Need help with antenna

Timmer · 09-01-2016, 10:37 PM

I'm wanting to put a aftermarket antenna on my camper . Can I hook the coax wire to the outside hook ups or do I drill a new hole for the coax wire? The antenna will be on a pole not the camper.

Thurman · 09-02-2016, 07:55 AM

Timmer: We need more info. You state that you want to place "an outside antenna" on your RV. There are many types of "outside antenna's" out there, a bit more specific please. IF you are installing a satellite antenna, dish type, then you may find a problem that has been discussed at length on this forum. Some of the cables that run from the outside connection to the inside connection point go through a splitter that is not compatible with satellite antenna's, mine was one of those. IF you set up a sat antenna, connect it to the port on the outside of the RV and you cannot get a picture, or a bad picture, then connect the cable directly from the antenna to your receiver. If you get a good picture this way then you know that the RV's original cable has a splitter which is found on the backside of the plate inside the camper for your TV connection. I had to run a new dedicated cable in my camper in order to use a satellite dish system.

Timmer · 09-02-2016, 10:57 PM

Sorry for the lack of information. I have a 2016 Cherokee 274dbh I'm wanting to put uhf vhf antenna that reaching out 150 air miles. But when I hook it up to the cable ports on the camper it won't come in but when I hook it directly to the TV it comes in great. I was trying not to put a hole for the cable in the camper. Is there a way to use the cable ports on the camper?

dalford · 09-03-2016, 12:14 AM

On your cable connector receptacle in the back of your tv you should see a small button. Make sure it is pressed to select antenna mode. ( most RV's have an LED that will illuminate when in antenna mode). Your RV can either receive a signal from the parks cable system or from your rooftop antenna. This switch selects which input to send to the tv.

benagi · 09-03-2016, 01:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Timmer

Sorry for the lack of information. I have a 2016 Cherokee 274dbh I'm wanting to put uhf vhf antenna that reaching out 150 air miles. But when I hook it up to the cable ports on the camper it won't come in but when I hook it directly to the TV it comes in great. I was trying not to put a hole for the cable in the camper. Is there a way to use the cable ports on the camper?

Question Timmer. The antenna your looking at, how far out can it pick up digital channels ? Also, what is the brand and model of the antenna that can pick up a signal that far?

Telstar · 09-03-2016, 01:09 PM

Problem one could be that you don't have the antenna amplifyer turned on. Make sure the LED is on. Secondly if you need to increase the range there are add one available for your existing crank up antenna or you can swap it out for the new digital antenna. Both available at Camping World.

Evereddie · 09-03-2016, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Timmer

Sorry for the lack of information. I have a 2016 Cherokee 274dbh I'm wanting to put uhf vhf antenna that reaching out 150 air miles. But when I hook it up to the cable ports on the camper it won't come in but when I hook it directly to the TV it comes in great. I was trying not to put a hole for the cable in the camper. Is there a way to use the cable ports on the camper?

To use the cable port on your camper you want the booster box light off, despite what others are saying. Do you have 2 ports outside your camper, like one for cable and one for satellite? Sometimes, like mine was, they mix up the wires. Try both if you have 2.

bjim99 · 09-03-2016, 02:40 PM

I don't have your answer but I am very interested in the solution. Forest River may as well have put a coat hanger for a antenna on these Cherokee campers. My dealer spent 2 hours trying to get reception for me. They finally hooked up a cable from a different camper and got 11 channels. Forest River says the range is 35 miles. We are 32 miles from 3 different towers and no luck.

Paul GA · 09-03-2016, 05:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Evereddie

To use the cable port on your camper you want the booster box light off, despite what others are saying. Do you have 2 ports outside your camper, like one for cable and one for satellite? Sometimes, like mine was, they mix up the wires. Try both if you have 2.

^^^ correct answer right here

moligney · 09-03-2016, 09:59 PM

If you want to reach out there you have two options. Both involve a directional antenna with built-in amp.
1. Connect coax from amplified antenna to cable port on outside. Turn off internal amp on wall. (Red lite off). Connect power injector (comes with antenna) between inside cable port and tv. Set tv to air and scan.
2. If your new antenna,s amp works on 12 volts (most do) disconnect coax from existing antenna and connect to new antenna,s coax (use barrel connector). Go inside turn on amp (red lite on), set tv to air and scan.
After several days trying to better the new saucer style omni antenna including replacing it with one supposedly better the only thing that helped was raising it 5 feet. Since DW would not let me have a pole sticking thru the ceiling when traveling I bought a satellite.
The others are correct on how the ports work. And I would pull the wall plate and fish out the splitter and make sure the connections are tight.

Ford Idaho · 09-03-2016, 10:24 PM

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...pEoxj0bxdl2P9A

Paul GA · 09-04-2016, 08:38 AM

Just to be clear... the internal plate with button and red or green light is not an amp. It is a power injector/input selector switch. The plate sends 12v to the antennas internal amp. If your replacement antenna has an internal amp that requires a 12v injector, you can use the antenna input of that plate and the plate will power the antenna. If your antenna does not have an internal amp and you must use an external amp, use the cable input and turn the plate off.

otisite2016 · 09-04-2016, 09:28 AM

To use our tailgater I had to put in a separate connector. Ours is a Lex 265. It just would not work even with the switch off.

Ford Idaho · 09-04-2016, 10:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by otisite2016

To use our tailgater I had to put in a separate connector. Ours is a Lex 265. It just would not work even with the switch off.

Had the same issue when we got our Tailgater, I just fished one end of the 50 foot coax inside to hook directly to the box.

While I was doing that I found two splitters with loose connection as well as one inside of a cubby hole for the water connections where the park cable hooks up.

Thurman · 09-04-2016, 10:41 AM

Let me offer this info: A couple of months ago when I bought my DISH portable satellite system the DISH people informed me that I needed to upgrade the dish on the house and receivers in the house as they were old technology. They sent a DISH tech guy out to do all of this at no charge 😃. While he was here he offered to help set up the portable dish. During the set up we could not get the system to work using the outside cable port. He checked and this was RG-6 cable. We ran the cable from the dish straight to the receiver and all worked well. He removed the plate with two male threaded connectors from the wall, used the end of the cable coming from the outside port without the splitter/amplifier and it worked also. There is something about those splitters that prevent certain antenna's from working, such as my dish. We ran a new dedicated cable to the wall plate for the dish. There was a connection on the plate labeled "SAT IN" with nothing hooked to it so we used that for the dish. And yes I have one of those non-adjustable roof mounted factory antenna's which work less than a metal clothes hanger.

Ford Idaho · 09-04-2016, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thurman

Let me offer this info: A couple of months ago when I bought my DISH portable satellite system the DISH people informed me that I needed to upgrade the dish on the house and receivers in the house as they were old technology. They sent a DISH tech guy out to do all of this at no charge 😃. While he was here he offered to help set up the portable dish. During the set up we could not get the system to work using the outside cable port. He checked and this was RG-6 cable. We ran the cable from the dish straight to the receiver and all worked well. He removed the plate with two male threaded connectors from the wall, used the end of the cable coming from the outside port without the splitter/amplifier and it worked also. There is something about those splitters that prevent certain antenna's from working, such as my dish. We ran a new dedicated cable to the wall plate for the dish. There was a connection on the plate labeled "SAT IN" with nothing hooked to it so we used that for the dish. And yes I have one of those non-adjustable roof mounted factory antenna's which work less than a metal clothes hanger.

That is what I was thinking but had no way to check it in the time I had.

I will rewire after our last trip this year........

**Bama Rambler** · 09-05-2016, 12:04 PM

The splitters they use in our RV's have an upper limit of about 900 mhz. Sat receivers range up to about 2000 MHz, so the cheaper splitters block the higher ranges.

I'd think you'd be able to replace the existing splitters with higher bandwidth models and use the existing cabling.

ScottBrownstein · 09-05-2016, 12:08 PM

I don't think that is the problem. At least with DirecTV, the LNB gets it's power through the coax, and in all but the SWM units there are two voltages, 12 and 15 which select the satellite band and conventional splitters will block the dc component. I know that Dish uses a different method but they still need to power the LNB and the splitter will block the DC power going to the dish.

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