Cable tv hookup

We have a cable tv coax hookup in the electrical compartment of our '03 Brave.

Can we use this to connect a portable satellite dish coax or will we need to install a separate panel?

Probably not since Winnie generally uses a splitter to feed another TV.  Best thing to do is to look at your wiring diagram (see the resources sticky above.)  If you don't have a splitter, then it could work.

I don't know how much difference there is between a Brave and an Itasca Meridian, but I use my cable connection in the utility compartment for either cable or Directv stand alone dish hookup, but not both at the same time.  With a diplexer (sort of a splitter for satellites) behind the selector box I push the cable button when hooked to outside cable or Sat button when using the outside dish for satellite. 

Allen

I think John is right on this one.  My Merdian has two hook ups in the electrical bay. One for the cable and one for the satelite. If you only have one, it is probably for the cable, and that means a splitter.  I have an A-B switch on the cable line inside where the satelite box is, but there is two connections in the cabinet, one for the roof dish and one for the remote dish. 

Like Wagonmaster, we use our basement compartment CATV connection for satellite -- and we can use it for CATV at the same time. We use a "power-pass one-side diplexer" in the basement compartment to connect both SAT & CATV to the input. Behind the switchbox in the front cabinet there is another "power-pass one-side diplexer" to split the signal between the SAT and the CATV inputs. You MUST use a diplexer that will pass power on the SAT side as the power between the dish LNBs and the SAT box is required for the sat system to work. You can normally find power-passing diplexers at Radio Shack, etc -- one-side models and both-side models.  Our portable dish is a Dish 500 2-LNB. One coax goes from the dish to the basement input. Then one coax goes from the selector box to the other side of the front where the SAT box is. There the one coax goes into a Dish Plus Separator and two coax go out to the two inputs on the Dish 500 box. With this setup, we can watch either Dish sat on two different TVs at once.  The Dish Plus Separator is a special splitter I got from the Dish tech who originally set up our system. According to him, there is already one in the Dish 500 antenna that puts both LNB signals into one coax, and the one inside separates them back out.  We rarely use this setup now as we have an automatic rooftop dish, but we have used both SAT and CATV connected at the same time through the one coax connection.

Wagonmaster2 said:

I don't know how much difference there is between a Brave and an Itasca Meridian, but I use my cable connection in the utility compartment for either cable or Directv stand alone dish hookup, but not both at the same time.   With a diplexer (sort of a splitter for satellites) behind the selector box I push the cable button when hooked to outside cable or Sat button when using the outside dish for satellite. 

Allen

Click to expand...

I think you might have something there.  I picked up a portable dish today (looks like a scrubbin' bubble) and tried to hook up to the cable point with no success.  I had pretty much thrown in the towel until I read your post and (after smacking my forehead) realized I hadn't switched the main control box in the coach over to cable tv.  Will try it again tomorrow.

Just to be clear, you can do whats described above, but you either must have an L-Band Diplexer feeding the RF switchbox, or you need to remove that cable feeding the switchbox and plug it into the receiver direct, it will not (or shouldn't) work through the switch. If all you want is CATV or DSS, you only need one Diplexer.

SCVJeff said:

Just to be clear, you can do whats described above, but you either must have an L-Band Diplexer feeding the RF switchbox, or you need to remove that cable feeding the switchbox and plug it into the receiver direct, it will not (or shouldn't) work through the switch. If all you want is CATV or DSS, you only need one Diplexer.

Click to expand...

You might as well be speaking Chinese......

RetiredLE said:

We have a cable tv coax hookup in the electrical compartment of our '03 Brave.

Can we use this to connect a portable satellite dish coax or will we need to install a separate panel?

Click to expand...

The short answer is yes.  Get someone to help you make sure the coax is disconnected from any splitters so it can run straight to the satellite receiver.

PhilB

Phil said:

The short answer is yes.  Get someone to help you make sure the coax is disconnected from any splitters so it can run straight to the satellite receiver.

PhilB

Click to expand...

I am sure there is at least one splitter in there somewhere since the coach did come with two televisions and there is a cable connection in the bedroom.

But why the concern about splitters?

Just thought of something else. If we use the cable connection in the electrical compartment, where would the DirecTV receiver be in the circuit?

The satellite receiver sends a negative or positive voltage to the LNB (the dish) to have it switch from vertically to horizontally polarized transponders (odd and even transponders) depending on what channel you are watching. The splitter would undoubtedly either block or attenuate the voltage going to the LNB.

The receiver is at one end of the coax, the dish is at the other end.  The TV of course hooks up to the receiver.

Only problem is that I also have a control box (see pic) which sends the signal (SAT, CABLE, ANTENNA, AUX) to the TV.

Your control box serves as "the splitter" for the original CATV coax -- it sends the CATV signal to either of the 2 TVs your coach has. My switch box also has input selections for the VCR. If there is a TV in an outside compartment, that one normally mirrors the bedroom TV.  As indicated in several earlier messages, you CAN use a splitter in a coax carrying a SAT signal between the SAT antenna and the SAT receiver, but it MUST BE one that passes power wherever you want the SAT signal to go. Those are special splitters. It has been several years since ours was hooked up, but as I recall the SAT signal goes through one of the special splitters to the SAT box with the CATV going off the other side of the special splitter (the non-power pass side) to the switch box. The two outputs from the SAT receiver (we have a dual SAT box) then go to the two TV inputs on the switch box.  Note that the SAT signal does go direct to the SAT box, and THEN to the switch box.

Using a standard splitter downstream/after the SAT receiver shouldn't be a problem. For example, there undoubtedly is a splitter in the coax doing to the bedroom TV and the outside TV connection since the outside TV mirrors whatever input is selected for the bedroom TV. But as long as you are not putting a SAT receiver in the bedroom or at the outside TV connection, that will not be a problem. For example, our bedroom & outside TVs receive the SAT signal just fine.

RetiredLE said:

You might as well be speaking Chinese......

Click to expand...

Then lets try it again...
The cable connection on the outside of the coach should feed the box you show above directly with no splitters anywhere, that's what this box does. Now, you cannot hook the input (dish) of satellite receiver to this box in any way, shape or form. They are incompatible, period.

IF you want to use the cable connection on the outside of the coach for satellite, plug in the dish to that connector. NOW, go the the back of the switchbox and plug the cable connected to the input marked "CABLE" or "CATV" directly into the satellite receiver. DONE.

IF you want the option of either park cable OR using an external dish on the same external connector (but not at the same time), then you need to go to Radio Shack and buy a satellite diplexer. It looks like a standard splitter (but it's not) so be specific, and install it between the cable that comes from the outside of the coach, and the switchbox. There are 3 connections on it, the one that feeds the switch will be called "ant", "cable", etc.. The other one will be called "Satellite", "Sat", "DSS", etc. those 2 connectors are next to each other. The single connector on the other side of the splitter gets plugged into the cable coming from the outside.

Hows that?

I am starting to see the light.

Yes, I still want the option of either park cable OR using an external dish on the same external connector.

I understand the concept of the diplexer.

If go to the the back of the switchbox and plug the cable connected to the input marked "CABLE" or "CATV" directly into the satellite receiver as suggested, will this affect my ability to receive park cable or will I have to switch it back and forth depending on whether I am using Cable TV or Satellite TV..

RetiredLE said:

I am starting to see the light.

Yes, I still want the option of either park cable OR using an external dish on the same external connector.

I understand the concept of the diplexer.

If go to the the back of the switchbox and plug the cable connected to the input marked "CABLE" or "CATV" directly into the satellite receiver as suggested, will this affect my ability to receive park cable or will I have to switch it back and forth depending on whether I am using Cable TV or Satellite TV..

Click to expand...

You will need to switch back and forth accordingly, or use an A-B switch, or the diplexer of course.

I was able to finally resolve the issue, although not to my total satisfaction.

I ran a short length of coax from the upper left compartment where the satellite receiver is to the passenger side window.  Since we have the portable antenna, we have to run 12 volt power and coax lines out to it anyway.  So... for now anyway we are going to run the cables into the coach via the passenger window. 

Eventually I plan to install an external weather proof 12 power plug with a coax access box next to it.

You won't be alone running cables out of your windows!  I see that quite frequently in campgrounds.

Glad we aren't the only ones then!  :-[

I have a "Belt and suspenders" suggestion.. I have found the 12 volt outlets you pictured are not always all that weather proof.

How about this.. You can get a "Utility door" Like This One

On my rig it takes the same key as the fresh tank gravity feed (Same size door too)

The one I got was a small compartment, about an inch or so deep, you could put your 1 volt outlet and ant connection in it and then close the door when not in use.

I put my antenna connection in an existing weather proof compartment by the way