Bedroom TV in 2010 350`

[starburst2]

During our walkthrough, the RV tech said that the bedroom TV cost $900 because it was operable on either 120VAC or 12VDC. He said there was a device inside the TV that handled this function and he showed me a pigtail/wiring harness in the package with the manual and remote that you use to hook this TV up to 12 VDC. One end of this harness was two bare wires and the other end was a small cylindrical plug which looked much like an AC power pack adapter for your lap top computer. Has anyone with this year and model rig attempted this 12VDC hook up? If so where did you find the 12 VDC source to which you could connect this harness?
Unfortunately, we have not had much opportunity to follow up on many of the things we were tolds as a drunk T-boned us on day 5 of our ownership and it is in the repair shop for some time to come.
Thanks for the feedback.
Lloyd

[NWJeeper]

Ours does not have an AC/DC TV in the bedroom. I would also doubt that it costs $900, but a Google search for the make and model TV would tell you if he is truthful or not. Do you have a make and model to reference? I would be curious if anyone else has these TVs or not. I really wished ours was 12volt as we dry camp a lot, it is much more energy efficient to run things directly from the batteries if possible rather than through an inverter.

[william69]

We also have a 35' and the TV in the bedroom is not able to be operated on 12 volts. We purchased ours in Orlando and the technician that went over it with us stated that the DVR in the front can be watched on the back TV but I don't think this is true.

[NWJeeper]

Originally Posted by william69

We also have a 35' and the TV in the bedroom is not able to be operated on 12 volts. We purchased ours in Orlando and the technician that went over it with us stated that the DVR in the front can be watched on the back TV but I don't think this is true.

You should have a switch box near or above the DVD where you can select which video input is put out to each TV. The LED light under DVD on TV2 has to be lit up to put the picture back there. The selection button under each ouput is a toggle to move through the input devices on the selector.

[NWJeeper]

This is the A/V switch we have in our motorhome

[starburst2]

Originally Posted by NWJeeper

Ours does not have an AC/DC TV in the bedroom. I would also doubt that it costs $900, but a Google search for the make and model TV would tell you if he is truthful or not. Do you have a make and model to reference? I would be curious if anyone else has these TVs or not. I really wished ours was 12volt as we dry camp a lot, it is much more energy efficient to run things directly from the batteries if possible rather than through an inverter.

I don't know how much credence you can put in my memory regarding the price of the TV but he made a specific point of telling me about the AC/DC capability, showed me the harness for hookup and told me the TV cost $X00 (a lot in my view), because of the dual power capability. I plan to drop by the shop where our MH is being repaired, and I will get the name and model number for anyone interested.
I agree that it is more effective if it can be powered directly from the batteries rather than converting 12 VDC to 120 VAC. I bought a dual powered TV for my first motorhome, 1991, and used it only on 12 V as I had no inverter. Of course, it ran on 120VAC when plugged in to shore power.
I have not even had an opportunity to explore and practice with the A/V equipment as the MH was whacked in 5days and we had been travelling in central Alberta where there was no TV reception on the el cheapo TV antenna that FR put on the rig at the factory. Fortunately the dealer had ordered many upgrades so the rig is not a total basket case but it sure surprises me how FR skimps on many of the obvious things that purchasers take for granted and do not check before the deal is cut. We got so lulled into oblivion by the many nice features that it did have that I missed the basic systems that we all take for granted. I vowed when we started to look for a new coach that it would have to have all those necessary conveniences but then let down my defenses when my wife said "this is the one". Oh well, never to old to learn from our mistakes and to learn who actually buys the motorhomes.
Lloyd

[starburst2]

Originally Posted by NWJeeper

Ours does not have an AC/DC TV in the bedroom. I would also doubt that it costs $900, but a Google search for the make and model TV would tell you if he is truthful or not. Do you have a make and model to reference? I would be curious if anyone else has these TVs or not. I really wished ours was 12volt as we dry camp a lot, it is much more energy efficient to run things directly from the batteries if possible rather than through an inverter.

The TV is made by Jensen and is a model 1909 RTL. You can find it on Jensen RV Direct's website. The promotional literature in the website says they are built to withstand the RV environment including moisture, vibration and temperature variations. Maybe all LCD TV's meet that same standard, I don't know. They list the TV for only $400 which is much less than what the RV tech stated as its value. Maybe the atrocious dollar figure they gave me was the price in Canada at their dealership. In any event it runs on 12 VDC or 120 VAC which is a nice feature but it is presently only hooked up to 120 VAC so one of my next tasks is to find out how to hook it up to 12 VDC and how to select a preference of power sources.
Lloyd

[Schwing2008]

Hi Starburst2
I bought my new 350ds from Calgary and what brutal service
where did you buy yours

[starburst2]

Originally Posted by NWJeeper

This is the A/V switch we have in our motorhome

NW Jeeper
Is that linked A/V switch one that you installed or is it the one that GT puts in the rig? I'm curious, with the switch you provided the link to, can you watch a program in the bedroom, on say the antenna and in the living room be watching a different program via satellite? We are not to this stage yet as we don't have a roof top satellite dish but that is one more of the pending tasks once we get our rig back.
Lloyd

[NWJeeper]

Originally Posted by starburst2

NW Jeeper
Is that linked A/V switch one that you installed or is it the one that GT puts in the rig? I'm curious, with the switch you provided the link to, can you watch a program in the bedroom, on say the antenna and in the living room be watching a different program via satellite? We are not to this stage yet as we don't have a roof top satellite dish but that is one more of the pending tasks once we get our rig back.
Lloyd

Lloyd,

Yes the switch came in our GT from the factory. I replaced the useless TV antenna which I didn't want in the first place with an automatic satellite dish and used the coax already run for the tv antenna.

With the switch it is possible to watch satellite on the front TV and a DVD on the rear TV, or play our Wii on the front TV while someone watches the satellite on the rear TV. etc, etc etc.

[nemo45]

Originally Posted by NWJeeper

Lloyd,

Yes the switch came in our GT from the factory. I replaced the useless TV antenna which I didn't want in the first place with an automatic satellite dish and used the coax already run for the tv antenna.

With the switch it is possible to watch satellite on the front TV and a DVD on the rear TV, or play our Wii on the front TV while someone watches the satellite on the rear TV. etc, etc etc.

NWJeeper,
Does the winegard TV antenna not come with the 12V signal amplifier on the Georgetown. It does on our fifthwheel and the antenna works very well.

[starburst2]

Originally Posted by nemo45

NWJeeper,
Does the winegard TV antenna not come with the 12V signal amplifier on the Georgetown. It does on our fifthwheel and the antenna works very well.

I suspect that NWJeeper has a similar response but I'll give you my two cents worth. FR mounted a short omnidirectional antennae on my 2010 Georgetown 350 and it does not get much of anything in the way of signal reception. It could well be that I don't know how to operate the system yet but I didn't think it was as effective as the old batwing antenna. My unit has a signal amplifier but if there is no signal to amplify you still get nothing on the screen. Don't misunderstand me, there are lots of good features. The bad ones, where they skimped to save a buck, are really obvious and IMHO warrant criticism.
Lloyd

[starburst2]

Hi all
I want to thank everyone for their feedback.
Lloyd

[NWJeeper]

Originally Posted by nemo45

NWJeeper,
Does the winegard TV antenna not come with the 12V signal amplifier on the Georgetown. It does on our fifthwheel and the antenna works very well.

Yes the TV antenna does come with the signal amplifier same as every other Winegard antenna installed on EVERY other RV out there. FR did not skimp, they used the SAME thing everyone else uses. I have never found that they are all that good no matter what brand rig they were installed in. Then we don't usually do our camping within line of site of a city and or a TV broadcast antenna. Therefore I have always found TV antennas on RVs to be useless. As we use Dish Network at home it only made sense to remove the TV antenna and replace it with the satellite antenna. We still get all our programming on the road including HD! We love the satellite system. For those that camp within signal distance of broadcast TV and have the crank up Winegard antennas and amplifiers on thier rigs you will find them to work just as well as if they were installed in a 250K high end diesel pusher coach.

Contrary to all the negativity being spread lately about the Georgetown motorhomes and having had experience with several other brands from Class Cs to higher end diesel rigs and having helped to run an RV rental business owned by my father when I was younger, I see the same appliances, lights, faucets, furniture, carpet, linoleum installed in ALL OF THEM, no matter if the price is 50K or 200K small or large, gas or diesel.

Forest River has provided many many features on the Georgetown line you would only see in the higer end class A gas rigs by other major manufacturers in a price range that is equivelant to the others "entry level" rigs. I don't see solid surface corian in the entry level rigs of other companies, I don't see the level of woodwork and trim, side opening all aluminum, single latch, slam shut compartment doors on the others entry level rigs, or full body paint for the price we paid which is about the same you would pay for a basement model cheapo rig from one of the other makers.

Honestly I get tired of hearing how cheap the Georgetown is when the things people are talking about aren't even available until you reach a price point that is well above 200K. Even on rigs such as the Fleetwood Discovery which was one of Fleetwoods diesels reaching prices well over 200K I still see the same cabinet construction, carpet, flooring, wiring and plumbing practices, tanks, etc. etc. etc.

I just don't get why someone would buy a rig they feel is so cheap.

Sorry for the length of the post but I've had ENOUGH OF IT!

[starburst2]

Hi NW Jeeper
I expect that I am the focus of your exasperation. Like you I find that there are many great features on the Georgetown that you don't find on entry level coaches or coaches in our price range. In addition to the "corian" like countertops we have stainless steel appliances, a stovetop withh piezo ingniters, side view cameras that activate with your turn signals, a 19 12 VDC LCD TV in the bedroom, black ultra-leather furniture, tank heaters and many other features that one does not expect to find in the coaches at our price point. By the same token I,d have been happy to pay the extra $500 for upgrades that I've been critical of like HWH stabiliazer jacks, rubber sheathed power cord instead of plastic, golf cart battery banks instead of 12 VDC batteries and other items of which I've been critical. These would have made the Georgetown an unbelieveably outstanding value and an unbeatable coach for the money.
Just the same Ed, I accept with humility your expression of exasperation.
I just hope Forest River monitors these forums and takes some of the criticisms back to their engineering department an eventually come up with the near perfect coach in our price range. At the very least they could make these as options.
Lloyd

[kbrown1075]

I know I am kind of late on this thread but all the TV is is a 12VDC TV with an AC power adapter. If you google them, there are all kinds of choices. From my background (marine electronics tech, home theater/ home automation tech, communications technician) why isn't a 12vdc TV standard in an RV/5er/TT/PUP? A circuit board, wether a computer or TV, works from DC voltage. So once the AC enters the back of the TV it is "converted" to DC to operate the TV. I am sure many of you use inverters to power your TVs when dry camping. An inverter generally has around 60% efficiency. My point is why take 12VDC invert it to AC (inefficiently) to return it to DC for the TV to work! Oh well, the thoughts of a geek! Sorry, but I hope I made sense. A 12VDC TV would be a good buy in my opinion.

[cfsoistman]

Originally Posted by NWJeeper

Contrary to all the negativity being spread lately about the Georgetown motorhomes and having had experience with several other brands from Class Cs to higher end diesel rigs and having helped to run an RV rental business owned by my father when I was younger, I see the same appliances, lights, faucets, furniture, carpet, linoleum installed in ALL OF THEM, no matter if the price is 50K or 200K small or large, gas or diesel.

Forest River has provided many many features on the Georgetown line you would only see in the higer end class A gas rigs by other major manufacturers in a price range that is equivelant to the others "entry level" rigs. I don't see solid surface corian in the entry level rigs of other companies, I don't see the level of woodwork and trim, side opening all aluminum, single latch, slam shut compartment doors on the others entry level rigs, or full body paint for the price we paid which is about the same you would pay for a basement model cheapo rig from one of the other makers.

Honestly I get tired of hearing how cheap the Georgetown is when the things people are talking about aren't even available until you reach a price point that is well above 200K. Even on rigs such as the Fleetwood Discovery which was one of Fleetwoods diesels reaching prices well over 200K I still see the same cabinet construction, carpet, flooring, wiring and plumbing practices, tanks, etc. etc. etc.

I just don't get why someone would buy a rig they feel is so cheap.

Sorry for the length of the post but I've had ENOUGH OF IT!

I agree with NWJeeper about comparisons of the higher Class A from other manufacturers vs the Georgetown Line. We attended the RV Show earlier this year in Timonium MD and FR literally kicked the butts of their competitors from not just a pricing point. The layouts are similar but the look and feel outclassed the others asking $45K more for the same basic thing. Their entry level units were priced higher than the Georgetowns and didn't include the Corian countertops or anything close to the Georgetown's offerings.
We did our homework before making our purchase, looked for a couple years and one thing we've consistently observed is FR gives you more bang for your buck. Every year they upgrade some area whether it's the appliances or color schemes or added frills they are still priced below their competitors and offering more.
Now are they perfect? NO, there are still areas where they need improvement. One thing I'd like to see from them is an Owner's Survey. I've proposed this question to them and got no response. I can only guess they feel they know what they'll doing right vs what they need to improve.

[jd-ford-hd]

Originally Posted by NWJeeper

Yes the TV antenna does come with the signal amplifier same as every other Winegard antenna installed on EVERY other RV out there. FR did not skimp, they used the SAME thing everyone else uses. I have never found that they are all that good no matter what brand rig they were installed in................................................ .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. ............

I just don't get why someone would buy a rig they feel is so cheap.

Sorry for the length of the post but I've had ENOUGH OF IT!

DITTO>!>!