multiple tv's - only one antenna booster

CHICKDOE · 09-03-2019, 07:07 AM

i have read tons of posts about tv cabling and problems with splitters. last night i read one and i got to wonder how our trailer is actually wired. let me state that i have no problems with it, at least none that i have found so far.

we have multiple tv's in the trailer. we have one antenna booster with the on/off button. there is a park cable connection on the outside. there is an OTA antenna on the roof. and for this discussion completely ignore any satellite cabling as we have a winegaurd / direct tv antenna that does no use any of the factory installed wiring.

i'm just trying to validate how i think the tv cabling must be run:
1. there must be a single run from the OTA antenna to the booster input.
2. there must be a single run from the outside park cable connection to the booster input.
3. there must be a run from the booster output to a splitter input port.
4. there must be a single run from a splitter output port to each individual tv.

does this sound correct?

also, an implication of this is that all tv's must be using the OTA antenna or the park cable, but both cannot be used simultaneously. this would be due to the antenna booster selecting one or the other signal source. is this correct?

BandJCarm · 09-03-2019, 07:42 AM

Not sure I can answer all that. One thing I'd question is....you say that your Winegard Trav'lr doesn't use ANY house cabling. Why do you think that? Did the installer run ALL new cable to ALL tv's? I have one, but it sure does use house cabling. Now, I agree that the cabling that the Trav'lr uses is totally different than the OTA antenna cabling or the cable cabling. There are really 3 separate 'runs' of cables in my trailer.

One good thing they did, at least in mine, is to make each run of coax a different color. Then, I can just pull the end faceplate a little and find out which color is going to that faceplate.

Also, agree that the tv's cannot use the cabling associated with cable/OTA/Trav'lr simultaneously..........but that's because the tv has to be on "source", one or the other. BUT, I can watch tv in living room on Satellite, and watch tv in bedroom on OTA. That's not an issue.

formerFR · 09-03-2019, 07:45 AM

sounds close, though there can certainly still be splitters even after the main box, or connection, such as between two bunk tvs.

The booster is simply there to provide a 12v 'boost' of the incoming OTA signal, not to each tv, of course. Once the signal is 'boosted', it is sent down the line to every tv, thru every splitter, etc. Sometimes you might need an additional 'booster', depending on the length of cable, near other tvs - we did for our rear bunks.

Actually, yes, some entertainment boxes allow both Cable and OTA to be used at the same time, as well as a DVD or Satellite - if you have one of the 'BOMB's, otherwise known as a Box Of Many BUttons, which allows you to set each individual TV to it's desired source. On our BOMB there is no 'booster', per se, only an 'On/Off' main button, which is only used if any one of the TV signals would like to use the OTA.

CHICKDOE · 09-03-2019, 08:05 AM

wow, the permutations on how the cabling is installed are enormous.

i guess i need to clarify the statement about not using the factory installed satellite cabling. the more i think about it i'm really not sure what is installed. but it works so i.m not using sleep about it. there is a coax port on the outside labelled 'sat' right next to the post labelled 'park cable'. we have never used the 'sat' port. we do use the 'park cable' port. our trailer came prewired for a roof top satellite antenna. the dealer installed a wineguard traveller. it terminates in a coax that we plug the direct tv genie box into. from there we use the wireless mini-genies to actually deliver the signals to the various tv's. so we do not use any of the normal satellite wiring.

we do not have any 'bomb' boxes or matrix type boxes. each tv has a single coax cable that it connects to. that coax delivers both OTA and park cable. so my assumption is that all these cable come off a splitter that receives its signal from the antenna booster. both the OTA antenna and coax port must run to the antenna booster without splitters in these runs. the booster must select either the OTA signal or the park cable and pass the selected signal through to the splitter and the end distribution cables. at least this is how i envision it.

i'll be honest. tv has changed a lot since the days of running twinax antenna cable, having the peacock spread its tail prior to a color broadcast, and having the test pattern come on at 11:00!

**Herk7769** · 09-03-2019, 08:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CHICKDOE

i have read tons of posts about tv cabling and problems with splitters. last night i read one and i got to wonder how our trailer is actually wired. let me state that i have no problems with it, at least none that i have found so far.

we have multiple tv's in the trailer. we have one antenna booster with the on/off button. there is a park cable connection on the outside. there is an OTA antenna on the roof. and for this discussion completely ignore any satellite cabling as we have a winegaurd / direct tv antenna that does no use any of the factory installed wiring.

i'm just trying to validate how i think the tv cabling must be run:
1. there must be a single run from the OTA antenna to the booster input.
2. there must be a single run from the outside park cable connection to the booster input.
3. there must be a run from the booster output to a splitter input port.
4. there must be a single run from a splitter output port to each individual tv.

does this sound correct?

also, an implication of this is that all tv's must be using the OTA antenna or the park cable, but both cannot be used simultaneously. this would be due to the antenna booster selecting one or the other signal source. is this correct?

Yep; all correct.

Telstar · 09-03-2019, 12:38 PM

You are correct.

CHICKDOE · 09-03-2019, 12:43 PM

thanks! as i said i am not having problems. but i read post after post about people having problems. i just wanted to understand what i have in case things start to not work.

Freetyme · 09-03-2019, 02:44 PM

I had removed the booster plate once to see how it's wired. Seems all connections/spliters branch from it. Was having a problem getting a signal to the bedroom tv, ordered a gadget on Amazon that has an audible tone when connected to both ends of a coax cable. Found air/cable and satellite were reversed. Handy tool $17.

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