Need Advice: Input for either Tailgater or Cable TV to same input jack

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Bill N

Bill N

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Ozark, Missouri
Coach is 2002 Winnebago Adventurer 35U.  I recently had a Dish VIP 211K satellite receiver installed and bought a Tailgater satellite dish to go with it.  System works fine but the installer reworked the wiring connections on my switchbox above the passenger seat.  He used the main cable tv input in the lower bay as the Tailgater hookup.  As a result, the only inputs I can use now are the satellite buttons on the switchbox.  The OTA antenna will feed directly into the satellite receiver also and not go through the switchbox.  But I want to be able to hook up to cable TV at parks with heavy tree cover or when inclement weather makes the tailgater a pain to hookup/use.  The installer is now trying to figure out how I can use the input jack in the lower bay for either the Tailgater or Cable TV - would have to have some kind of switch on both ends of input cable I think.  Has anybody come across this problem and, if so, how are you wired to allow either Tailgater or Cable TV to be input in the main input in the bay?  By the way, I did remove the VCR completely as it was an antique and ate the only tape I tried to use in it so the whole VCR section of the switch box is now unused.  Also, the 211K receiver is only good for one TV but, by going through the switch box, I am able to receive a slightly fuzzy version of TV on the bedroom TV.  Wonder how the output jack on the entertainment center outside would work for outdoor TV.
 
See the link below for a diagram.
This works for an external dish that requires power from the receiver so it may work for the Tailgater.

Winegard recommends this diagram. SEE HERE


Note that this assumes your front TV is connected to the coax connector on the front of the wall plate. If yours isn't, there should be  a splitter in the line labeled "To second TV" that will send the signal to both the front and rear TVs (if you have two TVs).

What Winegard calls a "power supply" below is the wall plate with the antenna booster switch and LED showing when the amplifier is on.

If you still want to be able to use the external cable in for both cable TV and the external dish just add an A/B switch to switch the incoming coax from the sat receiver "sat input"  to the sat receiver "TV input".

If your receiver doesn't have a coax output (and many new ones don't) and you still want to use the batwing antenna you will need to use an A/B switch to switch the signal between the receiver and the antenna out connection on the wall plate.

One thing not shown in the diagram is using the RCA type connections or the better quality "component" type output or the HDMI (best) output between the sat receiver and the TV.
That will yield a much better picture with no interference from any local channels. You have to select a "video in" with your TV menu instead of using channel 3 (for example).
Some newer satellite receivers don't have a coax output so you may have to use HDMI or component connections.

If you have a video distribution box that will have to be taken into account.
 
I hate that... Personally I would not use the factory installed PARK CABLE line for the Tailgater.. But well.. You have the 2nd reason I do not like it.

I would restore he park cable,,, IF he did what' I would do (Run the RF out from the sat receiver to back to the switch)

You have 3 choices

One (Temporary) Move the cable from LNB to OTA Antenna on the 211K Then shut OFF the 211k.. I hope it will pass through.

Two (Better) Install A/B switch  A goes to sat receiver ANTENNA (OTA) B to LNB  To watch cable, Switch to A and shut off receiver.

Best: Install brand new RG-6 for tailgater to a connection in the location of your choice and hook park cable up as I described (Move to ANT connection on 211K.

Let me double check something first:

First: NOT 100% sure sat receiver will pass through when turned off,, Think it should but not documented, older units did.

Two Page 93 of your VIP-211K manual gives yet another way (Diplexer) I do not recommend due to signal loss but it may work as well. In fact, might work very well.
 
Thanks guys.  I am trying to digest your answers and decide which way to go.  I suggested the A/B switch to the Dish installer (he said he will fix it for free) but he mumbled something about the switch not being able to carry the power to the Tailgater (which gets it's power through the coax).  Then he started talking about some other device to do about the same thing but was trying to figure out how to hook everything up.  He was going to notify me this past Thursday but that has come and gone.  Will give him a wake up call Monday as we are heading out on July 12 for about a month to Winnebago GNR and continue on to Minnesota and North/South Dakota to visit our son.
 
Problem solved (or I think it is).  Called the installer this morning and he had me bring the coach in.  He installed two diplexers and that seems to be the answer.  Now I can hookup cable AND the Tailgater if I want but I haven't had any cable tv service to test that part yet.  Of course, every place we are going on or next month long trip does NOT have cable so the Tailgater will get a workout looking for the Dish satellites.
 
I seldom use cable TV, so I ran a coax direct from my Dish receiver to a splice in the CATV cable (conveniently located over a wheelwell).  So, I was able to connect my Tailgater coax to the CATV input jack on the side of the MH.  Worked great...but...we're currently on a trip out west and I noticed that the further west we got, the more difficult it was to get a good signal from all 3 satellites.  At first, I thought it was signal blockage by trees or mountains, etc., but while camping at China Lake Navy Base with nothing around (and I do mean nothing), I still had problems.  I poked around on the Dish forum and an "expert" there told me the further west I get the more difficult it is to get a good signal and to try running the cable direct to the receiver.  That did the trick.  I'm not suggesting you run your coax direct, but just be aware there may be a time when running direct works, but running through the signal loss in jacks and things doesn't.
 
How far west are you talking? I will be in S. Dakota,Wyoming,Montana and Colerado in a few weeks. Should I expect trouble with directv?
 
Pup said:
How far west are you talking? I will be in S. Dakota,Wyoming,Montana and Colerado in a few weeks. Should I expect trouble with directv?
Click to expand...

What trouble are you expecting?  As long as you can see the satellite, no trees, buildings or mountains in the way, DirecTV will work anywhere in the lower 48 states.
 
I live in Montana and every so often I have issues receiving all three satellites as well.  I though it was mostly to do with tree coverage but will try connecting the Tailagater directly to  the receiver next time.


On a similar issue about installation:

Just recently got my Tailgater and the installer just placed a new outside coax connector close to my Front TV and then connected the Receiver to that. The output is an HDMI cable to the front TV.  I have a Class C Tioga with 2 TV units.  I would like to have the bedroom TV connected to the sat ( understand that both TV's will be receiving the same channel).  Is there any way to send the rear TV signal from the receiver?
 
It will depend on the outputs available on your particular receiver, perhaps in addition to the HMDI, and whether or not they output simultaneously with the HMDI output in use.

It will also depend on what inputs the bedroom TV has. You may not be able to do that easily with some of the newer receivers. The older receivers used to have a coax type output which was easily split where necessary and fed feed through the signal select and TV select box to the far end of the motor home.

My current home unit is like that and it also has two tuners, hence different channels can be selected on the two different TV's. It was the last one made for Bell and, AFIK, Dish with that output configuration.
 
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