TV antenna question for owners of any brand of trailer

[rgrugg]

What have you done for an external tv antenna? How have you mounted it and how have you transported it? Thanks

[Eddie Longest]

Bob
I just went through this exercise. Wally World sells an GE amplified slim line antenna for about $30. I made L brackets and attached it to the inside window frame with VHB tape. It is hardly noticeable and was picking up a lot of stations about 40 miles away. All inside no holes.
For long range I use a pool cleaning pole and use a house long range antenna. I have to mount a bracket to the trailer to stabilize the pool pole. I also have to mount and external TV jack to the trailer skin.
Eddie

GE Wal Mart in store antenna.
GE Amplified Antenna: TV & Video : Walmart.com

For outside I use the CM 4221 but it is kind of big to deal with. I think I will but buy a CM4220 for my newer trailer due to limited storage area.
tv antennas at Crutchfield.com

[cpaharley2008]

I installed a Winegard Hide-a-way antenna on a 8' section of pvc, cut in half and then attached male/female ends for ease in carrying. some suction grips keep it upright.

[LK Gray]

Here's what I did. I used the Sensar IV with amplifier. Then I went to Harbor Freight and purchased an aluminum, extendable flagpole. The mast will extend to 20'. The downside of this is that the antenna must be manually aimed for maximum performance.
I'm still testing this lash up. I haven't passed judgment on it yet. I can still revert to my old "Leaf" antenna.
Additional photos available upon request.

[beemerphile1]

After lots of time reading, and lots of walks around campgrounds and rallies, I decided on an internal antenna. I got this one at Amazon for the trailer and mounted it inside high up on the wall.

Amazon.com : RCA ANT1650F/ANT1650R Flat Digital Amplified Indoor TV Antenna : Video Antennas : Electronics

No need to put it up and take it down. No need to store it while traveling. It always stays in place and just needs plugged in when arriving at camp. Since the booster operates on 12v DC you can eliminate the wall wart and connect it directly to the 12v supply in your trailer.

I like it so much that after a couple months of use I bought another one for the house.

[mary and bob]

We have the same Winegard antenna that CPA Jim has. I made a bracket to install a heavy piece of aluminum angle in a vertical position on the rear bumper, then bolted the antenna mounting bracket to the angle. The aluminum angle is 2" each side and is a piece I scavenged from a mudflap bracket on a truck. I didn't want to make holes in the side of the trailer. We also have a Winegard Rayzar, which is that flat flexible antenna that you can stick on inside or outside with suction cups. It measures about 12 X 15 inches. I did a test between the two of them, the Rayzar picked up a couple more channels but they were not watchable. I have that problem with both antennas, and it depends on location of course, but there are channels that come in good, and others that are too fuzzy to watch.

[Kevin K]

I made this antenna, works better than I thought it would. Mounted it on a PVC pole. I was at a campground about a week ago and a 5th wheel trailer was next to me and the lady said she could only get 6 channels with her antenna . I said I was getting 14. She copied the design of my antenna and said she would have her husband make one.

[cpaharley2008]

Just remember, anytime you use a metal pole as part of your antenna support, it should be grounded !!

[Bob Miller]

I use 2 60" lengths of standard TV mast and attach it to my trailer as follows:

1. There is a double pole clamp available at fence supply stores and, using that, I clamp the mast to the top of the tongue jack.
2. The bottom of the mast fits into a metal socket on a metal plate that is anchored under the tongue jack.

I use a Philips amplified outdoor digital antenna that is powered by the USB jack on the back of my 12 VDC/120VAC Vizeo flat screen.

In Riverside, about 50 miles east of L.A. I usually am able to scan up about 60-65 channels.

[Frederick L. Simson]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

I installed a Winegard Hide-a-way antenna...

Originally Posted by mary and bob

We have the same Winegard antenna that CPA Jim has...
...I have that problem with both antennas, and it depends on location of course, but there are channels that come in good, and others that are too fuzzy to watch.

I also use the same Winegard Hideaway HA-0130 Antenna. I bought a piece of 1" wide aluminum that was 6' long. I forget the exact dimensions of each leg but I bent it into an inverted "L" shape. Then I attached it to the side and roof of the Fiber Stream. At the side I located two through-hull screws for the partition wall between the stove and the driver's side bunk. Using them for the double duty of this antenna mount meant no new holes. At the top I attached it to the 14" x 14" wood reinforcing-frame under the Fantastic-Fan flange. The triangulation makes for a strong light-weight mount.

I have a cable connection inside the cubby hatch for the 30 amp shore power cable. Since I still use a cathode-ray-tube TV set, I use a RCA-digital-tv-converter. What I like about the converter is that it has a signal strength meter function. The ad copy for the Hideaway says, "VHF/UHF/FM travel antenna picks up stations in all directions without rotator." This is not the case; I have found that the antenna IS very directional. With the TV tuner converter's audio signal strength meter tone, I can find the strongest direction to orient the antenna. The higher the pitch of the tone over the TV's speaker, the stronger the broadcast signal. Because my antenna is not mounted on a tall pole, there are some remote campgrounds that I cannot pick up a signal. However I did get 36 Los Angeles channels at OAK GROVE CAMPGROUND, "near" Temecula, CA

[Ron F]

Bob,
I used "U" bolts to fasten a painter's pole (from Home Depot) to the spare tire mount. I mounted a sensar antenna to the top and that's where it stays when we're on the road. The painter's pole telescopes and the antenna is easily aimed.
Ron

[ShawnKK]

Kevin, I made one of those too and it worked great. And it is cheap. Better than any other I bought!

[peterh]

Since our Surfside is torn down to bare fiberglass, I'm toying with the idea of building our antenna right into the shell. There's an easy-to-construct style of antenna that is similar to the one Kevin K put together, but uses fractal mathematics to improve it's ability to pull in broadband HDTV signals.

The trick is that "fractal antennas" require precise angle and wire lengths and sharp bends in order for them to work correctly, otherwise they just plain don't work well at all. Fortunately there are 1:1 scale paper templates you can download off the Internet, print, then lay out your wires on so that the geometry is perfect.

https://c919f6a6-a-d5e00f28-s-sites....attredirects=0

That on is a four-element antenna; to make an eight-element antenna like Kevin's, you just repeat the pattern.

Since my trailer will have mylar-aluminum-coated Reflectix insulation inside, I'll build and install four eight-group antennas made of 24g copper wire, one antenna per side interconnected by a single pair of wires run 2" apart along the walls just over the windows. Then I'll fiberglass them over, except for the spot where the matching transformer is connected, and cover the walls with Reflectix insulation.

If all works well, the Reflectix should act as both insulation for warmth and a radio reflector for the antenna, and having separate groups on each side should further improve reception.

All in concept, of course. I'd love to hear suggestions from the Hammies on the group. And, if it all works out, I'll post instructions and pictures showing how I did it. (If not, all I've wasted is some time, some fiberglassing, and some leftover LAN cabling supplies, and I'll never mention it again!)

Here's the background piece and how-to-instructions from where that antenna template I posted came from:

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