Winegard Wingman TV Ant.

[Pete & Linda]

I just purchased an add on for my ant. that is said to bring in digital TV signals better. It is from Winegard for their Sensar ant. After looking at it there is no conductive connection between the ant. and the add on. I am just wondering if anyone has used this or is it "snake oil". Thanks for your input. I have not installed it yet.

[JCM]

It helps. You will get more stations (if available).

[deadeye916]

In my very unscientific testing the Wingman addon to my batwing did improve reception. I happen to be in a location with extreme RF interference that prevented me from receiving a good signal without the Wingman. Before adding the Wingman I got pixelated video and no audio (because the nearby radar station sweep continually interrupted the audio buffering). After adding the Wingman I am able to watch TV from the batwing. Like I say, very unscientific.

[Izzyblueye]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pete & Linda I just purchased an add on for my ant. that is said to bring in digital TV signals better. It is from Winegard for their Sensar ant. After looking at it there is no conductive connection between the ant. and the add on. I am just wondering if anyone has used this or is it "snake oil". Thanks for your input. I have not installed it yet.

Pete & Linda, I most certainly gained by adding the wingman. I camp in an area that could not pull stations in from 40-50 miles away before adding the Wingman. Now I get them all clear and steady, plus I am pulling station in from 60 miles away. Down here in Florida I can reach out 105 miles. I will admit that I did not have these problems before the switch to digital. I also find it helps to re-scan ever couple of days to achieve the most stations.

[Clay L]

It is not snake oil and no direct connection is needed. I don't recall if it is properly called a director or a reflector but it does make a big difference in many places.

[Retired and Happy]

I also got improved reception ... in my driveway. I have not tried it on the road yet, and I am anxious to try it in an area that used to only get one weak station in FL. For the price and ease of installation I think it was a good investment

[Pete & Linda]

Moved to where?

[Bill Adams]

While the Wingman does make the Winegard antenna more directional it does work quite well. You need to point the end of the Wingman in the direction the signal originates. There have been many independent trials and all have proven the Wingman to be effective.

[SCVJeff]

If anyone can read a spectrum analyzer, HERE is the test I ran on the Wingman awhile back. Someone said Winegard has a link to it from their site as well.

[winegard]

I did have a link to that up for quite a while, always helps to show independant sources saying it is not 'snake oil'.

The Wingman is a director and does not need to be electronically connected to the Sensar head to do its job. The Wingman basically reaches out and picks up more of that UHF signal and directs it towards the UHF head of the Sensar.

[Retired and Happy]

Winegard,

I appreciate you commenting above. It's good to know that even though you have a commercial interest in the product, you do listen to customers and know we are out there.

[wkdwitch]

How can one tell if they have the necessary "sensar" for this wingman?

[Bill Adams]

The Wingman will work with every Sensar built in the last 10+ years (20 maybe?).

[SCVJeff]

Quote:

Originally Posted by winegard I did have a link to that up for quite a while, always helps to show independant sources saying it is not 'snake oil'. The Wingman is a director and does not need to be electronically connected to the Sensar head to do its job. The Wingman basically reaches out and picks up more of that UHF signal and directs it towards the UHF head of the Sensar.

Andy: You might have seen these posts around, but there are problems popping up with people wanting to install a Wingman but end up with the A/C in the way on the roof. Some people are suggesting cutting off the antenna, but obviously that's not a solution if you are trying to maintain spec. I had seen a post of someone that turned the batwing around on the mast, but went up and looked at mine last weekend, and that's not just a simple flip. There are holes to drill and things to cut. Has engineering considered re-molding the batwing mount to facilitate flipping this 180 degrees?

Dunno what to say to the folks currently experiencing this, other than they might be SOL...