CaravanTV Antennas

Hi jim k
There is no best all rounder aerial, there is a roof top aerial whitch is good for horizontal frequencies but you must have it modified to also take vertical signal, i am in tas and they have alot of vertical signal talk to you caravan dealer, this is a wind-up that sites on the roof
Terry

Hi Jim, have a look at threads 56196 & 296176 which might be of some help to you.
We used to have a pop top with a wind up Wynegaurd (spelling?) which was beaut but current van which is also a Pop Top does not have one of these so we purchased a Digimatic from Dick Smith which we are very happy with. It comes with an amplifier & which needs 240V power & as we mostly stay on powered sights this is not a worry to us.

As to the bracket that fits to the Pop Top clips, we purchased a set from Jayco a couple of years ago at about $30 if my memory is still intact! They are of simple design & very easy to set up. But they looked a bit "plasticy" to this old timer & being a bit of a handyman I copied them & made some decent ones from some aluminium. Best of luck & cheers.

PS. If I had my way, I would leave the Telly at home as I love to sit outside under the annex or a tree & just take in the atmosphere of our location. SWMBI loves her Telly, so reception is high on her list!!

Hi Jim
I have a pop top van with a “Happy Wanderer” antenna – bought from a Dick Smith store in Melbourne 3 years ago. About $90 which included antenna, mounting bracket and approx. 5 metres of cable with plug fitted. Bracket is fitted to the van roof and no problems – very easy to fit antenna and take down –takes about 2 minutes to screw the antenna on, align (simply check other van antennas nearby) and plug cable in.

Unit can be used horizontally or vertically – simply unscrew wing nut and adjust. Excellent digital reception all over OZ – Victoria, SA, WA (Perth, Geraldton, Broome), NT (Alice Springs, Darwin), QLD ()Port Douglas, Cairns, Brisbane)

Hope this helps
Regards
Rob

I have used the Happy Wnaderer basic antenna (PVC pole type, about $100)with failry good results when fitted with amplifier but did find it struggling in some fringe areas. Noticed that vans using the Happy Wanderer Active 1 antenna were out-performing me all the way, and never heard a negative about their performance. Also noticed some good reviews about this antenna on a number of RV forums. Went and got one, about $250, but well worth it. Very compact, easily adjusted to vertical or horizontal, comes with a good amplifier, cables etc. Seems to be comparable performance wise with the Explorer antennas but more compact.