALL the TV stations in the area you are in...digital and HD.
Rich & Linda

Rich-n-Linda
I agree 100%!

Originally Posted by gemini5362

Ok I am going to respectfully disagree with you on your post. There might not be anything like a HD antenna or a Digital antenna. There are antennas that have been tuned to give a higher gain on the frequency ranges the new signals are being transmitted on. If a company wants to say we have a tuned antenna for UHF frequencies a lot of people are going to say WHAT is that. If they say we have a new antenna for the digital signals people are going to understand that. You can call it marketing or you can call it ease of communication. Using a coat hangar for an antenna is fine if you are at the exactly right point for maximum signal strength. How well did that antenna work for you 100 miles from the tv transmitter. The antenna does matter to every RF device made. Usually it is something as simple as the length in order to match the frequency but it does matter. There will always be off the wall examples of weird occurances. I worked as a security guard in college while I was in my car one night talking on my CB with a magnetic mount antenna, I was talking to a guy that was crystal clear. He asked me where I was and I told him the city name he asked what state and when I told him he told me he was in a city about 600 miles away. I looked up how that could occur and learned about waveguide effect of the atmosphere. Those occurrences do happen but rarely. Basically the antenna needs to be matched for the frequency of the signal it is carrying.

gemini5362
Enough already!
Please re-read Rich-n-Linda's post above.

BTW, "CB signals" and "digetal OTA TV signals" are "birds of a different feather"...(IMO you are confusing apples with oranges in an attempt to prove your opinion).

Mel
'96 Safari

[Rich-n-Linda]

Originally Posted by mel s

BTW, "CB signals" and "digetal OTA TV signals" are "birds of a different feather"...(IMO you are confusing apples with oranges in an attempt to prove your opinion).

Mel
'96 Safari

No, Mel, that's not what I'm doing and it is NOT apples and oranges.

ALL over-the-air broadcasts, whether they be AM radio, FM radio, CB radio, Police Radio, railroads, fire departments, cell phones or HD TV broadcasts are sent via an ANALOG RF (radio frequency) CARRIER. That carrier is what "carries" the digital signals that the TV interprets as sounds and images and displays on the screen. But the actual RF signal broadcast into the air is an ANALOG RF CARRIER, not some kind of a "DIGITAL SIGNAL." The digital signal is carried within the analog RF Carrier.

You can receive an RF Carrier with almost anything metal. Obviously an antenna tuned for the UHF band will perform much better than my coat hanger did, but my point here is that there is no such thing as a "DIGITAL ANTENNA" or an "HD ANTENNA." That is all marketing hype to scare you into buying a new antenna when your old antenna may be perfectly fine.

If you have an older coach that was built before the onset of digital TV and it has a UHF TV antenna that still works, it will work just fine to receive ALL TV broadcasts, HD and SD. You do not need some kind of special "Digital HD Antenna" to receive digital HD TV signals.

[mel s]

Originally Posted by mel s

Rich-n-Linda
I agree 100%!
Mel
'96 Safari

Originally Posted by Rich-n-Linda

No, Mel, that's not what I'm doing and it is NOT apples and oranges.
If you have an older coach that was built before the onset of digital TV and it has a UHF TV antenna that still works, it will work just fine to receive ALL TV broadcasts, HD and SD. You do not need some kind of special "Digital HD Antenna" to receive digital HD TV signals.

Rich-n-Linda
I also know that "if you have an older coach that was built before the onset of digital TV and it has a UHF TV antenna that still works, it will work just fine to receive ALL TV broadcasts, HD and SD. You do not need some kind of special "Digital HD Antenna" to receive digital HD TV signals".

As you can see my "apples and oranges" was NOT directed to you.
I believe you and I are on the same page.
Sorry for the miscommunication.
Mel
'96 Safari

[Rich-n-Linda]

No problem, Mel. I guess I did misread the communication chain.

Gotta go now...Camping World is having a special sale on Digital HD TV antennas. I've got to get me one of those! ;-)

[wa8yxm]

Originally Posted by AnimalCop

OK, I think I said something wrong, it is the Jack Digital Antenna Jack Digital HDTV Antenna Replacement Head - King Controls OA-8000 - Over-the-Air Antennas - Camping World

Now here is what I am not understanding, My RV has only the old TV's I do not have any flat screens,

Re: Magic,, Kind of thought that was what you had done.

Re: TV's the old CRT TVs are NOT able to pick up digital broadcast TV, they might work with digital cable, but NOT with digital over the air.. You will need a converter box..

Someone said "They are no longer produced" but last I checked, Radio Shack still had 'em, about 50 each.

For 100 I got a real nice 28" Dynex fits in my front TV spot perfetly (I did make a few slight mods to the compartment) at a pawn shop.. Works great, Watching it as I type.


The Jack antenna is better if the stations are all over the compass

The Winegard, with batwing and optional sensar Pro indoor module is best if you need to see far far away. Like Detroit from Flint.

[AnimalCop]

Thanks for all the input, I will decide on the Box or a New TV, I did not want to have to change the TVs yet, I have 2 of the old type in my MH, one in the bedroom and one over the dash. I think for now I will go for the cheap converter.

[SCVJeff]

Gemini: You ARE comparing apples and oranges. Talking DX on a CB radio isn't remotely related to this discussion, nor frankly is matching antennas. We are not matching coat hangers, the antennas are already designed by those that hopefully know what they are doing, and, there are very very few here that have the knowledge or the equipment to play the match game on a 75 ohm antenna.

As stated several times above, there is no such thing as a digital antenna, but there are differences in the Batwing, Batwing w/ Wingman, and any of the Jack antennas. Any other antenna than these two are significantly less performance wise (in RV service).

The link below is a test I did between the Batwing, Batwing w/ Wingman, and the Jack.. YMMV, but I did this test eyes wide open, and I kept what was the best performer.

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

AnimalCop: IF you can even find those converters, realize that they will likely run you $50, and all you get is a down converted picture that MAY not look as good as the picture did in 2007. But think hard if you want to spend additional money on a converter that produces the same or less results on a TV that is completely obsolete, when you can replace the TV for ~$200.00 depending on what's on sale.