TV antenna

[nova52356]

I have a 2011 Cruiser 5th wheel and am very disapointed in the new antenna system was woundering if any one else has problems wit reception

[dalemac377]

What is the new system. I assume it is different than the Winegard batwing antennae.

[papa2]

Welcome to the forum. You might get some ideas from this thread.

[Hunter11]

If it is the Winegard batwing type I added a Wingman to ours and it has made a big difference in our off air reception. Quick and easy install. Line of site is the biggest problem with the stock antenna.



http://www.campingworld.com/shopping...-wingman/44021

[calliopeguy]

We have a 2011 Kingston with the new type of antenna. For those that do not know, Crossroads now has a fixed antenna mounted on the roof that does not move. You do not raise or lower it or rotate it. It is just there and you just connect your Television.

Good:

1. Not have to worry about raising/lowering

2. Nothing movable - no mechanical problems

3. Do not have to rotate

4. One less opportunity for roof leak

Bad:

1. Not able to rotate if better reception was available. There are still some analog stations and they require antenna rotation for best signal.



We are currently on day 6 of our vacation and generally speaking I like the new antenna. There was one day that we had fringe reception and one digital station would go in and out unlike an analog station that would just get more/less fuzzy. I do not know if a standard rotating antenna would have made a difference or not.



If I had to choose I think I would still choose the new antenna (non-movable) that we have.

[salda01]

Originally Posted by nova52356

I have a 2011 Cruiser 5th wheel and am very disapointed in the new antenna system was woundering if any one else has problems wit reception

Does the new antenna system have a booster if so was it on?
Edited by: salda01

[Hamops]

Originally Posted by calliopeguy

Bad:

1. Not able to rotate if better reception was available. There are still some analog stations and they require antenna rotation for best signal.

If the antenna looks like a pancake then it's not intended to be rotated because what you have is an infinite 360 degree dipole.It's an OK antenna but requires an amplifier to be any good. It should receive all the digital channels slightly better than thebatwing because it's omni-directional.

[we-canoe]

I believe looking at the owners manuel (yes I paged though) it is a Jensen with a built in amplifier but the switch is almost impossable to read (cable or air).Even the radio goes to the new antena and the amp helps there too. Edited by: we-canoe

[rcflyer]

Originally Posted by Hamops

If the antenna looks like a pancake then it's not intended to be rotated because what you have is an infinite 360 degree dipole.It's an OK antenna but requires an amplifier to be any good. It should receive all the digital channels slightly better than thebatwing because it's omni-directional.

Sorry I can not accept an omni-directional giving better reception than a directional that is aimed properly. I am currently camped near some large metal buildings. With an omni-directional you will have multi-path problems. With digital you will have a strong signal but drop outs when the receiver is confused which signal to process. With the old analog you just got two or more pictures overlapping each other. With the directional it will ignore the multi-path if aimed properly.

[Hamops]

Originally Posted by rcflyer

Sorry I can not accept an omni-directional giving better reception than a directional that is aimed properly. I am currently camped near some large metal buildings. With an omni-directional you will have multi-path problems. With digital you will have a strong signal but drop outs when the receiver is confused which signal to process. With the old analog you just got two or more pictures overlapping each other. With the directional it will ignore the multi-path if aimed properly.

Like I mentioned, it's an ok antenna. It is actually a omni-directional single element dipole and can't be compared to a multi-element antenna which focuses the view of the signal and has gain because of the focusing.

[nova52356]

The new system is a Jenson the does not need to be cranked up

[nova52356]

yes there is a booster on it and it also affects the radio stations

[KennyB]

Just ordered a Wingman. I'll let you know if it makes any difference on mine as soon as it arrives. Right now our 5er is at our house on an island so wireless reception is not great, it should be a good test for it.

[KennyB]

My Wingman arrived and when I tried to install it there weren't any holes to pop it into. I took it to CW today and the guy told me I needed to remove the little rubber feet from the batwing and then install it .

I removed the rubber feet and it fit perfectly! I scanned channels before I put it on and after, wow what a difference. Before I installed it I was able to receive seven channels after I installed it I got 15! I'm a happy guy. We live on an island about 40 - 50 miles from any television station. The air pictures were very good and the DTV was great.

Your experience may vary but I'm keeping mine.

[delqcc]

installed our Wingman over a year ago, right after they came out. We have had the same major improvement on our reception.