This question I am sure must have been asked before. However at the risk of repeating any replies, I would like to ask about which TV antenna most would recommend.
I have a winegard similar in shape as the sensar 111, it looks like a flat metal sheet type with a booster, which works fine in areas with strong signal strength, but in some places with a low strength it is hopeless and yet others have a good picture. Is this a common thing no matter what the antenna type is, or is mine just cheap crap.
Whenarewethere said
12:11 PM Feb 5, 2021
One of my compatriot Freelander owners has made up 4 antennas to install behind trim panels to connect to 4 amplifiers. 4 amplifiers & antennas gets you a better signal than 1.
This question I am sure must have been asked before. However at the risk of repeating any replies, I would like to ask about which TV antenna most i use would recommend.
I have a winegard similar in shape as the sensar 111, it looks like a flat metal sheet type with a booster, which works fine in areas with strong signal strength, but in some places with a low strength it is hopeless and yet others have a good picture. Is this a common thing no matter what the antenna type is, or is mine just cheap crap.
Hi Klaus
Good luck with the 4 aerials and boosters etc I would say that 4 signals are only better than 1 if they are in phase and add to each other, but much worse if they are not in phase and cancel out or interfere with each other
I use a flat type house aerial with a booster and hoist it as high as I can if necessary on a pole or tree. Sometimes it can just sit on the ground or against the fence or on the windscreen. But you should be aware that at some areas the signal is broadcast 90deg rotated to normal and the aerial must be on its side. I usually look at the house aerials as we get to the area to see the direction and plane of their aerials.
Jaahn
travelyounger said
09:31 AM Feb 6, 2021
Klaus wrote:
Hi All,
This question I am sure must have been asked before. However at the risk of repeating any replies, I would like to ask about which TV antenna most would recommend.
I have a winegard similar in shape as the sensar 111, it looks like a flat metal sheet type with a booster, which works fine in areas with strong signal strength, but in some places with a low strength it is hopeless and yet others have a good picture. Is this a common thing no matter what the antenna type is, or is mine just cheap crap.
Always having trouble with tv everywhere we go especially regional towns with the new beaut digital signal.Never seem to have any trouble using the satellite feed though
Whenarewethere said
12:37 PM Feb 6, 2021
Maybe car TV amplifiers like car radios are better made then residential equipment.
Bobdown said
03:56 PM Feb 6, 2021
I use the Winegard Sensar that has the vertical and horizontal receivers, most people call them the snowflake type, works most areas where you get a bit of a signal without going to satellite.
You could make your own antenna, one would probably do a better job!
Mike Harding said
07:52 AM Feb 11, 2021
My caravan also came with one of the Winegard antennas - I note they are about $800 retail so they *should* be good.
Unfortunately I have found, moving around Victoria, that digital TV signal coverage is, how can I put this?, crap.
The very high frequencies used for digital TV have extremely poor penetration through trees, rain and most other obstructions. When TV was switched from analogue to digital government should have insisted upon many more local repeaters being installed but they did not.
For much of last year (covid lockdowns) I was camped 7km from a small town which had a 20W TV repeater at 30m elevation - from 7km I could not receive a single channel from that repeater it was, I suspect, all being absorbed by the forest in which I was camped. However I could easily (0.5W) trigger and receive an amateur radio 2m (146MHz) repeater located on the same tower as the TV repeater.
Your friend's four way antenna will not work anything even remotely like properly.
Jaahn is quite correct when he points out the signal phases will be fighting one-another. Your statement about the quality of items indicates a failure to understand the issue. A single antenna in the correct polarity for the local repeater with a single masthead amplifier mounted as high as possible is the way it should be done.
Whenarewethere said
10:35 AM Feb 11, 2021
The car is set up from the factory to take up to 4 amplifiers but it was a feature never offered on the Freelander even though all Land Rovers & Range Rovers use basically the same system. So it is a matter of getting Range Rover or also Jaguar parts & getting into the car's CCF files & changing code (you need to seriously know what you are doing or you can kill the car) to get it working. Normally they use 2 amplifiers & 2 aerials but there is the option of plugging in another 2.
Mike Harding said
03:09 PM Feb 11, 2021
You are suggesting that Land Rover have attempted to phase match four 700MHz antennas, feed lines and amplifiers in a mass production environment in order their customer can get slightly better TV reception! - if such is the situation then I suggest Land Rover are both engineeringly stupid and financially suicidal and I don't believe either is the case.
My last comment on this very curious perception.
Brodie Allen said
09:01 AM Feb 12, 2021
Throw them all away and get a retrofit WINSIG unit.
the snowflake was poor, the old batwing ok, but this unit is
far and away better than either of the other two.
Like, we get usable reception in areas that were unwatchable on either of the other two.
Do a Google and see what you think.
I'm a heavy user of the van and there's lots of experience and testing gone
into my notes - been in just about every camp there is !!
Hi All,
This question I am sure must have been asked before. However at the risk of repeating any replies, I would like to ask about which TV antenna most would recommend.
I have a winegard similar in shape as the sensar 111, it looks like a flat metal sheet type with a booster, which works fine in areas with strong signal strength, but in some places with a low strength it is hopeless and yet others have a good picture. Is this a common thing no matter what the antenna type is, or is mine just cheap crap.
One of my compatriot Freelander owners has made up 4 antennas to install behind trim panels to connect to 4 amplifiers. 4 amplifiers & antennas gets you a better signal than 1.
Thanks Guru, might well be some thing to look at.
Hi Klaus
Good luck with the 4 aerials and boosters etc
I would say that 4 signals are only better than 1 if they are in phase and add to each other, but much worse if they are not in phase and cancel out or interfere with each other
I use a flat type house aerial with a booster and hoist it as high as I can if necessary on a pole or tree. Sometimes it can just sit on the ground or against the fence or on the windscreen. But you should be aware that at some areas the signal is broadcast 90deg rotated to normal and the aerial must be on its side. I usually look at the house aerials as we get to the area to see the direction and plane of their aerials.
Jaahn
Always having trouble with tv everywhere we go especially regional towns with the new beaut digital signal.Never seem to have any trouble using the satellite feed though
Maybe car TV amplifiers like car radios are better made then residential equipment.
I use the Winegard Sensar that has the vertical and horizontal receivers, most people call them the snowflake type, works most areas where you get a bit of a signal without going to satellite.
Cheers Bob
Good info Jaahn, and the snow flake sounds good as well.
Google WINSIG.
It is available as a whole unit or as a replacement for the useless snowflake.
You won't regret it - I have just tossed the snowflake which wasn't as good as the old batwing.
And those little fancy plastic ones touted all around aren't all that hot also.
https://www.acma.gov.au/install-right-tv-antenna-system
You could make your own antenna, one would probably do a better job!
My caravan also came with one of the Winegard antennas - I note they are about $800 retail so they *should* be good.
Unfortunately I have found, moving around Victoria, that digital TV signal coverage is, how can I put this?, crap.
The very high frequencies used for digital TV have extremely poor penetration through trees, rain and most other obstructions. When TV was switched from analogue to digital government should have insisted upon many more local repeaters being installed but they did not.
For much of last year (covid lockdowns) I was camped 7km from a small town which had a 20W TV repeater at 30m elevation - from 7km I could not receive a single channel from that repeater it was, I suspect, all being absorbed by the forest in which I was camped. However I could easily (0.5W) trigger and receive an amateur radio 2m (146MHz) repeater located on the same tower as the TV repeater.
Whenarewethere:
Your friend's four way antenna will not work anything even remotely like properly.
Jaahn is quite correct when he points out the signal phases will be fighting one-another. Your statement about the quality of items indicates a failure to understand the issue. A single antenna in the correct polarity for the local repeater with a single masthead amplifier mounted as high as possible is the way it should be done.
The car is set up from the factory to take up to 4 amplifiers but it was a feature never offered on the Freelander even though all Land Rovers & Range Rovers use basically the same system. So it is a matter of getting Range Rover or also Jaguar parts & getting into the car's CCF files & changing code (you need to seriously know what you are doing or you can kill the car) to get it working. Normally they use 2 amplifiers & 2 aerials but there is the option of plugging in another 2.
You are suggesting that Land Rover have attempted to phase match four 700MHz antennas, feed lines and amplifiers in a mass production environment in order their customer can get slightly better TV reception! - if such is the situation then I suggest Land Rover are both engineeringly stupid and financially suicidal and I don't believe either is the case.
My last comment on this very curious perception.
the snowflake was poor, the old batwing ok, but this unit is
far and away better than either of the other two.
Like, we get usable reception in areas that were unwatchable on either of the other two.
Do a Google and see what you think.
I'm a heavy user of the van and there's lots of experience and testing gone
into my notes - been in just about every camp there is !!