No reception Sony TV 2007 Safari

[deer4200]

I recently acquired a 2007 Safari 23' SE, and I cannot get any stations on the Sony TV with Winegard antenna. The former owner had the dealer demonstrate it when new but never used the TV after. Are these TV's ready to receive digital signals or do I need a digital converter box?

[Air-Texas]

Just a stupid question, but did you turn the antenna on at the wall? Mine has a small push button switch on the plate that must be pushed in for it to work.

[rodsterinfl]

No box is needed for the local stations. The Winegard batwing is a great antenna; however, you have to have the "nose" on it. Look at it and see if it has a "nose". Actually it is a middle digital antenna part. That is what pics up the digital stations. See Pic. Also, like Air-Texas said, these are powered antennas. Somewhere in your AS there is a wall switch. Mine was inside the credenza cabinet.

FYI, they just released a new antenna (first week of June '14) that updates the batwing idea. It is digital "BI-DIRECTIONAL" and is tuned to the new frequencies supposedly soon to come. I say this in case you do not have the middle part and have to buy one. You might just want to get the new antenna- far right. You would only need the retrofit kit as it uses one of the batwing poles. Another thing you may consider is the directional wall tuner. That is really neat. It helps you via a signal sound to tune in the stations for the best reception- takes the guesswork out.

[mojo]

If it is the Sony Wega TV it may not be digital ready and not receive a signal. Look up the model online to determine.

[DKB_SATX]

Originally Posted by rodsterinfl

No box is needed for the local stations. The Winegard batwing is a great antenna; however, you have to have the "nose" on it. Look at it and see if it has a "nose". Actually it is a middle digital antenna part. That is what pics up the digital stations. See Pic. Also, like Air-Texas said, these are powered antennas. Somewhere in your AS there is a wall switch. Mine was inside the credenza cabinet.
~~

There is no such thing as a "digital antenna" outside of marketing propaganda.

Radio waves are exactly the same for digital and analog television, only the way the picture and sound are encoded into the radio waves has changed. The confusion that antenna marketers exploit is that more digital TV stations have moved into the UHF range, so antennas with elements optimized to receive UHF are marketed as "Digital Antennas" or "HD Antennas" to make it sound like they're materially different from the antenna my dad bought in 1968.

The "Wingman" element that projects forward from the new Winegard batwing is optimized for UHF (and is available as an add-on for existing Sensar antennas). Winegard perpetuates this "digital antenna" canard by burying the first mention of UHF on the 11th line of copy, but on the first line is "Optimize your Sensar for DTV!"

[GCinSC2]

Mine is an '07 with Sony TV's and requires convertor box.

Gary

[AnnArborBob]

Originally Posted by Air-Texas

Just a stupid question, but did you turn the antenna on at the wall? Mine has a small push button switch on the plate that must be pushed in for it to work.

We had the same problem until someone also told us about the "secret button." Then presto! Everything worked just fine. The button is on the little panel next to or behind the TV in the dining area from which the antennae lead to the TV emerges.

[rodsterinfl]

There is no such thing as a "digital antenna" outside of marketing propaganda.
Radio waves are exactly the same for digital and analog television, only the way the picture and sound are encoded into the radio waves has changed. The confusion that antenna marketers exploit is that more digital TV stations have moved into the UHF range, so antennas with elements optimized to receive UHF are marketed as "Digital Antennas" or "HD Antennas" to make it sound like they're materially different from the antenna my dad bought in 1968.

Yes, I guess the difference is best described as the frequency the antenna is designed to receive. My unit came with a regular batwing. I was able to get 6-7 channels here at the house on test before my maiden voyage. They came in beautifully. Then I bought the add-on, that I call the "nose". It went up to 14 stations at the house. Then I purchased the wall scanner sounder thingy and was able to tune in a bit better- not more station but just fine tune. I did so by turning the antenna around.

Recently I got that fly swatter looking model. The difference in it and the batwing is that it is bi-directional so there is less turning. It is not supposed to be more powerful. On my first trial YESTERDAY I was able to get 22 stations with it. I used the scanner and it basically only had to be moved slightly right. The company claims that right now there is a trend that companies will be moving down to "lower stations" leaving higher ones for various other equipment usage. Yes, my TVs are LED type so They are digital HD types.

[Rich W]

Originally Posted by deer4200

I recently acquired a 2007 Safari 23' SE, and I cannot get any stations on the Sony TV with Winegard antenna. The former owner had the dealer demonstrate it when new but never used the TV after. Are these TV's ready to receive digital signals or do I need a digital converter box?

At home, hook up some old rabbit ear antenna to the TV and open the ears so the TV station antennas in your area are in that direction. Us the TV's 'autoprogram' to search for stations. It should show digital and analog signals. If it doesn't find any, you probably need a converter box. If it does find stations, put it back in the AS and ensure you are plugged into the Winegard connection, not the cable TV connection (which I did on the first trip ).

We have a 2006 and the LCD TV that came with it cannot get digital signals but has a built in DVD player so we still use it in the bedroom and have a newer one out by the couch.

When traveling, you will need to use the autoprogram feature to find local stations. The hard part is pointing the Winegard in the right direction. I look at the direction my CG neighbors have theirs pointed in and put mine in the same direction, then use autoprogram.

[xrvr]

I had to buy a converter box from radio shack about three years ago and got the last one that they expected to recieve. Good luck. Jim

[newroswell]

The wingman addition helps reception, but you should be able to get something in your area without it. You will need to find the amplifier button, then have the TV do a "scan for channels".

[Rich W]

Originally Posted by zigzagguzzi

I had to buy a converter box from radio shack about three years ago and got the last one that they expected to recieve. Good luck. Jim

Best Buy still has them

[Phoenix]

If an old television is "HDTV-ready" (i.e., "hi-def" capable), but it does NOT have a built-in HDTV tuner; you may wish to consider buying a separate HDTV converter box. There are several at the link below:

Amazon.com: hdtv receiver tuner: Electronics

We bought one of the early Sony HDTVs when the OTA stations (ABC, CBS, NBC, etc.) were in the process of converting from analog to digital; and Sony didn't yet sell an add-on HDTV tuner. A year or two later, we bought a Samsung HDTV converter box; and we have been watching high-def (1080i) OTA shows ever since. By using the HDMI connector for the TV and separate audio outputs for our surround sound receiver, we get a hi-def picture with 5.1 surround sound from local OTA signals.

There isn't as wide a selection of these tuners, now that all TV sets have built-in HDTV tuners. However, there are still a few HDTV converter boxes available. Unfortunately, it may be more cost effective to just buy a new TV.

Last year, we upgraded the TV in our Bambi and bought a Samsung, 24-inch HDTV for $180 at Costco. However, the old, 2002, 65-inch Sony, rear-projection behemoth that's the heart of our home theater system is still rattling the windows and shaking the walls at home. And, the Samsung HDTV in the Bambi does the same with the Bose Companion 3, Series II Multimedia (PC) Speakers and subwoofer that we added.

[DKB_SATX]

I agree with Phoenix' comment that it may be more cost-effective to replace an 8-year-old TV without a digital tuner, and would add that if you DO find an HDTV external tuner, you'll be saddled with another box for which to find a home in the trailer, and another remote to use (or to program into a universal remote) to control everything. For a residential system with essentially unlimited space and electrical power, it makes sense for keeping a nice old set running but perhaps not for an RV.

Oh, and if you use cable or satellite for your TV reception at home, the TV from the Safari should give you a nice (albeit small) HD picture with an HD box from your provider.

[Moflash]

Had the same problem
I just went and upgraded from the Sony to a 32 LED smart TV with bluetooth and Wifi.

[deer4200]

Thank you all for your input. Yes, I do have the amplifier button pushed in on the wall and I do get the indicator light. It is the Sony Wega model #KLV-S15G10 which I Googled and found on the Sony website. It does have an analog tuner. So I need to decide if I want to add a digital converter box or just watch DVDs.

[tsunami]

Best bet in the long run, IMHO, is to purchase new new LED TV. Less mess, less cables, less power consumption and better picture. Also could allow for additional inputs (depending on make/model) on the back for HDMI, digital audio and bluetooth.

[AnnArborBob]

Originally Posted by tsunami

Best bet in the long run, IMHO, is to purchase new new LED TV. Less mess, less cables, less power consumption and better picture. Also could allow for additional inputs (depending on make/model) on the back for HDMI, digital audio and bluetooth.

I agree 100% with tsunami, with the cost of smaller Airstream-sized TV's these days (e.g., $200 to $300,) it's hardly worth fussing with external receivers etc...

[GCinSC2]

I looked into replacing mine just to eliminate the box etc. My TV is on a swing mount over the microwave oven cabinet. The TV mount is in the center but today's TV's mount at the top. Lowering TV will hit cabinet. Will not work w/o big mods to TV or mount. Previously posted in electronics, pic included no one had suggestions.

[tsunami]

Originally Posted by GCinSC2

I looked into replacing mine just to eliminate the box etc. My TV is on a swing mount over the microwave oven cabinet. The TV mount is in the center but today's TV's mount at the top. Lowering TV will hit cabinet. Will not work w/o big mods to TV or mount. Previously posted in electronics, pic included no one had suggestions.

Without seeing any photos, any possibility that the wall mount could be inverted 180 degrees? Most of the newer LCD/LED are industry compatible with brackets that follow VESA (Video Electronics Standards Association) standards. So it should be relativley easy to get a compatible wall mount. Good luck.