TV/Satellite Hook Up

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jsetti

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 27, 2012
Posts
256
Just picked up our new to us 2010 Monaco Diplomat. I had requested the "technician" hook up our DISH 322 receiver to both our rooftop and carryout satellites. I guess I didn't anticipate that it would be so complicated. So far ... I can watch either TV with the over the air antenna and he has managed to get the rooftop satellite to work with the bedroom TV but the livingroom TV has no audio and for some unknown reason I can't get the cable to work on either TV. We haven't even tried the portable satellite yet.

It seems like he disconnected the cable that goes into the antenna/cable port (the one with the little green light) which may explain why I can't get cable.

I have the schematic from the manual but he didn't want to look at it. He said they are always wrong. I'll give him one more try but then I think I'll disconnect everything and try to hook it up myself based on the schematic. If that doesn't work I may try to find a RV DISH installer and pay to have it done.

Are others able to watch TV via OTA antenna, cable, RT satellite and portable satellite (obviously not at the same time). I forsee needing all of these options at any given time depending on where we are parked.

Sorry this is so long ... Any suggestions?

Jean Corsetti
2010 Monaco Diplomat
St Petersburg, FL
 
Hookup is very simple, the prob lem is technicians are nto always trained.  And very very few are trained in motor home connections..

Your best options is a fellow RVer who happens to be an electronics technician, there are hundreds if not thousands of us out there.
 
We are currently at Lazy Days Campground in Seffner, FL if there is anyone here who can help!!  Thanks.
 
I am far from an expert in this field but I did install my Directv  Winegard traveler dish myself. The only coax cable I have running to my TV is for the Cable/air connection. All the rest of my connections are via HDMI cables and I used a fiber optic for the satellite audio connection. If I have to use my portable dish I have to unscrew the coax connection for the traveler and screw the cable from the portable on to the inlet. Hope this helps.
 
Yes it is possible to set up to handle OTR, cable and satellite input - we and many others do that.  But though the individual parts of the hook-up may be simple, the sum total is typically quite complex. And there is no cut & dried solution - the specifics depend on what your already have in the coach and exactly what your viewing needs are.  If you need to watch different programs on front and rear tvs at the same time, and/or if you want to use a DVR, the set-up is more complex. And you probably have  DVD player or VCR as an alternate source as well.

I don't know what manual you were referring to for the schematic, but if it's from Dish or the satellite receiver manufacturer, it's probably not going to be real helpful on RV systems.

Unless you know that the park cable inlet jack is designed to handle an external satellite, or your coach already has an jack labeled for an external satellite hook-up, you probably want to add a coax A/B switch to the satellite receiver input so that you can connect your carryout dish and select either it or the roof dome as input. And the park cable inlet jack typically does not work for satellite as well, unless Monaco made special provision to do that.

The output of the satellite receiver may go to a  video/audio switch selector box, which allows you to choose which video source goes to which tv. If so, you have the distribution to the two tvs covered without further effort. But the receiver output may go direct to the tvs instead, in which case you have to figure out how each tv gets its signal(s).  The satellite receiver may be wired to the tvs using coax (composite video), single "yellow jack" composite + audio, component video (RGB) + audio, or HDMI.  HDMI and composite coax both carry the sound with them on a single wire, but "yellow jack" and component video both require a separate audio wire pair to feed the sound.  BYW, "yellow jack" refers to the color code on the RCA jack at either end, not the wire itself.  Can you advise on what you have in the 2010 Dip?
 
Thanks for all the information.  With what was provided here along with the drawings from my Monaco Owner's manual and the drawings I had from the hook up in my previous motorhome (and a complaint to the tech's boss) we finally have things straightened out.

I appreciate you all taking time to respond so quickly!

Jean
 

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