Winegard GS-WING Sensar DTV Upgrade Review

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(More customer reviews)The ads and pictures for this device can be misleading. Also, as for other items listed in Amazon there are other ads for this, perhaps under other tags, even for Amazon basic, as well as Amazon marketplace.
I put the Wingman accessory on my Batwing and got more than the "up to" 100% improvement advertised, which included one station I have at the high end of the VHF spectrum, channel 13, even though Winegard doesn't claim this antenna to help VHF channels, but only UHF channels.
Before I got the Wingman, I originally had one antenna, but had added the second antenna with slightly better results, then able to get all stations by rotating the lower antenna between two stations (I added one antenna on the same pole three feet below the other antenna.) The problem was, when I moved it to get one station, I'd lose one or two others. The Wingman produced dramatically better results than that, with just one antenna, and I only have to move it slightly for one hard-to-get-station.
THE RESULTS
Before I installed the Wingman, I had serious trouble with four out of six network station groups (14 Channels in all) at times checkering. Three of them even dropping off from time to time. One was really bad, sometime going blank for days at a time. I have converter boxes that show both "signal power" and "signal quality" bar graphs separately. The "signal quality" bar seems to be the more critical. After installing Wingman, I am getting 100% "signal power" on all stations, and 100% "signal quality" in all my station groups, all the time, EXCEPT ONE "problem station," which is 45 miles away, at 515 MHz, and broadcasts a very weak signal.
THE PROBLEM STATION
For this "problem station" I now always get 100% power, but the "signal quality" bar still changes between 30% and 100% depending on many factors, like weather, the minimum hovering around 30% (sometimes jumping up higher during commercials.) Regardless, I can still always get a clear perfect picture, with slight adjustments.
When selecting that "problem station," from time to time, I do have to move the antenna, within a few degrees, one way or the other, to maintain reception without checking, (which sometimes means keeping the "signal quality" reading stable, that is, keeping it from constantly changing, which is more important than simply gaining a higher quality reading.) It seems, the channel's precise broadcast location seems to change within a few degrees from one angle to the other, depending on the time of day and the program, but once adjusted, I don't need to again for that program, or even until the next day.
Before Wingman was installed, I had to aim the antenna precisely at that "problem station." When I did that, if I got any reception at all, it would drop at least one other station, sometimes two, because they also had to have the antenna aimed at them, as well.
After the Wingman was installed, like I said, I sometimes still do have to reach out my door and rotate the antenna a few degrees for that "problem station," but I always do manage to get good reception, and it doesn't effect the other stations. I still get very strong, excellent reception on all the other stations all the time. This is important in my household, because we often have more than one TV on at the same time, receiving different channels.
THE LOCATION
This is a very mountainous area. Three of the stations are 40-50 miles away, including that problem station. Another tower is 13.5 miles away in almost the opposite direction. There is no "clear view" of the towers. Close structures and steep hills severely block my antenna in every direction. So this is no small feat for such a small simple-looking antenna. I live in an apartment complex with only six feet of a "front garden." I chose the Winegard Sensar because it is aesthetically acceptable to the landlord, and blends in nicely (on a six-foot 1" conduit pole, mounted on a square piece of plywood base with a flange to hold the pole, with patio block for ballast) with the other tenant's satellite tripods. I have the signal split up six ways all over the apartment for recorders, computers, TVs, all on atsc converters (Sansonic) and get full power. another advantage of the Sensar Batwing is that it's size and simple shape makes it easy to rotate, if necessary.
THE PRE-AMPLIFIER
I do not have a built-in amplifier on my batwing antenna, but I do have a standalone "pre-amplifier" (see my review of this amplifier the Winegard 8275, giving 29 db gain for both VHF and UHF, see my review on the amplifier for details. It was done before I moved to another apartment location.) Nonetheless, the antenna is the heart of the system. If you don't get catch enough of a signal there, an amplifier can't do much more for you. It has to have something to amplify.
After I attached the Wingman to the antenna, I moved the pre-amplifier indoors with no reduction in signal. In fact, it actually improved slightly.
THIS WINGMAN DOESN'T FIT ALL WINEGARD SENSAR BATWINGS
Make sure you have the right Sensar model to use with this Wingman. Calling Winegard tech support is a good idea, before you buy.
There are two GS-1000 models (I think the one I am using is the Sensar II.) I am using is the one that is 8 inches wide in the middle at the pole mount. I believe this Wingman will only fit this model (unless there is another model of Wingman,) but the Wingman can also be used on the built-in amplified version of what I have. My metal batwings are almost 5 inches wide, and has a middle body that is an elongated football-shaped, looking from the side (see the Amazon ad picture.) Not to be confuse with the newer model of Sensar Batwing antenna, that has narrower batwings (about 4 inches) and has an elongated teardrop-shaped center, looking from the side (I think that is the Sensar III.)
WHAT IT IS
The Wingman is made in U.S.A.
The Wingman has no wiring connections or moving parts, just scientifically-spaced and scientifically-sized metal bars mounted on a plastic framework. The bars reflect/deflect radio waves of the right amplitude to the batwing antenna.
FOR THE NAYSAYERS
The only thing I can say to the 1-star Amazon raters is, maybe it's not the antenna, or maybe nothing will help them get over-the-air. It could be one of many things that frustrates OTA reception, things in the home system, things outside in the yard/neighborhood, and things regionally.
For instance, when I lived in Vermont, we were living within 1000-2000 feet of two broadcast towers, and we could not get anything but a "granite" screen. The radiation just was too great. We could not even get those close broadcast towers, because they were too close and blew each other away. We had no choice, and had to go with cable. In fact, cable TV was pioneered in Manhattan where people lived right next to the broadcast towers. The tall buildings made reception impossible.

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