Antenna

[silverlassie]

Davidz71
Was looking at your photos and noticed your replaced antenna. I need to replace mine, could you tell me where you bought yours and how I could order one.

Thanks,
Silverlassie

[davidz71]

Camping World carries the Winegard Sensar Batwing antennas with a regular price of $119, sale price of $110 and a CW member's price of $99. You can also find these at many other RV stores because they are widely available. You might also do a yahoo shopping search and find a good price. Good luck.

[silverlassie]

Craig,
Gosh, I thought it would be a hard to find item like most everything I have been replacing to date. Thanks so much for the info. Will start searching tonight.

Mindy --- Silverlassie

[thenewkid64]

Silverlassie,

One of the things to pay attention to is the fact that the antenna comes in two models. One is a standard antenna, the other is an Amplified model. the Amplified models will pull in far away stations very well. The standard ones will work, but the boost is better. They will cost a bit more and require you to run the wires through the ceiling. If you want to just replace it with the bat wing then go for the un-amplified version.

[silverlassie]

Hi! Brett,
Think I will stick with the standard, the amplified sounds nice but running wires through the ceiling would end up on the bottom of "the long list" just trying to replace the broken and worn out right now. Thanks! though for the thought and information.

Mindy --- Silverlassie

[davidz71]

Brett,
You beat me back to Silverlassie's post on the Winegard antenna. I just checked your water heater response where you recommended www.rvcatalog.com and went to the site. They have some good prices and an explanation on the different Batwing antenna models. I'm still a little confused about which Batwing model I have since the PO ran a short cable through the outer skin and then through the vent to the inside. I do not have any of the amplified wallplates so could I assume I have an unamplified head?

[thenewkid64]

David,

I am remembering your pictures you posted and I would say that yes, you have an un-amplified one. The Amp is in the head of the antenna, the power form the booster plate goes to the amp via the coax that connects it to the antenna.

If you want to be sure yours in not an amplified version you could look for a model number on the head and see if it is or is not amplified. If it is the amplified version all you need to add is the wall plate to make it work.

[j54mark]

I put one of those Winegard Sensar Batwing antennas in my coach last spring, and I did not have to run any wires for the amplifier at the mast. I did have to provide 12 v at the coax connector inside the trailer, but it was next to a 12 volt power receptical anyway, so that was no problem.

They are, as noted, remarkably effective.

Mark

[thenewkid64]

Mark,

The big difference is that you already had the coax in the walls. davidz and silverlassie still have the 300 ohm wire due to the vintage

I replaced mine on a 76 MH and I pulled the center sheet to get the new wire run. It was a learning experience

[j54mark]

Ah, I misunderstood. I thought the issue was running wires for the amplifier, not the coax itself.

I'm not one to disassemble my coach on a whim, but I believe in this case I'd haul out the cordless drill and rivet tool. The run isn't that far, and the results are startlingly better.

Mark

[silverlassie]

Brett,
Is that what that wire is ? Just kidding...

Mindy

[thenewkid64]

Originally Posted by j54mark

I'm not one to disassemble my coach on a whim, but I believe in this case I'd haul out the cordless drill and rivet tool.

I have seen the pictures I am gonna have to disagree.

All you wanted to do was replace a light fixture, right?

[davidz71]

Mark,
Better yet, sell me your 25' so I don't have to do the extra work to get mine working like it should.

[j54mark]

Originally Posted by thenewkid64

I have seen the pictures I am gonna have to disagree.

All you wanted to do was replace a light fixture, right?

Busted.

The photo below is from my family room just moments ago. Looking pretty good, I think.

We ARE going camping this weekend though!

Mark

[Chuck]

I was thinking of adding one of these to my skyliner setup

http://www.campingworld.com/browse/s...m?skunum=17102

think it would work? this would actually replace the original 12v receptacle/2-pin antenna plug. I couldn't find a 2-pin antenna plug in existance, so I disconnected the 300ohm cable from it, and attached a 300ohm-coaxial converter so I could connect my modern tv. it works...but at a rally last year, my neighbor with an amplified bat-wing, was getting much better reception than I was. I'm sorry, but a batwing just doesn't look right on a vintage trailer. and I'm told that as an "antenna", there isn't anything better than the skyliner...so I'm thinking that it "should" be just as good if I add an amplifier. but would this work, considering the converters required, going from 300ohm to coax, etc....?

[thenewkid64]

Chuck,

That wall plate will do the trick. The OEM plate that was there had a built in amp that was always on. Bypass the plate, bypass the amp. This plate would require the cable conversion be buried in the wall but will improve your reception.

[Chuck]

Originally Posted by thenewkid64

Chuck,

That wall plate will do the trick. The OEM plate that was there had a built in amp that was always on. Bypass the plate, bypass the amp.

really? there was an amplifier built into that plate, too? I don't remember seeing anything in there...I'll have to look. wouldn't that create a phantom load on the battery, though?? perhaps I could separate the output of the amplifier from the plug, and connect to the tv from that point. or would that not work w/ a coaxial converter?

Originally Posted by thenewkid64

This plate would require the cable conversion be buried in the wall but will improve your reception.

so, you're saying that I would have to replace the twin-lead all the way up to the antenna with co-ax in order to use this new amplifier?

[thenewkid64]

Chuck,

There is a booster on the inside of the OEM plate, really. It also had output to the rear antenna jack. If you want to use the new plate with the on/off switch you will need to do a bit of conversion. The OEM plate was always on, but the drain was minimal.

You will need a short piece of coax and a matching transformer to connect to the 300 ohm down lead and the new plate. Once you have the pieces it will make sense, but it all will be hidden in the wall.

[Chuck]

Ok. afaik, there is no rear antenna jack in my trailer. no mention of it in the owner's manual, either. the recepticle's are actually in kind of a funny place, above the fridge, in the bottom of the overhead locker. there's a plastic box that sticks up into the cabinet that covers over the 12v/tv, and a standard double 110v. between that, the fridge flu, and the curved ceiling, there ain't much room in that cabinet for anything else

[retro-active-couple]

Having recently acquired a 1977 Argosy 28 foot travel trailer (painted Airstream) hubby and I are having lots of fun exploring the net to find out more about our "twinkie".

It has an interior antenna base plate which requires a 2-prong tv adapter. I commented to my husband that that is a nearly impossible adapter to find and lo and behold he told me our local RV dealer has one.

I am sitting here with one in front of me. AND it was only $3.39 plus tax. They have lots more (they get them somewhere on the internet). They look to be made in late 60's - 70's because of the clothes and hairstyles of the family pictured on the front near an RV.

It is a Braund 300 OHM tv jack. It has a base plate and the 2-prong tv adapter. The recepters on our original unit are splayed so we are going to place the new recepters in our original base plate. The tv adapter will then fit snug.

Braund 300 OHM Tv jack
TVJWG - walnut

Printed part number on back of package -
walnut 107121

The only available color is walnut.

If anyone has a need for one of these email me and I'll give you the info or for a small shipping/handling fee I could pick one up and mail it to you.

Barb

I found a couple of pics in the forums that show what our interior antenna base plate looks like -

pic of the front
http://www.airforums.com/forum...tid=4466&stc=1

pic of the bottom
http://www.airforums.com/forum...tid=4467&stc=1

pic of the adapter - except new one is walnut colored
http://www.airforums.com/forum...tid=4478&stc=1

pic of the base plate that comes with the new adapter (except new one is walnut grain)
http://www.airforums.com/forum...tid=4479&stc=1