Booster Plate Mod for Satellite

[houstonstroker]

This mod is for those RVs that have only one outside cable connection. Let's say this is you and you just bought a sat dish and want to use the existing wire to watch sat.

Pic 1 is what the rear of your booster plate looks like unmodified. There are three F connectors on the rear. One labeled set which goes to your TV sets usually through a splitter. One labeled cable which is a home run from your outside connection to this plate. The third connection goes to your roof mounted antenna. This device is basically a switch. There are two inputs cable and antenna and one output TV sets. With the booster engaged the connection is made between antenna OTA and TV sets. With the booster turned off then the connection between cable and TV sets is made.

This switch also is what keeps your satellite signal that you plugged into the outside connection from going anywhere useful for you. The Sat signal dies in this switch.

So we need two new barrel connectors some coax and fittings.

Drill two holes in the booster plate and install the barrel connectors.

For this example the cable connection from the outside is gray. We need to pull this cable off and connect to one of the new barrel connectors you installed. What you just did is create a home run between the outside of the RV to this new barrel connection on the booster plate.

Set up your Sat antenna. Connect you sat antenna wire to the outside cable connection. Connect your sat receiver to this new booster plate connection. You now have a home run from your sat antenna to your receiver.

However since you may want to watch cable at the next campground we need to make another connection.

Now we need a small jumper coax between the unused rear new barrel connector and the switch F connector for cable.

With this mod you can not watch both cable and sat at the same time. You need to pick when you set up.

So lets say we now want to watch campground cable. You need to make one more small jumper coax and jump the two booster plate connectors. What you just did was route the outside cable connection to the booster plate through jumper wire you just installed and back to the switch.

If you can install a hole new cable run from outside to inside then this mod is not for you. Some individuals don't like to drill new holes and sometimes there is no access. This mod is better than running coax from the outside through a window to watch satellite.

So to recap what we did is made a home run to the booster plate. To watch satellite, connect your receiver to this home run and run RCA or HDMI cables from your receiver to your TV. If you don't feel like setting up the dish and the campground has excellent cable signal, then place the jumper across the two new connectors on face of the booster plate, turn off the booster and run a new scan.

Clear as mud I know but real easy.

[WildAggie]

I just did this today. I still have to route back through the wall to the living area tv. For some reason, FR put this amp with 12v in the bedroom, directly behind the living area tv. I am just going to add another barrel connector to this faceplate and the one in the living area, and run connecting coax back through the wall. My jumper will go from outside coax to the extra connector that routes through the wall to the extra coax in living area, or to the coax that goes back to the switch for cable. But, what a headache!

[TimNJTA]

Nice write up. If i ever convert to swm, this is how i will probably wire it. Currently i use a multiswitch setup with directv and just use a good power passing splitter in line. Been working well the past few years.