Sensar TV Antenna

LarryCreech · 07-23-2016, 11:02 AM

I have a 1999 Winnebago Adventurer. I was camping in a North Carolina state camping area. Reception on my TV was not that good. When I rotated the antenna, to my surprise, I began to pick up about 20 stations (UHF & VHF - my signal is run through a digital convertor). When I went outside to physically view the antenna, I noticed that the head was damaged & dangling from the mast. I purchased a new Sensar IV head, but to my surprise, after installation, my reception was reduced to 4 UHF stations and no VHF stations. Any suggestions on how to correct this?

Larry

mel s · 07-23-2016, 12:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LarryCreech

I have a 1999 Winnebago Adventurer. I was camping in a North Carolina state camping area. Reception on my TV was not that good. When I rotated the antenna, to my surprise, I began to pick up about 20 stations (UHF & VHF - my signal is run through a digital convertor). When I went outside to physically view the antenna, I noticed that the head was damaged & dangling from the mast. I purchased a new Sensar IV head, but to my surprise, after installation, my reception was reduced to 4 UHF stations and no VHF stations. Any suggestions on how to correct this?
Larry

LarryCreech
Is your coach parked in the exact same location as it was when you got those 20 stations?

LarryCreech · 07-23-2016, 01:49 PM

yes

mel s · 07-23-2016, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LarryCreech

yes

LarryCreech
Does the antenna amp power supply in the coach have 12V power?
Is it turned ON?

Is this how you have you the Sensar IV aimed?

AIMING A SENSAR IV

My 4 year old Winegard Sensar IV works a little better than the 16 year old batwing it replaced.

Good luck.

Mel
'96 Safari

LarryCreech · 07-24-2016, 09:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mel s

larrycreech
does the antenna amp power supply in the coach have 12v power?
Is it turned on? i have to confess ignorance. Where would i check to see if it's turned on? Where is the antenna amp power supply located?

is this how you have you the sensar iv aimed? yes

aiming a sensar iv

my 4 year old winegard sensar iv works a little better than the 16 year old batwing it replaced.

Good luck.

Mel
'96 safari

thanks for your help!

mel s · 07-24-2016, 10:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LarryCreech

thanks for your help!

Larry
I don't know were the power supply for the antenna amp is located in your 1999 Winnebago Adventurer, but I'm sure there is one.
In my Safari it's mounted in the ceiling of the upper cabinet behind the driver's seat... (it looks like a blank electrical plate with a small on/off slide switch and a LED in the face).

Hopefully someone with a like coach will post the answer.

BTW the amp itself is up in the center pod of the Sensar antenna.

Mel
'96 Safari

mtnmike · 07-24-2016, 06:01 PM

Do you have a Winegard Box of Many Buttons (BOMB) that allows you to select cable, antenna, Satellite, VCR, Ect? If so, the first button on the left is the antenna power and will light up when pushed in and providing 12 VDC.

alank · 07-24-2016, 06:46 PM

Sounds like you need to dangle the old antenna off the side of the mast as it was before. There isn't any exact known science about reception of RF radiation. We camp in a spot that has limited reception and one evening if I would attempt to adjust the antenna, the reception of the show we wanted to watch was great. If I sat down, the picture went to crap, if I put my hand back on the antenna, everything was great again.

alank · 07-24-2016, 07:21 PM

Sorry, I got called away before I could finish my post.

What I wanted to add is a website: www.antennaweb.org which if you click on "get started" it will go to a page asking for your zip, then "submit" or something like that, and it will bring up a map and list of free TV stations for your location. It will provide lines from your location to the stations location so you know where to turn the antenna, and the lines are in color which indicates possible signal strength at your location.

It's quite interesting and worth a look. There is another government site that gives similar information but I don't have the website right now.

LarryCreech · 07-25-2016, 08:14 AM

That's a good suggestion, as I am at a loss to describe this problem

mtnmike · 07-25-2016, 01:42 PM

Larry, you still need to determine that you have power to the antenna, otherwise the amp is not working and you will not be able to bring in anything other than very near and very powerful signals. If you DO have power, then you can follow the recommendations of Winegard by running the "search for channels" on your TV in each of the four quadrants of the compass to determine what exists in the current area. If you still come up short on stations, you have an issue with the new antenna.

RandyKathyM · 07-25-2016, 02:01 PM

If the old one worked better before changing the antenna, I would check the cable connections at the new antenna and at the base of the lift. "F" connectors are the worst, look to see if the center conductor is in place and that connections are clean. Most stations moved to the UHF band and the higher frequencies are harder to pass through dirty connections.

JGrosman · 07-25-2016, 02:13 PM

Here is a simple test to see if it is the antenna or if the power supply is working. Get a simple volt meter and set it to 15 volts. If you do not have one or do not know how to use one then find someone with a voltmeter that knows how to use one. The wire connecting the Sensar IV to the wire from the coach should have 12 volts on it. No 12 volts, no work. Now if you have 12 volts on it you know the coach is working and the Sensar IV is bad. Do not measure at the TV, it will not be there.