Over the air antenna

[GeocamperAS]

I want to replace my 1974 crank-up aluminum finger antenna.
Which over-the-air HD antenna works the best?
Thanks

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by tiger

I want to replace my 1974 crank-up aluminum finger antenna.
Which over-the-air HD antenna works the best?
Thanks

Winegard makes some good ones. I've got their RS-2000 model (RoadStar Omnidirectional TV Antennas - Winegard) that came with my Interstate, and have no complaints.

[Skatiero]

Our new antenna is a jack fixed-height antenna and works GREAT!!!! So easy to point in the right direction, too-- there's little led lights on the bottom which show you where the signal is strongest. And NO CRANKING! Yay! Here's a link, and it is on sale right now. We bought ours earlier this year.
http://www.campingworld.com/shopping...em-white/56484

[m.hony]

I don't know which model Wingard our trailer has, but it works great. It has an extra bit of antenna sticking out on the side in addition to the part on top. The reception is much better than in our previous trailer with just the part on top of the antenna. Thee is also a signal strength amplifier in our trailer, also made by Winegard.

[r carl]

I put on a black Jack antenna and it works great.

[Splinter]

So I am totally stupid about HD antennas. If you have the antenna and an HD television you can pick up regular stations when camping? And would need a dish and a package to get Cable-like channels?

[SteveSueMac]

Splinter - the antenna picks up broadcast signals, many in high def but not pay cable channels. You usually get local network stations and PBS and multiple versions of them. Sometimes you only get one channel. We had that once. House marathon. Thankfully we weren't there to watch TV!! :-)

Good to catch local weather though. We caught a tornado warning once just after setting up camp!

[jdalrymple]

Don't fall for the HD trick. All TV antennas will receive all the over-the-air signals.

Even the oldest rabbit ear coat hangers will receive "HD" or digital signals.

Radio waves are radio waves, HD or Digital only refers to how the picture is loaded onto the radio wave.

The Wineguard batwings work well.

There are a surprising number of TV channels available over-the-air. Crank up the antenna, place the TV in the AIR mode, and do a channel search. We always find a few.


Regards,

JD

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by Splinter

So I am totally stupid about HD antennas. If you have the antenna and an HD television you can pick up regular stations when camping? And would need a dish and a package to get Cable-like channels?

Analog broadcast is dead and gone. It's all digital now. HD is a subset of digital; all HD is digital, but not all digital is HD. So, if you want to pick up broadcast television, you need at least a digital antenna. But if you want to view broadcast HD, you really need an HD antenna and an HD television.

If you only have a digital antenna and/or digital television, you may still pick up the HD broadcast channels, but they won't look any better than a regular digital broadcast.

If you want to pick up channels not broadcast wherever you're camping, then you'll need a portable satellite dish, and subscribe to a dish service.

The most broadcast digital/HD channels I've received in one place is 26, right at home in New Orleans. By the way, at the same time, my amplified digital rabbit ears inside my apartment only picked up 22 channels, so for comparison my Winegard in my Interstate is better.

The least digital/HD channels I've picked up while camping is zero, in several places. Fortunately, my flat-screen television has a built-in DVD player, and I always carry a small selection of titles to while away the rainy days, just in case.

[Splinter]

Ok. Thanks much for the explanation. We are getting some work done and getting an HD antenna and had no clue. Hubby wanted one probably to watch Marathons LOL. I know we have been out and felt cut off from the world without weather and catching up on the news once in awhile. Not always a bad thing.😏

[jdalrymple]

Only the TV makes a difference, not the antenna.

JD

[eubank]

Ah, our original, old-style "deer antler" antenna on the 67 does just as well as the newer digital antenna that we bought for the TV. And looks a whole lot cooler, too!

Lynn

[Splinter]

At this time we still have an OLD regular television that we take sometimes on longer trips and take old VHS movies. Kids think we are crazy while they watch their phones and laptops. I guess we will be moving up in the world. Haven't bought an HD TV yet but want one that plays DVD. Thanks everyone!

[Cable]

We have Winegard's Sensar with Wingman, an amplified, roof-top, crank-up, good for VHF and UHF. You may be interested in this URL RV Antenna - VHF UHF Winegard Sensar Antennas.

All VHF and UHF TV antennas can receive "digital" or "HD" signals. The antenna doesn't know the difference. The TV must be capable of receiving HD.

Being able to position the antenna to maximize the received signal level is very important.

[swampthang7]

Ok...here is how it works for picking up "local" tv...they broadcast in 240,480,720,and 1080i....i is for interlace. It's late,and I do not want to bore you. I used a piece of coax cable 20 feet long strung through the trees at the peace river camp ground to watch the college football games last year...in HD...basically 1080i. I split the last 5 feet of cable from the copper stinger,and exposed the ground. I split these two components and strung them in a tree...wiggle it around for best reception. Normally, I use a yagi double dipole to get a few extra miles of reception...you either get it digitally,or not. There's not the "snow" channel problem. With a directional yagi double dipole , i may get a station that is 50 miles away....without it,you are limited to around 40 miles of reception area. The old crank up antennae on the AS units are ok with reception....but you can increase your reception by adding a directional antenna and a motor with RG6 cable,OR go with a newer omni directional antenna. Either way,on sunday morning....be prepared to watch a thousand baptists pay homage to benny hahn,or watch some really serious news reporters discussing local and national politics. Me....I'll take channel 3 all day long. I watched the gator/bama/ SEC playoff game in HD in the middle of nowhere using some old speaker wire and a coathanger. The liqour was good,the women were young,and the fresh herbs were...well...fresh. And...yes...the TV MUST be HD capable...or it won't get HD. NOT 1080p,1080i,or 720.

[TouringDan]

I installed a "Jack" antenna for my 66 Tradewind. It works great. See posts 20-22 of the following link:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f116...s-94152-2.html

Dan

[jcanavera]

Digital is going out in the UHF frequency spectrum. If your old antenna could pick up UHF, it can pick up digital. My Winegard batwing antenna that came with my trailer in 2004 picks up digital. I did add the digital "enhancement" piece which for all intents boots UHF signals.

I've had the HD TV for a few years now and prior to that I got a free converter/tuner that I used with the old analog TV.

The biggest issue is finding the stations. It's a real pain due to digital signals are very directional. If you have towers in many directions, you have to re-adjust the antenna to get a signal from a specific station. In analog days you'd see a snowy picture. With digital you either have a picture or you don't. Personally while I love the picture, it made tuning a lot more difficult. That's what led me to going to satellite and a Dish Tailgater. If I have a southwest view, I set the Tailgater on the ground and let it aim itself.

Jack

[DKB_SATX]

swampthang7: The old-school antennas on Airstreams *are* directional, but they have that old 300-ohm twin-lead. Once you crank the antenna up, you can turn it. Much like the new ones, really. It's not a motorized directional control, though.

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, I originally bought a 15" analog TV for our trailer. Later it needed a converter box. I replaced this TV with a new digital model with a 22" screen. No more converter box. So far, with my new digital TV, I don't have to raise or rotate my antenna for good reception.

[swampthang7]

Originally Posted by DKB_SATX

swampthang7: The old-school antennas on Airstreams *are* directional, but they have that old 300-ohm twin-lead. Once you crank the antenna up, you can turn it. Much like the new ones, really. It's not a motorized directional control, though.

Thanks for letting me know that...mine is non functional for now...might play with it next week to see how it works. The crank is broken.