Internal cables not connected.

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samthetramp

samthetramp

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Ok so after realizing that my Winegard bat wing TV antenna wasn't performing well at all even after installing a wingman on it I started looking at replacing cables. I replaced the cable running thru the bat wing and the terminal on the cable it plugs into. Still had bad reception. I'm talking 2-3 channels on a clear day within 25 miles of a major city. Then I start looking at the connections at the back of the male connector on the power antenna and find it is a different color cable than what connects to the outer antenna.

After closer inspection I realize that there are cable ends just floating around inside the wall not connected to anything. All cables are secured somehow so I can't just rewire it. Was thinking about cutting a hole in the wall since it has a cabinet over it that would camoflage  the cut and I could get this figured out but I don't want to cut into any cables/wires. Any suggestions on how to go about this?
 
You need a long piece of wire and a continuity tester. This will allow you to verify which wire is which and hook them up properly (antenna, cable, 2nd tv, etc). Use the cable as a jumper to get from one side of the wire to the the group and use the continuity tester to pick that wire out of the bunch.


People unhook the cables sometimes because they need to bypass the amplifier in order to use a satellite dish.
 
I presume you had the amplifier on? The color difference could be due to the outside cable running to a splitter, then a different cable from the splitter to the antenna. Or perhaps you actually found where they were not connected to anything? Or maybe there is corrosion on part of the outside cable, perhaps at or on a connector? And I presume you're aware that the amp assembly may have three cables on the back, one for cable TV, one for antenna, one out to TV or splitter? Have you disassembled the antenna base from inside, to see the cable connection there and check for corrosion?

None of this is clear from the way your post read, which is why I'm asking, realizing that you may have done/be aware of all this but hadn't mentioned it, and these are obvious troubleshooting steps for your stated problem.
 
Larry N. said:
I presume you had the amplifier on? The color difference could be due to the outside cable running to a splitter, then a different cable from the splitter to the antenna.
Click to expand...
That should not be the case. The line needs to go directly from the booster to the antenna. You can split off of the Aux TV line.
 
Arch Hoagland said:
I think I'd run an cable externally from the antenna to the TV and see if it corrects the problem BEFORE stringing it through the walls.
Click to expand...
X 2.  I did this one time on a previous MH and found the antenna was bad.  Dick nvrver
 
Things I have seen with my own eyes.. NOTE: I am not an RV repair technician but ... Well this is in my venu as it were

Cable (Exposed to weather) bad.. You already replace it

Cable connectors (Inside roof/below the clamshell thing the cable runs under) Bad, All of them, BAD, I had to replace the connector (Double female) and both male ends (Cable ends)  MY RV.

BAD CABLE (ROOF TO WALL) NOT EXPOSED TO WEATHER.. i DID NOT REPLACE THIS ONE since it was not my rig and I do not tear up your wall.

NO cables connected or locatable behind wall plate.... I mean NOTHING there, PERIOD.

Bad cable ends, and connectors (Many over the years, not so many of them on RV's but I've been doing coax a long time)

Operator Error (Not the problem in this case).

The only thing I have yet to PERSONALLY encounter is:  Bad antenna.
 
I replaced the cable that goes to the antenna head. there are 3 possible connections on the back of the amp plug recepticle but didn't think to see if they were dedicated although I do not see how. All 3 go are wired into the single female plug that faces out. There is a separate female plug for the cable/satellite. I have to jump around that plug in as well. Starting to believe that they were never connected at the factory. There is a plastic under belly on my camper that is in 1 piece and would be a pain to remove to do this from underneath. That's why I want to cut a hole in the wall to access the cables and see what it what.
 
No that won't be necessary NickB. My issue is there probably are cable ends still hidden in the wall that I can't see. I will check them for continuity to see if there is a splitter that has a different color cable coming out the back side to the outlet but I doubt it since I have all 3 that I found connected to it now. Unless it is a bad cable those 3 aren't the one.

The camper is pre wired for cable and satellite so there are 2 female ends by my TV. One is the power antenna for UHF/VHF and the other is for cable/satellite. Neither works as I have had to bypass them to get signal into the camper.
 
The cables are usually cable/OTA antenna and satellite. The cable to/from a satellite dish to the satellite receiver cannot be shared or split as it carries very specific power for the LNB unit at the dish.
 
Arch Hoagland said:
I think I'd run an cable externally from the antenna to the TV and see if it corrects the problem BEFORE stringing it through the walls.
Click to expand...

I agree.
Simplest trouble shooting first.
I had a problem with the TV and found the the connector at the antenna was bad.
Could be a simple problem or a real pain.
 
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