Built in ant.

[leva56]

I have a 2002 Pleasureway Excel-TS. I am having trouble with the TV reception, I have to be very close to being able to get any reception. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what I can do? I have changed to amplifier.

[hbn7hj]

I installed the Winegard Automatic. The third one seems to be hanging in there. It does improve reception with the motor driven directional antenna in the small dome.

[leva56]

Just trying to find someone that has the built-in on a Pleasureway, to see if they have had problems with there's.

[wny-pat]

The built in what? Do you have a antenna on roof?

[leva56]

Ant. between roof and ceiling. It's apparently a digital one.

[hbn7hj]

I have a Roadtrek with the internal antenna. It is somewhat directional and there are better antennas. Don’t know about the Pleasure Way but wouldn’t expect much better.

If it is causing you problems forget about it and move on to something else. The internal antennas have a reputation for working but not well.

[mkguitar]

I have an external antenna on my 2006 PW Lexor. From my driveway in PHX I can pick up the Tucson stations on Mt Lemmon 108 miles away.


The digital TV signals are VERY directional


Your van was built for analog broadcast.


I suggest you find an antenna which you can set up next to the van on a stand if you don't want to drill holes in your roof


Mike

[leva56]

Thanks, MK Never gave it a thought of being an analog ant. IT looks like maybe a digital one on the roof.

[wny-pat]

There is no such thing as a digital antenna!!! From Channel Master - "If you've recently decided to explore TV antennas and have spent any amount of time shopping around, don't feel bad if you are thoroughly confused because you are not alone. One of the most common questions we get in our call center is "How can I tell if my TV antenna is HD?"

Here's the most important thing you need to know: there is no such thing as an "HD" or "Digital" TV antenna. The signals from your local broadcast towers are digital, as are the tuners in newer TV sets, but not the antennas themselves.

You don't need a special kind of TV antenna in order to receive digital broadcast signals. You can use a TV antenna from the 1970s and it's going to pick up the same digital broadcast signals as any spaceship-looking, HD-claiming antenna you can buy today, so don't be fooled by the misleading and deceptive marketing claims. "

Antennas are VHF which have long elements which are "cut" for VHF frequencies and UHF which have short elements which are cut for UHF frequencies. Frequencies determine the length of the antennas elements. Channel 2 (54 to 60 MHz) requires very long elements while Channel 12 (204 to 210 MHf) requires very short elements. If you remember old roof top VHF antennas from the 1950-60 out in rural areas, they would cover an area as long and as wide as the average Class B rv roof top area. A Channel 12 roof top antenna was was every bit as long, but no where near as wide. UHF antennas were tiny in comparison. Today's antennas are much smaller and require electronic amplifiers to enhance the signal so the receiver can receive it. Today there are much higher buildings out there to block the signals!

[Ron J. Moore]

I had an '05 RT190 with the built-in antenna....it was terrible. I met a Canadian RT'er who had a Dodge RT, built-in antenna, and he had a Omni Directional Antenna that he mounted on his roof supported by some form of metal leg support. He turned it on.....he was getting good reception, while I got nothing but fuzzy lines and he was getting something four channels. Don't know if this will help, but the built-in was absolutely worthless for me.

[wny-pat]

Originally Posted by Ron J. Moore

I had an '05 RT190 with the built-in antenna....it was terrible. I met a Canadian RT'er who had a Dodge RT, built-in antenna, and he had a Omni Directional Antenna that he mounted on his roof supported by some form of metal leg support. He turned it on.....he was getting good reception, while I got nothing but fuzzy lines and he was getting something four channels. Don't know if this will help, but the built-in was absolutely worthless for me.

Is your Antenna booster turned on? It may have died!! Mine on a 2008 RT 210V died. I am replacing my windgard batwing/and amp with a King Jack with new King booster. Had one on my old Foretravel diesel pusher and it worked great!

[mkguitar]

Originally Posted by wny-pat

There is no such thing as a digital antenna!!!

Digital transmissions are very directional

a "fixed antenna" may work great, as long at you can spin your van to point the antenna at the tower

Older TV's may not be equipped to receive digital signals and a box may be required ( as was on my 2006 pleasure way)

I bought a newer, digital ready, larger & more power efficient TV

I use the app tvtowers to make sure my RV antenna is pointed correctly


Mike

[Ron J. Moore]

Everything was correct...it was brand new, the Canadian I spoke of checked it, and a RT200 Owner. Just glad we weren’t into television at that time.

[reilym]

Originally Posted by leva56

I have a 2002 Pleasureway Excel-TS. I am having trouble with the TV reception, I have to be very close to being able to get any reception. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what I can do? I have changed to amplifier.

We have a 2016 PW Lexor with a motorized Winegard Rayzar dome on top. When we get situated, we push a button on a control panel and the system rotates the antenna and positions it in a direction that has the strongest signal. It works quite well and even when it's parked in the barn, we get almost the same stations as our homes roof mounted log periodic. As with any compact antenna, long wave length (VHF) signals suffer the most. The 2002 Excel owners manual talks about cranking up and rotating the TV antenna to get the best reception, and of course reprogramming the TV once your antenna direction is optimized.

As someone pointed out, antennas are antennas. They are designed to pick up certain frequencies. These frequencies are the same ones as in analog TV days when your RV was made. True, the frequencies carry digital signals now, but the physics of antenna design and reception are the same. I suggest you get a $10 pair of rabbit ears and compare your RV antenna reception with that. If rabbit ears do better, you have a problem with your built-in.