How best to get WiFi ranger cable into the interior of 33c

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Liltippy

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Feb 16, 2014
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I plan on adding a Wifi ranger mounted on an expandable mast attached to my ladder on the rear of the coach.

So, the problem I am asking for you to solve is how best to get the cable into the motorhome

1. I do not want to drill a hole in the roof

2. The coach has 3 slides and the large slide on DS has the refrigerator. Therefore, coming thru that vent will not work due to slide out.

3. I want to make this permanent so I do not have to connect / disconnect any cables when I set up. All I want to do is raise the antenna and good to go.

4. Has anyone run the cable on the underside of the coach and then found a good entryway ?

I have a 2011 33c Winnebago. I appreciate any suggests and pictures.
Thanks
 
Do you have a bat wing TV antenna? Does your refridgerator have a roof vent?

I have seen the ranger attached to the bat wing mount and the cable run down the refer vent to the interior. The ranger antenna is raised with the TV antenna, and retracted for travel.
 
Refer vent is part of slide wall, so that means some how making the cable move with slide.
 
SeilerBird said:
I would drill a hole in the roof or the side of the RV. It can be sealed up easy.
Click to expand...

True, sealing seems rather easy.....but just writing based on intuition, not experience..... but given the choice I would rather come up through the floor personally.  Even easier to seal.  Seems like it would be workable to come off the bottom of the ladder and under.....

My other general comment is that there are plenty of wires in slides.... power outlets and all sorts of others..... just installed with some extra slack and strategically so they don't catch on something in transit.  I'll bet if you think about it, there are wires going to that fridge that is in your slide.....have a look at how they are routed and maybe tou could make it similar..... or considering necesary signal shielding perhaps even follow the same route from the slide to the main body of the coach???
 
SeilerBird said:
I would drill a hole in the roof or the side of the RV. It can be sealed up easy.
Click to expand...
This.

Use a Winegard CE1000 or a CE4000 cable entrance plate.  Drill a small pilot hole to made sure you don't hit anything, then a larger hole.  Clean the area on the roof with acetone, run the cable, place a bead of Dicor around the footprint of the entrance plate, place the plate, fasten with stainless #8 self tappers, then run another bead of Dicor around the edge of the plate (and cover the screws with Dicor.)  No muss, no fuss, and no leaks.
 
Thanks good answer.  Might try this on the side of the coach as it would give easy access to the interior location where the devices are located.
 
interesting ....but that adds 11 holes instead of one.  How does that help?

I was wondering why the manufacturer didn't have some sort of "store-bought" flashing where they entered the antena coax cable on all the coach's I've seen.  I always thought there should be a more elegant solution than half a tube-o-caulk

Oh, the other concern I would have with that winegard plate is that it seems like it would put a sharp bend in the wire where it enters.

I trust that there's an advantage to this gizmo, otherwise you wouldn't suggest it.  Just observing and asking, not trying to be contrary.
 
All good points.  I also was concerned about the sharp bend to the cable this device seems to require.
 
Where is it that you want the cable to terminate inside the MH?

Owning a 33C myself, I also wouldn't want the cable running the length of the MH on the roof.

Do you have "coach heat"? If so, and if the water heater is in the bedroom, then you have piping under and running the length of the coach. I would purchase or fabricate pipe clamps that would allow the cable to be attached but stand-off the pipe (or the existing pipe clamps) by about an inch or so. Also, Your MH has a pretty slick system for serving all the cabling from under the MH into the slide areas without radical bends on the cables. You can easily open the snap-in keepers and insert another cable and run that cable into the slide right along with the others.

If the termination point is in the forward, overhead cabinets, then it seems going through one of the windshield pillars is the answer. If you do go through a window pillar, I would certainly be interested in knowing how you accomplished it.
 
"coach heat"?  Yes, the water heater is located under the closet on the DS in the bedroom.  I would like to terminate the cable in the bedroom.

So, your suggestions for getting the cable into the coach at that area.

Thanks
 
Where at in the bedroom? One side has a slide and the other has the closet.

My coach has a closed-loop water piping system from the engine to the water heater which preheats the water when in transit. Under the triangular cabinet is a small "heater core" through which this water passes along with a two-speed blower controlled from the drivers console labeled coach heat. If you have three vents under the triangular storage then you probably have coach heat.
 
Yes, I have "coach heat", which as I understand it, uses that small radiator and provides heat to the rear of the coach while the engine is running.

Yes, the goal was to terminate the cable and place the router either in the triangular cabinet or in the overhead cabinet next to the TV in the bedroom.

The layout of the 2011 33C is like the 2012 33c.  The bed slides out on the PS and the wardrobe closet, drawers (with water heater underneath), triangular cabinet, wall mounted TV and small wall mounted TV on the DS.

Thanks again, very helpful information.
 
Is the antenna cable Cat 5 POE, coax or USB. If it is USB it has a 30' limit. With coax the longer the cable the greater the attenuation of the signal. With a Cat 5 POE length isn't a factor.

Something that I have used on several installations is the Big Jon Cable Cap. It was designed for depth finder cables on boats. It is available in white or black and one or two cable versions.

https://www.bigjon.com/product/white-cable-cap-two-hole-cable
 
You may have noticed that the wardrobe has a false wall between it and the triangular storage area because you have an outlet on the outside of the wardrobe but no wires on the inside. So, it seems you have the choice of coming from underneath up into the triangular storage, the false wall or the wardrobe.

Personally, I would go into the triangular storage area since I find it useless except for storing traveling changes of clothes. I find the wardrobe to be very valuable storage and I travel single. The triangular storage area also has a false floor with the coach heat radiator, water piping, wiring and heat ducts. I would certainly remove the false floor before drilling through. For 120 vac, you could tap into the false wall (inside the tri-storage) and use the power wires from the outlet directly above. This outlet gets inverter power on my coach.

Of course I mean install a new 120 vac outlet in the tri-storage area. You would probably need to pull down the wire from the outlet above to have enough to install a new outlet. If so, I would pull in new wire as the existing is pulled down to make the original outlet functional again.
 
I also am a solo traveler so I understand about the wardrobe.  Using the triangular cabinet sounds like a plan to me.

Thanks
 
John Hilley said:
Is the antenna cable Cat 5 POE, coax or USB. If it is USB it has a 30' limit. With coax the longer the cable the greater the attenuation of the signal. With a Cat 5 POE length isn't a factor.

Something that I have used on several installations is the Big Jon Cable Cap. It was designed for depth finder cables on boats. It is available in white or black and one or two cable versions.

https://www.bigjon.com/product/white-cable-cap-two-hole-cable
Click to expand...

Cable is Cat 5 POE
 
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