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Old 06-18-2022, 06:22 PM   #1
coralcruze
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Default Replacing Batwing antenna for something better.

So I want to get rid of the wineguard batwing antenna. A few years back I updated the scanner for the batwing and an upgrade to get digital channels. The scanner just helps with pointing the batwing to the strongest signal. However I just hate the crank and it always seems to break audits one less thing to remember to close b4 closing down.

I was looking at a UFO shaped fixed omnidirectional antenna on Amazon. So first question is will I even need or is there a benefit to having the wine guard scanner? I believe the antenna that you get off amazon just uses the tv scanner to find the channels.

Lastly is there a better option other than satellite TV to replace that batwing? And... how difficult is it to remove and patch the roof? And one final question is where does the coax cable run from the batwing?

Thanks in advance.
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Old 06-19-2022, 01:06 PM   #2
Bill
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The antenna being used currently by TM is the Jack antenna. Its advantage is that it is mechanically simpler than the batwing - it is not a crank-up. But the associated disadvantage is that it is omni-directional - it receives equally well from all directions.

The batwing can be pointed in a particular direction, and will exhibit some gain in that direction. This is good if the signal want to receive is weak - the modest gain of the batwing will make the signal a bit stronger. At the same time, it will reject signals from the other directions. This is good if there is a strong (nearby) signal on the same channel as the one you want, coming from some other direction. This is not a common occurence, but it does happen.

There is also an optional add-on for the batwing that increases the gain in the desired direction, and increases the rejection in other directions.

Forgetting to close it down before closing is no a big deal. With the front shell in the up position, you can stand on the hitch A-frame with your body inside the shell, reach up, and crank it down.

The biggest advantage of the Jack antenna in my opinion is that it is a simple bolt-on, which is easy to seal against water.

The real answer may be that it depends on how much you intend to camp in campgrounds that have cable TV (in which case you won't use any antenna) vs how often you intend to be in no-cable locations where you will use an antenna for over-the-air TV signals.

And no, the scanner for strongest signal never made sense to me, since it can only look at the signals in the direction where the batwing is pointed. You have to re-point the batwing if you want to find the strongest signal in some other direction. Since the Jack cannot be pointed, I guess the scanner can find the strongest signal - but then what do you do with that knowledge? Does it change anything?

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Old 06-19-2022, 01:39 PM   #3
coralcruze
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill View Post
The antenna being used currently by TM is the Jack antenna. Its advantage is that it is mechanically simpler than the batwing - it is not a crank-up. But the associated disadvantage is that it is omni-directional - it receives equally well from all directions.

The batwing can be pointed in a particular direction, and will exhibit some gain in that direction. This is good if the signal want to receive is weak - the modest gain of the batwing will make the signal a bit stronger. At the same time, it will reject signals from the other directions. This is good if there is a strong (nearby) signal on the same channel as the one you want, coming from some other direction. This is not a common occurence, but it does happen.

There is also an optional add-on for the batwing that increases the gain in the desired direction, and increases the rejection in other directions.

Forgetting to close it down before closing is no a big deal. With the front shell in the up position, you can stand on the hitch A-frame with your body inside the shell, reach up, and crank it down.

The biggest advantage of the Jack antenna in my opinion is that it is a simple bolt-on, which is easy to seal against water.

The real answer may be that it depends on how much you intend to camp in campgrounds that have cable TV (in which case you won't use any antenna) vs how often you intend to be in no-cable locations where you will use an antenna for over-the-air TV signals.

And no, the scanner for strongest signal never made sense to me, since it can only look at the signals in the direction where the batwing is pointed. You have to re-point the batwing if you want to find the strongest signal in some other direction. Since the Jack cannot be pointed, I guess the scanner can find the strongest signal - but then what do you do with that knowledge? Does it change anything?

Bill
You make some excellent points Bill. I guess I did want to simplify the closing and opening process. In the process reduce weight and upgrade. Seems like it's not really an upgrade though.

Just wondering where does the cable for that go? I know it terminates behind the ref. And goes upto the batwing. I guess most of the time we watch Netflix anyway. Perhaps I might take the batwing off and close up the hole? Or just use the column for my cell booster?

Satellite never made sense to me unless I am full timing which I am not and use the trailmanor seasonally.

Thanks for your input.
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Old 06-20-2022, 09:05 AM   #4
Shane826
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When I had my 3326 rebuilt I asked for the Batwing antenna instead of the Jack, actually ordered one on Amazon and had it shipped to the factory. The old coax on my old antenna was so busted up we never used it. So why insist on the Batwing? We added a WiFi repeater, and the antenna is on top of the Batwing mast. Raising it up gives that much more range to pick up a signal to boost and use.
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Old 06-20-2022, 09:11 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Shane826 View Post
When I had my 3326 rebuilt I asked for the Batwing antenna instead of the Jack, actually ordered one on Amazon and had it shipped to the factory. The old coax on my old antenna was so busted up we never used it. So why insist on the Batwing? We added a WiFi repeater, and the antenna is on top of the Batwing mast. Raising it up gives that much more range to pick up a signal to boost and use.
To make sure I understand... you put the batwing back on or something else?
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Old 06-20-2022, 01:19 PM   #6
Shane826
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I put on a new batwing.
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Old 06-20-2022, 03:17 PM   #7
coralcruze
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I put on a new batwing.
Got yah and that sais alot. Thank you.
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Old 06-20-2022, 08:32 PM   #8
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What exactly does it say?
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