Antenna Upgrade

[BcBorn]

Hello, thank you for allowing me to be a part of this forum.

I have a 2012 Dutchman Kodiak Travel trailer with Discontinued Jensen ANHD20 Omni-directional antenna.

My research thus far has the Winegard Sensar IV and the King Jack OA8500 as my top picks. I like the fact the Sensar can rise above the roof and I like the fact the Jack is a little more Omni-directional.

I have read of many upgrading their Sensar head for the King Jack head. I don't have this option as my current antenna is low profile. King does not make a unit that rises.

I have read rave reviews from both side, I would like to hear from everyone that has swapped out an omni-directional in the last 2 years for one of these two or switched from one of these to the other.

I cannot find a current shootout between these two units.

Thanks for your help.

[LouLawrence]

I have had great success with the Winegard Rayzar automatic. It's pricey but under a dome and no maintenance or new holes in the roof. The Sensar IV is still the most superior antenna available but my new coach had the Rayzar automatic (not omni-directional) and it have come to really like it.
If you are going to be out camping 40+ miles from a signal then the Sensar IV is really the only choice.

[EmilyMorgan]

I removed my Winegard batwing to replace it with a 300 watt solar panel. I installed the KING OA1000 OmniPro Portable Omnidirectional HDTV at the very rear of my roofline and was very happy with the result. I actually got more total channels in my area after the change.

I don't use the OTA often. It is mostly used if we are traveling away from our Dish local channel area and want to watch a basketball or football game on CBS, NBC, ABC or FOX. We use Dish for sports on the non-local channels or stream a local from our home setup if we have decent cellular.

We mostly camp in the rural Great Basin and not many TV transmitters are found in the areas we camp.

[wa8yxm]

That Jensen is an OMNI and as someone posted "Omnidirectional antennas work equally poor in all directions)

I'd upgrade to a Winegard Sensar IV For added range and directionality.

Someone said King not make a "Jack" that rises...
In fact they make a unit that mounts on the winegard lift arms.

I have ONE thing I do not like about the winegard Sensar IV and that is the fact you do NOT get full 360Degree rotation.

But I Believe Winegard (And others) has a "Flying saucer" type (Like the Jensen) that is in fact directional (it rotates inside the saucer) with a control inside you can rotate it with electrically.. I know RCA used to make one and Radio Shack sold it as "Digital" ready.

NOTE: The antenna does not care if the signal is digital or analog, TV or voice, it's all RF to the antenna.

[NTrain]

Looking for a Jensen antenna # ANHD20 to replace stolen unit from my trailer. Anyone know of some that are available ? Thanks.

[BcBorn]

Good Write up on the comparison.

Must decide if -8 Db is worth buying two antenna's to get the height (both require drilling through the roof for the directional handle).

[IAMICHABOD]

It looks like that the most simple replacement would be the Jack,it should go into the same mounting area,where as the Winegard would take a lot more work.

I have had A Great experience with my Jack Antenna.I have extended family members that I camp with that have the King Jack OA8500 on their RVs and get the same results as mine that is mounted in place of the Winegard Sensar

[jkwilson]

Neither the Sensar nor the King Jack are Omni-directional antennas. Both are directional and require aiming. Both are good antennas.

[seaeagle2]

First off, Omni directional anntenaes work equally poorly in all directions. In our previous trailer I replaced the Jensen Omni directional with a King Jack that rotated. Our reception in the driveway improved from a couple stations to about 12. Common online wisdom is the wingard is a better unit, but you have to have clearance on the roof for it to fold down flat. The King Jack has roughly the same profile as the omni directional. The reason manufacturers are going to omni directional is they don't have to have a spot for the rotation handle inside the trailer. I had to cut out a blank panel in the cabinets to access the handle.

[wa8yxm]

Ok there was a lab report in the forums some time back.

Here is an "Expierment" you can do to show the advantages of the Sensar IV v/s the Jack

Take a necklace chain and lay it on a map. perfect circle, stick a pin in the center of the circle. an Omin-Directional antenna can see everything in that circle

Now pull it into a slight egg shape.. that's jack
Now pull it even farther That's the Sensar IV

If the station is inside the necklace You see it

NOTE: This is not to scale but it is demonstrative

Finally.. Though there are exceptions television broadcasters may have studios all over creation but the transmission towers tend to be next door neighbors. That is all gathered on the highest hill in the area

I have been in places where there were multiple hills often a hundred miles or more apart (3 of them at least) but Well.. the TV antenna was also 100' up a tower. I know, I put it there (At RV heights you did not get such good reception)

Note also I've seen days when the winegard did better lying on the roof. and yes, I know why (Trees)

[Tom_M1]

Here's a link to a test that former member SCVJeff did using a lab quality spectrum analyzer:

https://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/27171026.cfm

I have both a Winegard Sensar IV and a Jack and can confirm that the Sensar IV is the better of the two. Because of the wide arms of the Sensar it does a much better job receiving the VHF channels. About 25% of the TV stations are now broadcasting on the VHF band.