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Topic: How thick is the roof? (Read 963 times) previous topic - next topic

How thick is the roof?

I'm thinking about replacing the old tv antenna with:
Amazon.com: KING OA8500 Jack HDTV Directional Over-the-Air Antenna with...
According to the manual, if the roof is more than 4.5" thick I'll need an extension. Sticking a tape measure up the shower skylight looks like the roof is more like 5.5" thick. Anyone know for sure?

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Re: How thick is the roof?

Reply #1 –
David,

Have you tried to remove the old antenna crank (allen head) and then the spring and plastic piece and look up/measure up?
Brett Wolfe
EX: 1993 U240
Moderator, ForeForum 2001-
Moderator Diesel RV Club 2002-
Moderator, FMCA Forum 2009-2020
Chairman FMCA Technical Advisory Committee 2011-2020

Re: How thick is the roof?

Reply #2 –
Not yet. I don't want to remove the old stuff until I'm ready to stick the new one on. I will if I have to, but I was hoping that someone has already had a hole in the roof and measured it.

Re: How thick is the roof?

Reply #3 –
R and R'ing the handle shouldn't take 5 minutes and does not compromise the antenna to roof seal.
Brett Wolfe
EX: 1993 U240
Moderator, ForeForum 2001-
Moderator Diesel RV Club 2002-
Moderator, FMCA Forum 2009-2020
Chairman FMCA Technical Advisory Committee 2011-2020

Re: How thick is the roof?

Reply #4 –
Thanks. I'll see what I find.

Re: How thick is the roof?

Reply #5 –
 I mounted my Jack to the OE  spin bracket. Just remove the OE top half of the old one. In my case  I removed the crank up post and mounted the Jack  flat on the spinning disc.  Works great. 

Re: How thick is the roof?

Reply #6 –
David,

I tried the "Jack" (earlier version) that you are looking at - didn't like it.  Perhaps they have improved the performance since the model number has changed.  Still looks the same.  The base of the Jack doesn't cover the holes left from the OEM crank-up unit, so I used the extra cost base cover available on Amazon.

Can't recall how thick our roof was, but pretty sure it is not more than 4.5" thick.  The skylight sticks up above the roof, remember.

Hope the antenna works better for you.  Good Luck!

OTA TV antenna mast modification (split from What did you do to your coach...
1993 U280 SE 40' WTBI, Build: 4359
C8.3 300hp, 6-Speed, Exhaust Brake
960 watts on the roof (6 x 160)
Sorento (or BOLT) on a Kar Kaddy SS
"Nature abhors a vacuum"

Re: How thick is the roof?

Reply #7 –
Here you go. One thing to remember when you remove the batwing base: Slide a sharp putty knife or something under the base and break the seal to the fiberglass. Otherwise, it can just pull the gel coat right off. Don't need the extension. Like Chuck said, be sure and buy the base plate. I've had two Jacks and they work well for me.
jor
93 225
95 300
97 270
99 320

Re: How thick is the roof?

Reply #8 –
I cant remember if I measured or not but here are a couple pics ^.^d

Re: How thick is the roof?

Reply #9 –
Here's the full story.

A few years ago the batwing stopped going up and down, so I bought a simple blade antenna from Radio Shack and mounted it on the old sat dish. The blades on that antenna have departed for parts unknown, so reception is sometimes spotty. We had some very hard rain with some wind, and I got a leak from that old sat dish, so I thought about getting rid of the dish and putting up a new antenna.

Following Brett's suggestion, I took off the crank-up handle from the batwing to measure. When I did I discovered that the hole for the rod wasn't hexagonal but round, which explains why the handle turned but the antenna didn't go up. I think I'll just buy a new handle rather than a new antenna.

In the meantime, we're going to remove the old sat dish and cover the hole on the roof. I'll figure out something to cover the hole on the inside later.

Re: How thick is the roof?

Reply #10 –
Quote from: kb0zke –
In the meantime, we're going to remove the old sat dish and cover the hole on the roof. I'll figure out something to cover the hole on the inside later.
When I removed our old sat dish, I made up a aluminum plate to cover the hole on the roof.  Cut it to the same shape as the sat mount base, and secured it with the original screws using the existing holes (and lots of Dicor to prevent leaks).  You can usually find the thin aluminum material at Lowes/Home Depot.

On the interior, I filled the hole with a plug made from several layers of blue foam insulation board glued together.  I had some of the white wooly ceiling material left over from a previous project, and used that to finish off the repair.  Made it practically invisible.  If you want to do the same, you might be able to "steal" a small piece of the wooly material from the ceiling inside one of your cabinets.
1993 U280 SE 40' WTBI, Build: 4359
C8.3 300hp, 6-Speed, Exhaust Brake
960 watts on the roof (6 x 160)
Sorento (or BOLT) on a Kar Kaddy SS
"Nature abhors a vacuum"

Re: How thick is the roof?

Reply #11 –
Thanks for the ideas.

Re: How thick is the roof?

Reply #12 –
I have repaired holes in my roof with fibreglass cloth & fibreglass resin, then a top skin of white Marine-Tex.
Wyatt
96 U320 40 WTFE, build 4943
84 Toyota Supra towd
2015 Jeep Wrangler towd
Victoria, BC, Canada

Re: How thick is the roof?

Reply #13 –
I considered getting a jack antenna but decided not to because reviews I read definitely indicated inferior reception with a Jack antenna. This was not a surprise to me because the Jack is omnidirectional while the OEM antenna must be pointed toward the TV station antenna. The reviews indicated that the Jack is a great antenna in cities where there are many TV stations, but not good when out in a fringe area.
Wyatt
96 U320 40 WTFE, build 4943
84 Toyota Supra towd
2015 Jeep Wrangler towd
Victoria, BC, Canada

Re: How thick is the roof?

Reply #14 –
I installed a Jack and while in Oklahoma and a good distance from any big city, received 42 stations. It works better than the OEM bat-tenna. Make sure all coax is in good shape and the amplifier is working. Many POs have rewired the coax so trace cables if necessary. Use RG-6 if rewiring. Don't install a second amplifier unless you remove the OEM amp.

Good primer on the differences between the two cables at: What is the difference between RG59 and RG6? - SewellDirect.com

Pierce
Pierce and Gaylie Stewart
'93 U300/36 WTBI
Detroit 6V-92TA Jake
1140 watts on the roof
SBFD (ret)

Re: How thick is the roof?

Reply #15 –
At this point we've got the original antenna working well enough, so the old sat dish will go. The plan is to remove it and cover the hole with some thin metal, held in place by the original screws, then the whole thing covered with Eternabond. I'll take some pictures and show them to Foretravel when we're in Nac in late fall. If they want to redo it they can.

Re: How thick is the roof?

Reply #16 –
My Jack is definitely directional . Picks up nice as long as you watch the signal strength meter on the TV . 
 

Re: How thick is the roof?

Reply #17 –
Quote from: Protech Racing –
My Jack is definitely directional . Picks up nice as long as you watch the signal strength meter on the TV . 
Hmmmmm...
There are 2 models of the Jack..
One with and one without the LED lights indicating signal strength..
'02 40' U320t  4010WTFS Build 6036 1 slide
Motorcade # 17841
SKP 151920
Retired truck driver
 5 million miler
Still have itchy feet for travel