Thanks, new to this forum w/sat tv question

[Ragor51]

We just got our new Chaparral 30RL. No owner’s manual yet trying to get one. Anyone know how I connect my satellite antenna and receiver? Cable is working fine, on air TV not good but bad location for reception.

 

[Franktafl]

H Ella Ragor! Do you have a separate connection for satellites or do you need to use the same connection as your regular cable? Which service?

 

[pctomlin]

If you have a connection on your trailer it needs to go directly to your satellite receiver box or it won't work.

 

[ATCguy]

2 replies, and already conflicting information... :-sad-

In re an owners manual, dont waste your time. It's not like a car or truck manual... it's simply general info, and is not model specific.

The problem answering a question like this is that different rigs are wired differently from the factory. Some have separate cable & satellite inputs... others don't. The majority just have a cable input... which can be used for a satellite dish.

Pictures work wonders on this site. By showing us what you have, we can assist you better.

You mention you have good cable, but over-the-air (OTA) not so good. You probably have an OTA antenna amplifier switch somewhere on the RV that needs to be switched ON when you wish to watch OTA channels. But, take note that... when watching cable channels, the amp needs to be OFF. I'm guessing it's currently OFF right now, since you state the cable reception is good.

 

[Ragor51]

Only have the cable and it’s not labeled for satellite but I expect it is my input. I’ll do some checking today and will post my results with pictures.

 

[Ragor51]

The OTA is likely a location problem. I’ll check that in another location. Thanks.

 

[Franktafl]

there are several considerations since you do not have a separate connection for SAT. One is that the LNB for Direct TV requires power. This needs a special splitter that will be able to pass the power from either the receiver or the power injector. You have not elaborated (so far) as to what service you are attempting to connect to and if you have thought about running a separate cable to make sure everything is working properly.

 

[JTMD]

My 2014 Kodiak has two pass-throughs - one is labeled Satellite on the outside, neither are labeled on the inside. One on the inside is mounted with a cigar-lighter type socket and a tiny button - I have no idea what they are for. Also, there is another connection on the right side near the back which I suspect is where an outdoor screen is supposed to connect. The trailer has a crank-up antenna which is nowadays worthless. All of these have their wiring running through the walls so they are impossible to follow end-to-end.
I have a Dish Playmaker with the Wally receiver that works fantastic as long as the connection between the dish and receiver are good.
I was able to confirm continuity on one line to the inside but the dish simply wont work on it. The only way I get Satellite on the TV is to run the cable though a window (which isn't that bad really)
One of these days I'm going to pull and refresh the connections on the trailer but since running the cable through the window works so well and there's a long list of other things to do, it may be awhile before I get to it.

I design automated machinery for a living and a powerful CAD computer is essential. My biggest frustration with the RV life is the lack of solid internet and TV availability.

 

[JTMD]

there are several considerations since you do not have a separate connection for SAT. One is that the LNB for Direct TV requires power. This needs a special splitter that will be able to pass the power from either the receiver or the power injector. You have not elaborated (so far) as to what service you are attempting to connect to and if you have thought about running a separate cable to make sure everything is working properly.

I have Direct TV in my hanger. The cable from the receiver to the antenna is ordinary RG6 - there is no special connection required - all the power goes through the antenna cable and is handled by the devices.
Same with the Dish portable systems.

 

[Ragor51]

I do have direct tv so I have to input power. I’ll have time today to get into it and find a solution. Thanks.

 

[Franktafl]

What I found is one of my inputs on the side of my RV was labeled SAT and one CABLE. What I also found was another jack on the back of the RV not labeled at all. These, I found, were direct connections to locations in the RV, the main TV had a cable directly to a hidden jack and the other was going to the bedroom TV (not labeled either).

Maybe I was fortunate that these connections were on my RV and I didn't need to run another cable. BUT, that being said, you need a direct connection and one that does not run through a splitter.

PS: There is another thread here that discusses this topic in gory detail.

this is one of them...

https://www.dutchmenowners.org/forums/f18/prewired-satellite-cable-7244.html

 

[ATCguy]

...One on the inside is mounted with a cigar-lighter type socket and a tiny button - I have no idea what they are for....

The cigar-lighter socket is simply a 12-volt power socket. It’s a holdover from when, portable 12-volt TVs were common in RVs.

The little button is probably your OTA antenna amplifier switch. Turn ON when watching OTA channels on tv... turn OFF when watching cable tv.

 

[Ragor51]

I have found the solution. There is a connection labeled outside which actually leads to the Satellite/Aux connector in the unit. The Satellite is up and operating normally. I have a hard time believing the lack of information regarding normal operations. I get a comprehensive operators manual with a $15K car but a $40K RV, nothing.

 

[Franktafl]

You are welcome. Welcome to the forum. The “manual” you got with your RV is Well nothing short of emergency toilet paper that you can use in the woods (not meant for RV use). This forum and its members are the best user’s manual you can get.

 

[acdii]

I have Direct TV in my hanger. The cable from the receiver to the antenna is ordinary RG6 - there is no special connection required - all the power goes through the antenna cable and is handled by the devices.
Same with the Dish portable systems.

Some older DTV Receivers need a booster for the HD LNB's, which is what I beleive he referred to. The older LNB was a three head unit, and the upgraded LNB for HD is a 5 head unit requiring more power that the older RX didn't have. Not needed for newer RX since they are made to work with the new 5 head units.

 

[Ragor51]

To All who were helping. I've gotten the problem solved. I have a Wineguard G2+ tailgater antenna. I have to have a power inserter to operate the automatic signal finder function. All working fine now.

 

[Local150]

I have dish for my rv, and my 5ver had a cable and satellite connection , but couldn't make it work. Tried everything. Then behind a wall I found a splitter in line. Eliminated splitter and works fine

 

[Local150]

I had to dig till I found the extra cable for dish but dish wouldn't work no matter what I did. I found a cheap old splitter in the line, got rid of that and dish worked