Coachmen 32TSBH Satellite Question

[BriBoy01]

Hello all,


My friends just purchased a new 32TSBH. Seems like a really nice camper. He is sitting it up semi permanently and will have a satellite at the site. He has 2 receivers and was curious how best to hook them up. Ideally he would like to be able to watch different stations in the bunk room and the bedroom. Will this require running new coax? I do not have satellite so I am not sure what would be required to set this up.

Thanks.

[BarryD0706]

Hopefully he's only going to have a satellite dish at his site. A satellite would cost a fortune. ;-)

We need to know if he'll be using Dish or DirecTV or something else in order to make recommendations.

[BriBoy01]

Good point about the satellite. He would probably need a bigger tow vehicle as well! He will have a Dish Network dish.

[BarryD0706]

With Dish he has three options.

1) If he is ok with HiDef on the main TV and standard-def on the second TV, he can use a single "Dual" receiver (such as a Duo Vip 222). This would be connected to his Sat dish using a "Separator" which provides the two inputs the receiver requires from a single Coax connection to the outside. The main TV connects to the receiver with an HDMI cable. The second TV connects thru a standard coax (such as the existing one that is used to provide over-the-air channels to that TV).

If he wants HiDef on both TVs he can either:

2a) Have a separate coax from each TV to the outside Sat dish so he can use a separate receiver at each TV. (I don't know if this already exists in his RV or if he would have to run new coax from the second TV, which could be difficult to do.)

2b) Use a Hopper receiver at the main TV and a Joey (client) receiver at the second TV. He would need to use a "solo node" outside the RV to connect the single cable from the Hopper to the Sat dish. He would use a "Tap" inside to deliver the signal (again, thru the standard coax as in option 1) to the Joey client receiver. The Hopper is a whole-home DVR system which is high function, but with any DVR, you have to treat it with care during transit to avoid damaging the hard drive.

If he really has to use the receivers he already has, that would be a major factor in determining which option to use (so perhaps you can ask which models of receivers he has as well?).
In all but option 2a, the Sat dish (actually LNB) he uses has to be a Dish Pro PLUS system so be a little careful about which Sat dish he gets.

Hopefully someone who is more familiar with his particular RV can give more information about what wiring is already there.

[BarryD0706]

I took a look at the data for this RV on the Coachmen web-site. From what I can see, this RV does not have separate Satellite input(s), but only a "Cable" input. That means that this one input has to be "re-purposed" for use with Satellite. Fortunately it looks like the "Main TV" (where the antenna booster control and cable inputs come together) is in the main living area (where you'd want it). I also note that this unit has a TV in the outside kitchen/entertainment area, as well as one (I think) in the bunk house.

I created this drawing to indicate what is there and what needs to be changed.


The lines in red (and the red "X"'s) indicate what needs to be cut/changed to connect in the satellite receiver, and to take output from that receiver to the other TV outlets (options 1 or 2b). I normally suggest that "AB" switches be used to allow selection of how the system is supposed to function, but since this is a "semi-permanent" campsite, I doubt the "cable" connection will ever be used as such. (If off-the-air TV is wanted at the second two TV's, an AB switch at the output of the booster control would be in order.)

[BriBoy01]

Wow great information. Thank you! I will see what he has and let you know.