TV reception

Panamapete · 04-17-2019, 11:35 PM

I have 3 TV’s. While on antenna all 3 work fine. When I hook to cable and turn off the booster, only the main TV gets perfect reception. The other 2 are fuzzy. I tried with the booster on and no go on any of them.
Checked all the connections I can find. Just makes no sense that it works fine on antenna but not cable?
Any ideas? Oh yea, all TV’s are the same make.

**bikendan** · 04-17-2019, 11:57 PM

Only the main tv worked on cable, not the bedroom tv, in our TT.
I have to change the cables around and add a splitter, to get both to work on cable.

CincyGus · 04-18-2019, 02:09 AM

My semi-educated guess is that you have the typical wall mounted cable booster that plugs into your main TV and your roof mounted antenna feeds. Then the signal is split to the other TV antenna ports in the camper.

Look similar to this?
https://www.makariosrv.com/wall-plat...white-rv-7042/

As you can read on that link, Most of those basic booster, 12v power supplies only allow two TV's to be used on the splitter. If they have wired a third TV, they have likely installed a second splitter on the feed out of the booster splitter, further degrading the signal strength.

My thought would be to see if you can search for a splitter that natively supports 2 inputs/3 outputs with the booster.

Panamapete · 04-18-2019, 11:34 AM

Yep, looks just like that in the link. But is only hooked to the main TV. I’ll check around for another.
Maybe there is someone on here with a 2017 XLR Thinderbolt 420 AMP that can chime in with a spot to look.

Thanks for the replies!

CincyGus · 04-18-2019, 01:47 PM

There will only be one in the camper. The back of that has a cable in, antenna in and a output out to run to a second TV. My guess is the cable running from the output out has a second splitter on it to run to the two additional TV's wall jacks where you screw in the antenna cable to them. This double splitting, first at the wall plate for the main TV and then to the second splitter is what is causing the signal loss. There also could be other factors such as a nicked cable in the wall, a staple or screw in it, etc.

JohnD10 · 04-18-2019, 01:56 PM

The issue I had was that the Furrion AM/FM/CD/DVD player from the factory was connected to splitter inside the entertainment center to somehow get use from the roof antenna.

The only thing that connection did was to short (or ground) out the cable TV signal to the living room TV.

The instant I unplugged that antenna connection from that splitter...POOF...I had cable TV in the living room!

I now have a marine antenna stuck to the inside wall of the entertainment center to get radio signal.

**bikendan** · 04-18-2019, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Panamapete

Maybe there is someone on here with a 2017 XLR Thinderbolt 420 AMP that can chime in with a spot to look.

For that, you should have posted in the XLR sub-forum, not a General sub-forum.

**Iwritecode** · 04-18-2019, 04:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Panamapete

Yep, looks just like that in the link. But is only hooked to the main TV. I’ll check around for another.
Maybe there is someone on here with a 2017 XLR Thinderbolt 420 AMP that can chime in with a spot to look.

Thanks for the replies!

You should only have one booster. If you are using cable, it needs to be off.

Panamapete · 04-18-2019, 08:31 PM

My booster only has one output and it goes to the TV with ok reception.
I'm not sure how the others are tied in. Nothing is exposed.

Witch Doctor · 04-20-2019, 06:20 AM

I don't know, but I think you found your problem the antenna signal needs to go to a splitter not the TV direct. If it is as you say you will only get it on the main TV.

bubbles · 04-20-2019, 08:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Panamapete

My booster only has one output and it goes to the TV with ok reception.
I'm not sure how the others are tied in. Nothing is exposed.

Sounds like you are referring to the front of the booster plate. The other outputs are on the back of the plate. You said all tv's had good OTA picture and therefore there must be a splitter down stream from the plate backside 2nd tv output. I suppose there could be a park cable input/output issue even though the OTA signal has no issues.

Panamapete · 04-20-2019, 10:58 AM

I agree. If it didn’t go to a splitter, there would be no picture with cable at all. Maybe not even on antenna. So it has to be going to a splitter somewhere because I have picture. Problem is they hide stuff like that. Just to find the booster I had to remove the TV from the wall. I have to remove it every time I want to turn the booster on or off. Stupid place to put it.
I will have to try and trace some wires and see if I can find a hidden splitter. Possibly something vibrated loose? Because once upon a time they all worked fine.

JohnD10 · 04-20-2019, 11:11 AM

Do you have a coax plate just inside the cubby hole to hook up an outside TV (on the door side of the camper)?

If so, you'll probably find a splitter somewhere near that.

Most likely behind the wall.

In my previous TT I pulled the wall plate off and reached through the hole and found the splitter right there.

And I found the second in a series of three splitters in my 5'vers basement the same way.

And that splitter is where I discovered that the whole coax wiring was backwards on both my 5'ver and previous TT.

The coax input was actually connected to the output of this splitter, and the output to the living room TV was hooked up to the input of this splitter.

Splitters will only allow the signal to pass through one way.

Once I swapped those splitter connections, I got my signal to all wall connections.

bubbles · 04-20-2019, 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnD10

Do you have a coax plate just inside the cubby hole to hook up an outside TV (on the door side of the camper)?

If so, you'll probably find a splitter somewhere near that.

Most likely behind the wall.

In my previous TT I pulled the wall plate off and reached through the hole and found the splitter right there.

And I found the second in a series of three splitters in my 5'vers basement the same way.

And that splitter is where I discovered that the whole coax wiring was backwards on both my 5'ver and previous TT.

The coax input was actually connected to the output of this splitter, and the output to the living room TV was hooked up to the input of this splitter.

Splitters will only allow the signal to pass through one way.

Once I swapped those splitter connections, I got my signal to all wall connections.

OK but did you have good OTA TV and just bad on park cable with those issues?

You may also like: