I am working out issues on our new trailer. On the initial camp out I tried out the new entertainment system and everything seemed to be OK except no AM reception when you tuned through the whole band. Tried that again when we got home in the DFW area still nothing at all on the AM band. The trailer has a new to me Continuus fixed External HDTV RV antenna model CA1500 which I suspect is the issue since it lists both video and FM frequency bands but no AM band capability . Continuus also makes a similar looking CA2500 model which lists a wider TV band, FM and AM frequencies. The CA2500 is listed with 4 RF Jacks but the CA1500 model lists only 2 RF jacks. The receiver is a Jensen AWM 968 Mobil Audio System with what appears to have only one automotive type antenna jack. My first thought was to switch to the CA2500 model but not sure about 4RF Jacks if the AM is by itself or combined with the FM like it is in an automotive radio antenna.At the moment, it appears the KZ wrote off AM reception by using a lower cost antenna. Our older KZ had a small whip antenna feeding a Jensen Automotive radio/DVD player and that worked well for both AM and FM. Anyone familiar with the Continuus RV antenns?

I had no idea that KZ stooped to that level. You have a worthless antenna, and after looking at other antennas from that company, I wouldn't want any of them.You need to install a real TV antenna like a Winegard batwing, and a real AM/FM whip antenna. Only then can you see if the low end Jensen will meet your needs.

Lynnmor wrote:I had no idea that KZ stooped to that level. You have a worthless antenna, and after looking at other antennas from that company, I wouldn't want any of them.You need to install a real TV antenna like a Winegard batwing, and a real AM/FM whip antenna. Only then can you see if the low end Jensen will meet your needs.Yes I was concerned about the TV antenna when we looked at another new Spree before we ordered ours. At that time I was not aware that the whip antenna had been eliminated. We had the Winegard Sensar antenna on our old trailer and I miss that too. I tried to get the factory to install the better antenna but they would not.I think the Jensen system will work for us if it holds up like the simpler Jensen we had in our previous trailer.

My RV dealer tech called yesterday in response to my question about no AM reception. She confirmed that on another new Spree trailer with the same antenna there was no AM reception. Now I will be be talking to the manager to find out what the factory's thought process was for this design flaw. It looks like my options are to install a separate whip antenna or the other model CA 2500 but that requires another cable to be run from the TV/radio antenna to the circuit board that splits out the radio signal to be fed to the radio receiver.If anyone knows where I can purchase a fold down whip RV antenna like what was installed on our last two trailers I would appreciate the info. My Google search did not yield any sources. The fold down (loosen screw and rotate the whip down to the roof) is important to us since it makes the trailer cover much easier to install.

Typically a radio or stereo AM antenna is an internal antenna. Seldom is an external AM antenna used.

Most car radio antennas have a clamp arrangement that bears against the underside of the fender. Most RVs need an antenna with a mounting flange. Here's one on eBay.The RVs we have owned all had radios built like car radios, with no internal antenna.

No AM Reception on New Trailer | Good Sam Community

wa8yxm
Explorer III
Jun 20, 2016
Some of the automotove type Radio antennas have a nice spring base.. you can simply pull them over and they make a "Clip" (CB shops have it) that holds the end of the antenna to keep it down.. Saves wear and tear on that screw.
dclark1946
Explorer
Jun 20, 2016
myredracer wrote:
dclark1946 wrote:

My thought was to initially either change to the other model TV antenna that supports AM but requires another coax line to be run above the ceiling (no idea how big a problem that will be) or add a conventional whip antenna to fix the AM reception issue.

Running wiring/cables through a ceiling and inside interior walls is pretty straightforward. I've also done it in the same model of Spree with romex, coax, HDMI & low voltage wiring from the front to the rear of our Spree and can tell you exactly how and where to run it. Let me know if I can help you.

Thanks for the offer on routing cables in the space between the ceiling and the roof. It seems to me it would be tricky to get the cable through the insulation that I think is installed after the wiring is routed. I guess you could attach two new coax cables to the existing coax and pull the original coax out.

I will PM you to discuss some more.
myredracer
Explorer II
Jun 19, 2016
dclark1946 wrote:

My thought was to initially either change to the other model TV antenna that supports AM but requires another coax line to be run above the ceiling (no idea how big a problem that will be) or add a conventional whip antenna to fix the AM reception issue.

Running wiring/cables through a ceiling and inside interior walls is pretty straightforward. I've also done it in the same model of Spree with romex, coax, HDMI & low voltage wiring from the front to the rear of our Spree and can tell you exactly how and where to run it. Let me know if I can help you.
dclark1946
Explorer
Jun 19, 2016
Lynnmor wrote:
You really need to forget about that brand of antenna. As you know, the antenna is omnidirectional, and will give poor performance with the TV as well. It was installed because it was the cheapest thing that could be found and it looked like a real antenna.

Yep I am aware that the installed TV antenna is marginal and not comparable to the Winegard Sensar antenna. The factory and my dealer declined to install the Winegard antenna so I will need to find another RV service center to change that out. My thought was to initially either change to the other model TV antenna that supports AM but requires another coax line to be run above the ceiling (no idea how big a problem that will be) or add a conventional whip antenna to fix the AM reception issue. I think the whip antenna install may be simpler because it can be installed on the roof right over the receiver and the coax line be brought down in a non functional cabinet.
Lynnmor
Explorer
Jun 19, 2016
You really need to forget about that brand of antenna. As you know, the antenna is omnidirectional, and will give poor performance with the TV as well. It was installed because it was the cheapest thing that could be found and it looked like a real antenna.
dclark1946
Explorer
Jun 19, 2016
wa8yxm wrote:
dclark1946 wrote:
Our trailer is fiberglass with all aluminum frame same as our previous trailer. The receiver has a Motorola antenna jack fed from the external TV antenna with an RF splitter or perhaps diplexer feeding the radio antenna jack.

That tells me everything I need to know. The TV antenna is tuned to VHF/HUF not to Am broadcast. It is a very poor choce for AM Broadcast

IF you like AM radio, Get the longest Automotive antenna you can lay your hands on and install it. The longer the better..

For FM. it may work, or you can switch back.

Exactly. The antenna manufacturer offers another model that does have AM capability. It requires a second coax cable carrying only the AM signal to the TV,FM, distribution box where the AM signal is combined with the FM signal. This combined signal is then fed to the radio receiver. The RV manufacturer chose not to use that model leaving us with no AM capability. I am not sure how difficult it is to pull another coax cable from the TV antenna to the distribution box if we switch to the other model TV antenna.
dclark1946
Explorer
Jun 19, 2016
John & Angela wrote:
Soooo, You know for sure there are AM broad casters in your area? The last one in our area shut down about 8 years ago. Just sayin, maybe check with another radio.

We have many AM stations in the DFW area and in less populated areas where we camp. I don't listen to those very often. However in some of the National Park camp grounds where we stay AM stations are the only link to the outside world. No TV,FM,cell phone or Internet.
dclark1946
Explorer
Jun 19, 2016
Joe Way wrote:
dclark1946 wrote:

Joe,
That antenna looks pretty interesting. Do you know if the description that it swivels 180 deg. means it will lay down on the roof?

Well...it looks exactly like the one on our current RV, which does lay flat. Looking closely at the detailed photos, I feel quite comfortable in saying it does lay flat.

You are right. I called the the RV store yesterday and the guy checked and confirmed that there is a Phillips screw at the base that you losen and it will lay down flat. Exactly what I will need if I go with a separate radio antenna. Excellent find.
wa8yxm
Explorer III
Jun 19, 2016
dclark1946 wrote:
Our trailer is fiberglass with all aluminum frame same as our previous trailer. The receiver has a Motorola antenna jack fed from the external TV antenna with an RF splitter or perhaps diplexer feeding the radio antenna jack.

That tells me everything I need to know. The TV antenna is tuned to VHF/HUF not to Am broadcast. It is a very poor choce for AM Broadcast

IF you like AM radio, Get the longest Automotive antenna you can lay your hands on and install it. The longer the better..

For FM. it may work, or you can switch back.
Joe_Way
Explorer
Jun 19, 2016
dclark1946 wrote:

Joe,
That antenna looks pretty interesting. Do you know if the description that it swivels 180 deg. means it will lay down on the roof?

Well...it looks exactly like the one on our current RV, which does lay flat. Looking closely at the detailed photos, I feel quite comfortable in saying it does lay flat.

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