NEW CABLE HOOK UPS AT CAMPGROUNDS

D.E.Bishop wrote:
I have been out of the field for more than twenty years and most of what I know about current OTA and Cable signal use I have picked up via experience as part of home and RV, TV usage. The need for the new boxes just seemed like mumbo-Jumbo tò me.

Is this what your VCR looks like?

I have been out of the field for more than twenty years and most of what I know about current OTA and Cable signal use I have picked up via experience as part of home and RV, TV usage. At home, we have cable and each set has a box that is smaller than a box of 24 crayolas. I understand the profit motive thing, and for awhile, campgrounds were providing set top boxes. In the last 2 or 3 years we have not had to get a box from the campground.

So what is happering today? Have the after market firms come up with a digital box that is capible of decoding the entire system in a camp ground or are the cable companes just feeding multible users, like a campround a decoded feed?

Not to be political but the digital regulation the FCC put into effest to gain more lower frequency use for cell providers had some unintended cosequences for consumers due to the cable companies being allowed to add unnecessary equipment for us to pay for without any improvement in the end product.

I am not referring to the analog to digital change, I am talking about the cable companies encoding the signal they send out in order to prevent signal theft by using signal splitters to connect to additional sets. The need for the new boxes just seemed like mumbo-Jumbo tò me.

If a box is required the CG should provide you with one . Sounds to me they do not have their cable installed properly in the CG. The Cable company would install a main switch that decodes the signal (same as a set top box) that has individual controls for each site. This allows the CG to turn the feed on and off for any particular site. TWC/Spectrum in our area requires a box on each tv.

The key is that cable companies are beginning to require a cable box on each RV connection. As stated by OLD-B did you check with the RV park office?

First do not blame the campground.

What has happened is Corporate Greed.
In the early days of Cable TV the cable only carried the standard channels. then they started adding so you had to get a SET TOP BOX.. Back then TV tuners were mechanical switched things with a coil and capicator for every channel 2-13 and a tuner for 14-82, yes folks 82.. Generally bable only used the first dozen (2-13)

With the advent of the Set top box you had to have a BOX for EVERY TV.. More profit for the cable companies don't you know.

Then the TV makers came out with electronic 99 Channel (or more) tuners.. and you could once again add a splitter and a 2nd, 3rd, 4th, xxxth, TV without paying more more more.

So the cable companies came up with a way to prevent that.. ENCRYPTION, they were already using it for some "pay through the nose" Pay to view channels but now they use it on ALL the channels. even PBS. so now you once again have to have a Set Top Box for EVERY TV.. More profit for the cable companies.

SO, what do you do....

Well get some spare coax. (You will either need that or a small re-wire of your RV Will describe both

Run the coax out via any handy hole.. Two lengths.

One length hooks from the back of the STB to the CABLE IN (Assumeing it still does channel 3/4 out) and the other from the back of the STB Cable-in jack to the park

The re-wire

You likely have a wall plate with a 12 volt outlet. antenna jack, light and switch (Most folks call it the antenna booster.. it is not, it is the source switch and booster power inserter, booster is in the antenna itself)

Just below that cut a hole for another panel.. same size

At your choioce of the RV store or Lowes get a dual antenna jack wall plate.

And two SHORT coax jumpers. Shortest they have also 2 longer ones (long enough to reach a shelf comfortably)

On the back of the existing wall plate disconnect the CENTER cable and connect a jumper. down to the new plate. Connect to ONE of the two jacks and label it OUT to TV

Label the other jack "Park cable IN" and hook the cable you disconected to that jack.

Use the other jumper to join the two jacks.

Park without encryption. Use short jumper to join jacks

Park with encryption: Use longer jumpers to connect SET TOP BOX rented from Park office to the new plate observing in and out.

Satellite TV. use park cable in for your tripod and replace SET TOP BOX with Sat TV receiver in above provided you have a Receiver with RF out, or use a modulator to send RF to TV-2.

That easy.

Sam Spade wrote:

Old-Biscuit wrote:
Did you inquire with the CG Staff if a 'cable box' is required?

THIS.

While the CG staff won't be experts by any stretch of the imagination, they should know the basics of what it takes to get "average Joe camper" working on their cable.

It is NOT to their advantage in any way to install a new system and just leave their guests hanging.......like you seem to think that you are.

I have 2 of them. Tried all the different firmware versions available. Works good for DTV but neither will find any QAM channels even though both TV's can find them.

Like others have said you probably need a QAM tuner. Many of the cheap off brand TV's don't have the QAM tuner. You can buy a tuner like Techwriter suggested, or a new TV.

TVs have gotten really cheap, just check for the tuner when you go to buy.

Have you tried the auto scan? That may find your channels.

We have everything switched and connected correctly and still get cable at alot of the campgrounds and it works great. This upgraded cable, NOT! Rather than buying another Tv we went to Walmart and did get a Digital Tuner Converter box. We will try it tomorrow to see if it works. In Virginia there is a campground in Greenville outside Charlottesville who has this new cable and the KOA in Staunton just changed to it. I sure hope it passes the test tomorrow because I dont want to have to buy another tv.

Old-Biscuit wrote:
Did you inquire with the CG Staff if a 'cable box' is required?

THIS.

While the CG staff won't be experts by any stretch of the imagination, they should know the basics of what it takes to get "average Joe camper" working on their cable.

It is NOT to their advantage in any way to install a new system and just leave their guests hanging.......like you seem to think that you are.