Satalite TV

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an RV or an interest in RVing!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
codgerbill

codgerbill

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 10, 2009
Posts
518
Location
Ann Arbor Michigan
I am thinking of getting a subscription to Direct TV. A friend of ours has a Dish that they had from Direct TV before the changed to comcast. They have offered it to us. My question involves connecting the satellite dish to the coach. I was at a campground and there was a coach that had a direct TV satellite dish and ran the coax cable in thru the window to connect to the receiver then the TV. They had replaced the big klunker tube type TV with a 26" LCD TV. I am wondering what it would take to be able to connect the satellite dish directly to the coax fitting that one normally uses for the cable TV hookup? I had a satellite dish on the roof and an older receiver in the coach. Would using that connection be viable?I did a search and am not sure it was answered in a way that I can completely comprehend.
 
Generally no, you can't use the cable TV connector for your Sat-to-receiver connection...You need the higher quality co-ax cable from the sat dish to the receiver, and using one cable without any other connections will give you the best results, best signal, etc...that's my experience, in any case - there may be some exceptions with newer RV's co-ax cable connections these days...
Ray
 
The outside connection most likely uses RG59 cable as typically used for analog cable TV.  On the other hand, satellite, digital cable TV or other high speed digital signal over coax require RG6.  However, given the short distance and the fact it's already there, I would say give it a shot.  If it works fine, you're all set.  If not, you'll have to find a way to run RG6 from the dish to the receiver.
 
Regardless of the cable size (RG6, RG59, RG58, etc.) you will likely run into splitters using the cable connector(common if you have multiple TV outlets and no Video Switch) and splitters will block the DC that is provided by the Sat Rcvr to the LNB on the Sat Dish.  If you replace the splitters with Satellite compatible splitters you will be in business.

Youcould use the line from your old Sat Dish, but I would rather run it through the window than crawl up on the roof to make the connection.

I would consider running a new piece of RG6 from the area of your receiver down the window trim (I am assuming you have a MH with TV mounted in front above the dash) and out the side wall between the bottom of the dash and the floor on drivers side and mount an outdoor receptacle plate on the outside skin.

 
Weewum is correct.  The amplified splitter will stop power going to the dish and the receiver will not work.  I just installed a new HD Dish in our fiver.  I drilled a new hole behind the TV and installed a separate interior and exterior plate for the satellite hook-up only.  When we're in an RV park that offers cable, we'll attach our RG 59 cable to the factory exterior connector.  It's now just a matter of connecting our satellite dish and Satellite cable to the new exterior connector when we use Dish TV.
 
The splitter in the rig is never amplified, but it will stop a sat dish from working (The amplifier is before the splitter in the antenna system) since the Sat-Dish is an active (Eats electricity) device and the splitter won't pass power.

Winegard does have a "procedure" for using the wrong type of cable that frankly I don't like.. First it costs you the park-cable option, 2nd, on this rig at least that cable is about the worst hunk of coax I've ever met.

I recommend running quality RG-6 for the LNB, from the receiver to either a bulkhead (Throughwall) or basement connection and then a 2nd RG-6 to the dish

That works. PERIOD.  no splitters, no tricks, no problems (Save bad connectors which happens sooner or later with all cables)

One other thing.. I"ve seen folks wrap their coax around those flat cord winders.

DO NOT DO THAT,  Use a reel that has a "Hub" that is at least as big around as a 3 pound coffee can.. bigger is better,  Sharp bends can damage the cable. (Off the top of my head I think it's a six inch diamater circle, or radius, not sure which, but a 1' circle is a bit large, about the way I roll mine up)
 
The cable inlet on many rigs goes direct to the tv antenna amplifier, which is itself a splitter. Then from there to a video switch that selects which signal source goes to which tv.  Either one of those will kill the satellite dish feed. The RG6 feed needs to go straight to the satellite receiver. However, there are splitters that are designedl work with satellite signals over coax if you really need one. An example would be feeding one signal to two different receivers.
 
The problem with a "Splitter" in the line is this

DirecTV used different voltages to choose right or left (odd/even though not necessarly in that order) so if you simply "Split" trhen the 2nd receiver has no control over odd/even.

Dish uses voltage for soemthing else and frequency to choose odd/even so you can see odd/even, but not the other satellite.


You use a digital equipment signal switch and two coax lines from the antenna and, assuming you have the right switch, it all works with 2,4 or more (with just 2 you only need 2 lines from a DUAL antenna)

NOTE: Antenna terms.. Single: One output, one receiver max,  DUAL: two outputs, 2 receivers (or one dvr) or multiple receivers/dvrs with the proper switch.

Twin: Two LNB's (DISH 500)
Triple  (I bet you can figure that out)
Qiad :Olewose

I have seen dishes for up to eight LNB's with the proper switching.  AND A receiver that can handle it.
 
I Have called Winnebago and talked to a service rep.."Tom". Tom suggested that I open the hood in front and put a jack under the hood. He said the inside connection would go to the satellite receiver. I kinda like that idea. I would guess that the coax on the inside would go to the satellite receiver and then to the switch box. My next question is...
If one has a portable satellite dish how does one know where to point it? I am guessing that there will be a signal strength meter to be used. Does the various satellite TV companies also have a published list of where to start looking?
I also asked for a one line diagram for the system. The TV wiring diagram for my year coach (2000) doesn't have one. He said to look at a later year coach 2007-2009).
 
On my Damon, which is built on a Workhorse chassis. the "Basement" connection is actually on the bracket for the brake master cylinder/bell crank under the hood

this is high up, never gets wet, out of the weather, and easy to reach when I need to connect/disconnect.. I just toss the cables under the front and if my back is bothering me (happens some times) snag them with the awning hook, and hook 'em up at eye level.. Very handy, beats bending over and banging my head on the slide out when I stand up all to pieces :)

In short: I second that Winne tech.
 
Aiming the dish is a bit intimidating at first.  But, once you get the hang of it it is not all that bad.  some receivers allow you to input your zip code and it will then give you the coordinates.  There are computer applications and internet sites that do the same.  Once you have the coordinates you use a compass to get the azimuth and a level to get you going on look angle. 
 
    I have a older pace arrow (83) where as I installed a new input jack(weather proof) outside and a new inside jack(at the base of the dog coup) which I use only for satelite. Now I must also learn how to set it up on site?
 
codgerbill said:
If I am understanding this, I think that I wont need a signal strength meter.
Click to expand...

There are basically 3 kinds of signal strength meters

The first is 20-30 bucks, it contains a knob and a meter and you hear these Beeping things at most all campgrounds. and frankly I think they are JUNK!!!!!!  They will show you when you are aimed at a bird.. but they are not at all helpful in telling you if it's the RIGHT bird

Better is DirecTV's receiver software.. Which tells you if it's the right bird, but otherwise not what bird you are looking at

BEST is Dishnetwork software.. Or A BirdDog, or a few other Sat Finder meters that do tell you not only how strong the signal is but what bird it is

So if you are looking for DISHnetwork bird 110, and you see it is peaking on 101 (Which it will do) you know "Go West Young Man"  Likewise if you want 110 and it shows 129, Go east.

It just don't get better than that

What did I use.... A portable color battery operated TV on the external TV jack of course.. And the receiver software.. Worked way better than the junk-o-meter
 
John,

DO you just plug the tv into the satellite receiver and the receiver into the TV? Is the portable TV a digital, and are the satellite signals all digital? I may just have to come to deeetroit to see yor set up  and see what your method of setting up looks like 8).
 
The satellite receiver will have multiple outputs.  There will be a coax output on either channel 3 or 4, selectable, but that's the least desirable one to use.  There will also be a composite video output along with the left and right stereo audio channels, colored yellow (video), red and white (audio).  Any recent television will be able to accept those as input.  There may also be an HDMI A/V output, but only if the receiver is HD capable.  There may also be a digital optical audio output for connecting to a home theater A/V receiver.

The fact that the satellite signals are digital is irrelevant to how the receiver connects to the television.
 
Standard Satellite hookup  Arrows show signal direction

Antenna {----}SatReceiver----}--Television

The line from the antenna to the Sat Receiver can not contain standard spliters or electronics though it may contain special digital equipment switches which are sometimes called splitters.

There are some "non standard" hookups too, but I'm doing the KISS method here so I wont' go into those.

I will cover one "Advanced" hook up and that is a DVR

Antenna {======}Sat-DVR/receiver------}TV

Note two lines between antenna and Sat-DVR/receiver
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Members online

Total: 919 (members: 24, guests: 895)

Forum statistics

Threads
131,966
Posts
1,388,398
Members
137,719
Latest member
mattlov
Back
Top Bottom