The TV we had in our camper for 4 years will not pick up any channels. There is one left in memory so that comes in with great picture. But tuner is apparently bad. Is this due to vibration damage? Should we replace with more expensive "RV" model that is made to withstand travel and temperature extremes?

Is there any chance you have an electric amplifier that accidentally got turned off?

Lockport wrote:The TV we had in our camper for 4 years will not pick up any channels. There is one left in memory so that comes in with great picture. But tuner is apparently bad. Is this due to vibration damage? Should we replace with more expensive "RV" model that is made to withstand travel and temperature extremes?The fact you are getting at least one channel says the tuner is working to some extent. Have you done a rescan to see if it will reacquire the channels? Is the source setting set for cable or air depending on your current connection? If the scan is not acquiring new channels, is the antenna amp on? Is there a factory reset to see if you can start over?

You don't need special RV televisions. Most everyone, when they upgrade, just go to Walmart, Best Buy, or any other store selling standard TVs. We have had Samsung LCD and LED in ours for years.

Jensen TVs claim to be "RV ready". They claim a ruggedized chassis and higher temperature tolerances. Both may be true but whether it makes a difference is debatable. The average TV you can get at Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Amazon or whoever will probably serve just as well. I have not seen anything to prove otherwise. The performance of the television will be based on the same as how it performs at home.The biggest problem I have seen with RV televisions is poor mounts and poor mounting to the RV.

It sounds more like you have an antenna problem and not the TV. What kind of roof top OTA antenna does the RV have. Do you have a switch box to select between Ant, Cable, Aux, ect.? When doing a new scan for TV channels are you sure you have selected TV or Antenna and not Cable? There is also certainly an antenna booster in the coach and if it is not on or not operational you will not pick up much of anything. This is usually a wall plate with a teeny tiny light on it. On the OTA amp is on. No light and is the correct setting if you are hooked up to campground cable. Some RV's use a separate switch or a button is located on the connection box mentioned above.Let us know what you find.

TV tuner quit working | Good Sam Community

15 Replies

rockhillmanor
Explorer II
May 17, 2017
Lockport wrote:
I take mine down in the winter so it can be in my sewing room. I leave the short piece of coax on the tv and use a connector to attach to final destination coax. My reason is not to protect tv but cross threading of the tv or coax. Our camper is set up for antenna only so when we added spot for campground cable needed another coax and easily getting to the attached coax much easier than trying to get hooked directly to tv connection.

I will look around for a repair shop. I did not find one before and thought they were no more. I will try again

Before I left the TV repair shop he strongly suggested I bought one of these!

It's a Quick Connect adapter so you are not screwing on and screwing off the antenna coax. Just push it on.
Lockport
Explorer
May 16, 2017
I take mine down in the winter so it can be in my sewing room. I leave the short piece of coax on the tv and use a connector to attach to final destination coax. My reason is not to protect tv but cross threading of the tv or coax. Our camper is set up for antenna only so when we added spot for campground cable needed another coax and easily getting to the attached coax much easier than trying to get hooked directly to tv connection.

I will look around for a repair shop. I did not find one before and thought they were no more.

I will try again
joebedford
Nomad II
May 16, 2017
rockhillmanor wrote:
He said most don't have the TV's permanently installed and that they are taken down when the RV'er hits the road and put back up when they park.
"Most" do this? I don't know anyone who does including me.
2oldman
Explorer II
May 16, 2017
He called them 'flat screens'? Technically they're flat panels.
rockhillmanor
Explorer II
May 16, 2017
2oldman wrote:
rockhillmanor wrote:
I took mine to a TV repair shop when it stopped picking up channels.
There still is such a thing?

Yup! I was surprised too!
TV repair shops are not dead. This shop had a whole room filled with Flat Screen TV's waiting for repair.:C

That and the fact that these flat screen TV's are really disposable, I just gave one a call and asked if they could check it first to see what it would cost before I just paid for a repair.

Interesting fact regarding what the TV repair guy told me.

He said he replaces a ton of antenna circuit boards on flat screen TV's owned by RV'ers!!

He said most don't have the TV's permanently installed and that they are taken down when the RV'er hits the road and put back up when they park. Taking off the coax cable over and over again is what loosens the contacts in the antenna circuit board. Which is what affects your channel reception. And it also starts weakening the wires in the coax cable too.
2oldman
Explorer II
May 16, 2017
rockhillmanor wrote:
I took mine to a TV repair shop when it stopped picking up channels.
There still is such a thing?
rockhillmanor
Explorer II
May 15, 2017
I took mine to a TV repair shop when it stopped picking up channels.
They replaced the antenna connection board. Cheap fix. Got even more channels than I had before.

That and check your coax cable.
They get tired and bent etc. and digital is very sensitive.
The other TV in my RV stopped picking up channels and all I did was buy a new cable and all was fine again.
Lockport
Explorer
May 15, 2017
Thanks for all the responses. Yes we have tried all that was suggested plus tried a analog to digital converter but since I cannot get the tv to channel 3 or 4 that won't work either. It is only on a sub-channel of channel 8, will not add any channels. And since no getting to 3 or 4 cannot use for cable/sat either. Seems a shame as not that old a unit. Guess we will just get another TV at Walmart etc. and call it good. Thanks all.
Bill_Satellite
Explorer II
May 15, 2017
2oldman wrote:
Lockport wrote:
Should we replace with more expensive "RV" model that is made to withstand travel and temperature extremes?
NO! And don't buy RV toilet paper either.

As mentioned, there are NO RV model TV's and as clarified here, no RV toilet papers! I like Sam's TP but hate Costco TP. I bought and returned the Costco TP (no, only the unused part but I still got a refund for it all). I am a Charmin fan so we now pick up a huge pack of Charmin at Costco.
2oldman
Explorer II
May 15, 2017
Lockport wrote:
Should we replace with more expensive "RV" model that is made to withstand travel and temperature extremes?
NO! And don't buy RV toilet paper either.