Press Releases
Contact: Michael Sherman FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tel. 319-754-0604
Cell Phone: 901-351-9861
Email: msher@winegard.com
Winegard Introduces
The SharpShooter
The Best All-Band DTV/HDTV Digital/Analog
Directional/Bi-Directional indoor Antenna
On The Market
For Metropolitan/Suburban Consumers
The Next Innovation In Winegard¡¯s
GETDTV/HDTVTM Antenna Series
For Indoor Reception of DTV/HDTV Broadcasts
Burlington, Iowa, The right Off-Air DTV/HDTV Antenna is now a Necessity, not an Accessory. Getting the best Off-Air picture starts with the choice of the best antenna for today¡¯s reception challenges. The SharpShooterTM ?SS-3000 is Winegard¡¯s newest Off-Air Antenna adding to its series of innovative new digital Antenna Platforms. This is a continuation of Winegard¡¯s GETDTV/HDTvTM Series and will be introduced at CES 2005, along with the introduction of Winegard¡¯s new SquareShooter? SS-2000, a more powerful amplified version of the outdoor SquareShooter? SS-1000.
Bob Howell, Director, Distribution Systems/Off-Air Antenna Business Group at Winegard said, ¡°The single largest contributing factor to successful digital antenna installation and DTV/HDTV reception today is the ability of the metropolitan/suburban consumer to buy an antenna that deals with multi-path or reflected signal. This is a major issue and significant challenge for digital antenna manufacturers and installers, anticipated and addressed last year with the introduction of our SquareShooter SS-1000 outdoor High-Band VHF/UHF Digital/Analog/HDTV Antenna System, specifically designed for digital reception of reflected signals. The SS-1000 was selected as an Honoree in the 2004 Innovations Design and Engineering Showcase.¡±
It is imperative that any new digital antenna platform design specifically deals with this multi-path issue. The SharpShooterTM does this by selectively looking at each multi-path signal one at a time and by design tends to reject all other multi-paths, allowing the customer or installer to properly select the cleanest digital signal possible and best digital data sources for the ATSC chip set to decode. It then delivers them in a format that the chip set in the receiver prefers and can resonate and process effectively, delivering the best DTV/HDTV picture possible, while rejecting other multi-path signals so critical for downtown urban locations.
The metropolitan/urban market is the largest segment of the HDTV market and was not being served well by existing digital antennas until the release of Winegard¡¯s GETDTV/HDTVTM Series, starting with the SquareShooter.
¡°Pre-amplifiers today typically deliver a noise figure of 4.0 dB or more. In contrast, the new technology found in the SharpShooter uses a truly unique non-traditional electromagnetic design for superior performance. This new technology, together with Winegard¡¯s ¡°Scatter-Plane¡± design, delivers an average beam-width of 65 degrees and a front-to-back ratio of 6.5dB, providing the SharpShooter? its muscle to reject multi-path signals and to deliver a low-noise digital signal as no other antenna can, in today¡¯s market.
The unique reception characteristics of this 26.75" wide SharpShooter allow it to receive and resonate indoor analog and outstanding DTV signals up to 30 plus miles from the transmit source. This fact is unheard of in an antenna package of this size, making it a true engineering marvel. The SharpShooter¡¯sTM technical performance, esthetic design and installation options, absolutely make this new antenna more unique and better suited for the metropolitan/urban segment than any other antenna platform on the market today and will be available just in time to meet the proliferation of the HDTV industry and subsequent exploding HDTV consumer market.
Half-wave length propagation theorem for channel 2 at 54 mega-hertz is about 104 inches. The resonate characteristics of this design breakthrough also provides for a much smaller antenna that resonates throughout the entire VHF/UHF band-pass channels 2 through 69 in a platform that is 26.75¡± inches or less in size. Specifically designed to receive and resonate DTV/HDTV transmissions from reflected broadcast signals, the SharpShooterTM is uniquely suited for urban/metropolitan locations where line-of-sight to the transmit source is blocked, allowing apartment/condominium dwellers to now receive digital broadcasts.
Howell went on to say ¡°There is a huge need in this market for an indoor antenna that successfully addresses these issues. Outperforming all, all-band indoor digital antenna systems, there is no other indoor digital antenna platform on the market today that can do what the SharpShooterTM can do. It solves problems no other indoor antenna can solve. If you want the best DTV/HDTV picture, you start by selecting the best antenna. As a true testament to the acceptance of this unique and innovative new antenna platform design, this is only the second time in Winegard¡¯s 50-year history that a product has been pre-sold before it was available, the SquareShooter being first. This is why I feel that Off-Air antennas can no longer be classified as an accessory.¡±
###
If you¡¯d like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with Bob Howell, please call Michael Sherman at 319-754-0604 or send an email to msher@winegard.com.
About Winegard:
The Winegard Company is widely considered an innovator and pioneer in product design, performance and assembly and has consistently adapted to meet the challenges of the ever-changing electronics market. It remains committed to continuous improvement in the quality, cost and delivery of its products and services to effectively meet all of its customer¡¯s needs and currently designs and manufactures more than 1,000 different products in four product lines distributed in all states and worldwide, including:
- Satellite Antennas and Mounts: Residential antennas ranging in size from 46 cm to 1 meter.
- Mobile Television Reception Products: RV, Trucking, and Marine applications. Satellite systems ranging from manual crank-up models to automatic satellite tracking systems with GPS/DVB. Off-air antennas including bi-directional and omni-directional VHF/UHF/FM antennas. Ground Antenna Mounts and Accessories.
- Off-Air Antennas: From DC to 5.8 gigs AM/FM/VHF/UHF Antenna Systems, Distribution and Pre-Amplifiers, Power Supplies and Accessories
- Telemetry:? Medical and Data Antenna Systems, Distribution Amplifiers, Power Supplies and Accessories.
- Two-way Fixed/Transportable Mobile Satellite Internet Systems: offers real-time IP, video, voice, audio and data communications virtually anywhere, anytime.
 
Contact: Michael Sherman FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tel. 319-754-0604
Cell Phone: 901-351-9861
Email: msher@winegard.com
Winegard Company AND DOTCAST FORM JOINT VENTURE
TO BRING t0TALLY NEW DIGITAL/HDTV OFF-AIR ANTENNA TECHNOLOGY TO MARKET
These Significant Advances In New Technology
Represent An Entirely Different Approach To Antenna Design
And Will Have A Revolutionary Impact
On The Reception And Distribution Of Digital/HDTV Off-Air Signals
Burlington, Iowa, January 6, 2004. Winegard Company, an innovator and pioneer in product design, performance and manufacturing of antenna technology, announced today the forming of a joint venture with Dotcast, a leader in broadcast communications technology, to deliver a family of antennas that promises to radically improve digital TV reception.
Bob Howell, Director of Distribution Systems/Off-Air Antenna Division said ¡°Dotcast has a patent pending Low Noise Amplifier designed for the VHF/UHF TV frequency band. Winegard has the antenna knowledge, manufacturing capabilities and distribution chain. We entered into this venture to work with Dotcast¡¯s technology to build products that will have an impact on the consumer market.¡±
The new antennas are based on Dotcast¡¯s proprietary digital architecture, which enables reception 225 times more powerful than traditional rabbit ears in a sleek design smaller than one-third the size of a typical indoor TV antenna.
Dotcast¡¯s high-gain digital TV antenna architecture is currently commercially deployed as part of the Walt Disney Company¡¯s MovieBeamTM ?movies-on-demand service.
¡°By teaming with Winegard, we will deliver clear and reliable digital reception for a variety of consumer applications,¡± said Leo Hoarty, Dotcast founder and chief technical officer.? ¡°With a half century of antenna manufacturing and marketing expertise, Winegard is the ideal partner for manufacturing and distributing our digital antenna designs.¡±
¡°The Dotcast team of former Boeing Space Systems engineers have designed a truly innovative antenna system with reception that is close to magical and far surpasses anything we¡¯ve seen to date,¡± said Howell, ¡°We believe that consumers will be thrilled with improvements in their digital reception. Although the first product to result from this joint venture will be a remarkable digital antenna, it can also be incorporated into a pre-amplifiers, distribution amplifiers and several other different applications.¡±
Dotcast has awarded Winegard Company an exclusive manufacturing and marketing license to its digital antenna architecture covering the North and South American markets.
Winegard is planning a series of antennas for several digital reception markets, including products intended to solve a wide range of indoor and outdoor DTV reception challenges.
If you¡¯d like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with Robert Howell, please call Michael Sherman at 319-754-0604 or send an email to msher@winegard.com
####
About Winegard Company
The Winegard Company is widely considered an innovator and pioneer in product design, performance and assembly and has consistently adapted to meet the challenges of the ever-changing electronics market. It remains committed to continuous improvement in the quality, cost and delivery of its products and services to effectively meet all of its customer¡¯s needs and currently designs and manufactures more than 1,000 different products in four product lines distributed in all states and worldwide, including:
- Satellite Antennas and Mounts: Residential antennas ranging in size from 18 cm to 1 meter.
- Mobile Television Reception Products: RV, Trucking, and Marine applications. Satellite systems ranging from manual crank-up models to automatic satellite tracking systems with GPS/DVB. Off-air antennas including bi-directional and omni-directional VHF/UHF/FM antennas. Ground Antenna Mounts and Accessories.
- Off-Air Antennas: From DC to 5.8 gigs AM/FM/VHF/UHF Antenna Systems, Distribution and Pre-Amplifiers, Power Supplies and Accessories
- Telemetry:? Medical and Data Antenna Systems, Distribution Amplifiers, Power Supplies and Accessories.
About Dotcast:
Dotcast is a privately-held, broadband communications technology developer based near Seattle, Washington.? Dotcast has engineered a number of proprietary radio frequency, signal processing, and other advanced digital broadcast and signal reception technologies which have important applications in the emerging fields of datacasting and high definition television reception. Dotcast licenses these technologies to its customers and works closely with them to offer extensive, application-specific design, customization, and full technical support services.
Dotcast¡¯s leading datacasting customer is The Walt Disney Company, now using Dotcast¡¯s patented dNTSC? datacasting technology to provide a constant stream of new Hollywood movies for subscribers to its new MovieBeamTM in-home, movies-on-demand service which is currently available in selected US markets.
For more information, contact David Serlin 253-867-2001 dserlin@dotcast.con or visit www.dotcast.com
Contact: Michael Sherman FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tel. 319-754-0604
Cell Phone: 901-351-9861
Email: msher@winegard.com
TERK LAUNCHES A NEW COMPREHENSIVE INITIATIVE TO SUPPORT THE GROWING HDTV MARKET
COMMACK, NY ¨C Consumers often ask:? ¡°What is HDTV How do I get it And what is the right antenna for me?¡±? TERK Technologies answers these questions and more with its new HDTV Initiative. Together with three new outdoor antennas, Terk is releasing a series of innovative educational tools for the retailer and consumer alike.
The Reception Center POP display is an integral part of the launch of the HDTV initiative.? The Reception Center was designed to inform consumers about free HDTV broadcasting as well as to assist them in selecting the proper on-air antenna. This countertop, slat-wall or shelf-mount POP will take the guess-work out of the selection process and will increase the attachment rate of antennas to HDTV sets. It is combined with a pocket-size information card for the sales associates.
The launch on July 1, 2003 of the TERK HDTV Reception Center coincides with the launch of three new Outdoor HDTV antennas from TERK.? The new line is designed to expand and complement TERK¡¯s current outdoor antenna line in order to meet the growing needs of the HDTV consumer.? The new line will add:
- TV32, a small directional, four-bay bow-tie UHF-only antenna
- TV36, a medium directional, UHF/VHF/FM antenna
- TV38, a large directional, UHF/VHF/FM antenna
TERK has selected Winegard Company as the manufacturer of these new antennas. Since 1954, Winegard has been an innovative leader in antenna design technology and manufacturing techniques, covering every phase of design, testing, manufacturing, customized packaging and processing of antennas built in the U.S. ¡°Winegard remains committed to continuous improvement in the quality, cost and delivery of its products and services to effectively meet all of our customer¡¯s needs. We are pleased to be working with TERK and supplying them with their new antennas,¡± stated Bob Howell, Director, Distribution Systems/Off-Air Antenna Business Group at Winegard.
TERK¡¯s new outdoor antennas, in the TERK tradition of always providing the consumer with everything they need to complete the installation without needing to return to the store to purchase additional hardware, are bundled with all the applicable installation hardware. This includes a full installation kit for either chimney, wall, or attic mounting, and a 5-foot mast. The products will feature a one-year warranty, and will be competitively priced from $99.95 to $199.95.
The new antennas complement the existing TERK outdoor HDTV antenna line, which includes the satellite dish-mounted TV42 and TV44 and the slim-profile TV55.
When potential HDTV customers visit a retail location outfitted with a TERK HDTV Reception Center and antennas, they will learn how to get optimum HDTV reception by selecting an appropriate off-air antenna, as well as get advice for its installation.
¡°With the rapidly growing HDTV market, TERK was looking to lend its expertise to its retailers by creating tools to educate and inform customers.? With nine out of ten households currently capable of receiving digital television signals, the growth of HDTV products will continue. TERK intends to be at the forefront in guiding customers to the right products for their needs, and the Reception Center is designed to aid them in their education process,¡± stated TERK¡¯s Executive Vice President Greg Keys.
###
If you¡¯d like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with Robert Howell, please call Michael Sherman at 319-754-0604 or send an email to msher@winegard.com
About Winegard:
The Winegard Company is widely considered an innovator and pioneer in product design, performance and assembly and has consistently adapted to meet the challenges of the ever-changing electronics market. It remains committed to continuous improvement in the quality, cost and delivery of its products and services to effectively meet all of its customer¡¯s needs and currently designs and manufactures more than 1,000 different products in four product lines distributed in all states and worldwide, including:
- Satellite Antennas and Mounts: Residential antennas ranging in size from 46 cm to 1 meter.
- Mobile Television Reception Products: RV, Trucking, and Marine applications. Satellite systems ranging from manual crank-up models to automatic satellite tracking systems with GPS/DVB. Off-air antennas including bi-directional and omni-directional VHF/UHF/FM antennas. Ground Antenna Mounts and Accessories.
- Off-Air Antennas: From DC to 5.8 gigs AM/FM/VHF/UHF Antenna Systems, Distribution and Pre-Amplifiers, Power Supplies and Accessories
- Telemetry: Medical and Data Antenna Systems, Distribution Amplifiers, Power Supplies and Accessories.
- Two-way Fixed/Transportable Mobile Satellite Internet Systems: offers real-time IP, video, voice, audio and data communications virtually anywhere, anytime.
Contact: Michael Sherman FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tel. 319-754-0604
Cell Phone: 901-351-9861
Email: msher@winegard.com
Winegard¡¯s new SharpShooter indoor Antenna platform
to be marketed by terk
as their HDTV LOW PROFILE INDOOR AMPLIFIED
HDTVlp ANTENNA PRO
This All-Band DTV/HDTV Digital/Analog Directional/Bi-Directional Indoor Antenna
Designed And Built By Winegard For Metropolitan/Suburban Consumers
Soon To Be Available Through Mega-Retailers
Burlington, Iowa, March 4, 2005 - Winegard Company announced today that the next innovation in Winegard¡¯s GETDTV/HDTVTM? Antenna Series for indoor reception of DTV/HDTV broadcasts, Winegard¡¯s SharpShooter, will be distributed and marketed by TERK Technologies, now an Audiovox company, under the corporate umbrella TERK by AUDIOVOX.
Bob Howell, Director, Distribution Systems/Off-Air Antenna Business Group at Winegard said, ¡°We were very pleased when TERK added Winegard¡¯s SquareShooterTM SS-1000 last October to its antenna product list. They have been marketing it as their slim profile; high-performance outdoor HDTV antenna renamed the HDTVs. As with Winegard¡¯s SquareShooter, TERK has once again selected Winegard Company to manufacturer this new SharpShooter antenna platform for TERK based on Winegard¡¯s expertise in developing this new antenna and other high definition reception products.¡±
TERK has positioned the HDTV Antenna Pro line as providing the answer to HDTV signal requirements, combining cutting edge technology, installation simplicity and unique design to enhance the reception of HDTV.
Winegard maintains that the right Off-Air DTV/HDTV Antenna is now a Necessity, not an Accessory. Getting the best Off-Air picture starts with the choice of the best antenna for today¡¯s reception challenges. The SharpShooter SS-3000 is Winegard¡¯s newest Off-Air Antenna. This is a continuation of Winegard¡¯s GETDTV/HDTvTM Series and was introduced at CES 2005, along with the introduction of Winegard¡¯s new SquareShooter SS-2000, a more powerful amplified version of the outdoor SquareShooter SS-1000.
Howell continued, ¡°The single largest contributing factor to successful digital antenna installation and DTV/HDTV reception today is the ability of the metropolitan/suburban consumer to buy an antenna that deals with multi-path or reflected signal. This is a major issue and significant challenge for digital antenna manufacturers and installers, anticipated and addressed last year with the introduction of our SquareShooter? SS-1000 outdoor High-Band VHF/UHF Digital/Analog/HDTV Antenna System, specifically designed for digital reception of reflected signals. The SS-1000 was selected as an Honoree in the 2004 Innovations Design and Engineering Showcase.¡±
It is imperative that any new digital antenna platform design specifically deals with this multi-path issue. The SharpShooterTM does this by selectively looking at each multi-path signal one at a time and by design tends to reject all other multi-paths, allowing the customer or installer to properly select the cleanest digital signal possible and best digital data sources for the ATSC chip set to decode. It then delivers them in a format that the chip set in the receiver prefers and can resonate and process effectively, delivering the best DTV/HDTV picture possible, so critical for downtown urban locations, while rejecting other multi-path signals.
The metropolitan/urban market is the largest segment of the HDTV market and was not being served well by existing digital antennas until the release of Winegard¡¯s GETDTV/HDTVTM Series, starting with the SquareShooter. This new addition, the SharpShooterTM, incorporates a specialized ¡°E-Field¡± design, a significant new innovation by DotcastTM, combined with Winegard¡¯s ¡±Scatter Plane¡± technology.
¡°Pre-amplifiers today typically deliver a noise figure of 4.0 dB or more. In contrast, the new technology found in the SharpShooter uses a truly unique non-traditional electromagnetic design for superior performance. This allowed Winegard to totally integrate our patent-pending DotcastTM Ultra-Low Noise Amplifier design into Winegard¡¯s SharpShooter antenna platform. With a demonstrably high carrier to noise ratio of <1dB, our Ultra-Low Noise Amplifier design significantly improves the carrier-to-noise ratio¡±, said Leo Hoarty, Dotcast¡¯s Chief Technical Officer. This new technology, together with Winegard¡¯s ¡°Scatter-Plane¡± design, delivers an average beam-width of 65 degrees and a front-to-back ratio of 6.5dB, providing the SharpShooter its muscle to reject multi-path signals and to deliver a low-noise digital signal as no other antenna can, in today¡¯s market.
Howell went on to say ¡°There is a huge need in this market for an indoor antenna that successfully addresses these issues and the TERK/Audiovox channels of distribution will make this unique antenna platform available through retail outlets. Outperforming all, all-band indoor digital antenna systems, there is no other indoor digital antenna platform on the market today that can do what the SharpShooterTM can do. It solves problems no other indoor antenna can solve. If you want the best DTV/HDTV picture, you start by selecting the best antenna. As a true testament to the acceptance of this unique and innovative new antenna platform design, this is only the second time in Winegard¡¯s 50-year history that a product has been pre-sold before it was available, the SquareShooter being first. This is why I feel that Off-Air antennas can no longer be classified as an accessory.¡±
###
If you¡¯d like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with Bob Howell, please call Michael Sherman at 319-754-0604 or send an email to msher@winegard.com, or with Leo Hoarty, please call Neil Vineberg at 631-288-6933 or send an email to Neil@VinebergCommunications.com.
About Winegard:
The Winegard Company is widely considered an innovator and pioneer in product design, performance and assembly and has consistently adapted to meet the challenges of the ever-changing electronics market. It remains committed to continuous improvement in the quality, cost and delivery of its products and services to effectively meet all of its customer¡¯s needs and currently designs and manufactures more than 1,000 different products in four product lines distributed in all states and worldwide, including:
- Satellite Antennas and Mounts: Residential antennas ranging in size from 46 cm to 1 meter.
- Mobile Television Reception Products: RV, Trucking, and Marine applications. Satellite systems ranging from manual crank-up models to automatic satellite tracking systems with GPS/DVB. Off-air antennas including bi-directional and omni-directional VHF/UHF/FM antennas. Ground Antenna Mounts and Accessories.
- Off-Air Antennas: From DC to 5.8 gigs AM/FM/VHF/UHF Antenna Systems, Distribution and Pre-Amplifiers, Power Supplies and Accessories
- Telemetry: Medical and Data Antenna Systems, Distribution Amplifiers, Power Supplies and Accessories.
- Two-way Fixed/Transportable Mobile Satellite Internet Systems: offers real-time IP, video, voice, audio and data communications virtually anywhere, anytime.
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