King jack antenna

[rstoro]

Would like to know some opinions on replacing my batwing antenna with the new jack king antennas. And if you have the one with the signal finder do you need to run power to it on the roof??

[Bill_Satellite]

Let's wait another year or so and have Jeff do that comparison again as more broadcaster move back to VHF. I should be even more of a blow out.

[SoundGuy]

Dutch_12078 wrote:
Before running out and buying a Jack to replace your batwing, take a look at the results of a professional level comparison test of the two.

Batwing vs.BatMan vs. Jack: The Results..

Tom_M wrote:
SCVJeff did a great job testing the antennas. He usually responds to threads like this one, but I haven't seen any comments from him in quite a while. Where is SCVJeff?

Probably tired of constantly having to rehash this subject over and over again with those who still insist the King Jack OTA antenna is a better performing antenna than the Winegard Sensar IV despite the facts provided by Jeff's tests that prove otherwise. Hey, that's the internet for you! :R

[Tom_M1]

Dutch_12078 wrote:
Before running out and buying a Jack to replace your batwing, take a look at the results of a professional level comparison test of the two.

Batwing vs.BatMan vs. Jack: The Results..

SCVJeff did a great job testing the antennas. He usually responds to threads like this one, but I haven't seen any comments from him in quite a while. Where is SCVJeff?

[Bill_Satellite]

As some broadcasters make the move back to VHF frequencies the differences will become even greater as the Jack is optimized for the UHF frequencies. The manufacturers were under the impression that ALL OTA TV was going to be UHF but turned out not to be the case.

[Dutch_12078]

Before running out and buying a Jack to replace your batwing, take a look at the results of a professional level comparison test of the two.

Batwing vs.BatMan vs. Jack: The Results..

[Lantley]

The Jack provides great reception. My rig came with a Jack installed from the factory.
The downside is the Jack is more vulnerable to limb damaged vs. a typical crank up. My Jack has been knocked off by limbs twice.
Another downfall of the Jack is that it can rotate too far a snap the flimsy internal coax. When this coax breaks you have to remove the entire unit and reinstall.
I like the reception the jack provides, however in hindsight I believe there are better more durable options.

[gmctoyman]

My luck has been the same as Bob.

[Bob_Vaughn]

I replaced a bat wing with the Jack antenna and a low limb in a campground ripped it off the roof......I replaced it and driving down the road another limb (Twig) got it also. It was on the road side so I was surprised to loose it two times. The plastic was very flimsy so I dug out my old batwing and replaced the batwing part of the antenna with a winegard razor and so far it works .......In retrospect they are not worth the money......

[ernie1]

After folding back the wings on my batwing antennas twice because of strong winds, I finally put on the jack antenna and have not had any issues since. And yes, the batwing was cranked down when the wings folded.

[ScottG]

I replaced the BW on our last TT with a Jack and it was a big improvement.
Would do it again and in fact, I'm trying to figure out how to remove the lousy omni directional ant. on our new TT.

[jplante4]

Also, consider the price of replacing it. I work at an RV parts store and we sold 5 Jack antennas this season to people who ripped them off the roof. All were due to low hanging branches, usually on a back road trying to get turned around. Some manufacturers are installing the Jack on the passenger side which makes them more vulnerable. In these cases, the Batwing would be cranked down.

There is a King Jack replacement head that mounts on the mast for the Batwing. If you're intent on a Jack, this might be a better choice. Signal strength meter available separately, or you can but a Sensar Pro.

[Dutch_12078]

Another factor in favor of the batwing is the current TV channel reducing "repack" underway over the next few years. The FCC mandated repack has many stations moving from their current UHF channels to the lower frequency VHF sector where the batwing shines and the Jack doesn't. Those long "wings" on the batwing are the VHF reception elements that the Jack is lacking.

[Bill_Satellite]

rstoro wrote:
Would like to know some opinions on replacing my batwing antenna with the new jack king antennas. And if you have the one with the signal finder do you need to run power to it on the roof??

This would be a step down from your current antenna. If you are referring to installing/adding the Sensar Pro to your current Batwing, no additional wiring is necessary. You install it in the same box with the same wires used by your current antenna power button. It is a direct replacement in most cases.

[wildtoad]

Years ago I replaced an aging Batwing with a King Jack. It’s a fine antenna but have found the newer Batwing with the Wingman component is better. Add in the new Sensar Pro booster and you’ll find it’s even better. Both need 12v going to the antenna head through the coax for the boosters to work.