jack antenna reception

[gnowlin]

?????on this Jack....any info from you experienced guys or gals to help get reception will be greatly appreciated>>>

replacing the std. wineguard antenna with a Jack head. just adding to the existing post on a 2012 International 25'....got 4 channels with the factory antenna. started out getting 1 with the Jack.. even got the same channel with the coax unplugged.. problem is that the red indicator light on the Jack will not illuminate ( no 12v power per the instr.s) ran separate coax from the plate to the antenna and still no red light. can't get Jack tech service to call me back so i'm asking for A/S support .
changed out the coax connector to the antenna, and temporarily got 12 channels. (never saw the red light on?) now I get only 4 channels, still no red light on the Jack. so i'm thinking about replacing the coax from the antenna to the inside wall plate. just wondering if the antenna is bad or the coax is iffy. anyone had similar issues? what about pulling new coax, just pull thru with a Kellems grip? any restrictions in the walls that anyone knows of?
safe travels!

[daveswenson]

Do you have power to the winegard amplifier at the wall plate? Is it turned on?

[AWCHIEF]

Originally Posted by daveswenson

Do you have power to the winegard amplifier at the wall plate? Is it turned on?

What he said, that seems to fix most reception issues people have with new antennas.

[gnowlin]

thanks guys,,,,yes I do have power at the wall plate ( light is on). I am not sure if i'm getting a good ground on the new coax connection that was installed? not too much of the mesh wire is there. I did get about 12 channels in the process,..but would up with 4 . so maybe I just need to pull new coax? just not sure about restrictions inside the wall.

[mocus]

I have same unit and am not happy with it. I was having same problem and found by tweeking the small nob on the face solved the light problem---very touchy. My problem now is sometimes antenna feels like it is binding up when turned. I do not see how the cable from the antenna to the mounted box on ceiling can be routed so it will function without sometimes slight binding. Oh, I have 3 heads for mine. Each time I called factory about a problem, they would send another head. I also found that the "on/off" switch is very delicate and breaks off very easy. Good luck....

[gnowlin]

thanks....I have a factory installed amplifier on the wall , so i'm not using the one from Jack..i get illumination there but not from the indicator on the Jack antenna itself..
I'm going to pull some more coax and see if that solves my problem..will post another reply with results.
safe travels

[daveswenson]

If the coax fix doesn't work perhaps your amp is bad. I replaced mine with one of these. It's helpful in turning my antenna ( a Jack) for the best signal.
Winegard SensarPro TV Signal Strength Meter

[Silverbee]

Originally Posted by gnowlin

thanks....I have a factory installed amplifier on the wall , so i'm not using the one from Jack..i get illumination there but not from the indicator on the Jack antenna itself..
I'm going to pull some more coax and see if that solves my problem..will post another reply with results.
safe travels

You must replace the factory installed amplifier plate with the one provided by Jack. It is a simple, wire for wire replacement process. The Jack antenna will not work properly unless you use the provided plate.

[daveswenson]

Originally Posted by Silverbee

You must replace the factory installed amplifier plate with the one provided by Jack. It is a simple, wire for wire replacement process. The Jack antenna will not work properly unless you use the provided plate.

Not true. Mine works great with the Winegard Sensor Pro. The Jack Replacement head does not come with an amplifier plate, only a power injector. They are emphatic that if you are retrofitting with an existing amplifier, to NOT use the power injector.

[daveswenson]

Before I would pull a new coax I would try running a known good cable from the antenna to the amplifier externally. And you did say your shielding is questionable. Maybe some new connectors are in order.

[gnowlin]

thanks to all on the reply's..so far here's an update of progress:

checked voltage of house batteries.( just to be sure I had some) and .had 13.75 VDC. then I hooked up 2 diff separate coax leads to the wall plate and then to antenna ( could not get the light on the Jack antenna to come on) unhooked from Jack and checked checked coax fitting just to see if I had voltage there. no voltage on either of the 2 cables ( assuming the center pin is the hot and the case is the ground.) took out amp plate at wall and did have 13.75 VDC at the leads on the back where they are connected to the PC board.....so got power at the back of the amp plate but nothing out the front side. looks like I need to get a new power/amp plate from Winegard. please advise if anyone has any comments
thanks in advance and safe travels.

[daveswenson]

I would definitely look at the Winegard SensarPro. It makes it very easy to fine tune the rotation of the antenna. Good Luck.

[gnowlin]

thanks, ordered one this AM on Amazon. also just put on a 4' section of coax from antenna to roof plate, this might help with ground issues. sure do not want to try and pull new coax! i'm not sure what restrictions are inside the wall. should have the new plate by Wed. and will advise results. also just noticed that I have no light on the face plate now.

[mocus]

I took tuning box from ceiling, that is supplied with antenna, and took it to the roof and connected it to the antenna directly. I got a coax cable long enough to attach from tuning unit, thru the door, to the mounted box on the wall inside (don't know what it is called). That way, I bypassed wires in the trailer. Worked for me.....

[daveswenson]

I'm very happy with my Jack replacement for my batwing. But when I went to the Winegard site the other day to make sure I was giving good info for this thread, there was a sign up for a contest. Guess what. I won!!! Winegard is sending me their new Rayzar Automatic. MSRP $399. So thanks for asking the question gnowlin.

[gnowlin]

well...finally got some very good reception with the new Jack antenna and the Winegard amp plate.....
and here are the items I finally had to install to get to this point....
1) ordered the Winegard Sensar Pro amp plate to replace the factory installed plate. this is a GREAT replacement as you do see the reception strength as you turn the antenna. No guessing here. a couple of notes: new wall plate has a larger footprint (part that goes into the wall) more stuff must be recessed into the wall as all connections are pre-connected with coax fittings including the connection that was on the front of old plate for the main TV and the 12VDC connections are at the upper rear part of the plate, they all will not fit into the original opening. could have cut out more of the wall but tried to simplify by just using some foam to put behind the plate , a semi-recessed mounting (allows mounting without the components on the back to be fully recessed and just brought the main TV coax wire out the side.
spliced coax at plate on top of AS to the antenna and installed a new coax fitting at the antenna. covered all exposed coax with some small tubing ( a little protection from UV exposure) as I think that contributed to my not getting a good ground on the antenna coax fitting originally installed
3.) installed the Jack ( just the replacement head that fits right back onto the original posts
. thanks to all that responded on this. hope this helps others with similar problems.
and congrats to Dave Swenson on winning a new Rayzar antenna based on this conversation.
a big thanks to Daniel Snider at AS customer service for advising me not to pull new coax as I might have to remove some interior skin to do.
safe travels , thanks again, Gregg Nowlin, Slaton, TX

[gnowlin]

sorry , but I forgot to mention that I am now getting 12 channels with the new Jack vs, only 4 with the original antenna.
also, if you are installing a new Jack like this one, be sure the red light on the underside of the antenna is illuminated ( shows you are getting a 12 VDC from the amp plate to the antenna)
gregg

[KJRitchie]

The King Jack installation manual states you can use existing power injectors and not to use the supplied 12v power adapter when using existing power injectors. Replacing my current power injector with the Winegard Sensar pro would mean I would loose the 12v power socket. It's nice to have that socket to put in charge adapters for charging cell phones etc.

Kelvin

[lewster]

No need to change the power plate on Airstreams. Just be sure to wire everything BEFORE you make your final mechanical connections and sealing to be certain that the signal amplifier is getting power.


Lew Farber
RVIA/RVDA Nationally Certified Master Tech
Master Tech Energy Systems, Inc.
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