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Old 06-12-2019, 11:59 PM   #1
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Vegas 24.1, COMPLETELY baffled by the Winegard system

Spent our first night in the new rig last night. Everything went pretty smoothly, but we have ZERO idea as to the purpose/function of the Winegard system. When we picked up our MH two weeks ago, the person doing the orientation gave us the impression that this Winegard system was pretty much all set, not needing to be raised or lowered. We didn't even realize there was a button to boost/turn on this system until we read other threads that discussed it.

We see the brown plate with a female coax connector (nothing attached to it) in the upper cabinet above the sink. It has the small button to push in for on, left out for off. We also see the rotational dial in the ceiling, which is VERY difficult to turn; we have no idea what we are turning it for, anyway.

What we don't see is any instructions. There is no owner's manual that came to us with all the mountain of other manuals, there are no instructions printed on the cabinet. Even going to the Winegard site is an exercise in futility, as their manuals discuss WiFi and 4G networks, not TV antennas!

Can someone point us in the right direction so we can get the most out of our TV's? (I do understand how to scan for channels, but I'm not sure that we're getting all of them that we could/should be getting.)

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Old 06-13-2019, 12:09 AM   #2
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Here's a website for Winegard RV TV Antenna. Does the antenna on the roof of your RV look like this? If so, that website has operating instructions.

http://www.winegard.com/help/images/2/2c/2452370.pdf
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Old 06-13-2019, 12:13 AM   #3
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The button turns on the antenna amplifier. Only turn it on when you are using the antenna. If you are using cable be sure the antenna amp is off.
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Old 06-13-2019, 12:18 AM   #4
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Also, go to the Thor Motorcoach website and go to the Owners section at the attached link.

https://www.thormotorcoach.com/owners/

Sign up for an account. It will ask for your Thor model, year, and VIN. When you sign into your account you should be able to download productions drawings and also access operation manuals for all the second party appliances and equipment installed on your coach. There should be a Winegard operation manual among the items listed for your RV.
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Old 06-13-2019, 12:20 AM   #5
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Thanks, Ed. I will definitely try these resources. Not sure if mine looks exactly like this one; I'll climb up there tomorrow.
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Old 06-13-2019, 12:21 AM   #6
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After the antenna is cranked up (by the crank), the ring is pulled which allows you to rotate the antenna's direction.
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Old 06-13-2019, 12:51 AM   #7
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We have the KING antenna on our 2016 VEGAS 25.2. The 'knob" actually rotates the direction of the antenna.

I actually put an app on my phone to show where the TV transmitters are to help aim the antenna in the right direction before I scan the channels on the TV
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Old 06-13-2019, 01:51 PM   #8
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Originally Posted by Mo_Mike View Post
We have the KING antenna on our 2016 VEGAS 25.2. The 'knob" actually rotates the direction of the antenna.



I actually put an app on my phone to show where the TV transmitters are to help aim the antenna in the right direction before I scan the channels on the TV


I was not aware of an app that could do this. Do you know the name of the app? Thanks
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Old 06-13-2019, 01:58 PM   #9
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I was not aware of an app that could do this. Do you know the name of the app? Thanks
There are a bunch of them. If you have an Android phone here is one:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...tenas&hl=en_US

Just search the app store for "TV Antenna Helper" or something similar.
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Old 06-13-2019, 02:36 PM   #10
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You have to push up,hard, while rotating the knob in the ceiling. Just for reference I put a dot with a sharpe on th end of the prong of the knob that faces back at travel position, so you can see the dots position in case you need to move for different channels.
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Old 06-13-2019, 03:36 PM   #11
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This is what I have in my Vegas. There is no crank up or down; simply a dial that rotates if you push up and it only rotates about 1/2 to 3/4 of a turn in total, full stop to full stop. It's quite poor to have such a small amount (almost non-existent) of documentation/instructions available.

Thanks to all who have chimed in offering help! It is truly appreciated.
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Old 06-13-2019, 03:41 PM   #12
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Originally Posted by TimmyB View Post




This is what I have in my Vegas. There is no crank up or down; simply a dial that rotates if you push up and it only rotates about 1/2 to 3/4 of a turn in total, full stop to full stop. It's quite poor to have such a small amount (almost non-existent) of documentation/instructions available.

Thanks to all who have chimed in offering help! It is truly appreciated.
OK, you have the Rayzar Z1 which does not go up and down, it only rotates. Here's all you need to know including manuals:

https://www.winegard.com/rayzarz1
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Old 06-13-2019, 03:50 PM   #13
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OK, you have the Rayzar Z1 which does not go up and down, it only rotates. Here's all you need to know including manuals:

https://www.winegard.com/rayzarz1
OK, thank you. I'll experiment some more and see what I can figure out.
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Old 06-13-2019, 03:52 PM   #14
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OK, you have the Rayzar Z1 which does not go up and down, it only rotates. Here's all you need to know including manuals:

https://www.winegard.com/rayzarz1
Yep, we have the same one. Button on when using antenna, button off when you have park cable hooked up. The knob turns the antenna on your roof. You can rotate it to try to get a better signal. It's directional only. It does not go up and down.
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Old 06-13-2019, 03:58 PM   #15
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OK, thank you. I'll experiment some more and see what I can figure out.
Not sure why you need to experiment. This is your entire Operation Guide:

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Old 06-13-2019, 04:03 PM   #16
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Not sure why you need to experiment. This is your entire Operation Guide:
Because the guide is poor, when it comes to "what direction" am I pointed. There are no arrows to show "your antenna is pointed to the East" (or, to the front or rear or whatever); just try to scan some channels and if that doesn't work, turn the knob and try again. That is not much help from an "operation manual" and I'm being very reserved and polite in my description of it when I call it "poor".
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Old 06-13-2019, 04:08 PM   #17
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Originally Posted by TimmyB View Post
Because the guide is poor, when it comes to "what direction" am I pointed. There are no arrows to show "your antenna is pointed to the East" (or, to the front or rear or whatever); just try to scan some channels and if that doesn't work, turn the knob and try again. That is not much help from an "operation manual" and I'm being very reserved and polite in my description of it when I call it "poor".


I agree. What we did was I got on the roof and as my wife turned the knob I would tell her what direction it was pointing. She then make the spots. Pain in the but
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Old 06-13-2019, 04:16 PM   #18
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Originally Posted by TimmyB View Post
Because the guide is poor, when it comes to "what direction" am I pointed. There are no arrows to show "your antenna is pointed to the East" (or, to the front or rear or whatever); just try to scan some channels and if that doesn't work, turn the knob and try again. That is not much help from an "operation manual" and I'm being very reserved and polite in my description of it when I call it "poor".
Sorry, the guide can't tell you where the best direction to point your antenna will be for any given location, but it does tell you to go to antennaweb.org where you can determine that yourself.

When the antenna is in the Parked position it is facing to the back of your RV. It this case it will pick up station to the front and rear of your RV. By turning it 90 degrees it will pick up stations to the left and right of your RV. You will still need to figure out which direction your RV is pointing, and yes, there are also Apps for that for your phone.

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Old 06-13-2019, 04:57 PM   #19
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Originally Posted by 16ACE27 View Post
Sorry, the guide can't tell you where the best direction to point your antenna will be for any given location, but it does tell you to go to antennaweb.org where you can determine that yourself.

When the antenna is in the Parked position it is facing to the back of your RV. It this case it will pick up station to the front and rear of your RV. By turning it 90 degrees it will pick up stations to the left and right of your RV. You will still need to figure out which direction your RV is pointing, and yes, there are also Apps for that for your phone.
See? This is EXACTLY my point. If what you say is true, why doesn't the manual say this??? Why does a user have to get this info from someone else? This should be as plain as day in the user's guide, but it's not! Thank you for shedding some simplicity into this for me!
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Old 06-13-2019, 05:05 PM   #20
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I was not aware of an app that could do this. Do you know the name of the app? Thanks
It is "TV TOWERS". It shows the different towers and channels in relation to your location.
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