Ollie Television/Radio Antenna

[Carl Hansen]

Greetings!

Newbie question here:  Does the Oliver Elite I come with a basic television/radio antenna or do I need to add something to my configuration to get basic reception?  I don't see anything in the "Entertainment Features" section about an antenna.  Do I need to add the Omni-Directional Antenna to get any reception?

Thanks!

Carl

[topgun2]

Not so "newbie" of a question.

Yes, there is a "standard" antenna.  Its usefulness is subject to where you will be using your Oliver.  Having said that - I believe that the standard antenna is not very good unless you are camped very near a transmission tower (i.e. a fairly large city).

Bill

[Carl Hansen]

Can anyone comment on the performance of the Omni-directional antenna?  It seems a bit pricey but is it worth it?  Please share you experience with this antenna.  
Thanks!

[Ray and Susan Huff]

We chose to not add the Omni-directional antenna.  Aside from an occasional DVD movie when foul weather forces us indoors, we watch very little television while camping.  

With TV/movie streaming becoming more prevalent, I would question whether the Omni-directional antenna will be a very popular option in the future.  Without it, there is one less thing on the roof which leaves room to expand the solar capacity, if that is important to you.

[SeaDawg]

The only real advantage is the wiring is already run, should you decide you want a better antenna, and like watching broadcast TV.

I  did a lot if research on antenna models when we decided to remove our unused KingDome last year. I  decided to just stick with the small portable we stuck in the attic, as we never watch brodcast TV, anyway. We do stream Netflix or Amazon TV, occasionally, but usually on a tablet or phone, as we like different types of shows.

[topgun2]

50 minutes ago, Carl Hansen said:

Can anyone comment on the performance of the Omni-directional antenna?  It seems a bit pricey but is it worth it?  Please share you experience with this antenna.  

Performance? - certainly it is better than the standard antenna and I believe that it is much better than the old "bat-wing" antennas that I used prior to getting my Oliver.  

Is it worth it? - Obviously that depends on how much broadcast TV you plan to watch which is (somewhat) a function on where you plan to camp.  Relative to the overall cost of the Oliver it is not that expensive, you don't have to raise and/or lower it, you don't have to turn it to find signal and it functions as your antenna for the radio too (weather band, FM and AM).  But, if you plan to not watch TV much and mostly boondock then and/or don't plan to travel long distances where you might be interested in seeing the local weather/news then virtually any antenna is too expensive.

Bill 

[dewdev]

I agree with topgun2 comments.

I think that the omni-directional antenna comes with a signal booster located in the attic (upper cabinet at the back of the trailer). I have a push button on the cable plate.

At my home,  I got zero channels with the booster switch off. Once I turned on the booster the signal improved so that I got 6 or 7 channels.

Edited February 27, 2021 by dewdev

[SeaDawg]

"Boosters" typically require 110 hookup, which we normally don't have.

Another reason streaming is more efficient for us. If we have signal. If not, downloaded movies, or dvds, work well.

[Carl Hansen]

Thanks for all the feedback!!! I probably will stay with the standard antenna. We don’t watch that much network tv. We currently stream much of our content. We will probably stay with that model. 

[SeaDawg]

Since everything changes,  year to year, you may want to ask your rep if any antenna , and wiring, is included in the base package .

Just a thought. 

 

Edited February 27, 2021 by SeaDawg

[Carl Hansen]

I will ask the question!  Thanks!