Pic of Low Profile Boomerang Antenna - Sprinter-Forum

tfrazie · 09-30-2009, 02:26 AM

Most of you all remember my trip to Quebec last summer after Westyfest I. I drove thru a bank ATM "garage" with the overhead clearance marked incorrectly. It read one foot higher than it actually was. It actually was in feet, not in meters for some reason. Looks like they came back after the fact and installed a lower piece of steel to prevent impact with the actual roof but failed to change the sign. Long story short, the bank paid me for a replacement antenna as well as installation costs after I sheered it off. I just got around to installing it after a year struggling with my neck and surgery.

Anyway, someone in our yahoo group posted a pic of a flush mounted boomerang antenna which looked pretty cool to say nothing of it's inferior performance (according to some). But I wanted to use the attachment plate Airstream so crudely installed up there for the original much higher boomerang antenna. This low profile model I bought on ebay http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...4714&viewitem= was $57 plus ~$12 shipping. It only stands about 2.5 inches from it's base but is otherwise identical. I primed and painted it to match. Looks much nicer than the original very tall boomerang that had faded from white to yellow. Here's a crappy pic.
Westy11.JPG

glasseye · 09-30-2009, 02:29 AM

How's the performance? I might have to replace my standard antenna. (T1N)

tfrazie · 09-30-2009, 02:49 AM

It's hard to tell. Before digital I had pretty decent performance with virtually the same antenna and signal amplifier that came with the Westy. I couldn't test this antenna w/o installing a digital to analog converter (ARTEC T3A Pro) first. So although I get many more digital stations now, they seem to require a signal strength I don't have for a stable picture at my home location. With analog and a taller version of this same antenna, I had enough signal in my home area for several channels. I'm travelling to NY this weekend and I may know more then.

Regarding the ARTEC T3A Pro I bought... I wish I had bought the T3AP Pro which has analog signal pass through. Smaller low power stations are still allowed to broadcast an analog signal. Don't have any in this area where I live but during travel I may encounter some. W/o analog pass through it would be very inconvenient to reconfigure my set-up to receive those signals whereas the T3AP Pro would hanle it with ease.

woodywesty · 10-01-2009, 12:29 AM

Hi Tim,

Did you have any trouble connecting the new antenna cable to tho old cable on the roof?

Bob

tfrazie · 10-01-2009, 02:02 AM

Bob,

No problem at all. The antenna comes with about 3 feet of coax lead. The original apparently had the same. There is a connection, covered in electrical tape, that just needs to be taken apart and reconnected. Different story if you've got a bad cable between there and your coax wall outlet. My old antenna worked so figured I didn't have to replace the long run of coax (supplied w the antenna btw). That's the wire Airstream ran on the surface of the roof drilling

in a wire tie connector covered in gobs of silicon every few feet and eventually drilled down the waste tank vent coupler to get to the inside of the van.

09-30-2009, 02:26 AM	#1
tfrazie Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Bel Air, MD Posts: 58 Thanks: 8 Thanked 33 Times in 12 Posts	Pic of Low Profile Boomerang Antenna Most of you all remember my trip to Quebec last summer after Westyfest I. I drove thru a bank ATM "garage" with the overhead clearance marked incorrectly. It read one foot higher than it actually was. It actually was in feet, not in meters for some reason. Looks like they came back after the fact and installed a lower piece of steel to prevent impact with the actual roof but failed to change the sign. Long story short, the bank paid me for a replacement antenna as well as installation costs after I sheered it off. I just got around to installing it after a year struggling with my neck and surgery. Anyway, someone in our yahoo group posted a pic of a flush mounted boomerang antenna which looked pretty cool to say nothing of it's inferior performance (according to some). But I wanted to use the attachment plate Airstream so crudely installed up there for the original much higher boomerang antenna. This low profile model I bought on ebay http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...4714&viewitem= was $57 plus ~$12 shipping. It only stands about 2.5 inches from it's base but is otherwise identical. I primed and painted it to match. Looks much nicer than the original very tall boomerang that had faded from white to yellow. Here's a crappy pic. Westy11.JPG

09-30-2009, 02:29 AM	#2
glasseye Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 1,151 Thanks: 192 Thanked 367 Times in 184 Posts	Re: Pic of Low Profile Boomerang Antenna How's the performance? I might have to replace my standard antenna. (T1N) __________________ "Frito" : the potato chip truck 04 Hi-Roof 140 cargo. 9800 miles by PO I waited five years for this. Absent this forum, I'd never have bought a Sprinter.

09-30-2009, 02:49 AM	#3
tfrazie Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Bel Air, MD Posts: 58 Thanks: 8 Thanked 33 Times in 12 Posts	Re: Pic of Low Profile Boomerang Antenna It's hard to tell. Before digital I had pretty decent performance with virtually the same antenna and signal amplifier that came with the Westy. I couldn't test this antenna w/o installing a digital to analog converter (ARTEC T3A Pro) first. So although I get many more digital stations now, they seem to require a signal strength I don't have for a stable picture at my home location. With analog and a taller version of this same antenna, I had enough signal in my home area for several channels. I'm travelling to NY this weekend and I may know more then. Regarding the ARTEC T3A Pro I bought... I wish I had bought the T3AP Pro which has analog signal pass through. Smaller low power stations are still allowed to broadcast an analog signal. Don't have any in this area where I live but during travel I may encounter some. W/o analog pass through it would be very inconvenient to reconfigure my set-up to receive those signals whereas the T3AP Pro would hanle it with ease.

10-01-2009, 12:29 AM	#4
woodywesty Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 28 Thanks: 10 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Pic of Low Profile Boomerang Antenna Hi Tim, Did you have any trouble connecting the new antenna cable to tho old cable on the roof? Bob

10-01-2009, 02:02 AM	#5
tfrazie Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Bel Air, MD Posts: 58 Thanks: 8 Thanked 33 Times in 12 Posts	Re: Pic of Low Profile Boomerang Antenna Bob, No problem at all. The antenna comes with about 3 feet of coax lead. The original apparently had the same. There is a connection, covered in electrical tape, that just needs to be taken apart and reconnected. Different story if you've got a bad cable between there and your coax wall outlet. My old antenna worked so figured I didn't have to replace the long run of coax (supplied w the antenna btw). That's the wire Airstream ran on the surface of the roof drilling in a wire tie connector covered in gobs of silicon every few feet and eventually drilled down the waste tank vent coupler to get to the inside of the van.

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