Sat dish and cable

I have done a number of Sat installs over the years, including the latest 5-sat HD setups... It can be done but there are many issues. If you can make your particular set up work outside the RV then you might be able to use the existing RV cabling to make it work in the RV. From the sound of it though, you have an antenna on the roof and probably a splitter somewhere inside splitting the RF signal. That splitter almost certainly does not have enough bandwidth for a Sat connection. You would need a direct cable run - could be done if you find the splitter and take it out of the circuit. Then IF the RG6 cable in your older trailer has enough bandwidth (possible) you might be able to use it. Newer Sat systems supporting HD multiplex all satellites on a single high bandwidth cable using a SWM (single-wire multiswitch), which is very convenient. Some newer dishes even have this built-in. Older systems however run two separate coax to the receiver and support two non-HD satellites, however your receiver has to support this (newer ones don't). Much of the low def programming (depends on whether it is directv or dish) can be on one satellite though, so it is possible to make do with a legacy antenna and a single coax if your receiver is compatible.

The equipment has evolved over the past years, and everything from the dish to the receiver has to be compatible, so it is not trivial. Like I said, if you can make it work outside the RV, all you have to do is come up with one or two coax runs of sufficient bandwidth and you can get it working internally. In my previous trailer I just ran a new cable through the wall; in the current one I was able to use the existing cable but disconnected a manual switch. Both single wire installs.

If this doesn't make much sense, best to hire it out...

I never could figure it out without tearing up everything tryig to use the SAT connection that is next to the CABLE connection on the outside of the trailer. I wouold have to unhook things to make mine work so I just run two RG cables in from the two ports on the portable SAT DISH - one to the bedroom area and the other to the living room area. Then I connected each RG cable to a SAT RCVR ANT input. Each SAT RCVR picked up the SAT DISH just fine doing it this way. Then I used the VIDEO OUTPUTs of the SAT RCVRs and ran that to a VIDEO INPUT on the HDTV in each room. This way I can select to watch the regular CABLE/OTA TV or the SAT TV using the TV remote. Of course when I selected the SAT TV I would have to switch remotes to change the channels...

Worked out great for us but when the digital NATL BROADCAST local HDTV came along recently it turned out these local broadcast signals were all in full screen high def digital TV mode and much better quality than the SAT TV stuff so we just stopped bringing along the SAT DISH and extra SAT RCVRs from the house. We always like to watch the national broadcast channels anyway and they are FREE of course...

If there was something we wanted to watch on the cable channels when camping off the power grid then just use the computer to watch them.

We even do this when at the regular camp ground sites that have cablehookup. They are all in analog mode so we use the OTA BATWING antenna to watch the locl NATL BROADCAST channels and then switch to to the cable to watch the other stuff... Once you start watching full screen high def digital TV it is hard to switch back hehe...

just my thoughts
Roy ken

Yes I know about having to have 2 boxes Im just hoping if there is a splitter that its easy accessible so I can unplug the kitchen outlet leaving the bedroom the primary and get a signal there. If it becomes a huge deal yes I will bring it in to a dealer and get done I was hoping to be able to do it though so any other feedback is appreciated !

More than likely there is a splitter buried somewhere feeding both. the Coax is probably from an antenna. You can mount a dish but it is not going to be easy to make sure you have the proper setup. It is better left to the pros. I have an antenna and carry a separate direct tv dish. You would need two converter boxes if you are going to watch different things in different places. Good luck every time you try something you gain experience and build confidence to try more.