Updating old Bat Wing

[Jason Worman]

Hi All,

I an wondering if anyone has upgraded their old Bat Wing crank ip antenna? I was looking on Amazon and found a variety of products. I'm not sure what kind ours is. Might not be worth the hassle. The power boost to antenna stillights up. Wingard has conversion kit where it appears just need to switch out tip on existing antenna.

Thank you

Jason Worman

[Joel Ashley]

Jason, I updated ours in 2015 to a flat Rayzar model like this one:
https://www.google.com/shopping/product/4494626886148019036?q=winegard+rayzar&client=safari&hl=en-us&biw=1024&bih=659&tbs=vw:l&prmd=svin&sxsrf=APq-WBvirm6bYklGqsmu7ZccnxZgz2sFMg:1647234023116&prds=eto:8791804963384076576_0,cdl:1,prmr:1,rsk:PC_9079070524891773882,cs:1

We we’re at Sizemore’s RV Outfitters in Bend for new TVs and cabinet modifications, and his TV test was iffy with poor receptions.  Jim got on the roof and messed a bit with the batwing, but it was a Friday evening, so I spent the weekend parked in front of his office leisurely ferreting out the problem (rust deep inside the wing body), shopping antennas, and installing the Rayzar I zeroed in on and got a good price on across the highway at 4 Seasons RV.

I’m not sure how available that flat model is now, but it sure worked better than the old batwing.  It receives the same from either flat side, so you don’t have to rotate it so far.   Jim clued me in to stay away from the Starship looking ones, similarly looking to the Z1;  he’d changed too many of them out.  I found some rusty connections up there, had to do some wire improvements, and had to do a minor shaft adaptation, but it uses the same lift mechanism.  So except for my “perfectionism” cleaning, electro-greasing, and Lexeling everything, it wasn’t a difficult task.  Except I lost count how many times I ran up and down the ladder after tools, shrink seal tape, and connection devices, and one trip to the hardware store, so plan ahead well.

Joel

[Jason Worman]

Joel,

Thanks for the info, just for fun, I cranked up the batwing tonight, plugged in my TV and did a channel search, I was able to pick up 4 digital channels with it, all PBS stations, all were Pixelated and distorted. Not bad for a 31 year old antenna. We are fairly isolated off Highway 101. I was thinking of adding the Winegard Wingman. Nice to know all the interior wiring works. The antenna boost works as well. I'm wondering what the large female connection is on the Winegard plate with boost switch.

Jason

[Paul Meehan]

Jason, the round female plug is an 12V cigarette lighter power plug supply.  I remember having all kinds of accessories that would simply plug into that plug for power.  For the life of me I cannot think of one now other than a 12V light.
I replaced our booster wall plate with a SensarPro which per Winegard:

Raise the antenna, slowly rotate to find the highest signal strength, and watch TV! The SensarPro TV signal strength meter makes it easy to find your favorite shows by allowing you to peak in signals prior to running a channel scan on your TV. Save time and watch your favorite shows in the absolute best signal quality possible. The SensarPro contains an adjustable amplifier to easily increase or decrease the gain with a press of a button. Increase for hard to get channels or decrease for overloaded signals close to your location for perfect reception! The SensarPro's adjustable volume audio signal feedback, 100 point scale aiming system and U.S. specific signal focus makes your antenna easier to aim than ever before!

Work really well for us.

[Scott Shearer]

King Jack makes a replacement head unit for the crank up Winegard Batwing. Easy to install,  works well for us. 

Part # OA8300,  ~$50

[William Jordan]

Add the wingman , it boosts uhf reception which is where 90% of the stations moved to years ago. Point the antenna correctly , the batwing is a directional antenna. It must  be pointed at the transmitter. It’s reception pattern is egg shaped.. the replacement new power injector Paul mentioned is great because you can stand inside and rotate the antenna and see where it’s best. With tv antennas I’ve learned size and height  matters. The large batwing , with wingman in tests comes out on top , but its highly directional so if the area’s transmitters aren’t together you have to rotate it. Many prefer a smaller or Omni directional ( equally bad in all directions) that don’t require adjustments. If the batwing is pointed incorrectly it may be worse than a cheap Omni.  I have done all that and while ok, I rarely use it . I invested in cellular plans  and now stream all tv.

[Eric Maclean]

Jason
As mentioned earlier the sensor pro antenna booster is worth the price of admission.
On my coach I installed the wing man on the old bat wing and replaced the old antenna booster with the Sensor pro 
They work very well together .
I am currently in Cocoa FL where I am pulling in 72 channels with it.
As mentioned before the higher the antenna the better that's why you see people with antenna s mounted on poles attached to their ladders ( too much work) .
The down side with the bat wing is it is truly directional meaning you may have TV towers in opposite directions requiring you to point the antenna to pickup those channels ( it's really not that big a deal)
The other down side is it has to be cranked up and down and very easy to forget,  leaving it up while you travel can be disasterous
To avoid this I have a large hair clip which I attach to the steering wheel to remind me the antenna is up when I put the antenna down I simple attach the hair clip to the antenna crank handle .


https://www.campingworld.com/winegard-wingman-uhf-booster-44021.html

https://www.campingworld.com/winegard-sensarpro-tv-signal-meter---white-55642.html

https://youtu.be/Ctj8AjLDdBg

Hope this helps
Eric



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[Jason Worman]

Hi guys,

Thank you for advice, sounds like the Wingman is way to go, I need to see if my antenna still rotates, in fact how does the antenna rotate?

Jason

[Bryan Beamon]

Jason, if your antenna looks like the attached simply turn the outer ring to rotate.

[Bryan Beamon]

Jason forgot to mention to pull down on the outter ring and then rotate.

[Joel Ashley]

Hi guys,

... I need to see if my antenna still rotates, in fact how does the antenna rotate?

Jason

Ouch, Jason.  You didn't know about the rotate feature?  That's a good and basic reason why you have bad reception.  I should add here that ours got pretty wonky after a few years.  The lift and the rotate mechanisms needed some renovation, which I did about the same time as I put on the new antenna.  So be aware that if it doesn't turn easily after pulling down the white ring (aka "directional handle") to disengage it, then it may need disassembling and checkup and/or grease.  You may find the manual, parts diagram, and installation instructions online of help:
http://techsupport.pdxrvwholesale.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Winegard-RV-Antenna-Installation-Manual.pdf

The reason I did not go with the Wingman is the electronics in the factory batwing were old and corroded.  Why add a digital improvement to a failing base unit?  The flat Razar I went to is better sealed, but mostly it takes up less space on the roof making it less susceptible to damage (without "wings" flopping about), is easier to clean around up there, and extends up and down and rotates with less effort than the old batwing.  It simply uses the same crank/rotate mechanism of the old batwing;  the only modification might be how long a shaft you want to use.  Unlike the batwing, rotating the Razar only 180 degrees covers all available broadcasts, because its flat surfaces pick up identically.  If you have a coach like mine, there is a warning lamp/buzzer in the dash display that warns if the antenna is up;  but your model year may not have had that. 

Joel

[Jason Worman]

Hi everyone,

Thank you all for the input and advice. I got on the roof today and the original antenna is in real rough shape, not worth trying to adding a Wingman too. Tried the TV next door with outdoor antenna of neighbor, pulled in 22 channels, was blown away with the clear picture. Priced Winegard Sensur IV on Amazon, about  $160.00. Read reviews about omnidirectional antennas very mixed reviews. Does anybody have an indoor VHF/UHF Antenna? If so how are the results and can you use the existing coach wiring and antenna booster?

Thank you,
Jason

[Joel Ashley]

To suggest again… consider a Razar Air.  Shop around… I was lucky to find a deal nearby while I was in Bend for around 50 bucks.  It was an adaptive version, without the lift roof/ceiling mechanism I already had.  You shouldn’t need to pay as much as this example that likely includes that whole mechanism you don’t need:  https://www.walmart.com/ip/Rayzar-Air-TV-Antenna-Black-Roof-Mount-Crankup-RVRZ39B/117141109?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&&adid=22222222227000000000&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=42423897272&wl4=pla-51320962143&wl5=9032835&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=online&wl12=117141109&veh=sem&gclid=CjwKCAjw8sCRBhA6EiwA6_IF4XX26FjShJqfMVes6QQ8azpiAILdOAVXRZLS2yALBRpMEQT-0QG1CRoC6v4QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Stay away from the “Jack” types as I was warned many don’t last.  Some sites imply the Air has been discontinued, but I see it still offered by some vendors.  But my point is the Air relatively easily adapts to your existing batwing mechanism and adds digital technology integral.  Newer Sensars (bat wings) are digital too and don’t need a wingman.  But they’re almost as expensive as the Air, the Air can use your existing lift and rotate component and boost as it was originally designed to do, and batwing’s, to me, are much clunkier and relatively-speaking eat up roof space.  Just my opinion as one who had similar issues to yours.

If you type in “Winegard Razar Air Antenna” to YouTube, there are videos.  I’ve also had TVs and converters that have built-in signal strength indicators, so there was no need for an additional indicator device.

Joel

[Eric Maclean]

Jason
If your elevator mechanism is in decent shape you can replace just the head assembly with the updated wing man attached.

https://www.campingworld.com/winegard-sensar-iv-integrated-amp.-replacement-head-only-50012.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=ppc&utm_campaign=%7bCampaign%7d&gclid=CjwKCAjwlcaRBhBYEiwAK341jYSTSPS1jkQGQ6SgT-JMP1QKaZruV2JV3awkhY2o7r7ZTixewVSfHhoCOmAQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

It is likely that your old elevator mechanism needs some maintenance to make it crank up and down easily.

https://youtu.be/KATPS5bU0nY

A search on Amazon will yeild almost every part of your old bat wing that is something you won't find for any of the replacement antennas.

Hope this helps
Eric