TV antennas for travel trailer

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RobinTH

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Joined
May 12, 2023
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I am out of touch with Tv antennas and what ever you can grab out of the air for free. I have bought a 10 year old trailer with a batwing antenna. It is blocking a spot that could give me 400 watts of solar. Is their a more compact unit that would give me something to watch?
 
As I mentioned in your previous post, the batwing gives you a good chance of picking something up from FM, VHF and UHF TV channels. If you get one of the little "digital" antennas, often omnidirectional you will see reduced performance especially in the VHF range. Depending on what area you're in this may or may not matter - in urban areas often just a 12" piece of wire hanging off the TV will be enough to pick up a dozen channels or more. Where I camp in the mountains usually even with the batwing reception can be limited. With a compromise antenna, that would probably translate to nothing. I get you're trying to optimize for roof real estate and that TV may have to take a back seat, then it is what it is. But if your camping will be mostly in fringe reception areas, not having a batwing would likely limit or preclude reception making the compromise antenna a wasted effort. Now, there's nothing magic about the articulated crankup arm the batwing has, maybe the compromise is to use a different mast you set up once parked. Something like an extending painter or pruning pole will hold the antenna and allow you to rotate it for maximum signal. Not exactly something you'd do at a rest stop but if you're boondocking for a while, setting it up would offer your best shot at reception and allow your rooftop solar.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM
 
I used to have a flat digital TV antenna. It worked pretty well. But I have found that I am not inclined to sit thru commercials that don't interest me. I gave the antenna to a friend. I bought the antenna I had from Family Dollar.

I have had an Amazon Prime subscription almost as long as it has been available. So, I bought a Firestick during a Black Friday sale and I take advantage of the Prime TV and Music channels. I pay extra for the BritBox channel. I also have Netflix (single screen plan). I also rent movies from Redbox as well as buy the $3.99 movies to add to my collection for those times when the hotspot is down.
 
There are better antennas designed for mounting on a fixed mast or tower. but for RV use the Winegard "Batwing' Model 4 (Sensar IV) is about the best.. If you have a III (And you likely do) The WIngman upgrade is 99% of the IV. .add a Sensar Pro to replace the wall plate and you have the best rated RV system.
So what is the difference between the RV systems and the "Fixed mast"
Mostly this.. The Batwing and other RV systems are designed to "Go down the road"
THe Fixed mast you have to take them down and fold them up and that's a job.. I've done it when I worked as a ROOFER and someone who had an antenna switched to cable TV.. while re-doing the roof we took down the antenna and I'd fold it up for easier handling. But it's a job they are not designed to be re-folded.
 
It is disappointing that the rv manufacturers care so little about placement of wires/plumbing/heat ducting wasting space inside cabinets. I have reworked all of these things to increase storage. Now on the roof they could have positioned this antenna in an already cluttered area allowing a large area for solar, but no, this antenna is right in the middle of a large area. The location inside for the operation of the antenna isn't even logical. Build it quick and easy and hope the customer is too dumb to notice.
 
So far over the course of decades of rving my time spent watching tv is probably no more than one season of camping. While you have an antenna located in an area thats not favorable for you, why don't you just extend the wiring on the roof and move the antenna, or when you find a new one that fits your fancy. I don't think any manufacturer can know what the general consumer wants to do on his roof. You can seal most any hole on your rooftop too using starboard and dicor caulking too. Of course if you wish to go to the extreme, put one of your solar mount feet over the area too.


Batwings are surely a step above than the crank up ones that folks seems to forget before driving away from an campsite and catch it on some tree limb.. Extending the cable will not restrict you mounting any solar panel. I have done this with a Wineguard 360 and had decent success with one myself. The cable will just lay flat under the raised fixed panels. Take a small amount of dicor and lay the cable in it along spots of the roof to keep it from rubbing on the roof membrane as you travel.
 
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I think some of us have different definitions for a batwing antenna. Maybe I'm using the wrong term. My antenna is a crank up unit, and I haven't even looked close enough at it to know what brand it is. All I know is that there are other areas on the roof cluttered with vents etc, where it could have gone. It would mean covering a hole inside if I move it or remove it. It could easily have been placed in another spot where it would have been better for inside and out.
I haven't had tv signal in my life for 2 decades, but it may be of interest in the future. I'm one to keep my options open.
 
RobinTH said:
I think some of us have different definitions for a batwing antenna. Maybe I'm using the wrong term. My antenna is a crank up unit, and I haven't even looked close enough at it to know what brand it is. All I know is that there are other areas on the roof cluttered with vents etc, where it could have gone. It would mean covering a hole inside if I move it or remove it. It could easily have been placed in another spot where it would have been better for inside and out.
I haven't had tv signal in my life for 2 decades, but it may be of interest in the future. I'm one to keep my options open.
Click to expand...
You are correct. Its possible that we are defining the antennas differently for sure. My unit is a fix tee shape but one that you can spin manually. I get superb reception. I will look later and see what the exact brand is and get back to you. The crank up ones are so 20th century and has a tendency to leak too.
 
This isn't a lung transplant, try one of the little omni antennas and see what happens. Something that small could be mounted in the same place as a plumbing vent, taking up no extra roof space. If you find later it doesn't cut it, and OTA matters, you can figure out the minutia of a better performing installation.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM
 
Mark_K5LXP said:
This isn't a lung transplant, try one of the little omni antennas and see what happens. Something that small could be mounted in the same place as a plumbing vent, taking up no extra roof space. If you find later it doesn't cut it, and OTA matters, you can figure out the minutia of a better performing installation.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM
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I try to avoid "trial and error design " when at all possible. The entire roof, OSB and all is getting replaced, so with enough pre-planning I'm hoping to get it right the first time.
 
You can't engineer this because the variable of any signals present where you'll be is unknown. You could have the "best" antenna and still not pick anything up, or the "worst" antenna and be gifted with more infomercials, fake news and regurgitated sitcoms than you can stand. So you put a stake in the sand of having "something", and you go from there. The time/money/effort factor is minimal.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM
 
Mark_K5LXP said:
You can't engineer this because the variable of any signals present where you'll be is unknown. You could have the "best" antenna and still not pick anything up, or the "worst" antenna and be gifted with more infomercials, fake news and regurgitated sitcoms than you can stand. So you put a stake in the sand of having "something", and you go from there. The time/money/effort factor is minimal.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM
Click to expand...
"the variable of any signals present where you'll be is unknown" is 100% true. If I decide I can live without that 400 watts of solar I will leave the antenna right where it is. I would hate to abandone it, put it a small fixed antenna that I later find won't do the job, and having burnt my bridges behind me, have no option of going back to what I have. Just gathering info and ideas at this point. I realize my "look at the matter from 10 different ways" approach to life, will frustrate the "man of action" type of personality. Please don't take offense at my comments, as none is intended. As my 20 years of no tv signal will show, I'm not big on tv. I'd just like to see the news now and again. I don't want to mess up the new roof I'm installing and have to patch or relocate things.
 
RobinTH said:
have no option of going back to what I have
Click to expand...
You do. Antennas are easy, solar is less so, so the panels should probably have the priority. I've put antennas on everything from bicycles to humvees to dump trucks, it's a very straightforward mechanical exercise. My take on it would be to have a basic antenna on the roof and plumbed into the system, with an option for a separate better performing antenna for when needs dictate. The option is something that stows and you can deploy, no modification or installation required. You may find you never need it, or always need it and you can regroup from there. Maybe you can take what's there and come up with a different deployment scheme, maybe something that clamps to the ladder or slide flange/awning hardware. This isn't an always/never decision, it comes down to a performance threshold - the small antenna will work, the larger antenna will work "better". There's nothing special about the stock location or installation, other than it's already there. You're making a design choice that solar is probably more important and given the complexity of an antenna install vs a panel, I'd replace/relocate the antenna every time. Other than height the antenna doesn't care where it is, but panel location choice is more limited.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM
 
I camped next to a guy that had his batwing attached to the roof ladder. He mounted it with quick release clamps so it was fairly easy to raise, lower, and turn. He could raise it several feet higher for better reception and he thought the aluminum ladder helped the signal too.
 
Mark_K5LXP said:
You do. Antennas are easy, solar is less so, so the panels should probably have the priority. I've put antennas on everything from bicycles to humvees to dump trucks, it's a very straightforward mechanical exercise. My take on it would be to have a basic antenna on the roof and plumbed into the system, with an option for a separate better performing antenna for when needs dictate. The option is something that stows and you can deploy, no modification or installation required. You may find you never need it, or always need it and you can regroup from there. Maybe you can take what's there and come up with a different deployment scheme, maybe something that clamps to the ladder or slide flange/awning hardware. This isn't an always/never decision, it comes down to a performance threshold - the small antenna will work, the larger antenna will work "better". There's nothing special about the stock location or installation, other than it's already there. You're making a design choice that solar is probably more important and given the complexity of an antenna install vs a panel, I'd replace/relocate the antenna every time. Other than height the antenna doesn't care where it is, but panel location choice is more limited.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM
Click to expand...
You're correct in seeing that the solar is more important to me than tv. I want my set-up and pack-up at sites to be simple, so a manually attached antenna wouldn't be an option for me. I understand that the crank up I have will probably work the best, so I'll keep it if I can.
 
TheBar said:
I camped next to a guy that had his batwing attached to the roof ladder. He mounted it with quick release clamps so it was fairly easy to raise, lower, and turn. He could raise it several feet higher for better reception and he thought the aluminum ladder helped the signal too.
Click to expand...
interesting idea. thanks
 
Laura & Charles said:
Can I assume you’ll have internet. Perhaps StarLink? It seems cable and satellite television are going to become less and less used and streaming from the internet will take over.
Click to expand...
Yes, there will be internet, however this whole situation is new to me, so I have no definite idea about which provider I'll have. Any thoughts other than Starlink?
 
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