Cable Quality

[ip076]

First, I rarely plug into campground cable and a barely use an antenna. Just don?t want much TV.

But it seems like every time I do hookup cable, the quality is horrible. Barely watchable. I?ve probably tried 5 different campgrounds this year and all seem the same.

The antenna booster is definitely off.

Any ideas? I honestly don?t care as i don?t watch much TV, but if there?s something bad on my end I?d like to check it out.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

You have a poor, e.g. corroded connection on the cable, either where the park cable connects to the coach or elsewhere between there and the TVs. There may be a splitter or tow in there as well, and each one reduces signal quality.  Another way to help is to buy an amplifier and try that - sometimes it boosts the quality enough to help a lot. Another thing to try is to run the coax directly inside and to the jack on the tv (if you can get to it). That bypasses the entire RV coax and lets you see how good it might be without interference of any sort.

Last, what about the coax you are using to hook to the campground outlet? Are you sure it is good?  Maybe try it on a neighbor's rig, or at home? Just to be sure?

 

[grashley]

Several possible causes.
1.  Bad signal / fitting on the CG end.
2.  Bad fitting connection on your cable.  This could be either end of the cable used to connect to CG, or it could be any end / fitting connection in the camper, from the CG input to the connections behind the TV, and everything in between.

To try to isolate the issue, I would use an OTA antenna and a second TV set up near the cable input to find a good, clean signal.  Once established, connect the antenna to the cable input.  You know this is a clean input signal.  If the TV is good now, it is your hook up cable.  If not, "play" with all the cable ends / fittings you can reach.  Hopefully, one will yield good / bad / good / bad picture quality and you have identified the location of the problem.  It could be the cable end, the fitting or simply a loose connection.

Good Luck!

Edit:  Gary types faster than me!

 

[whokares2]

If your TV has HDMI input, go to your local big box store and get a internal digital antenna for about 20 bucks.  I put suction cups on mine and hang it from the nearest window or windshield.  Always get 10 to 20 high definition channels.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

I'm a huge fan of a chemical cleaner called DeOxit.  This stuff is a miracle when it comes to cleaning corrosion off electrical connections.  I get mine from Amazon, but you can probably find it at the big box stores as well.  If this doesn't solve your problem, then the problem isn't corrosion, but something else. 

DeOxit will also be useful for cleaning up electrical power connections and trailer towing connections too.

 

[John From Detroit]

Two suspects (well 3) one is describe above. 2 Someone may have messed with the cables. (I won't go into that)

3: Seen this first hand:  Neighbor complained about fuzzy cable.. I showed him the wall plate with the 12 volt accessory outlet that's all but useless. the switch the led (Which was ON) and the antenna connection.. Pushed the button (Switch) and SHARP AS A RAZOR the picture on his TV was.. Just like that.. Yup. that is the sorce selector switch LED on = ROOF TOP ANTENNA.

 

[Larry N.]

and get a internal digital antenna

There's no such thing as a "digital antenna" -- antennas are analog only, and HDMI has nothing to do with it. They "care" about the frequency being received, but not the nature of the signal. So many stations went from VHF to UHF (major frequency change) during the conversion to digital, and marketers started hyping "HD antennas" but UHF vs VHF is the criterion. Certainly those indoor antennas will help if the outdoor one is not able to get a signal to the TV, but if the outdoor one is working properly, it'll do a better job than any indoor one, so fixing the existing antenna is generally a better choice.

The things to look for have been well detailed above, so I won't repeat them.

 

[ChasA]

I too had very poor cable signals at multiple parks. I got the wiring diagram and found no less than 4 splitters in the system. I bought a $10 amplifier at Wal-Mart  and installed it between the cable from the pedestal to the coach. It greatly improved the signal to all my tvs.

 

[John From Detroit]

One other thing I have seen (Personally) sometimes the wire (Center conductor) on the coax is cut a bit short (Still within spec) sometimes the socket needs a bit longer wire.. and when this happens. You won't be happy.  I've had to re-do a cable end or 3 over the years.

 

[ip076]

Thanks for the feedback guys. I?ll probably try connecting the cable direct to the TV just to try. I have good antenna signal where I?m at now and that works great with the booster on.  Maybe all I need is a cable booster.

Like I said, I don?t watch much TV. Just would be nice to know that everything works.