RV TV cable

[Mark_K5LXP]

Don, you're assuming that the system is working as designed and you're the one missing a key element in making it work. Never underestimate the abilities of unmotivated or inept people that assembled this system. I had the same issue, not because of anything the factory did but the PO that mixed, matched and left cables flapping in the breeze after putting in some multi cable box thing. Since yours is new that eliminates the chance someone mucked with it after the fact but does not eliminate the chance it wasn't put together right in the first place. This is like showing up at that remote radio site that everyone has a key for that has been repeatedly haywired and band-aided. You get to first figure out what's going on before you can evem begin to troubleshoot what you went there for in the first place. So if it's totally confounding and you can't seem to figure it out I see few options, one being to drop it off at a service center and getting them to figure it out (good luck) or ringing out the connections yourself. Maybe you can get some kind of schematic or block diagram, that would go a long way to know what should be where, then you can verify the paths. Otherwise it's down to you making your own point to point diagram and figuring out what it's supposed to do, and if it's doing it. I ended up tearing into behind the upper front end cap cabinets (where all the cables seemed to terminate) and verifying each one. I used a 1980's channel 3 modulator as a signal source and a small LCD TV as a receiver, which has a signal strength meter in the setup menu. I found trying to use off the air signals was too confusing due to leakage. One discovery I made is that the factory had the presence of mind to mark the ends of the RG-6 with colored tape, so it worked out that if I found 2 ends with the same color there was an excellent (though not 100%) chance it was the same cable. It ended up that it wasn't very complicated but there were disconnected cables stuffed back behind the cabinets no amount of testing or ringing out would magically reconnect, so my effort was the only path. At the end of the day (weekend) of messing with it I was rewarded with all inputs and outputs working as they should. Maybe with yours just start with taking the jack plates off and seeing if there's anything hooked up on the other side, and see if there's any kind of marking or labeling that will help you gain insight of what might be connected from here to there. Just that information might be enough to put the puzzle together for you.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

 

[DonTom]

Just looking at a few connectors to see if they are wired.

I have done the obvious before I started this thread. To see more, I would first have to remove the water box to see if the TV cable connectors are connected to anything at all.

But it is still possible I missed something, for an example when I thought I didn't have an AC outlet in the bathroom but did.

-Don- Tifton, GA

 

[Ex-Calif]

Don't forget the old wirers trick. You can buy a very short coax cable and cut one end off.

Short the bare wires and plug it into a receptacle. Now you can use a meter at other outlet to check for continuity pin to shell.

Obviously not to be done on live AC circuits.

I sympathize with wiring that goes into a wall and comes out "who knows where" - it would be great if coach makers made their installation drawings available. As you all know an installation diagram is not a schematic - it is the actual "blueprint" for installing equipment and wiring.

 

[DonTom]

Don't forget the old wirers trick. You can buy a very short coax cable and cut one end off.

I have already done continuity tests. I use one of these thingies, which makes it easy.

The water box (or whatever it is called) connectors probably are not connected to anything. But I am not going to try to take the box out (with countless water lines and such) to see what is behind it.

Like I said, I didn't start this thread without first doing the obvious.

I think the very best way for me to deal with this, is to run my own TV cable any way I can from the outside compartment. And then I can do the same with my ham antenna coax and not have to leave a window open.

I will probably not start this project until I am back home.

-Don- Tifton, GA

 

[touchracing]

When my trailer was new I was unable to get a good signal from antenna or cable. Come to find out every single coax connection was loose. At the antenna. At the outside jack. At the splitter. At the wall plates. Every one was loose.

 

[DonTom]

When my trailer was new I was unable to get a good signal from antenna or cable. Come to find out every single coax connection was loose. At the antenna. At the outside jack. At the splitter. At the wall plates. Every one was loose.

I have not been able to find a single splitter in my RV anywhere. I have no idea where they are hidden at, but they have to be in there somewhere. I have removed many plates and such and found nothing so far. I can only see the cables where they come out of the walls.

Under the RV, out of the waterbox, all the cables are covered in a such a way that nothing can be seen.

I think the best idea is to run my own cables.

-Don- Tifton, GA

 

[Larry N.]

Like I said, I didn't start this thread without first doing the obvious.

Except that you didn't post what you had done so that others didn't have to try to read your mind...

 

[DonTom]

Except that you didn't post what you had done so that others didn't have to try to read your mind.

Well, I did a little more today and still got nowhere. I removed several covers, looked under the seats, etc. and other possible areas. But I have not yet looked under the king bed, as that will be a hassle, but that could be where the splitters are located. Also, I cannot see the cable behind the outside TV. I would have to remove the TV to even see that one.

With the cable connected as shown in the OP, the kitchen TV and outside TV works on cable. But the TV in the bedroom doesn't see the cable at all. And nothing at all sees either of the cable inputs on the water panel.

I discovered today that the water box is not a box at all, just a panel and I can feel behind it and feel and touch both TV cables behind the TV input connectors. While both cables were screwed on loosely, tightening them up didn't help. So I now know they are connected, but I cannot guess where they go in the harness thingy. I have guesses, but they are all very difficult to get to.

Running my own cable is probably the best idea, but even that won't fix the TV in the bedroom. I will probably never use that TV anyway, just like I probably won't use the outside TV. But I kinda want to fix them too.

All three TVs should work as SmartTVs, and that is how they will mostly be used anyway. Not many RV parks have TV cable hookups, but I think all the KOAs do.

IMO, HappyWanderer has it correct in message 16 where he says: "There is a known issue with Entegra coaches leaving the factory with those cables not connected."

-Don- Tifton, GA

 

[John From Detroit]

When my trailer was new I was unable to get a good signal from antenna or cable. Come to find out every single coax connection was loose. At the antenna. At the outside jack. At the splitter. At the wall plates. Every one was loose.

True story: Fellow ham runs a Motorola Service center (commercial communictions) he ordered a box of jumper cables from Motorola. A top name in comm gear.

*8 cables
16 shorted connections. (one on each end)

When I had the lube pump installed on my car.. Umbilical had a short. Dealer was NOT happy,

 

[Rob&Deryl]

“Smart” TV (ok, the designation chafes at me big time) requires Internet service, not cable TV.

in my trailer, I found a splitter behind the “Furion” TVreceiver. 4 screws to pull it out.

my users manual had a block diagram of the connections. In a cabinet above (more or less) the main, ie Living Room, TV, I found a connector plate with 2 “f” connectors. SAT came out here. Quite a puzzle to guess how the manufacturer thought we would use their stuff.

 

[Larry N.]

“Smart” TV (ok, the designation chafes at me big time) requires Internet service, not cable TV.

It bugs me too. Are you saying they don't have a regular ATSC tuner in them, which would also connect to cable? That would surprise me, as I thought they would do both (I've never used one, however).

Surely they can do off the air and cable TV...

 

[NY_Dutch]

It bugs me too. Are you saying they don't have a regular ATSC tuner in them, which would also connect to cable? That would surprise me, as I thought they would do both (I've never used one, however).

Surely they can do off the air and cable TV...

Every smart tv I've seen had an ATSC tuner, and many NTSC tuners as well.

 

[DonTom]

Are you saying they don't have a regular ATSC tuner in them, which would also connect to cable? That would surprise me, as I thought they would do both (I've never used one, however).

Doesn't use tuner at all. Feeds into HDMI port. See here. But my TV's in this RV have it all built into the TV, so I do not have to connect up anything. I just need to have my Verizon Hotspot on.

Very handy in an RV. I was watching my favorite TV channels in the Everglades and other places where there is no TV service at all, when boondocked. I was using the Verizon Wireless Hotspot as I use here for this computer, but with my TV. It's the same TV, has a tuner, but the tuner is not used. Select channels a different way, selected from the TV screen. No need for the channel selection on a remote. In fact, one of my remotes has no way to select or change channels. That remote is only for the SmartTV. But a regular remote will also work, just differently. It was a bit confusing to me at first until I used it several times, and now I am sure happy that I got it to work, as I can now watch my favorite TV channels from almost anywhere. It will work anywhere I can get on the web with my Hotspot. That has been every stop on this trip.

-Don- Tifton, GA

 

[NY_Dutch]

Doesn't use tuner at all. Feeds into HDMI port. See here. But my TV's in this RV have it all built into the TV, so I do not have to connect up anything. I just need to have my Verizon Hotspot on.

Very handy in an RV. I was watching my favorite TV channels in the Everglades and other places where there is no TV service at all, when boondocked. I was using the Verizon Wireless Hotspot as I use here for this computer, but with my TV. It's the same TV, has a tuner, but the tuner is not used. Select channels a different way, selected from the TV screen. No need for the channel selection on a remote. In fact, one of my remotes has no way to select or change channels. That remote is only for the SmartTV. But a regular remote will also work, just differently. It was a bit confusing to me at first until I used it several times, and now I am sure happy that I got it to work, as I can now watch my favorite TV channels from almost anywhere. It will work anywhere I can get on the web with my Hotspot. That has been every stop on this trip.

-Don- Tifton, GA

A FireTVstick is a device that adds smart features to an existing TV. The existing TV is still capable of receiving standard cable and OTA ATSC/NTSC programming.

 

[DonTom]

The existing TV is still capable of receiving standard cable and OTA ATSC/NTSC programming.

Yes, but if you remove the tuner, the Smart TV will still work. The tuner is not used with SmartTV.

-Don- Tifton, GA

 

[NY_Dutch]

Yes, but if you remove the tuner, the Smart TV will still work. The tuner is not used with SmartTV.

-Don- Tifton, GA

It is if you're also connected to cable or an OTA antenna...

 

[Larry N.]

Yes, but if you remove the tuner, the Smart TV will still work. The tuner is not used with SmartTV.

-Don- Tifton, GA

You're saying then that a smart TV is one program source within a TV set, so like any other multiple source device you don't HAVE to use all the sources but they are there. So that smart TV refers to a specific capability that can be added on (Roku, etc.) rather than to the overall TV itself. But the advertising seems to refer to TVs containing that capability as "smart TVs" so there's a confusion factor there. Sounds like a TV that can receive stream programming, which is no big deal, since it can be added to older units, though perhaps not quite ALL features.

But then it's a moot point whether your cable TV input is connected, in terms of your TV usage, since you don't/won't use it anyway, though it has the capability if you want to use it.

 

[DonTom]

It is if you're also connected to cable or an OTA antenna...

Doesn't work OTA in areas where there no TV reception, such as in the Everglades. Besides that, my amplified antenna was turned off. I only lose the TV signal when my portable Hotspot is turned off.

BTW, I was surprised how well it worked the very first time I tried it with my Verizon hotspot. It couldn't work any better.

-Don-

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

The way to think of it is that a "smart" tv has the capability to accept internet streaming built in, whether it be via wifi or a LAN cable. Most smart tvs also have an ATSC tuner and HDMI ports that can accept additional external sources like cable and DVD. A few low-end models have no tuner - they only accept streaming from wifi, Lan or cast from a phone, or HDMI feeds. They are typically about $75 cheaper than models with a tuner. And then there are "monitors", which only have wired ports, e.g. HDMI, Display-port, etc. A monitor can become a smart tv with the addition of a Roku, Firestick, Appletv, etc., but they would still lack a tuner for broadcast tv.

 

[Larry N.]

What Gary describes is what I originally thought a smart TV is. Don, you're confusing things by your dependence on how you decide to use it to determine your terminology. It's as if a TV set (non-smart) and an AV receiver were never used with anything but a BluRay player, then calling the whole assembly a BluRay player, which doesn't help anyone else understand what you're talking about, since they would think that you only meant the device in which you insert the disc to play it.

Doesn't work OTA in areas where there no TV reception, such as in the Everglades.

It works fine, showing what it receives, which in this case is nothing. Of course it doesn't get programming for you when you're out of range -- there's nothing to get -- but that doesn't mean it isn't working as a TV set, as designed.

Yes, but if you remove the tuner, the Smart TV will still work. The tuner is not used with SmartTV.

And so do the various other inputs, HDMI or otherwise, though they are not used with the smart TV function, either.