Tv Antenna Questions

silverta16 · 08-21-2014, 12:50 PM

Just realized not long ago that my TV antenna can turn, didn't realize you could pull down on the ring around the crank and it was spring loaded and would turn the antenna. Is there a trick to tuning these or pointing them to pick up a better signal? I've only used it once and just set my TV to scan and it picked up about 4 stations in the town I was in. I guess my question is if your in a new place how do you know which way to start to point it? With my digital TV I bought it just scans and picks up a channel or doesn't give you an option to tune it like a radio or old timey antenna. Thanks again

Camper_bob · 08-21-2014, 12:55 PM

http://www.antennaweb.org/

Enter your address or zip code where you're staying and it will give you bearings for towers around you.

Iraqvet05 · 08-21-2014, 12:56 PM

Try this site http://www.antennaweb.org/Address.aspx. Put in your zip code and address or street name and it will show you the stations in the area and what direction the broadcast from.

Iraqvet05 · 08-21-2014, 12:57 PM

Beat me to it, Bob!

Camper_bob · 08-21-2014, 09:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iraqvet05

Beat me to it, Bob!

Great minds ya know...

silverta16 · 08-22-2014, 07:12 AM

Do you just use a compass or general sense of direction then?

Bassdogs · 08-22-2014, 07:29 AM

Really, this is not rocket science. Just get the direction for the towers [N,S,E,W] and rough aim the antanee. Run the channel scan and then fine tune the direction on the antanee. Then run the channel scan again to make sure you haven't lost a network you want.

Suggestion: get out your owners manuals and do some reading. There is a lot of good info about your tT stuff. May not cover everything and may be tough to follow, but will give you a starting point.

namusmc65 · 08-22-2014, 08:15 AM

Just a dumb question but how do you know which end of the antenna to point? Does the arrow on the turnwheel indicate the direction the antenna is oriented to? I know the arrow indicates the alignment inside before you lower the antenna. I usually just do trial and error anyway. If your signal is dropping out, just rotate your antenna slightly to see if it gets better. I only do this for the bedroom TV anyway as I am hooked up to satellite on the main living room TV.

DocBrown · 08-22-2014, 08:29 AM

Take out the guesswork and the hassle of trying to find your current zip code. Make it really simple for yourself. Get a Surelock Signal finder.

WeylanBryant · 08-22-2014, 09:01 AM

SOME TVs have a "signal strength meter" on the CHANNEL SCAN menu that will provide a bar graph of the signal strength as you turn the antenna. Turn until the bar's the biggest... With Digital Antennas, the EXACT angle isn't all THAT critical (unlike satellite where 3D angles are pretty critical to "hook up" with the satellites).

Camper_bob · 08-22-2014, 10:38 AM

It's true, they don't need to be exact. Truth is, I just point mine toward the nearest metro area and usually do okay. But last time, I actually had to dig out the phone and look up the towers. I had 2 towers in range, and they were opposite directions... Also, fine tuning by turning the antenna works for me too. I use the compass on my phone to get a bearing.

The arrow on your rotator inside the TT does not indicate the direction of the antenna, it indicates the direction for storage. The signal direction is indicated with two TINY hashes on the ring. You can feel them more than see them, and once I found mine, I marked them with a Sharpie.

Jeff61 · 08-22-2014, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by namusmc65

Just a dumb question but how do you know which end of the antenna to point? Does the arrow on the turnwheel indicate the direction the antenna is oriented to? I know the arrow indicates the alignment inside before you lower the antenna. I usually just do trial and error anyway. If your signal is dropping out, just rotate your antenna slightly to see if it gets better. I only do this for the bedroom TV anyway as I am hooked up to satellite on the main living room TV.

It's not which end of the antenna. The front, or pointing side is the flat middle that says Winegard. Get out a simple compass and point it toward the direction of the big city near you where you figure the broadcast will originate. Then scan for stations

nylyon · 08-22-2014, 11:09 AM

I don't use the roof mounted antenna, but if I did I would likely install this http://www.winegard.com/sensar/sensar-pro.php

From the looks of it, it's not a simple swap, but more of a swap and add an extra jack type of install.

I don't have one of these, but it seems straight forward enough, not terribly costly and best of all reduces the extra effort to find the best signal for the TV.

silverta16 · 08-22-2014, 11:26 AM

I pulled my camper in my yard and tried my antenna a few weeks ago and couldn't pick any stations up at home. I searched that website and it shows a local station 7 miles from my home. I didn't know to point the antenna towards the signal, now realizing that I'll have to try it again as it was faced in the opposite direction of the signal. I am interested in maybe putting up an antenna at home as I don't have cable or satellite. We just watch Netflix for cartoons.

nylyon · 08-22-2014, 11:42 AM

Remember you have to switch the antenna on by pressing the button so the indicator light illuminates on the antenna power amplifier. If you have a TV broadcast station 7 miles away, you should have been able to pick that up without rotating the antenna. Also remember you have to scan for channels on your TV each time you change locations (campgrounds/home) with your camper.

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