No Cable Signal Thru Winegard Wall Plate

[Theo]

We were recently in our 2020 23IKSS at a campground with a digital TV cable hookup, but we were not able to get the cable service to pass through our Winegard RV-7542 wall plate to our TV. Note that we WERE able to get an antenna-only signal to our TV with the booster on. In both cases, I first did a channel scan before viewing our HD TV. Here is the wall plate:


My understanding of the wall plate's operation is that with the booster button on, it switches to the "ANTENNA" input and sends 12V to the antenna's built-in amplifier which boosts the signal before routing it back down the coax to the RV-7542 and then sends the signal to the "TV" output. With the booster off, it should turn off the 12V to the antenna and route the "CABLE" signal input to the "TV" output.

At the campground, I made sure to turn the antenna booster off by depressing the button until the green LED went off and double-checked the outdoor RG6 connector (to cable - not satellite) but still no luck. The campground confirmed that the cable was active but the TV scanned zero cable stations.

When we returned home, I used a Klein Coax Tester like this to troubleshoot further:



I verified the operation of the tester and the red "loop-back" cap with the cap on the tester. All good! Then I put the cap on the outdoor cable RG6 connector. The tester verified the signal in the brown cable from the outdoor cable RG6 connector to its termination behind the wall plate. Of course, for testing, I disconnected the brown cable from the RV-7542. Then I connected the cable back to the "CABLE" (middle) input on the wall plate, but left the inputs for "ANTENNA" and "SET2" disconnected. I made sure the booster was set to off and used my coax tester connected to front of the wall plate's "TV" output. No signal and a "short" status on the tester.

I then removed the tester "cap" from the outdoor cable RG6 connector and put it on the "CABLE" input on the RV-7542. I made sure the booster was set to off and used my coax tester connected to front of the wall plate's "TV" output. Again, no signal and a "short" status on the tester.

Figuring the wall plate's circuit board was bad, I contacted my dealer and was given a brand new RV-7542. I connected it to the cabling/power in the Roo and...same as before!

Since we don't have satellite gear (and probably won't), I have jury-rigged a "CABLE pass-thru" by having the brown cable connected to the back of the RV-7542's "AUX/SAT" RG6 connector, thus bypassing the 12V circuit board. This has been successfully tested along with the boosted antenna signal. The only (very minor) downside is the need to switch the TV's coax cable from one RG6 to the other.

So, I'm wondering if there is something wrong with the design of the RV-7542 and its implementation in my 2020 23IKSS? Any feedback would be appreciated! Have others with the same Roo and wall plate experienced this?

TIA

[TheWolfPaq82]

During your initial setup, you did switch the TV input from "Air" to "CATV" ???
and you're positive the CG had cable ?? With alot of the Digital systems a small converter box supplied by cable company is required to receive the signal.

[Theo]

Originally Posted by TheWolfPaq82

During your initial setup, you did switch the TV input from "Air" to "CATV" ???
and you're positive the CG had cable ?? With alot of the Digital systems a small converter box supplied by cable company is required to receive the signal.

Yup! I switched the TV input before each scan. Had I not, I would have found the same number of digital stations as I had when I scanned on "ANTENNA".

A digital cable box was not needed as demonstrated by the campground staff.

Thanks for getting back so quickly!!!

Puzzled!

[TheWolfPaq82]

yes puzzling. Cable company in our area COX...you can't receive any signal without their small digital converter box.

[Scrapper]

The short indicated by your tester is possibly a short at one of the terminals crimped on the coax cable. It's not as uncommon as you would think. I believe the splitter (230) built into the RV-7542 is non-pass through to prevent the 12v from entering through the tv's antenna connection.
Attached is a schematic for the power injector board, keep in mind not all boards have the User Interface, Microprocessor and Tuner Meter. The rest of the circuit is the same.

I have the same wall plate in my Flagstaff 832IKBS. I had to replace the board because of bad solder joints.

[Theo]

Originally Posted by TheWolfPaq82

yes puzzling. Cable company in our area COX...you can't receive any signal without their small digital converter box.

Ditto here with Spectrum. When the company was Charter, we got a subset of stations without a box but that changed 3-4 years ago. Monthly box charges must be a terrific revenue source!!!

[Theo]

Originally Posted by Scrapper

The short indicated by your tester is possibly a short at one of the terminals crimped on the coax cable...{snip}

When I tested the RV-7542 board with the loopback cap on the "CABLE" input and the coax tester connected to the "TV" output, no coax cable was involved. Still got a "short" light, though! Also, I know the female-to-female connector I put on the tester is good.

Today's addition of an older generation Apple TV via the TV's HDMI port will allow us to play our downloaded Prime Videos via our iPad's screen mirroring for the times when we don't have campground cable and are out of OTA antenna range!

[Theo]

Scrapper,

After going through the schematic and further research of the Winegard Rayzar z1 antenna, it is apparent that the schematic may not apply to the RV-7542 wall plate. Primarily, the difference in that the schematic shows an amplifier circuit (#210) which does not exist on the RV-7542. Instead, the amplifier is within the Rayzar z1 antenna.

Thus, when 12V power is turned on at the wall plate, it IS sent to the antenna and to its amplifier and not handled on the board.

Curiouser and curiouser!

[Scrapper]

Originally Posted by Theo

Scrapper,

After going through the schematic and further research of the Winegard Rayzar z1 antenna, it is apparent that the schematic may not apply to the RV-7542 wall plate. Primarily, the difference in that the schematic shows an amplifier circuit (#210) which does not exist on the RV-7542. Instead, the amplifier is within the Rayzar z1 antenna.

Thus, when 12V power is turned on at the wall plate, it IS sent to the antenna and to its amplifier and not handled on the board.

Curiouser and curiouser!

I know the amplifier is in the antenna head. I think the schematic is simplified to show the amplifier in the circuit unless there is a secondary amplifier on the injector board. The diagram is from the Winegard Sensor Pro and I was led to believe except for the user interface, microprocessor and meter the rest of the circuit is the same. I cannot find the diagram for the non-Sensor Pro injector board I had at one time.

[Scrapper]

If your board is the same as mine most of the components shown in the diagram do not exist.

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by Theo

Ditto here with Spectrum. When the company was Charter, we got a subset of stations without a box but that changed 3-4 years ago. Monthly box charges must be a terrific revenue source!!!

Maybe, but eliminating loss of revenue through leakage (theft of cable service) through elimination of illegal taps was probably a healthy boost.

Larry

[pjoz98]

I had a similar problem with my Windgard in a Keystone Hideout. I replaced the wall plate and still not signal. Finally I checked the routing of the coax and found the connections were wrong on the back end of the wall plate. Once I straightened that out, I go signals.

[TGR]

Troubleshooting without a reliable cable signal could be difficult. Using a known good signal will help you isolate the problem.

My television scans for both analog and digital channels. I assume yours will too so using a channel 3 analog signal source to test your trailer’s “cable” input will help you isolate the problem. If you use an old VCR player, game box or DVD player with an F connector output that provides a signal on channel 3, you can use that as a signal source to troubleshoot. Test the output from the player by directly connecting it to television’s female F connector antenna input and verify you are setup to receive channel 3 on your trailer’s television. Once that works, reconnect the television as it is normally connected to the trailer’s amplifier. Connect the player’s output to the cable input of your trailer. You should see your player’s output on channel 3 with the trailer’s amplifier off and local TV stations when your trailer’s amplifier is on.

The television’s scan for signals is the same for channels 2-13 on both antenna and cable. Things change for higher channels. A signal source on channel 3 is the same in both cases so this is a good source of a reliable signal.

[Theo]

Scrapper - Thanks for all your help! I have the exact board shown in the three pix you posted. I assume you also have a Winegard amplified antenna. Does yours function properly (i.e.; passing through the cable signal)?

TGR - I think I have a lead on a neighbor's old DVD player with an F-connector. I'll do exactly as you suggest to troubleshoot further. Thanks for the ideas!

pjoz98 - I wish the cable connections were the problem. That was pretty much the first troubleshooting I did. Glad yours is sorted.

Larry-NC - I'll bet you're right on the money! A deterrent to cable theft.


While I wait for my neighbor's 90s technology to arrive, I think I'll call Winegard and see if they can be of help. I did register the Rayzar when we took delivery of the Roo.

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by Theo

Scrapper - Thanks for all your help! I have the exact board shown in the three pix you posted. I assume you also have a Winegard amplified antenna. Does yours function properly (i.e.; passing through the cable signal)?

TGR - I think I have a lead on a neighbor's old DVD player with an F-connector. I'll do exactly as you suggest to troubleshoot further. Thanks for the ideas!

pjoz98 - I wish the cable connections were the problem. That was pretty much the first troubleshooting I did. Glad yours is sorted.

Larry-NC - I'll bet you're right on the money! A deterrent to cable theft.


While I wait for my neighbor's 90s technology to arrive, I think I'll call Winegard and see if they can be of help. I did register the Rayzar when we took delivery of the Roo.

Plenty of free VCRs on Craigslist. You don't even have to have a tape. Just use the presence/absence of a blue screen as indication of signal.

Larry

[Cigar Mike]

This may seem like a dumb question. Has this happened only at this RV park? The reason I ask is this has happened to me but only at one park. I connected the cable directly to the tv and still couldn't receive cable.

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by Cigar Mike

This may seem like a dumb question. Has this happened only at this RV park? The reason I ask is this has happened to me but only at one park. I connected the cable directly to the tv and still couldn't receive cable.

Mike, that was discussed a little earlier in this thread. Perhaps you overlooked it.

Some cable installations scramble the signal to prevent theft of services. In that case you have to borrow a "cable box" descrambler from the office to get a usable signal. It's that way here where I'm writing from.

Larry

[Scrapper]

[QUOTE=Theo;2124926]Scrapper - Thanks for all your help! I have the exact board shown in the three pix you posted. I assume you also have a Winegard amplified antenna. Does yours function properly (i.e.; passing through the cable signal)?

<snip>
I have the Winegard Sensar 3 with the wingman accessory. My campground doesn't have cable so I have never tried the cable connection. My main problem is different than yours, my ota reception is not the best after the trees fill out in the spring.

[Theo]

Cigar Mike - You know, that was my first question at check-in! I was told that a box was not required.

When the tech person dropped by the site to troubleshoot the cable connection, they did hook up a diagnostic tool with a data screen that displayed info like signal strength, s/n ratio and the like. The tech person verified the signal and reiterated that a cable box was not needed.

However, he said it was policy that he could not work with the wiring INSIDE the RV. I guess I can understand that on a couple of levels.

[Theo]

Well, the main problem at the campsite was a wonky 25-foot coax cable we used to connect to the pedestal. I never checked the cable before we left and when Scrapper mentioned crimped connections, I checked the connecting cable today. Turns out the center lead on one end was rather short and, when hooked to the tester, I could bend the cable and cause a a flip-flop between a short/open condition and a pass condition.

Additionally, I found out why my testing went awry. It appears that the circuit board interferes with the loopback signal used by the coax tester. This is the reason I was getting a "short" status when using the tester with the brown "CABLE" cable attached to the RV-7542 and the red cap on the outdoor RG6 connector.

Sadly, my neighbor's old DVD did not have a coax output so I had to scrounge around in the basement for a signal generator. I found my sons' electronics storage box and created my own NES-Tronix Signal Generator:



Lo and behold, I got Zelda on the TV:



With everything back in working order, I decided it was time to understand the behavior of the RV-7542 and the TV's channel scanning. After all, why spend only 7-hours trying to sort this problem? With 25+ digital OTA stations at my location, I wanted to see the results of the scanning process based on the selection of the TV's channel scan source setting. Here's what I found:

Test 1
RV-7542 setting: Power on
TV input setting: Antenna
Channel scan source: Antenna
Result:

• Digital signals found = 28 (OTA) but almost 10 were a bit "iffy" without rotating the antenna
• Analog signals found: 1 (NES-Tronix)

Test 2
RV-7542 setting: Power off
TV input setting: Antenna
Channel scan source setting: Antenna
Result:

• Digital signals found = 6 (OTA) but 2-3 were a bit "iffy" without rotating the antenna
• Analog signals found: 1 (NES-Tronix)

Test 3
RV-7542 setting: Power off
TV input setting: Antenna
Channel scan source setting: Wall (Cable)
Result:

• Digital signals found = 0 (OTA)
• Analog signals found: 1 (NES-Tronix)

So, I'm drawing the following conclusions from this mis-adventure:

1. Our problem at the campsite was (a) abundant ignorance and (b) not verifying the connecting cable before leaving;
2. I did not understand that the Klein coax tester would be flummoxed by the RV-7542 circuit board;
3. The Rayzar's antenna amplifier really does a very nice job of bringing in more OTA stations;
4. The (Insignia) TV's channel scan depends on the setting of its scan source setting;
5. Scanning using "Antenna" as the scan source setting "discovers" both OTA AND cable sources;
6. Scanning using "Wall (Cable)" as the scan source setting "discovers" only cable sources;
7. I'm still not springing for satellite!

Thanks to all for helping me through this issue. It is only through the wisdom of others that one realizes how much they DON'T know!