Winegard TV Antenna

[Stan and Carol]

Our mailman miss delivered to us our neighbors copy of Motor Home Magazine, and of course I had to page through it, just for kicks of course. But, there was a article about Winegard Rayzar Automatic Antenna for free TV. Winegard Rayzar Auto - Fully Automatic HDTV Broadcast Antenna
Sounded like maybe a good deal for free TV. We don't have satellite TV at home and don't plan on getting it. Was wondering if anyone out there has one of these or knows anything about them. Wonder what the range is. And they are even made in the USA, imagine that.

Stan

[Darwin Maring]

Just about any UHF/VHF antenna will give you free HDTV. Costco has one for sale in the TV department. I have a really big one with a rotor on it on our house, got it from Solid Signal. Go here and research:
TV Antennas & Supplies - TV Antennas - Small Multi-Directional Antennas- Shop at SolidSignal.com

[Rob Outlaw]

Stan I don't have experience with the antenna you linked, but did purchase the other antenna mentioned and available at Costco. Didn't work for squat, tried it in our Oliver as well as the basement where TV/Projector is. When I returned it, the CS person at the counter said most of these do get returned for the same reasons I had, they just don't work. Likewise we don't subscribe to cable or satellite TV either but do have an OTA in our attic that provides just enough for what few times we do look at TV.

Now all that out of the way, you might also want to research the following website regarding antennas and reception if you are thinking about getting one of these for your Oliver. Looking at the specs page of the Winegard it does not state what its range is for reception although it does have some nice features. On our month long excursion after picking up the Oliver we did notice a few people setting up satellite dishes on a tripod for TV reception in camp as opposed to having something mounted onto the TT/camper.

AntennaWeb - Home

Also Channel Master provides in depth specs for all of their antennas that would also work equally as well though they don't come in a sealed chamber such as this Winegard. But my guess is they are cheaper and do a better job. Something to consider.

rob

[Rob Outlaw]

PS, a couple of links for Channel Master

Channel Master CM 3000HD SMARTenna | The SMART way to get FREE HDTV signals in your home.

CM-4228HD

Hope this helps. Either one is way cheaper than the Winegard.

[Byron Kinnaman]

Winegard antennas are amplified, meaning they will get fringe signals better than the cheaper non-amplified antennas. If I was to have a TV antenna for my trailer it would certainly be a Winegard. The drawback you have to provide power to the antenna for amplifier to work.

I just checked the specifications. Runs on 10 to 13.8 volts and draws when in use .5 amp.

[Byron Kinnaman]

The one in the link is not cheap $365.54 at Amazon.

I don't watch television at home so............

[Bobbie Mayer]

This is what I use at home http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I'm a long way from the towers but without too many obstacles (mostly over water). Cheap, easy, and should work fine in a window if you aren't down in a valley somewhere.

[coastsignal]

The closed panel type antennas like the one at Costco and the dome type antennas like the Winegard and others are overpriced for the performance. The antennas that are a panel or small dome, or a small cylinder, do not work very well. The antennas that are at least 2' long and have the elements sticking out and look like an old rooftop TV antenna in miniature usually work pretty well. (Note: The bigger and uglier a TV antenna is, the better it usually works--of course, big is not usually workable for a camper)

One of my hobbies is TV DX'ing--that is trying to receive distant TV stations--and I'm always trying all sorts of TV antennas from a length of wire up to a giant Yagi. We traveled from the Northeast , to Florida, and out to Texas and back this Feb & March and I checked TV reception at each stop.

The cheapest and best, but limited, performance for the money is the simple pair of rabbit ears (use Velcro to mount it inside the camper) ---$3-$12. And sometimes you can find them at a closeout or even a dollar store. they are only good for indoors, but will pick up many channels IF you are close to a major city--that is within 10-15 miles. I picked up 30-40 stations at various spots within 30 miles Orlando, Florida (Titusville, Tavares, and Turkey Lake campground) with rabbit ears on the inside of the Eggcamper. But when we stayed one place in Ocala, Florida, just 70 miles north--we got Zero stations. i got 15 stations about 20 miles west of San Antonio, TX. The closed panel antennas won't work much better than the rabbit ears--even if they are amplified. If the closed panel antenna is mounted outside it will probably do a little bit better. In the end, the rabbit ears work just about as good as many of those fancy $100 antennas.

But the next antenna will work much better for a lot less money.

Here's a couple of outside yagi TV antennas in the $25-$60 price range that work well:

HDTV Rotor Remote Outdoor Amplified Antenna 360° UHF/VHF/FM HD TV 150 Miles - Walmart.com

Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: ZENITH VN1ANRA28UL Outdoor Active Rotating Antenna with Remote

These both are the smaller,(only about 2 ft long & 18" wide) modern, digital version of the standard TV rooftop antenna. I've put one on an extendable paint pole ($15 at Walmart) and run the cable inside. They are not fancy or even very high quality antennas, but they work well. You may find the rotor function hard to work, and it's often easier to just step out and rotate the paint pole by hand until you get the most stations.

A third option is a small Yagi antenna similar to the 2 antennas above, but no rotor or amplifier. You can probably buy a small yagi style TV antenna at radio Shack,if you can find one that is still in business. The antenna I use is very similar but actually a Ham Radio antenna:

Yagi antenna, 2m/70cm, 3+5 element

It's light--I mounted it on the paintpole and turned it by hand, and I use it for both TV reception and Ham Radio VHF-UHF Transmit/Receive.

When we were at Hunting Island, SC, we got stations from both Charleston SC and Savannah GA--all the major networks & PBS. And Hunting Island is about 40 air miles from Charleston & 35 from Savannah.

No need to spend a lot for a TV antenna. I can not find an antenna that works better than the TV Yagi costing $25-$60. The TV Yagi and the Ham Radio Yagi's should have similar performance, and the amplified TV antenna will be the best choice for most folks for an outside camper antenna that is reasonable size, and works well. If you really like TV while camping, and want the best reception, pick the highest elevation campsite you can.

If you are more than 30 or 40 miles from a major city, you may not get any or just a couple of TV stations no matter how much $$$ is spent on an antenna or antenna system. And, if more than 50 or 60 miles from TV stations you can pretty much count on No reception at all. Then, Direct TV, or similar, would be needed.

GL
Mark

[Frederick L. Simson]

Originally Posted by Byron Kinnaman

Winegard antennas are amplified, meaning they will get fringe signals better than the cheaper non-amplified antennas. If I was to have a TV antenna for my trailer it would certainly be a Winegard. The drawback you have to provide power to the antenna for amplifier to work.

I have a Winegard HA0130 "Hideaway" Antenna for the trailer, and a HDTV amplified antenna that rotates for the house. The reception is way better in the TRAILER.

[Rob Outlaw]

Looking at the specs for this linked winegard the db amp is only 1 db, not much amplification to my way of thinking and one still has to have a signal of some sort to amplify otherwise you got nothing, thus my reasoning to have a better antenna to start with, then an amp can always be added later if needed.

Presumably antennas such as the one Stan linked ramp up in cost due to their intended permanent installation on the roof of the camper, i.e. enclosed shell etc. But if permanent installation is not a prerequisite it appears one can obtain better performance for far less money.

Likewise we don't watch much if any TV at home either except for an occasional PBS program or two, so how much use we will derive from our existing TV in the Oliver is debatable.

Originally Posted by Byron Kinnaman

Winegard antennas are amplified, meaning they will get fringe signals better than the cheaper non-amplified antennas. If I was to have a TV antenna for my trailer it would certainly be a Winegard. The drawback you have to provide power to the antenna for amplifier to work.

I just checked the specifications. Runs on 10 to 13.8 volts and draws when in use .5 amp.

[Al and Cindy K]

We don't have a TV in the camper but use the Mohu Sky at home and haven't missed the satellite at all (Note: We also have a ROKU unit and are Amazon Prime members).

Home of the #1 rated Indoor HDTV Antenna - Mohu

[coastsignal]

Hi Rob,

Your reasoning is good. But be careful to purchase an amplifier that goes with the antenna. Some TV amps do not work properly with different brands of antennas.

Also, Please note that the manufacturer wrote a confused description, as the 1db mentioned is the noise figure (a 1db noise figure amp of this type is pretty good) and not the amount of amplification. The amp is probably 10-20db amplification. Winegard makes some good quality products, and the Rayzar appears to be a quality item. But $399 is a lot, and the dome is only 15", which means that it's a small antenna inside. and you can do as well and probably better using a larger yagi type antenna for $25-60.

The advantages to the Rayzar are that it is inside a dome, so (maybe) unaffected by snow and ice. It's fairly easy to attach and leave attached to a camper. It has an amplifier that is also out of the weather, and the auto station finding features, which sometimes are good and sometimes hard to work with when you want to find a particular station that is in the opposite direction of most of the other stations. But, are those advantages and not having to go outside to turn the antenna worth an additional $300 or more?

The Winegard HA1030 that Frederick has, is a larger antenna, (larger antenna=better reception) but predominantly non-directional--$38 at Adventure RV. And Winegard makes some more small directional antennas that would work even better, in the $40-$100 range including an amplifier. I couldn't see spending more than $100 total on an antenna installation of this type--but I'm a minimalist in quite a few ways. And, many folks will think even more minimalist --just how much better is the $399 antenna than a coathanger antenna--and they would have a point. In some cases there would not be a lot of difference-ha!

Mark

"Looking at the specs for this linked winegard the db amp is only 1 db, not much amplification to my way of thinking and one still has to have a signal of some sort to amplify otherwise you got nothing, thus my reasoning to have a better antenna to start with, then an amp can always be added later if needed"

[Mr. W.]

A lot of TV antennas are marketed as having a certain "range". This is hogwash. The broadcasting antenna/transmitter combination has a range. The receiving antenna can only pick up signals that make it that far. In other words, if you are 30 miles from a TV broadcast station, but that station's signal only reaches 25 miles, getting an antenna with a "50 mile range" won't help - it can't reach out and grab that signal from 5 miles away. I can't buy an antenna with a 2200 mile range and watch Los Angeles TV at my home in Indiana.

Receiving antennas have varying degrees of sensitivity and gain, meaning that if the signal makes it as far as the antenna, it will do a better or worse job at capturing it and delivering it to the TV. As mentioned, in fringe areas, antenna amplifiers can be helpful.

[mbbear]

Originally Posted by Bobbie Mayer

This is what I use at home http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I'm a long way from the towers but without too many obstacles (mostly over water). Cheap, easy, and should work fine in a window if you aren't down in a valley somewhere.

I have used this antenna and it is great - paper thin and draws in stations up to 50 miles. On the very rare occasion that the atmosphere interferes with the signal, simply move it. This is amazon's answer to the Mohu. We have used it at home one the first floor.

[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally Posted by mbbear

I have used this antenna and it is great - paper thin and draws in stations up to 50 miles. On the very rare occasion that the atmosphere interferes with the signal, simply move it. This is amazon's answer to the Mohu. We have used it at home one the first floor.

Wont work out west.

[mbbear]

Originally Posted by Byron Kinnaman

Wont work out west.

Bryan thanks for the response - why won't it work? Trying to learn. Thanks

[Rob Outlaw]

I agree with Byron, bought one of these at Costco could not get squat from it, either in our Oliver or in the house. As previously stated the CS guy at Costco said they all get returned for the same reason.


Sent from my iPhone using Fiberglass RV

[Stan and Carol]

Thanks everyone for the replies, will probably take the one we use in the house on our next trip. We get all the Kansas City stations, which is about 40 miles, but not the Lawrence station, which is 20 miles.

Stan