# Cable Tv Problems



## shake1969 (Sep 21, 2004)

The last time we took out the 21RS, the park had free cable TV. Well, I didn't have a cable, but the nice guy in the airstream next to me loaned me an extra.

I don't normally watch TV at all, especially during a trip, but there was a storm rolling in and the antenna didn't pick up any signal at all.

So I hook the cable up to the park outlet, connect it to the side of the camper, go inside and turn off the signal booster and the picture was just as bad as the antenna.

So I run the cable through the window direct to the TV, it was perfect.

Anybody else have this issue? Any solutions out there? Possible warranty item?


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## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

Could be a loose or bad connection somewhere. Start with the easy things, try a different cable from the wall jack to the tv. Remove the cable jack from the wall (or ceiling in my case) and check to make sure the connection there is good. Try using a barrel connector and a short cable to bypass the jack all together, the wall jack could be bad. If that doesn't work, check the connection on the outside jack. If all that fails, that's what the warranty is for









Mike


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## dmbcfd (Sep 8, 2004)

I could not have said it better, myself. Try what Mike said. On my 25 RSS, the cable connection is right under a downspout and it's getting a little corrosion which could cause trouble.

Steve


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## CWOBOATS (Oct 13, 2004)

I'm not sure, but if you connect to a cable source, I thought you were not supposed to turn on the antenna booster?

On my Television whenever I switch from Antenna to Cable I also have to go to the TV menue and reset the TV from Antenna to Cable or it wont work very well.


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## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

Hmmmm. Maybe they hooked up the cables on the splitter wrong. Come to think of it...I think mine were messed up when I got my trailer. I've since added satelite splitter/lines to my trailer.


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## shake1969 (Sep 21, 2004)

What'd you do, Jolly? Re-Wire the whole thing?


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## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

Added a digital splitter to the existing splitter in the ceiling near the booster, put in another coax outlet plate, and ran RG6 cable from there to where I put my Tv. Satelite has it's own line, and I can hook the dish cable to the outdoor connection. If I want to hook to cable Tv, I also hook to the outdoor connection. If I use the antenna, I turn on the booster.

You'd think, with all the people camping with Sat dishes...the manufacturer's would wire the trailers with sat cables. I don't often take my dish camping, but it's an option.


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## mswalt (Sep 14, 2004)

Shake,

I think your answer was one of the two things mentioned above. I couldn't get a picture on my television when switching from antenna to cable either until I turned off the antenna booster. Once that was off, the picture was great.

The other thing was making sure your tv was set to antenna mode, not cable mode. I made that mistake a couple of times, too.

Mark


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## 1stTimeAround (Sep 22, 2004)

Alright guys, ya'll are killing me!! What/Where is the stinking booster?

My 28RSS is a 2005 and no one told me about any "booster". I do have an antenna and am prewired for cable of course, but I feel like Sgt. Schultz, " I know nothing, nothing" about a booster.

Please advise.

Jason


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## shake1969 (Sep 21, 2004)

On my 21RS, the TV goes up on a shelf above the dinette. The "outlet" that the TV cable plugs into accepts a 12VDC & 75ohm plug, the 75ohm for the TV connection that is mounted in the ceiling.

On that outlet is a small red light attached to a small switch. Flip that switch, the light goes red, the antenna booster is on = better picture. Unless you are attached to CATV. Then, you get worse picture until you turn off the booster. Well, that is how it is supposed to work.

Only on mine, I get a fair picture on TV, better with booster on, much worse with CATV, booster on or off. Like I said, hook up the TV direct to the CATV, bypassing the trailer wiring and it's like perfect. There is absolutely no corrosion on the inlet connector, so I don't think that is it. It's almost like someone cross wired or failed to connect the CATV to the outlet completely. Or else a screw was driven through the cable somewhere.

It's not the TV or the settings. I did that right. It works fine when the cable is through the window. I hate to think of me or anybody tearing a roof or wall panel loose just to fix a wire. I think I will just live with it and complain.


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## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

There should be a small button near one of the cable connections in the camper. That button controls the antennea booster, a sort of signal amplifier for when you are trying to pull in television from the antenna. On my 26RS, the button is located near the cable connection in the living/dining area. It is a small black button, and a green LED lights up when it is on.

Tim


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## shake1969 (Sep 21, 2004)

HHH, I guess mine could be a green light, too. Maybe mine doesn't work because I have a red light and the signal is "stopping".









Red, green...who cares as long as it's Christmas!

Thanks for everybody's help!


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## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

If all else fails, you can pull the cable outlet plate down and check to see if the cables on the splitter and booster are hooked up right.


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## RVFIXER (Dec 3, 2004)

another common thing on the outbacks is the mounting screws for the tv booster plate being too long and going right through the cable itself. pull down the booster and check that. also check all the conections. hopefully you don't have a shorted cable in the wall or ceiling. seen that before.


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## shake1969 (Sep 21, 2004)

Thanks. I was thinking it was making SOME kind of connection...just not a good one. I'll bet you are right RVFIXER.

I'll bet it's a screw.


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