Winegard Digital HD Receiver-Anyone using one?

tdharley

Well-known member

• Apr 23, 2007

• #1

I fell for all the good write ups and ordered this from CW

http://www.campingworld.com/browse/skus/index.cfm?skunum=35000

Anybody using it, good or bad?

I will install it this weekend if no one can say anything bad about it.

 

katkens

Founding Illinios Chapter Leader-retired

• Apr 23, 2007

• #2

I don't have one but have been reading some about these looks positive so far. Sure will be waiting patiently for your report after use,Winegards products have a pretty good rep. Ken

 

J

jbeletti

Well-known member

• Apr 23, 2007

• #3

Looking forward to your review tdh. Looks like most of the newer Winegard batwing off-air antennas are now HD compatible. I assume yours is as well.

Do you have the Olevia LCD TV that Heartland now uses? I "think" some of them have the dual (analog and digital) tuners built-into them. for those with these sets, they won't need the digital to analog tuner.

Jim

 

tdharley

Well-known member

• Apr 23, 2007

• #4

Did not know about the HD ready thingy. I am not worried about digital or analog though, the CD tuner I have will be the run through.

How do I know if it is?

Remember I have a 2006...........Hmmmm

 

J

jbeletti

Well-known member

• Apr 23, 2007

• #5

tdh,

Look for any paperwork on your Winegard batwing. You're looking for Sensarx or MAxxxx. When you know that model, go to www.winegard.com to see if the batwing is HD-ready.

As for the TV, if it's the Olevia LCDs, look for the model number on the unit itself, then go to www.olevia.com to review the Features tab for your model. It will tell you about the tuners. If it says "ATSC/NTSC combo tuner", then you do have the HDTV tuner built-in.

I know the 42" units Heartland is putting in the 3400 RE has the combo tuner.

Jim

 

tdharley

Well-known member

• Apr 23, 2007

• #6

Hey Jim
http://www.winegard.com/mobile/pdf/RC-1010.pdf
Check out this motorized bat wing Cool !!!!!!!.........

http://www.winegard.com/mobile/motorsensar.htm

My wife says I am like a kid in a candy store.

I say he who dies with the most toys wins!!!!

 

J

jbeletti

Well-known member

• Apr 23, 2007

• #7

tdh,

Yes, been eyeing that one too - in case I ever have another coach built. May as well use the latest. especially if the TV that comes with it has the digital tuner in it.

You probably find that your non-HD ready antenna will still pick up some level of digital over-the-air channels in markets that have launched. For antennas this small, my guess is that the biggest difference is in the actives and passives used in the circuit to ensure they pass the digital bandwidth as well as the analog bands.

Keep us up to date on your upgrades. Your a mad man on them. Sure wish you had time to take off to head to the rally.

Jim

 

tdharley

Well-known member

• Apr 23, 2007

• #8

I am taking most of the summer off.

We go to the Americade & Laconia, bike rallies for that week almost ten days. We ride the bike through NY, Vermont & Conneticut. I will be back on the day the Heartland rally starts.

I wish it was a few days later.

Oh well next year.

 

M

madigand

Well-known member

• Apr 24, 2007

• #9

I have the Olevia LCD and wineguard batwing. It picks up HD when you do the auto channel setup for on the air side. It also looks for hd on cable side. What a difference in HD. Sometimes the regular channel is snowy but go to the HD channel and great picture. If only it was not so complicated to figure out. I really enjoy it.

 

J

jbeletti

Well-known member

• Apr 24, 2007

• #10

madigand,

Thanks for confirming for us that your Olevia LCD does have the over-the-air digital tuner in it to pick up local digital; channels.

I agree, TV viewing in an RV can be pretty complex. Even if you never used cable or a dish, it can still be a chore.

For many, I think the key to making the most of it is better understanding what is available over-the-air, how some of those signals differ from each other (VHF, UHF, Digital etc.) and how that all works with your TV, its tuners etc. Then, why moving to another location requires another auto-tune on the TVs. Then layer on top of that, cable TV, a change in tuner setup, another auto-tune. Then layer on top of that, satellite TV. It can be dizzying.

Jim

 

tdharley

Well-known member

• Apr 24, 2007

• #11

I called CW today on an unrelated matter (they are replacing one of my brand new toppers) and spoke to a seemingly informed tech. He said that you dont need any special TV or antenna for HD , the box that I bought will do it all. I a not too sure about that.

I will probably get some additional BS about I cant get this or that without adding this or that.

Que serra serra.....like Doris Day would say.

We will see this weekend when I install it.

 

cannoncocker

Member

• Apr 24, 2007

• #12

HD antennas

TD,

The tech is 100% correct. So called HD ready antennas are nothing more than marketing hype. Any antennna capable of receiving UHF television signals will work just fine. The bat wing that came on my Sundance pulls in all the Knoxville, TN HD stations from 40 miles out.

-Jack

 

J

jbeletti

Well-known member

• Apr 24, 2007

• #13

tdh,

I did more research on it and I agree with Jack, the standard batwing antenna, so long as it is rated to pass UHF channels, should work fine for over-the-air digital channels. Seems that 90% of the over-the-air digital channels are in the UHF band with the other 10% being somewhere in the VHF band.

Jim

 

jimtoo

Moderator

• Apr 24, 2007

• #14

Our Olevia LCD TV also is HD and my factory antenna seams to work good for the HD channels. I get some I did not even know were there. It also has a VGA input. I am thinking I just might bring it in the house and have a real MONITOR when its not being used in the RV.

The wife does not like the ideal thou .

Jim

 

J

jbeletti

Well-known member

• Apr 24, 2007

• #15

Hey Jim,

That VGA input would be great for picture slideshows from the laptop in the RV if you carry one with you.

Or when you have a CG with WiFi, it would make a big monitor to surf with in the RV!

Jim

 

jimtoo

Moderator

• Apr 24, 2007

• #16

I always have the laptop, I could even take pc with wireless keyboard and mouse... Now.. if I can just get the wife to watch TV in the bedroom. Hmmm,,,None
Jim

 

ct0218

Well-known member

• Apr 24, 2007

• #17

I use the Olevia for my desktop monitor. That VGA input eliminates the need for the flatscreen monitor, 1 less thing to haul around. And digital photos look great on it. We looked at our photos from Cozumel last night when we got in.

 

tdharley

Well-known member

• Apr 25, 2007

• #18

Oh man guys we gotta get a life!!!!!! My wife says I am too Geeky. Yeah me & Bill Gates.

I do the ultimate in AV for the kids. I take my Cinego DLP projector on certain camp trips with us, hang a 10' screen on the side of the rig and show cartoons at night. Needless to say most of the campground kids come around.

 

J

jbeletti

Well-known member

• Apr 25, 2007

• #19

tdh,

That's cool! Gotta be good for games and races too. So long is it's night-time.

Jim

 

tdharley

Well-known member

• Apr 26, 2007

• #20

Well I got it today. Seems pretty easy to install.

It works like your cable box at home. I can wire through the box and feed both TV's with the same program or just one. I am gonna wire through one and if it really impresses me I will order a second. You use the box to change the channels.