TV antenna selection

[SoulRaven]

TV antenna selection
 
As some of you may know I am in the process of outfitting my truck camper cap for my upcoming 3-month annual Florida Snowbird expedition. Last winter was my first winter RV trip in a few years and I was pretty much flat broke and nursing a back injury.
 
In 2015, my finances and heath have improved greatly and will up upping my have daily spending allowance from just $10 to a whopping $20 dollars per day. Please keeping mind that just gasoline (3k miles@15mpg x $2.50/gal=$500) and truck insurance ($33/month) will cost an average of about $6.66 per day alone.
 
I was contemplating getting a Dometic 18L 12v compressor frig but do to the initial cost plus being in service for just three months per year and added power requirements, my trusty 40 qt. Rubbermaid cooler will again see service. The deciding factor in using an ice box is that I can buy ice on the road for free with my SNAP card and being in Florida I am usually never more than 5 miles one way from an ice vendor. I have some extra R-6 1” thick foam broad in stock that is excess to my needs and the cooler is getting a wrap this trip on the sides and bottom.
 
My plans are to buy a portable 40 watt solar panel with built-in 3 amp controller with a 9’ power leads with alligator clips to be attached to the starting battery during daylight hours and stored in its carrying case between dusk and dark if needed. My main source of power consumption is a 10” Acer Win 7 netbook using the 12 volt DC adapter which is marked output 19v 1.58 amp continuous. I have no 110 AC inverter nor do I have a need for one. During the daytime hours for about 6 hours per day my net book is operating off the 12-volt battery and I charge my mini smart phone (which will double as a 3G hotspot on Verizon’s network) Bluetooth headsets and an AAA/AA USB battery charger via the netbook.
 
I use a USB TV tuner/DVR to obtain free broadcast television on my 10” Netbook. So Florida being pretty much flat and most TV transmitters are no more than 50 miles away my first choice in a new amplified TV antenna is the 1byone® Super Thin HDTV Antenna with Detachable Amplifier Signal Booster
 
http://www.amazon.com/Amplified-HDT...ie=UTF8&qid=1440419615&sr=1-1&keywords=1byone
 
My thoughts are to suction cup mount the antenna to the inside of the front window of the truck cap and with the 10’ long coax cable I can place my Netbook as far back as the tailgate of the truck using the door for shade while sitting in my deluxe folding reclining chair with orthopedic cushion.

[img=640x640]http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51B8J759SaL._SL1000_.jpg[/img]

 

[highdesertranger]

make sure you give us a review after you have used it for awhile. highdesertranger

 

[SternWake]

I went a bit nutty regarding TV reception a while back, and did a lot of experimenting, building one antenna and a mounting system to put it 12 feet in the Air on an extendable tarp pole.

More recently I wanted something more portable fully expecting to lose gain.

Basically I now have two of these. One F connector is on my Solar panel, one on the body of my van in back up by the roof gutter.

http://www.amazon.com/August-DTA102...F8&qid=1440464076&sr=1-42&keywords=tv+antenna

An A/B switch is on my TV swing arm to choose either antenna. The reception in my area is surprisingly good with these tiny antenna's.

These antennas inside the Van do nothing. Lucky to get one channel when outside rare to get less than 20.

I found a few feet N,S,E or W can make or break a channel. The exact position of how my van is parked on the property where I park is oft chosen by a specific channels reception. I have started the engine just to shift the van 1 foot west.

So I recommend maximum flexibility in antenna location and height in those fringe areas. Experiments and multiple autoscans can allow one to dial in a specific station strongly, and not doing so might make it invisible.

Also the coaxial cable is very important. many use rg-59 where as a quad shield rg-6 will be much less lossy and will better reject radio interference from nearby wiring passing current. The F connectors quality is also paramount.

A little Caig Deoxit d5 or Gold, on the copper center and exterior ground has also increased performance, and slowed corrosion, as some of my f connectors are open to the elements.

 

[SoulRaven]

http://www.adventurerv.net/winegard-compact-roadstar-antenna-p-5907.html

http://www.adventurerv.net/winegard-sensar-antenna-with-integrated-wingman-rvw395-p-22359.html


I've been looking at both of these, I like the idea of omnidirectional and mounting to the ladder when I stop. 

Anyone checked these out?

 

[rvwandering]

We have one similar to the Winegard Sensar IV Antenna with Integrated Wingman RVW-395
http://www.adventurerv.net/winegard-sensar-antenna-with-integrated-wingman-rvw395-p-22359.html

 Ours doesn't have the Wingman which we could get as an add on. Because of the way our antenna is mounted the Wingman would stick out past the edge of the roof when the antenna's in the down position. The antenna works great. The amplifier is very useful when we're on the edge of a reception area.

 We tried a Clear TV Indoor HD Antenna (as seen on TV)  http://www.amazon.com/Clear-TV-Indoor-HD-Antenna/dp/B00GY91FJG in an attempt to eliminate the roof antenna which can cause shading on our solar panels and needs a small amount of maintenance to prevent leaks and keep it in good operating condition. The Clear TV antenna did not get good reception and it had to be moved around to get different channels.

 

[jimindenver]

Not sure I can get a post out. At home we use DVD cases. 6 large binder clips. A bit of wire and a connector. All under $10 and a brilliant picture not only from the Denver stations 40 miles away, but also colorado springs and Fort Collins stations a hour or so north and south of us.

Check out the videos on binder clip antennas on you tube.

 

[Spirituallifetime]

Those thin antennas in a window with amplifier will pickup stations 20 miles out but not well. You will find that it has to be moved now and then to bring stations back in, I had one and was a pain in the butt!
Then I bought the clear stream long range antenna and have had clear picture ever since, no amplifier required. This antenna mounts on a pole, setup your rig so you can take it down when you move.
http://www.amazon.com/Antennas-Dire...0557093&sr=1-3&keywords=Clearstream+tv+antena

 

[SternWake]

With Antennas, Height is might.


Getting the antenna elements outside the vehicle body yields a huge increase in antenna gain, and a huge decrease in stealth if that is a concern.

I used to get pretty good reception with an antenna on my ceiling of my fiberglass roof.

When I insulated it with metallized foil backed foamboards, I lost all interior reception, from several channels, to none.

I've tried lowcost amplifiers twice with horrible results. 
 Amplifiers work best when they are as close as possible to the antenna head.

My best reception happens in Foggy weather, and running an autoscan just before sundown yields the most channels, many of which disappear after sundown.

My worst reception occurs iin a Santa ana, when dry hot winds blow in from the desert.

I get channels at full strength from 92 miles away, but they are broadcast from a 5K foot mountain, and one day they can be full strength, and the next day gone completely.

I like this website for determining which stations are most likely to come in in a given area:

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29

But some stations that I should not be able to get, I do, and some I should, I can't.

 

[RVTravel]

Any antenna 30 feet up will get good reception ; ).

 

[Oberneldon]

Mr LooRead, I have used the the amplified flat antenna you show in your post for two years. I use it two ways. I use it in my inside window when I stealth in urban areas, but when in remote areas on federal land I put it on the roof of my Prius.

Since the U.S. moved the frequency of TV from VHF to UHF the signals are harder to pick up. Not to mention that you need to scan for channels when you move or change antenna direction. It requires much more effort and planning.

I made a magnetic mount for this flat antenna for outside usage and stiffen the antenna with a piece of hard plastic to keep it from bending in the wind. This also allows me to rotate it. When mounted in the car I have to think about what window to face it out of.

I tried non amplified antennas and they were not worth my time or effort.

The antenna is not the best for reception but it's good and works for what I want.

Unobstructed height is the best location. A few feet higher often makes a big difference.

The direction you face the antenna also makes a big difference. This is why I use the App TV Towers USA to know what direction to point the antenna to get the best signal.

When no TV I may have a Red Box movie to check out.

Brent

 

[SoulRaven]

The durability and having to move the truck looks like a deal breaker.

I am going in the direction of this model which I can mount to a folding camera tripod I have in stock, it looks like the unit also folds somewhat flat for storage. I camp in the Fla water management campgrounds mostly for 7-8 days at a time so set up and knock down is not a big issue.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VHGERR8...UTF8&colid=1K3NKVBML1ZZ1&coliid=I8OI6AH10WE38

[img=480x480]http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61N1fIJoU1L._SL1000_.jpg[/img]

I can add a 5V USB amplifier separately.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VTD1UQA...lid=1K3NKVBML1ZZ1&coliid=I3U9RHP2HYOOSZ&psc=1

[img=489x489]http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61V4M4QwUYL._SL1000_.jpg[/img]

And with setup I "might" be able to use this in my apartment, but the big issue is the TV transmitters are 36 miles away at 2100 feet above sea level, I live at 1450 feet above sea level and there is another 2450 feet mountain in between.

 

[Oberneldon]

Looks like a better choice considering your circumstances - I suggest getting the amplifier out of the gate if you can.

Brent

 

[jimindenver]

The mountain in between is a killer. That's why we pay for the satellite for the summer months as there is no TV reception at all up there.

One thing I noticed is that the antenna has only one set of loops. I had an antenna expert explain why my DVD case antennas work and it has to do with how many sets of loops it has. Yours has two loops or one set, that will pull in a certain gain. Double that with four and then again with eight is how to increase it to pull in UHF signals witch most stations are now anyways. I do know I can use four binder clips and not see a big difference from using six. A larger DVD case that would allow for eight would be idea, doubling that to 16 would be obsessive. adding a set of straight bars would improve VHF reception.

Our RV antenna has no UHF but adding 8 binder clips to it instantly improved reception here in Denver.

So why are manufactures building antennas that are obviously weak in UHF? Because until OTA went digital, most of the channels were VHF and certainly the big ones. UHF was for secondary channels but not anymore.

Another reason is people think small and cute is the way to go and either don't remember the antennas on houses or never used them. A good ol house top VHF/UHF antenna will simply blow away any of the new tiny amplified antennas. A weak signal amplified is still not as strong as what the bigger antenna provides naturally.

I grew up in the boonies in the 60's and 70's and let me tell you, those people knew how to pull in a channel. Our antenna was on a rotating mast that if you wanted channel 7 from Flint, you pointed the antenna north. Turn it south west and we got channel 7 from Chicago.

There are a number of DIY antennas on you tube that will out do the ones you can buy. You can still add a amplifier if needed. I like the tripod idea but you will really need to get it up there to make a difference.

 

[akrvbob]

I did a blog post on how I got my Wilson cell signal antenna up in the air, it was a different antenna but it still gets an antenna 12 feet up in the air. Find the post here:

http://www.cheaprvliving.com/blog/review-installation-wilson-sleek-directional-antenna-part-2/

Here is a pic of the painters pole mounted in its lower 6 feet position. A simple twist raises it to 12 feet:

And in these pictures how it attaches to the van. It works really well. Very easy to attach and take down and 12 feet in the air makes a big difference. If you order the parts from the blog post, I'll make a little money and it will cost you nothing:

 

[jimindenver]

Bob

The painters pole idea is brilliant. I might even still have a three section pole somewhere. How heavy is the head on the sleek? Is it stable in the wind?

 

[akrvbob]

I don't want to hijack the TV antenna thread, so this will be the only question I answer about the Wilson Cell Antenna.

If you have more questions about it than reading the blog post doesn't answer, start a new thread and I'll answer there.

I run the antenna cable through the driver window and the the Sleek is inside so it doesn't have any pressure on it. You could do the same with your TV signal amplifier. When the painters pole is out at 12 feet, it is not real stiff and it will sway in the wind. I've never noticed a problem with that, you can always drop it down to 6 feet and it won't sway then. It's possible it could impact a TV antenna, but I doubt it.

I use 4 spring clamps and 1 is top quality and very strong, the others are cheap. In a strong wind the antenna will turn with it which loses signal because it is so very narrow. I think with 4 quality clamps it wouldn't, but I don't know. TV antennas have much less surface so I doubt it would turn with a strong wind.

Of course if you have an RV you could just use hose clamps and attach the painters pole to your ladder and it'll do the same thing and start higher.
Bob