Best HDTV Antenna?

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Dawnya

New member
Joined
Sep 16, 2005
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3
Hello all!  I'm a lurker... I don't have an RV, technically.  I have a horse trailer with living quarters.
We need to install an antenna and I've heard mixed reviews on the Roadstar (onmi dish).
What do ya'll think is the best antenna for regular TV (not satellite) including High Def.
My trailer is all-aluminum if that makes any difference.
Thanks!
  ;D
 

John From Detroit

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Joined
Apr 12, 2005
Posts
28,284
Location
Davison Michigan
I do not know that there is one, Wineguard seems to be the industry standard, though Airstream uses something else (or at least used to when I knew the folks who made it)

I favor a directional antenna, they can kill ghosts (multipath recption) problems better than an omnidirectional

The best one I ever saw was made by RCA, but I dont' think they make them any more, Wineguard has one that looks like it but I think Wineguard's is an Omin, where as the RCA was directional.  It looks like a flying saucer instead of the more common "Bat Wing" design.

However, most all of the RV antennas I've seen are variations on the same deisgn and I don't know if any one is better than the other at the primary function (Receiving TV)
 

Gary RV_Wizard

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Feb 2, 2005
Posts
80,895
Location
West Palm Beach, FL
There is so little broadcast HD that that is a very minor consideration.

The Winegard "batwing" style antenna is the RV standard and it seems to perform under all sorts of generally poor conditions. It is a directional design and the mount is rotated for maximum reception. It requires an amplifier to do much of anything. I think it is the one Winegard calls the "Sensar"

Winegard Antennas
 

AlGriefer

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Joined
Mar 24, 2005
Posts
300
Location
Las Vegas, NV (when not traveling)
If, by HD, you really mean digital, there's a bunch of that available.  Many broadcast stations are sending out digital signals along with the standard analog ones.  The great advantage of digital is that you'll either get an excellent picture or none at all.

Broadcast stations will also broadcast between 0 and 4 digital channels.  On TVs and set top boxes, they're identifies with a decimal place after the analog channel number as in 3.1 6.2, etc.  These digital signals are broadcast in the same frequency range as the analog channel so the same antenna generally works well for both.  In fact, in the middle of the California Delta where i could barely discern the analog pictures, I could receive over 16 digital channels just fine with a $15 Radio Shack rabbit ears antenna!

Right now I'm in LV and am using the standard Winegard "Sensar" batwing antenna to pick up the digital stations.  There are a ton of them here!

Al
 

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