King Controls Jack TV Antenna

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King Controls Jack TV Antenna

April 12, 2012, 06:21:45 pm

Quote

replaced our Winegard antenna head with the Jack retrofit model,

Michelle,
Would you post the process for removal & installations of the new Jack antenna? How's the process to ensure no leaks after removing the Winegard batwing? Do you use the same Winegard power booster? etc...

Peter

Re: King Controls Jack TV Antenna

Reply #1 – April 12, 2012, 06:30:38 pm

Peter,

The Jack retrofit is the Jack head plus a bracket that mounts it to the existing Winegard mast. This isn't the short model of the Jack.

All you do is disconnect the coax, unbolt the batwing from the top of the mast, attach the Jack antenna with the included bracket, and connect the coax to the Jack.

JACK Replacement Head

At the moment, we're not ready to give feedback since we're not sure if the Jack's internal amplifier is working. Its LED is not lit despite our confirming there is 12V at the end of the coax that screws into it. King Controls technical support says the only way to confirm it's working is to verify we're getting a "strong" signal on a meter, but they didn't offer to quantify "strong"

Michelle

Re: King Controls Jack TV Antenna

Reply #2 – April 12, 2012, 06:36:56 pm

I suppose that without their stationary product that has the LED signal strength meter the only meter you may have is in your TV set up program???

Re: King Controls Jack TV Antenna

Reply #3 – April 12, 2012, 06:51:50 pm

Quote from: Peter & Beth – April 12, 2012, 06:36:56 pm

I suppose that without their stationary product that has the LED signal strength meter the only meter you may have is in your TV set up program???

Actually, with our current TVs we either have to run the antenna feed through the Dish Vip211k or use the separate HD tuner box to get a signal strength reading. Since both those are a pain, we hadn't done a baseline reading with our Winegard before doing the swap.

We do at least get 9 channels here in Nac with the Jack. I think the Winegard plus wingman maxed out at 7 with crude adjustment. We hadn't peaked the signal with it, either (Eureka marathon on SyFy, not much need for OTA TV

)

-M

Re: King Controls Jack TV Antenna

Reply #4 – April 12, 2012, 07:30:47 pm

Is the antenna you're discussing the "Jack Oa-8000 Digital TV Antenna"? We've been considering one as-well.

Re: King Controls Jack TV Antenna

Reply #5 – April 12, 2012, 08:08:53 pm

Quote from: Chad and Judy – April 12, 2012, 07:30:47 pm

Is the antenna you're discussing the "Jack Oa-8000 Digital TV Antenna"? We've been considering one as-well.

Yes thats the one ... we replaced our Winegard + Wingman since we had some problems with it and the satellite dish trying to occupy the same space when they were both raised. The Jack being much more compact does not have the same problem with our setup.

Re: King Controls Jack TV Antenna

Reply #6 – April 12, 2012, 08:32:39 pm

Quote

snip: Yes that's the one ... we replaced our Winegard + Wingman since we had some problems with it and the satellite dish trying to occupy the same space when they were both raised. The Jack being much more compact does not have the same problem with our setup.

Steve

FWIW: Art Twaddle, who serviced our Aqua-Hot at Q had one on his coach; liked it a lot. Got us looking at it, as a replacement for our OEM bat-wing. We upgraded to a 32" Sony HD and thought it might make good-sense.

Re: King Controls Jack TV Antenna

Reply #7 – April 13, 2012, 12:07:59 am

Replaced the old (1989) Wineguard antenna with the Jack head last November. Went from 9 stations to 17 and did not raise or rotate the antenna. A red light comes on on the bottom side of the antenna when the power boost switch is turned on.
We couldn't get any stations at all while we were five miles S.E. of Zapata, TX but no one was getting anything on their antennas. It was satellite dish or nothing.

The nice thing about the Jack antenna was we did not have to raise it, and when we did (as a trial) the reception did not change.

For what it's worth all Tiffin coaches now come standard with the fixed mount Jack antenna. There are three legs used to stand off the antenna from the roof and that is it!! No rotating, no raising and lowering. Just turn on 12V boost.

Weird thing tho: the cheap 15" LCD Dynex tv that came with the coach gets more stations than the 23" LED Insignia tv up front. (like 4 more)

Re: King Controls Jack TV Antenna

Reply #8 – April 25, 2012, 08:59:05 am

Michelle and Steve,
Any update on the Jack antenna? Just checking as it's on the list of items for us!

Re: King Controls Jack TV Antenna

Reply #9 – April 25, 2012, 10:09:25 am

Yes - we finally got a chance to run a controlled test and confirmed the internal amplifier is working, just the LED is not.

We are pulling in the following stations here in MF. 7, 14, 18, 24, 36, 42, 54, and 62 (including the multiples). The Austin major networks are at 100% signal strength. I would say it works as well as the batwing plus Wingman did. It may possibly be pulling in a little better as I don't recall getting 14 on previous trips.

It makes a lot less noise on the roof as you drive down the road (no occasionally thumping like the old Winegard).

We have the old Winegard with Wingman to freecycle, but we can't ship it (too bulky). Anyone in MF this week or near Denton, TX next week is welcome to it.

Michelle

Re: King Controls Jack TV Antenna

Reply #10 – May 10, 2012, 09:51:34 am

Hi All,

Innovative Coachworks in Junction City, OR. replaced my old batwing with the Jack unit last spring and I was very pleased with my reception. They used existing cabling. My neighbors were so impressed, they had one installed as well. I recently sold my 2001 U320 and purchased a 2000 U295. That was one of the first mods I did. Again, much better reception than the old batwing.

Regards, Lee

Re: King Controls Jack TV Antenna

Reply #11 – May 10, 2012, 10:15:41 am

So what do you have to do to put the head on the existing arm?? So no new wires thru the roof or anything complicated?? DAN

Re: King Controls Jack TV Antenna

Reply #12 – May 10, 2012, 10:31:41 am

found on ebay for $38.99 plus $6.70 Shipping. Oa-8000 digtal TV Antenna . This looks to be a great upgrade. Sometimes I think the existing antenna is vibrating in the wind with a thump noise on the roof. Can hear it but not very often. DAN

Re: King Controls Jack TV Antenna

Reply #13 – May 10, 2012, 11:49:41 am

Steve: after you mount the Jack Antenna ?? is there anything you had to do when you lower the unit on the roof. I assume the arm rest on the same rubber cushions. ??DAN

Re: King Controls Jack TV Antenna

Reply #14 – May 15, 2012, 01:40:25 pm

Got the Jack antenna today. Assume it will go on the existing arm. Comes with an electrical plug. Assume this will be placed inside the coach. Hope to find a plug which will just come on when you turn on the antenna boost switch. This will do away with the wings of the existing antenna. Plan to install tomorrow. tks DAN

Re: King Controls Jack TV Antenna

Reply #15 – May 15, 2012, 01:48:44 pm

Dan,

Jack antenna goes on the existing arms just fine. The electrical plug is for a home installation that has no winegard selector switch that supplies the 12v power to the antenna mounted amplifier. Our coaches have this source of 12v power so the electrical plug is not needed.

The instructions say to not use the electrical plug and another 12v source.

So just install and connect the coax cable and enjoy.

Re: King Controls Jack TV Antenna

Reply #16 – May 15, 2012, 01:52:37 pm

Dan,

What Rudy said (he posted as I was typing).

If you got the retrofit head (as opposed to the complete Jack), it should have a bracket that allows attachment to the Winegard crank-up arm (after you remove the Winegard head, of course).

You should not need the power injector that comes with the Jack - I think all the FT-original batwings have built-in amplification (look for a switch inside your A/V cabinet OR it may be using the power button on the Winegard switching box). You can also check the end of the coax up at the antenna to see if you have 12 VDC already - if you do, you don't need to use the power injector (or want to, because it will cause overheating of the Jack).

Oh, and while the Jack is shaped like an arrow, the antenna portion is the tail of the arrow - it's counter-intuitive but you'll want to rotate the Jack so the arrow shape points away (opposite) the location of the stations you're trying to get. We confirmed this with the signal strength testing.

Michelle

Re: King Controls Jack TV Antenna

Reply #17 – May 15, 2012, 02:03:56 pm

Tks Rudy and Michelle: Glad you told me not to use the electric plug in. When the arm is down which way will the jack antenna be facing (pointed end goes to front of coach)

??DAN

Re: King Controls Jack TV Antenna

Reply #18 – May 15, 2012, 02:14:43 pm

Quote from: Dan J. Stansel – May 15, 2012, 02:03:56 pm

When the arm is down which way will the jack antenna be facing (pointed end goes to front of coach)?

I think you can mount it either way. I just looked (coach is out front so Steve can work on some "projects") and the pointed end on ours is towards the front of the coach.

Michelle

Re: King Controls Jack TV Antenna

Reply #19 – May 15, 2012, 03:31:08 pm

OK thanks, that should have the less wind resistance. Hopefully this will also elimitate the occasional thumping noise. Tks again for all the forum help in obtaining this antenna. Also tks for the info on the shower head it works great. DAN

Re: King Controls Jack TV Antenna

Reply #20 – May 15, 2012, 05:29:08 pm

Hello,
I received my Jack antenna this afternoon and have already installed. 10 minute job.
I'm in Little Rock, AR and on my old antenna was receiving 10 channels, new Jack antenna 18 stations. All stations have strong, steady signals. This was a great improvement.
Bought the Antenna at PPL RV parts store. $44.66 including shipping.
Here's a link: RV Digital Antenna - Replacement Head - PPL Motor Homes
Thanks to all on this great forum!!! Dave Abel

Re: King Controls Jack TV Antenna

Reply #21 – May 15, 2012, 07:22:37 pm

Thanks for the PPL link, Dave. Cheaper than the same item from Amazon, which I was just about to order. Kudos!!

Re: King Controls Jack TV Antenna

Reply #22 – May 17, 2012, 09:03:37 am

Got the Jack Antenna installed and a big improvement. Technology is really moving forward. It is amazing what you can do these days to upgrade the coach. This is a cheap improvement, thanks to this forum for all the information concerning tvs, suround systems etc. I am gradually getting knowledge of how some systems work and what some of the things on the coach are for. DAN

Re: King Controls Jack TV Antenna

Reply #23 – May 17, 2012, 07:25:59 pm

After I kept asking Jim questions about the Jack TV antenna everytime somebody posted, he wrote this up for me (and went out and bought a Jack antenna for me as starting Sunday, we will be on the road, getting TV off of our antenna):

Recently there has been lots of hype about needing a "digital TV antenna" for receiving over-the-air digital TV. This has been especially true in the RV community. I write this note to help explain what is going on.

The most important thing to know is that there is ABSOLUTELY NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE ANTENNA USED TO RECEIVE OLD ANALOG-STYLE OVER-THE-AIR TV STATIONS AND THOSE USED TO RECEIVE THE NEW OVER-THE-AIR DIGITAL TV SIGNALS. The only difference between analog TV and digital TV is the technology used to "package" the video and audio information contained in the electromagnetic waves broadcast from the station's antenna to your antenna. The electromagnetic broadcast waves have NOT changed. You do NOT need a special digital antenna to receive digital TV. You only need a TV (or decoder box) that is compatible with the new packing technology.

So, then, why is there all this hype about needing a "digital" antenna? It is because, unlike analog TV, digital TV reception is basically an "all or nothing" situation. With analog TV, weak stations appear with ghosts and other types of fuzz. While the viewing might not be perfect, it could be watched. With digital TV, weak stations produce a picture with broken up pixels or a blank screen. In my experience the broken up pixels images are not watchable. So, in the new digital world, unless you have a pretty good signal, you get no watchable TV.

For a viewer, the only way to solve this problem is to improve the antenna's receiving capabilities. This can be done by adding an amplifier and/or using an antenna with improved reception characteristics.

While most high-end RV's already have amplifiers in the antennas, the antenna designs are far from optimal. Most antennas are nothing more than a straight piece of aluminum (either tubing or a thin, flat plate). Some are a loop of aluminum tubing.

There are a number of antenna designs that improve on the basic straight or loop design. There are a gazillion TV antenna configurations for improved reception. Just do a Google search on TV antennas and you will see all kinds of odd looking things.

One simple method for making an antenna more efficient is to add an array of tubes or plates parallel to the side of the antenna element. These tubes act as "directors" and function something like a lens. Two antenna types that use directors are the Yagi and the Log Periodic Director Array (LPDA). There are examples of both these types and others at this website:

EV's Recommended & Top Rated DTV Indoor UHF/VHF Set Top Antenna Review Round-Up

The two popular RV "digital" antennas, Winegard Wingman and King Control Jack, are, what I would call, hybrid Yagis. They have "directors" similar to a Yagi, but do not follow a rigorous Yagi design. While there are small differences in the design details, both provide similar performance (some users say they are virtually identical in performance). Both provide significant improvement over the straight tube or plate design.

But, (isn't there always a "but"), this performance improvement comes at a price. The Jack and Wingman designs are much more directional than the straight tube or plate design. This means you have to be more accurate in pointing your antenna toward the broadcasting towers to achieve optimum reception.

So, there you have it in a nutshell.

Just remember, there is no such thing as a "digital TV antenna". A "digital TV antenna" is nothing more than a regular TV antenna with design features that make it more efficient. The reason you need a better antenna with digital over-the-air TV is the "all or nothing" reception behavior of digital TV.

Yes, I realize there are other antenna designs used on RV's. The other design I see most often is the "bow tie" design. It is very efficient and provides similar performance as the Yagi design.

I like the Jack design because of its compactness that should eliminate all the rattling around as you drive down the road.

Re: King Controls Jack TV Antenna

Reply #24 – May 17, 2012, 07:41:45 pm

Gayle,
Thanks for taking the time to explain the ins-and-out of TV reception. I installed the Wingman with a new Winegard a couple years ago and the reception has been great. Like you said, digital poses the problem of directions reception, so if some stations are in one direction and the others are not, I've found it difficult to tune-in.

We don't watch much TV when we camp so it's not critical to us. We usually rent movies if the weather is bad.
Peter

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