I have no experience of the antenna or the company but please note the design style they have chosen results in an omni directional antenna which is generally not what one wants for a mobile antenna as the signal is usually significantly stronger from a particular direction.
Also, their lengthy website description of the antenna... how can I say... extends the truth to its maximum flexibility.
TheHeaths said
06:34 PM Jan 2, 2022
Don't have direct, personal experience with the antenna in our van.
We did, however, sell them when I worked at Whitworth's Marine, and I can say that the feedback from those using them in a marine environment was very good. They had the best feedback of the number of omni-directional antennas we sold.
-- Edited by TheHeaths on Sunday 2nd of January 2022 06:35:22 PM
PeterD said
09:49 PM Jan 2, 2022
My experience of omni-directional antennas is they perform equally poorly in all directions.
oldbloke said
12:17 AM Jan 3, 2022
Mike Harding wrote:
I have no experience of the antenna or the company but please note the design style they have chosen results in an omni directional antenna which is generally not what one wants for a mobile antenna as the signal is usually significantly stronger from a particular direction.
Also, their lengthy website description of the antenna... how can I say... extends the truth to its maximum flexibility.
Mike
Are there a couple you could recomend?
Mike Harding said
06:38 AM Jan 3, 2022
Hi OldBloke
Sorry, no. I've not had anything to do with TV antennas professionally and the only one I've used personally is the Wingard fitted to my van... it seems OK but for $500+ it damn well should be!
FlyAway said
09:15 AM Jan 3, 2022
Thanks for your replies everyone.
Hoping to not have to redirect for signals at each location but probably not the way to go.
Mike Harding said
01:08 PM Jan 3, 2022
FlyAway wrote:
Hoping to not have to redirect for signals at each location
I suspect your hopes will soon be dashed.
In my experience in rural Victoria/NSW digital TV reception is poor to non existent unless one is within around 20km of a transmitter and sometimes not even that. I have one delightful campsite in the bush in NW Vic which is 6.5km from a local 20W booster Tx and I cannot receive a thing there with the directional Winegard antenna and its masthead amplifier, I suspect the forest eats the 600MHz signal.
BarneyBDB said
06:13 PM Jan 3, 2022
The problem I have found is that most repeaters are vertically polarised and the standard Winegard etc antennas are mainly horizontal only. I am still looking for a replacement that does both without costing too many arms and legs.
oldbloke said
06:18 PM Jan 3, 2022
Ive come to the conclusion that trees eat TV signal for breakfast.
Roger Roger said
06:57 PM Jan 3, 2022
The Majestic antenna were designed back in analogue TV days and worked well as transmitters were high powered, Now as digital transmitters are low power and especially in the rural areas even good directional antennas struggle if you are away from town areas. Depending on where you are travelling, if only at caravan parks in major towns, they will be ok without the hassle of finding the direction of the transmitter. If free camping, I believe a waste of money.
PeterD said
10:03 PM Jan 3, 2022
Roger Roger wrote:
The Majestic antenna were designed back in analogue TV days and worked well as transmitters were high powered, Now as digital transmitters are low power and especially in the rural areas even good directional antennas struggle if you are away from town areas.
Where did you glean that gem from? I believe that the transmitters for the digital services gave the same service area coverage as the analogue transmitters. The digital signals do drop off rather quickly as the service area limits are reached and drop right out due to the nature of the digital transmitters. However, with the analogue transmitters there is a degraded service beyond the nominal full specification service area. The effect has nothing to do with reduced power from the digital transmitters.
Brodie Allen said
08:45 AM Jan 10, 2022
Go to the WINSIG site - designed and tuned for our exact situation
and in my experience is at least 20% better than the batwing or the cloverleaf.
Have run comparisons on my own premises last year (I am in a really
difficult area on the GC) and the WINSIG amazed my visitors.
Over to you.
Mike Harding said
09:06 AM Jan 10, 2022
oldbloke wrote:
Ive come to the conclusion that trees eat TV signal for breakfast.
I'm not aware of any formal research which has been done in this area but, anecdotally, when talking with people who regularly work with frequencies above 100MHz they all have tails of poor performance in woodland, the higher the frequency the more signal loss. My guess is it's due to the water in the leaves.
A friend who use to provide commercial comms in the bush specifically sought a frequency around 80MHz (iirc) because his experience was that it penetrated forests far better than higher frequencies.
Warren-Pat_01 said
08:33 AM Jan 11, 2022
Yes oldbloke, trees do eat radio signals for breakfast - especially when they are wet or damp.
Telstra in FNQ had a radio link down to Kurramine Beach & in damp, foggy, misty conditions, it faded severely until the trees in the path were pruned.
If you are camped in areas where there are a lot of trees eg rain forest, forget about TV unless you have a long pole supporting the antenna.
Does or has anyone used one of these on your travels please?
I have no experience of the antenna or the company but please note the design style they have chosen results in an omni directional antenna which is generally not what one wants for a mobile antenna as the signal is usually significantly stronger from a particular direction.
Also, their lengthy website description of the antenna... how can I say... extends the truth to its maximum flexibility.
Don't have direct, personal experience with the antenna in our van.
We did, however, sell them when I worked at Whitworth's Marine, and I can say that the feedback from those using them in a marine environment was very good. They had the best feedback of the number of omni-directional antennas we sold.
-- Edited by TheHeaths on Sunday 2nd of January 2022 06:35:22 PM
Mike
Are there a couple you could recomend?
Hi OldBloke
Sorry, no. I've not had anything to do with TV antennas professionally and the only one I've used personally is the Wingard fitted to my van... it seems OK but for $500+ it damn well should be!
Hoping to not have to redirect for signals at each location but probably not the way to go.
I suspect your hopes will soon be dashed.
In my experience in rural Victoria/NSW digital TV reception is poor to non existent unless one is within around 20km of a transmitter and sometimes not even that. I have one delightful campsite in the bush in NW Vic which is 6.5km from a local 20W booster Tx and I cannot receive a thing there with the directional Winegard antenna and its masthead amplifier, I suspect the forest eats the 600MHz signal.
Where did you glean that gem from? I believe that the transmitters for the digital services gave the same service area coverage as the analogue transmitters. The digital signals do drop off rather quickly as the service area limits are reached and drop right out due to the nature of the digital transmitters. However, with the analogue transmitters there is a degraded service beyond the nominal full specification service area. The effect has nothing to do with reduced power from the digital transmitters.
Go to the WINSIG site - designed and tuned for our exact situation
and in my experience is at least 20% better than the batwing or the cloverleaf.
Have run comparisons on my own premises last year (I am in a really
difficult area on the GC) and the WINSIG amazed my visitors.
Over to you.
I'm not aware of any formal research which has been done in this area but, anecdotally, when talking with people who regularly work with frequencies above 100MHz they all have tails of poor performance in woodland, the higher the frequency the more signal loss. My guess is it's due to the water in the leaves.
A friend who use to provide commercial comms in the bush specifically sought a frequency around 80MHz (iirc) because his experience was that it penetrated forests far better than higher frequencies.
Telstra in FNQ had a radio link down to Kurramine Beach & in damp, foggy, misty conditions, it faded severely until the trees in the path were pruned.
If you are camped in areas where there are a lot of trees eg rain forest, forget about TV unless you have a long pole supporting the antenna.