Thursday, February 16, 2012

New TV Antenna and Other Improvements

I promised an update on my new Jack antenna after I got it installed.


It was very easy to install - I did it myself! Just take out the two pins holding the old batwings, and reinsert them after swapping for the Jack. I put a little piece of blue foam on the base to keep the antenna from bouncing on the roof while I am going down the road.


I'm in Apache Junction, and all the stations seem to be on South Mountain on the other side of Phoenix. So I aimed the antenna (the flat side) in that direction.

I got 71 channels!!! I should have scanned with the old batwing, so I could compare, but I am pretty impressed.

To find out what direction to aim the antenna, go to antennaweb.org here.


Another project - I found this small bookcase at Walmart for $28.


I split it in two - putting the top part under one side of my "all purpose table."


And the other half upside down under the other side.


The sliding drawer under the desk is also new. I got the drawer at The Container Store, and the strip that it slides on at Home Depot. It's tight enough that I don't need a lock on it when I'm traveling.


When I took the dinette out in 2007, it left an unsightly area under the new table. When Molly was alive, I would open the bay door so she could look out. But she's been gone for 2 years now and it's time I closed up the opening to the outside bay.


I used pieces of material and vinyl from the dinette cushions. It's not perfect, but certainly better.


That's it for now - Good Night!

17 comments:

  1. It's good to be handy at repairs. Good job!

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  2. Handywoman you are. Nice improvements ... anything that adds storage is good.

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  3. Fun post! Thought I'd let you know the link to antennaweb.org doesn't work (but thanks for the web address - I'll check it out).

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  4. It's not easy to bring furniture into an RV. Nice that you are handy to make the changes needed.

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  5. You're gonna' wind up keeping that trailer with all the improvements!

    I have to look into that antenna, our batwing, with the digital converter does not give us any channels at all after a scan, except ones from China and Russia.

    You need to turn off the new comments security feature from Blogger, it is very hard to read the words to prove you're not a robot.

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  6. You're right, Paul, they're really hard to read. I hope I took them off. And I fixed the link to antennaweb.org - thanks, Laurie and Odel.

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  7. You are quite the handywoman, good job! I wonder if that antenna would work on a house in the middle of the woods. I will have to check it out. Thanks for the idea.

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  8. Very good news about the antennae. And way to create your space. Though, I have discovered that books equal weight squared.

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  9. SO glad your new Antenna works great for ya, WOW 71 channels..thats MORE than enough right? Im going to check that link we have a Digital Antenna hooked up to our tv and I just have it sitting in the window. It normally works well but sometimes the signal is too weak to bring in a good image.
    Love your re-do's great idea with the bookcase and the sliding drawer!!!

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  10. Great job on the mods you have the best blog on the net.
    Dan

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  11. Love reading your posts and dreaming about my upcoming "life on the road." :-)

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  12. Thanks for the info! We'll need a new antenna soon, so I know now that we can handle the swap ourselves. The bookshelves look really nice. Good buy!

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  13. I'm surprised you carry so many books with you. Seems a tablet PC or a Kindle would be in order. Nice TV antenna. Virginia

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  14. Great ideal on the books shelf, plus keeps everything in their place. Glad you are getting lots of options for tv watching now.

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  15. I'm impressed with the TV antenna - it's now in my file of things to get. Especially since it's so easily installed. Thanks for the tip! :)

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  16. I love the picture of the antennas on the mountain with the Saguaro in the foreground. The antennas look like "modern" versions of the cactus. lol

    Wayne in PA

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