Forest River installed mine about 4 inches from my AC unit. The antenna is blocked at 1/3 in that direction. Always seems that best channels are coming from that blocked direction. At least the batwing could be cranked up over the height of the AC unit.
Yes it should turn. The turn knob inside should push up and then allow the antenna to do a complete 360 around. When the knob is down it prevents the antenna from turning in the wind, you push it up to turn. If this does not work then it is possible the knob was not aligned properly at install. Remove the turn knob and inspect to make sure it is aligned and has enough room to reach the antenna. With the knob removed you should also be able to freely spin the antenna, if it doesn't there is something wrong internally with it.
Why not go with the up grade (Razor Z1 Amplified HD Antenna Retro-Fit Kit) ? This elimates the Batwing Ant and Razor bolts on bat wing arms and is only 5.5" tall
Hi Dan, Doing that is a good option too but you will still be left with the original bracket that will have to be cranked up every time you use it and lowered before moving. If you install the whole system, you won't have to crank anything up or down. It stays the same height and can just turn for a better signal. If you were to use the original bracket with the retro fit kit, you would have to crank it up before you can turn it and then have to remember to bring it back down before travel. It's all personal preference but either system would work fine. Sincerely,Dan RV Repair Club Technical Expert
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The little Plastic Piece that connects the Adjuster on the Inside to the Antenna on the OUTSIDE breaks very easy. Then you have to Replace the ENTIRE Antenna.
Calling an antenna HDTV is just a marketing gimic, the antenna can't tell difference between analog information and digital information. Based on the size of this antenna it would be a poor VHF antenna. The batwing style is already small for VHF but does a decent job and with the addition of the wingman it should do great with UHF.
There is a power supply mentioned in the installation manual. Is this applicable for the unit you installed? I have the "batwing' with a power booster and I do not know if I need any modifications to install.
To provide more specific information on your “power supply” we need to know the make, model, and year of your rig. Typically units had the “batwing” antenna on the roof and a TV Antenna Booster inside located in an overhead compartment or sometimes on the bottom side of the driver/passenger overhead compartment in the case of a motorhome. This booster was a plastic cover plate with a small switch and a red light, sometimes it also had a round 12-volt plug in on older models. If you are attempting to install a Wingman to the existing batwing, or replace the batwing with the square Razar you will not need any modification for a power booster. Thanks.
The Rayzar z1 only has 2 models and they are just different colors but they do make other antennas It depends on what you are looking for. They make a stationary omnidirectional antenna called Roadstar, you don't have to turn it to pick up a better signal. The Rayzr z1 will have to turn to get better signals but does pick them up better. And they do offer the Rayzar automatic that will turn itself to pick up better signals but it does have to be hooked to a power source. I personally recommend the Razar z1 as a replacement to an original antenna, you don't have to crank it up and it is very easy to use.Sincerely,DanRV Repair Club Technical Expert
I'm not impressed with the product to date. I had a motor coach with the batwing. Over the winter we were in South Central Florida and about 35-40 miles from Tampa. I was able to get 39 OTA channels. We traded out and went to a new 5th wheel with the Z1. After setup in the exact same location in the RV park I was only able to get 4 channels. Bad coax installation by Keystone? And yes the amplifier is on.
The frequenies are same as analog tv just sent in digital form. And because new form of transmitting antenna they had to mod/retune the receiving antenna. Ae: the new types of antennas. (Rayzar's,king's) (Bat wing is now a dodo bird) Yes you can use an old 50 year old antenna and will work but. You will need to be much closer And even then you mite get multpath issues. And just wait for the new Sys. in 5 to 10 years. ATSC 3.0 More sub channels and 4k Cap...And yes buy new ("settop boxes" like the free gov.ones wink ,wink. back in the day) For the ones you have now or buy new tv's To rec. the sig's. (The Fed's the FCC.say that they will not give free boxes this time. But will see.)
Very poor presentation, without giving info on how to remove the "bat wing" antenna and also did not show what was done inside the RV at the turn handle location. Wasted time and got not much useful info. It was just a commercial for the new product that is not so great according the users.
I wish the reviews on these new antennae would be consistently positive but they are mixed at best. The biggest advantage ye old batwing has is height, of course, that is also its biggest weakness as they leave big holes in the roof of your RV when a tree limb collects it because someone forgot to lower it. Also, poor installation and maintenance are in the mix for both. Still not sure I want to join this bandwagon.
There is no such thing as an HD antenna. Channels are all broadcast on the VHF and UHF spectrum as they always have been. "HD" is all marketing hype. Please do your homework on this prior to purchasing a so called HD antenna. Plenty of info out there on the subject.
JUNK....When your body gets near it, it reacts like a 1960's "rabbit ears" with static and loose picture. Standing under the adjusting knob would be the worst place.
Forest River installed mine about 4 inches from my AC unit. The antenna is blocked at 1/3 in that direction. Always seems that best channels are coming from that blocked direction. At least the batwing could be cranked up over the height of the AC unit.
It seems to me that Winegard could have made the base so as to retrofit the Sensar bat wing. How hard would that have been
Why do they always neglect to show you the handle installation?
I saw the video question and my questionnaire are you supposed to be able to turn the antenna question if so mine doesn’t turn
my antenna want turn on the top
Yes it should turn. The turn knob inside should push up and then allow the antenna to do a complete 360 around. When the knob is down it prevents the antenna from turning in the wind, you push it up to turn. If this does not work then it is possible the knob was not aligned properly at install. Remove the turn knob and inspect to make sure it is aligned and has enough room to reach the antenna. With the knob removed you should also be able to freely spin the antenna, if it doesn't there is something wrong internally with it.
I hate to tell everybody but there's no such thing as an HDTV antenna they're just electronic versions of the old style aluminum antenna
Why not go with the up grade (Razor Z1 Amplified HD Antenna Retro-Fit Kit) ? This elimates the Batwing Ant and Razor bolts on bat wing arms and is only 5.5" tall
Hi Dan,
Doing that is a good option too but you will still be left with the original bracket that will have to be cranked up every time you use it and lowered before moving. If you install the whole system, you won't have to crank anything up or down. It stays the same height and can just turn for a better signal. If you were to use the original bracket with the retro fit kit, you would have to crank it up before you can turn it and then have to remember to bring it back down before travel. It's all personal preference but either system would work fine.
Sincerely,Dan RV Repair Club Technical Expert
Why not clean up all the old sealer and reseal with new self-leveling dicor?
Great question! The ‘Ask an Expert’ section is currently for members of our online community. I would be happy to send your question off to the experts. To get started, please direct message me the email associated with your paid membership account. Thanks!
@@RVlifestyleandRepair Poor answer, so you don't answer people unless they subscribe, OK got it, still a very sloppy job.
The little Plastic Piece that connects the Adjuster on the Inside to the Antenna on the OUTSIDE breaks very easy. Then you have to Replace the ENTIRE Antenna.
Calling an antenna HDTV is just a marketing gimic, the antenna can't tell difference between analog information and digital information.
Based on the size of this antenna it would be a poor VHF antenna. The batwing style is already small for VHF but does a decent job and with the addition of the wingman it should do great with UHF.
Instructions state at least 16" from the edge of the roof? seemed to work ok anyway?
There is a power supply mentioned in the installation manual. Is this applicable for the unit you installed? I have the "batwing' with a power booster and I do not know if I need any modifications to install.
To provide more specific information on your “power supply” we need to know the make, model, and year of your rig. Typically units had the “batwing” antenna on the roof and a TV Antenna Booster inside located in an overhead compartment or sometimes on the bottom side of the driver/passenger overhead compartment in the case of a motorhome. This booster was a plastic cover plate with a small switch and a red light, sometimes it also had a round 12-volt plug in on older models. If you are attempting to install a Wingman to the existing batwing, or replace the batwing with the square Razar you will not need any modification for a power booster. Thanks.
Is there a specific model you recommend?
The Rayzar z1 only has 2 models and they are just
different colors but they do make other antennas It depends on what you
are looking for. They make a stationary omnidirectional antenna called
Roadstar, you don't have to turn it to pick up a better signal. The
Rayzr z1 will have to turn to get better signals but does pick them up
better. And they do offer the Rayzar automatic that will turn itself to
pick up better signals but it does have to be hooked to a power source. I
personally recommend the Razar z1 as a replacement to an original
antenna, you don't have to crank it up and it is very easy to
use.Sincerely,DanRV Repair Club Technical Expert
I'm not impressed with the product to date. I had a motor coach with the batwing. Over the winter we were in South Central Florida and about 35-40 miles from Tampa. I was able to get 39 OTA channels. We traded out and went to a new 5th wheel with the Z1. After setup in the exact same location in the RV park I was only able to get 4 channels. Bad coax installation by Keystone? And yes the amplifier is on.
Product stinks.......prefer my old batwing....
Tree limb snapped mine off like it was nothing.
The frequenies are same as analog tv just sent in digital form. And because new form of transmitting antenna they had to mod/retune the receiving antenna. Ae: the new types of antennas. (Rayzar's,king's) (Bat wing is now a dodo bird) Yes you can use an old 50 year old antenna and will work but. You will need to be much closer And even then you mite get multpath issues. And just wait for the new Sys. in 5 to 10 years. ATSC 3.0 More sub channels and 4k Cap...And yes buy new ("settop boxes" like the free gov.ones wink ,wink. back in the day) For the ones you have now or buy new tv's To rec. the sig's. (The Fed's the FCC.say that they will not give free boxes this time. But will see.)
this video is incomplete -you did not show appropriate and necessary "power plate connections"; very disappointed !!
Your feedback has been forwarded onto the proper department. I apologize for the confusion.
Very poor presentation, without giving info on how to remove the "bat wing" antenna and also did not show what was done inside the RV at the turn handle location. Wasted time and got not much useful info. It was just a commercial for the new product that is not so great according the users.
Looks like a simple copy of the Jack Ant.
That corner that didn’t go back down all the way, stayed up almost 1/2”………
Shocking you never cleaned all old sealent off. So many places for water to creap in. Dicor is the worst thing to use..
I wish the reviews on these new antennae would be consistently positive but they are mixed at best. The biggest advantage ye old batwing has is height, of course, that is also its biggest weakness as they leave big holes in the roof of your RV when a tree limb collects it because someone forgot to lower it. Also, poor installation and maintenance are in the mix for both. Still not sure I want to join this bandwagon.
There is no such thing as an HD antenna. Channels are all broadcast on the VHF and UHF spectrum as they always have been. "HD" is all marketing hype. Please do your homework on this prior to purchasing a so called HD antenna. Plenty of info out there on the subject.
I have one of these and it is junk. The old batwing version iv was so much better.
Why am I watching this? 🤷♂️
JUNK....When your body gets near it, it reacts like a 1960's "rabbit ears" with static and loose picture. Standing under the adjusting knob would be the worst place.
Lol, yeah, every time you walk by it on the roof. Idiot