Dish Playmaker hook up

[Awilson]

I just got a new Dish Playmaker and Wally for our 2014 2300 SunSeeker. I have read lots of posts about how many worked first time and others that did not. Mine is in the latter category but it works great hooked directly to the Wally. Ours has the entertainment center in the front which is nice but it’s a curse as well. The outlets and cable hookup is so far back in the cabinet I needed to be like Kareem Abdul Jabar to be able to reach them! Anyway, I have a toner I hooked to the cable connection in the driver side back bay and checked the front and nothing but static. So I have two questions hoping that someone else has been there, done that.

1. Does the cable input in the back RG6 from back to front? Oh God I hope so but I can’t tell.

2. Is there any switches, other then the booster, or cabling I need to change, to be able to hook the satellite dish up to the cable input in the back?

I have not pursued anything yet as it is cold here and I’m trying to ask first before I go out to freeze just to investigate. Many great answers and experience here.

TIA,
Alan

[Dastagg]

MY trailer has two inputs on the outside. One is labeled cable and other is labeled satellite. I hook mine to satellite and mine works great. Not sure but satellite seems to like straight cables without splitters and such.

[houstonstroker]

You may have to take out the outlet covers and look. The cable toners will not pass through a splitter. If you only have a cable hookup and no separate satellite hookup, then there is a mod you can do.

You basically take off the booster plate and drill a couple of new holes. Works best if you have the tools to make new cables.

Look at modmyrv for the explanation.

[Jeff6146]

Welcome to the family. My RV has 4 hookups outside and I couldn’t figure it out either. Here’s what I am doing as we speak. I took every outlet out of the wall and started trying to see which were on the splitters. BTW you need to find those splitter and get rid of them. There are splitters that will work with a satellite. The ones they put in these RV’s are not. Only for over the air and city cable. Then you are going to have to test every cable and find out wheee each end is at. Then take the new splitter and wire it how you want your satellite to run.

[Jeff6146]

[QUOTE=Jeff6146;1685407]Welcome to the family. My RV has 4 hookups outside and I couldn’t figure it out either. Here’s what I am doing as we speak. I took every outlet out of the wall and started trying to see which were on the splitters. BTW you need to find those splitter and get rid of them. There are splitters that will work with a satellite. The ones they put in these RV’s are not. Only for over the air and city cable. Then you are going to have to test every cable and find out wheee each end is at. Then take the new splitters and wire it how you want your satellite to run throughout your camper. Or you could always pay someone to come out and do it. I know where I am it’s $100 for them just to come to me. Then depending on how long there here and supplies...... you know where I’m going with this? So I’m going to figure it out myself. Meanwhile I’ve got a direct lead coming from the satellite to my cable box from under the carpet on the slide my entertainment center is on. On that slide.


For some reason they didn’t have the right spitters installed and didn’t even hook it up correctly.

[Awilson]

Thanks for all the responses. You guys are kind of confirming my suspicions that I need to take it apart and see what’s behind panel #1! Lol! Luckily, or unluckily as the case maybe, I only have one input in the back labeled Cable. I am unable to see the output in the front as it is the very back of the cabinet and about 5’6” off the ground with an 18” deep cabinet in front making it a helluva reach to get back to it. I’m going to get something rigged up to stand on so I can reach it. I got one of those headlights to put on my head so I can see back into that dark dungeon. Lol! I have to make a trip to the store I’m sure to get a splitter I’m sure.

[Jeff6146]

Originally Posted by Awilson

Thanks for all the responses. You guys are kind of confirming my suspicions that I need to take it apart and see what’s behind panel #1! Lol! Luckily, or unluckily as the case maybe, I only have one input in the back labeled Cable. I am unable to see the output in the front as it is the very back of the cabinet and about 5’6” off the ground with an 18” deep cabinet in front making it a helluva reach to get back to it. I’m going to get something rigged up to stand on so I can reach it. I got one of those headlights to put on my head so I can see back into that dark dungeon. Lol! I have to make a trip to the store I’m sure to get a splitter I’m sure.

I use my GoPro whenever it’s not feasible to get into or at a positioning can’t see or get to with my big nogin. It has an app on my phone so I can see what it sees. I came up with that all by myself. Thought that was pretty ingenious coming from me. Oh yea, and I use it for a back up/ Rear camera also. FOTFLMAO

[Awilson]

Originally Posted by Jeff6146

I use my GoPro whenever it’s not feasible to get into or at a positioning can’t see or get to with my big nogin. It has an app on my phone so I can see what it sees. I came up with that all by myself. Thought that was pretty ingenious coming from me. Oh yea, and I use it for a back up/ Rear camera also. FOTFLMAOAttachment 158020

Awesome idea! I’ve tried using my phone but that doesn’t always get me what I need! Thanks for that little nugget!

[Jeff6146]

Originally Posted by Awilson

Awesome idea! I’ve tried using my phone but that doesn’t always get me what I need! Thanks for that little nugget!

No problem. I use it to see when I’m working in my truck, look under my camper because of the closed in underbelly. Use it to make sure everything is still good to go and now leaks or such. I use mine all the time

[Awilson]

Originally Posted by Jeff6146

No problem. I use it to see when I’m working in my truck, look under my camper because of the closed in underbelly. Use it to make sure everything is still good to go and now leaks or such. I use mine all the time

That is an excellent idea! I’m going to have to get one now cause you got me thinking back to all the times I could have used one! Banging my head on the wall now with regrets!

[Awilson]

Well, I climbed up in there and took the cable outlet cover off and there are three cables in there. The one I was looking for was labeled cable on the electronics plate so it was really easy to find. I toned out the cable to be certain that was it and the toner just gets static on the outside of the cover but pull the one marked cable and it tones out just fine. Get a plate and a splice and hook it up we will be in business.

[bubbles]

Just to verify all is well just use one of these:

[DougW]

On our Sunseeker the ends on the COAX were not properly installed. They were pulled back partly and they were not crimped on, just slipped into place. The cable TV Guy had to redo the ends to get our cable to work correctly. You may want to carefully check your connectors to see if they are properly installed and crimped.

[canmes]

The only issue I have encountered with hooking this up is the limitation on the length of cable from the Playmaker to the Wally. They provide a 35' cable (hinting that this is the maximum). Unfortunately my TT is 32' and the cable in the TT from the connector in the front to the television and Wally in the rear already uses up that maximum length and I cannot get linked to the satellite. If I run the cable from the Playmaker through the rear window to the Wally it works great. Looking at adding a new connector to "pass through" the rear wall of the TT to let me connect with a shorter cable.

[Awilson]

Originally Posted by canmes

The only issue I have encountered with hooking this up is the limitation on the length of cable from the Playmaker to the Wally. They provide a 35' cable (hinting that this is the maximum). Unfortunately my TT is 32' and the cable in the TT from the connector in the front to the television and Wally in the rear already uses up that maximum length and I cannot get linked to the satellite. If I run the cable from the Playmaker through the rear window to the Wally it works great. Looking at adding a new connector to "pass through" the rear wall of the TT to let me connect with a shorter cable.

The Dish dealer here told me 50’ was the max and 25’ came with it. My MH is 24’ bumper to bumper so I should be ok. I never thought about longer campers maxing out. He did say that it had to be RG6 cable or it won’t work so be sure yours is the cable with the heavy Center core. I am learning as I go.

[Awilson]

Originally Posted by DougW

On our Sunseeker the ends on the COAX were not properly installed. They were pulled back partly and they were not crimped on, just slipped into place. The cable TV Guy had to redo the ends to get our cable to work correctly. You may want to carefully check your connectors to see if they are properly installed and crimped.

Thanks for the heads up. I checked all the connections and the ends were on ok but they were not at all tight. Your post made me check and I’m glad I did.

[Jeff6146]

Originally Posted by Awilson

The Dish dealer here told me 50’ was the max and 25’ came with it. My MH is 24’ bumper to bumper so I should be ok. I never thought about longer campers maxing out. He did say that it had to be RG6 cable or it won’t work so be sure yours is the cable with the heavy Center core. I am learning as I go.

I have a hundred footer on mine.

[bubbles]

I have used a cable greater than 100 feet from the aft motorhome port (an extra 50 feet inside the motorhome to the Wally) using the Playmaker and have not had any issues.

[Jeff6146]

Yea I’m have to reroute my whole system. I just don’t like doing things half assed. I think there is one more splitter somewhere because I’m still getting short in the continuity in one set of cables. Right now I have mine run on the ground under the camper up the rear slide where the entertainment center is located and under the carpet that moves with the slide.

[Jeff6146]

Now y’all have the playmaker or the playmaker dual. I have the dual and my other receiver still isn’t working.