Solé or Sole Omnidirectional RV Antenna

[markopolo]

Copied from the RV Antennas topic in the Tweaks, Mods & Projects section.
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Anyone have a Solé or Sole antenna? RT has been using them on all new models for a while now.

Solé or Sole Amplified Omnidirectional Antenna
http://www.soletv.com/SAHD400.html
http://www.soletv.com/images/Antenna.psd.pdf



If you have one:

Does it work?
What is your reception range?
VHF? UHF?
Any info at all will be much appreciated.

You can use these GPS POI files to see which broadcast towers are near you: http://www.classbforum.com/phpBB2/vi...php?f=9&t=2424 so you know what stations or channels are in your area.

I'm really curious to know if they can receive broadcasts in the 40 to 50 mile range.

[markopolo]

These sites will let you know what stations are in range of you that you should expect to receive and tell you the distance they are away from you.

http://www.tvfool.com
http://www.antennapoint.com
http://www.rabbitears.info
http://m.rabbitears.info/ (mobile site)

I'm hoping a few Sole Amplified Omnidirectional Antenna owners will be willing to report back what reception range they are getting.

[hoffman]

We just got a Roadtrek with the Sole rv antenna. We're in the 30043 zip and it pulls in stations from Atlanta approximately 28-35 miles away. They are not all totally strong all the time but they do come in with the signal booster on. I've been toying with it just a few times. NBC is vhf and I think all of the others are uhf. We do ota in the house with an external directional antenna getting ALL the available channels in the Atlanta area.
We did get Tampa stations from Seffner with no problem and a few stations at the Suwannee park in north Fla. No clue where the stations were located.
My feeling is going with a more directional amplified antenna would work better but I understand Roadtrek going with this model as a no-hassle way to provide decent reception.
I'm gonna start researching a winegard solution- not sure what or how it will hook into what exists. But I'm willing to fiddle to find something that would work better.

[rowiebowie]

I have the Sole' model omni-directional antenna shown in the first post. It is the original one on my rv and works pretty well. No complaints on that front.

However, age has yellowed the white plastic and I just don't like the way it looks.

So, can I lightly spray paint it white or silver without diminishing it's performance?

[SteveJ]

Krylon and I'm sure others make spray paint designed for use on most plastics.

On TDY near Buena Vista Co.

[mumkin]

Some Roadtrek people have had trouble with water getting into them. Mine (on the 170) fell off but it didn't matter since I had already removed the TV. The tech at my dealer insisted that I must have hit something... until I pointed out that there was not a mark on it.

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by SteveJ

Krylon and I'm sure others make spray paint designed for use on most plastics. On TDY near Buena Vista Co.

Yes, I plan to prep it and use Krylon for plastic.

However, I was wondering if the coating would deflect tv signals and I don't want to degrade my tv reception.

Originally Posted by mumkin

Some Roadtrek people have had trouble with water getting into them. Mine (on the 170) fell off but it didn't matter since I had already removed the TV. The tech at my dealer insisted that I must have hit something... until I pointed out that there was not a mark on it.

Mine has had no water inside it and works well, so I don't want to spend money on a replacement. I just want to remove the "yellowed" look from the top of my rv.

[avanti]

Originally Posted by rowiebowie

I was wondering if the coating would deflect tv signals.

Nah. It'll be fine.

The TV bands are called "Ultra High Frequency", and they seemed so in the 1940s. But those TV waves are ridiculously long compared to your cell phone, and long waves penetrate well.

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by avanti

Nah. It'll be fine.

The TV bands are called "Ultra High Frequency", and they seemed so in the 1940s. But those TV waves are ridiculously long compared to your cell phone, and long waves penetrate well.

Thanks. I'll keep the paint coat thin (especially on top and bottom which cannot be seen from below). I've cleaned the dirt off, next will sand lightly, and apply a light coat or two in a silver color Krylon to match the RV.

Not only will it look nicer with the yellow gone, but it should also be less noticeable.

[XLent]

Ours sometimes works like a champ and sometimes not. I’m thinking that the range might be overstated unless one has “perfect” conditions.

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by XLent

Ours sometimes works like a champ and sometimes not. I’m thinking that the range might be overstated unless one has “perfect” conditions.

I think that from what I've read, antennas that claim to "omni-directional" are only mostly so. And yes, range is affected by many factors. Overall, I'm happy with the Sole' since we watch very little tv in our rv anyway.