Winegard Batwing Antenna

[moodierr@netscape.com]

Hi,

Just wondering if anyone has tried that new attachment that they sell that is supposed to clip onto the antenna and improve the Digital etc reception?

Looks like only about $30. If it works, it would be worth a try to improve reception.

Thought would ask before spending the money so many gadgets out there that do nothing!!

Thanks!!

[rossboyer]

Yes, I have added one. It does improve the reception by 3 to 5 db. Which doesn't sound like much, but the db scale is logrithmic. Also, the aiming is more sensitive because the antena become more directional. I usually let the TV find the channels then I set the TV on signal strength meter and fine tune the aiming. The stronger the better. If you are in an area where the stations are in different cities, but close by; you may have to turn the antena when you switch channels.

[Guest BillAdams]

The Wingman has been proven to work quite well. We were in Farmington, NM and only 7 channels were available. 5 were available without the Wingman and all 7 were available with the Wingman.

There is no difference if you are trying to pick up VHF channels but most of the digital channels are on UHF and that's what the Wingman is designed to optimize. There would also not be any noticeable difference if you are in an area where very strong UHF signals exist (such as our recent visit to Albuquerque) and it will not help if no signal is available at all. It will bring in the weak stations and make them viewable.

There have been a number of independent studies by companies unrelated to Winegard and all have shown the increase in signal.

[dschmees@coxinet.net]

I put one on mine and it did improve the reception. Was camping at a park out away from everything and I got 6 channels when others were only getting 1.

[bthomforde]

I haven't tried this yet but it looks very interesting.

http://www.jacktv4free.com/products_rv.html

[Guest BillAdams]

Remember that there is no such thing as a digital antenna. It is simply the antennas ability to receive UHF and VHF signals. Most of the digital programming is now on the UHF side. The antenna you link to claims better UHF reception, but better than what?

[Pusherpilot]

I ordered the Jack 4 Free TV antenna last week. I called the company to see when I was going to get it and learnted they havn't actually shipped any yet and don't have them in stock. Their site now states that they need 6-8 weeks for delivery!!

Ron

[Guest BillAdams]

I ordered the Jack 4 Free TV antenna last week. I called the company to see when I was going to get it and learnted they havn't actually shipped any yet and don't have them in stock. Their site now states that they need 6-8 weeks for delivery!!

Ron

It appears to be a King Dome (King Controls) product. I am not sure if they invented it or just bought the rights to it but it is listed with their information at the bottom of the link above.

[leewhiz]

I'm not an expert in this area, but when I looked at the add on it appears to be all plastic. If that is the case then there would be no difference in reception. Also, there is no direct mechanical connection to the "bat wing". Most antenna's reception is based on their design and the transmitting or receiving element being made out of metal. Even if you buy a fiberglass antenna, such as for a boat there is wire imbeded in the fiberglas and the cable connector mates with a metal connector.

So for those who seem to get better reception, great. But I truely question if they add anything.

[Guest BillAdams]

I'm not an expert in this area, but when I looked at the add on it appears to be all plastic. If that is the case then there would be no difference in reception. Also, there is no direct mechanical connection to the "bat wing". Most antenna's reception is based on their design and the transmitting or receiving element being made out of metal. Even if you buy a fiberglass antenna, such as for a boat there is wire imbeded in the fiberglas and the cable connector mates with a metal connector.

So for those who seem to get better reception, great. But I truely question if they add anything.

The unit is not all plastic. The 3 arms that are used as the director are metal (aluminum?). Since these arm are directors there is no need for a direct mechanical connection to the Sensar (Batwing) antenna. The proof that it works is on the internet from independent testers and I have installed these units and watched channels that were previously unavailable suddenly appear.

[tbutler]

I bought one and it seemed to work fine. The only problem I had was then I cranked the antenna down. The Winegard attachment wouldn't clear my KVH dish. Since I wasn't going to move either the antenna or the dish I gave mine to a friend. He uses it and likes it. Before you buy, look to see what clearance you have for the additional piece on your batwing antenna.

[Guest BillAdams]

According to Winegard, you can cut of the last director with a minimal loss of performance. You need to leave the other 2 on and you will gain about 2-3 inches of clearance.

[jjgnn@yahoo.com]

"I'm not an expert in this area, but..."

Should have left it at that. It works, quite well, with no modification of a popular integrated system. The physics and radio theory it is based on is proven and sound, since the 1920s.

Jack Nichols

KA5IFU

2003 Country Coach Intrigue