Poor Antenna Reception

[deluco]

I have a 2010 Damon Daybreak 3211 and have been getting poor antenna reception from the original system. Has anyone successfully upgraded their air antenna reception?

[wolfe10]

Yes, went with the King Control Jack Antenna. A 5 minute change of head only if you have the Wingard crank up antenna. Uses the same 12 VDC power supply and wiring.

http://www.kingcontrols.com/jack/digital_tv_signal_finder.asp

[deluco]

Thank you Brett. I take it that you're happy with that antenna. I was also looking at the Winegard Wingman accessory for my Wingard antenna. My original is in good condition...just needs better reception.

[desertdeals69]

Thank you Brett. I take it that you're happy with that antenna. I was also looking at the Winegard Wingman accessory for my Wingard antenna. My original is in good condition...just needs better reception.

Do you have the winegard power suppy/amp with digital readout? I have one and it works good. Mine came with the wingman.

[nitehawk]

You might want to check if your power supply for the antenna is on and working. Connection to the antenna is good---not corroded or loose.

Inexpensive alternative is the Jack antenna. Available at most RV dealers for around $50 and it is a straight forward bolt-on change. Remove two circlips, pull the two pins, unscrew the co-ax, remove Winguard antenna, replace with Jack antenna, replace two pins and circlips and attach co-ax. Back down and inside and enjoy the improved reception..

[deluco]

There is a button on the panel that accepts the cable and it appears to be a power or booster of some sort. That has to be on in order to get any air signals, and it has to be off for cable. I do get some air channels most of the time but there are times when other RV's near me are getting air channels and I get none or very few. I don't have anything with a digital readout. The TV has the menu settings for Cable or Air built in, and you need to scan the first time you set up for either. The system is relatively intuitive but there could be a problem with a connection somewhere. Cable channels come in fine. I checked the antenna connections and couldn't find anything loose or corroded. In locations near home where I would expect good reception, there are channels that I can't get that I should get. I do get digital reception over the air.

[woodcarver]

The wingman works but Jack antenna works better. Jack antenna package comes with its own amp. You can use it or the coach amp. In my coach my amp is in the antenna line and is left on all the time. It is only shut off when coach is not being used. In most cases I get a good TV signal. This does not seem to bother a cable hook up. It might be that your coach amp is not working properly In any case the Jack is the better antenna.

[wigginsjsr]

Replaced my old antenna with the Jack. Significant improvement, and much easier to tune.

[deluco]

For now I purchased the Wingman. That was the least expensive and simplest option for now. If that doesn't work, I will probably purchase the Jack. thank's for the information.

[rossboyer]

We added the Wingman and have an increased signal of 3 to 5 db, but aiming is more sensitive. You may have to re-aim between channels in metropolitan areas.

[wayne77590]

I'm assuming that you are in Hudson, MA and that is only 42 miles from Boston. You should be getting a lot of channels. I would suggest tightening all coaxial connectors on all pieces of equipment that has a connector. Those little devils have a tendency to work themselves loose just from natural vibrations, let alone riding in a rolling earthquake.

I am also assuming that you have a digital televisions, that is one that gets channel 2.1, 4.1, etc., and not just channel 2 and 4, etc. if you do not have a digital TV then you are getting only the analog signals and that can be limited.

Happy trails.

[deluco]

Yes, that's where I am, however, that's not where I camp. I did try getting stations when I got home last week and I only received a couple of stations (without upgrading the antenna) and they were not ABC, NBC, WHDH or any of the stations I am familiar with on the Air TV. They were digital stations and one was Spanish. But I park in a bit of a valley, so I'm not sure if that makes a difference. I agree...need to check all connections as part of the installation of the Wingman. Being familiar with over-the-air tv over the years, I would have thought that even simple rabbit ear antenna's would get more stations than I get.

As an aside, cable works perfectly when I have the campground connections....I know that comes from a different source, but at least it does isolate the problem a bit.

Thank's.

[wayne77590]

Jim,

Yep, I think you have it narrowed down to signal loss.

One of the things to check for is to see if the booster is providing power to the antenna. I believe you can disconnect at the antenna and measure for approximately 5v between the shield and the center pin. Be extremely careful not to short the two when probing them. If there is 5 volts, reconnect - after shutting the power off or you possible short the system again, then turn it back on, then it is back to the selector box itself. Check all the connectors on the back of the seletor box (or amplifier if you only have the one with 3 rf connectors somewhere in the closet, and the rf on the back of the TV. I'd do this while still parked in the stick house driveway. You should at least be sble to pick up WBZ (they are still there, right?) If it still fails I would think it is in the amplifier circuitry and a new box is in order.

If you are close to the house and have an outside antenna, and the S&B is picking up a good signal, you could run the cable from the house antenna directly to the back of the television. If the signal is there it most definitely is something in the box. It could even be that the switches in the box are not behaving properly. You are correct that even rabbit ears should pick up a few stations, especially WBZ. The rabbit ears should be hooked directly to the TV. If you are getting a signal with the rabbit ears, then switch the input to the booster, and the output of the booster to the TV and see if a channel that was a little fuzzy gets better. If it does than most likely the booster is working. Back to the drawing board and check all coax connections for shorts.

Disconnect the coax from the input on the box, and the input to the antenna. Using an alligator clip, string a wire between the center conductor of the coax at the box to close by the connector at the antenna. Using an Ohm meter check for continuity between the center conductor at each end. Then check for a short (continuity) between the center conductor and the shield (caseing of the coax) It should be open and not measure any resistance. If everything checks out okay, then it is not that coax, but could be the coax from the box to the TV. In many cases, us amateurs replace connectors on coaxial cables and in some cases the shield (ground) gets pinched or a strand ends up against the center conductor. If you find a cable that is bad, cut the connector off and check for a short again without the end on the cable. If it is still shorted, guess what, it was most likely the other end, ha ha! Cut that end off and check for a short again. If it is still shorted the cable may have been pinched severely somewhere along the line. If it tests alright, put new connectors on and check for shorts again.

That's a start. Let us know what you find.

Wayne (KE5QG)

[deluco]

Thank you, Wayne, for taking the time to offer this suggestion.