An RV is a home away from home. It’s a great way to be away from your home and still enjoy all the comforts of your home depending on how well equipped the vehicle is. One piece of comfort equipment that is found in many if not all American homes is a television. Hence, having a television in your camper is ensuring that you don’t miss this bit of comfort.
While having a TV in your RV is one thing, being able to get good signals is another thing. While TV signals are much stronger than that of cellular networks, there are some areas where the transmission might be bad: Speaking of cell signals, click here to find out some interesting things that can interfere with your cellular network. The fact that you are on the move is also a major factor that determines the clarity of the transmission.
Therefore, an HDTV antenna is a necessity that you must install on your camper. But the question is: “What type of antenna should you buy for your RV?” In case you didn’t know, there are two main types of antennas which are directional and omnidirectional or multidirectional.
Our mission in this article is to answer that nagging question above as well as provide other relevant information that will be beneficial to you.
To get started, let’s take a look at what a directional HDTV aerial is…
Directional Antenna
This type of aerial is designed in the traditional aerial shape and can retrieve signals from the direction in which it is pointed. Hence, to capture a signal, the aerial must be facing the direction where the transmission is coming from.
An advantage of using this device is that its range coverage is longer than that of the multidirectional aerial. Therefore, you can pick a signal that is far away provided it is within the coverage range of the device. Furthermore, this advantage allows this equipment to pick up either moderate or weak signals better as far as it is pointed in the right direction.
The main disadvantage of using this aerial is that it can be somewhat challenging to mount and install it. Furthermore, it has to be redirected constantly to the direction where the transmission is coming from. Therefore, when your RV is moving, watching TV is very difficult as you will have to redirect the antenna whenever the position of the vehicle changes in such a way that the aerial no longer faces its original direction. Visit https://www.pinterest.com/ to check out some RV TV setup ideas.
We must mention that the myth that this kind of antenna picks signals from a single direction only is wrong. Provided that multiple transmissions are coming from the direction the antenna is facing, it will pick them all.
Also, even if the transmission is not coming from the direction the aerial is facing but it is a strong signal, the antenna will still pick it up. The only struggle is when the signal is moderate or weak and it isn’t coming from the direction the aerial is facing.
Omnidirectional Antenna
The shape design of this aerial type is usually doughnut or pancake-shaped. Sometimes, this shape is complemented with vertical features to enable the antenna to pick signals both horizontally and vertically. You can install and mount this type of antenna easily. It can be hung with the upside facing down from your RV’s ceiling.
The gain pattern is 360 degrees which means they can transform the input power coming from every direction into radio waves. The problem they have is that they aren’t as effective when it comes to capturing weak signals.
Which should you buy for your RV?
So far, we’ve only explained both types of HDTV antennas and discussed their main strengths and weaknesses. However, we are yet to answer the main question. Don’t worry; we’ll answer it in this section.
When it comes to buying an HDTV aerial for your recreational vehicle, the omnidirectional aerial is the best recommendation from a broad sense. However, there are certain peculiar situations where the directional aerial is the best.
If you’ll be on the move while watching the television, an omnidirectional is the best. It is also the best if you are moving through a region that has a strong transmission. You can also opt for this type if you don’t want to spend so much on installation and maintenance.
With an HDTV antenna omni-directional, you don’t have to bother redirecting the antenna from time to time whenever you change location. If the terrain is flat, you shouldn’t have anything that will interfere with the transmission.
On the other hand, if you are moving through areas with mountains or hills, or the location is remote, a directional antenna will be the best. This is because the omnidirectional aerial will struggle to find signals due to the interferences.
Conclusion
In the article above, we have answered the question: “What type of HDTV antenna should I buy for my RV?” While the omnidirectional is the best for most scenarios, the directional is better when you are in an area that is full of mountains and hills.
