I have a 2015 Crossroads Rushmore Springfield and am trying to understand how it is pre-wired for satellite. (I want to add an RF Mogul Eagle permanent-mounted antenna on the roof and connect it to a Dish Hopper 3 receiver.)There are 2 coax jacks on the roof. Does one go to the entertainment center and one to the bedroom?In the entetainment center, there are 3 coax cables in the cabinet above the TV. I assume one would attach to the receiver's input, but since the receiver's output is HDMI, what are the other 2 used for? (Maybe back in 2015 the receiver's output would have been coax?)There are 2 coax connections behind the TV. One goes to the antenna/cable TV input. Was the other intended to connect the TV to the satellite system? That is, does it connect to one of the 3 coax cables in the cabinet above?In the bedroom, there are 2 currently-unused coax jacks. Are they part of the satellite system pre-wiring. (Neither the jacks behind the TV or in the bedroom are labeled.)Any thoughts on this will be appreciated.Thanks

You may be able to obtain a wiring diagram from the coach maker.Failing that trial and error is your only real option.In our coach which is n old 1998 Dutchstar everything was labeled from the factory so it’s quite simple to figure things out.

Unfortunately you'll have to short each cable at one end, then use your voltmeter to check for 0 ohms at the other end.

Even if Crossroads gave you a wiring diagram there's no guarantee it's accurate. If there's one thing RV manufacturers are known for, it's their lack of consistency. I'd fabricate some shorting connectors and ohm-out the cables (and hope there's no DC blocking components in between). It took us a bit of time to ohm-out our truck camper's OTA/cable wiring in order to install a Dish satellite system. Good luck.

What each coax does will be easy to figure out, install satellite to either coax on roof, than coax inside rig to receiver, no signal just switch coax until you get signal. Of course you can go to Lowes or Home Depot and pick up a coax tester for $30, that way no guessing where theses coaxes lead to.

Your best option is to "Tone out" the cables.. This is easier than it sounds using a Cable Tracker or using a cable tonerWhat's a cable toner? Two devices one sends an audio tone down the cable it has a common "F" type connector and a battery and a switchThe other is basically a speaker with an "F" connectorHook the transmitter to one end then hook the speaker to cables till you hear tone.> label itCable tracker is a Radio transmitter and a receiver very directional receiver.Hook to the SHIELD (nut) on the wire to be examined (And if there is a ground around hook to it too or hook the ground lead to a good hunk of metal)(Point the receiver wand at the assorted cables and the loudest BEEP is the one.Method 3Battery. test leads (or short coax.. connector on one end. other end stripped and hooked to battery) 9V retangular is good hereNow using a 12 volt automotive test light Test the other end and the one that lights.. Label both ends.

Satellite Pre-Wiring | Good Sam Community

CarnationSailor
Nomad
Sep 09, 2021
LouLawrence wrote:
Sounds like you installed a dome and not a Trav'ler. What was your final setup?

I did not install a dome or a Trav'ler. I had a dealer install an RF Mogul Eagle which is very similar to a Trav'ler.

IT worked great immediately after installation, but I had problems "acquiring a signal" the first time I moved to another location. Many support calls to Dish before finally getting a tech that identified the problem. The problem was the pre-wired coax that was used to connect the antenna controller to the receiver.

Instead of trying to get the bad coax replaced which would have been difficult and expensive, I ran a coax inside the trailer from the cabinet at the rear of the trailer where the controller box was located to the slide out with the entertainment center and Dish receiver. The cabinet and the entertainment center are only about 4 feet apart so I was able to do a neat run of the coax, and I left a loop of extra length that allows the slide out to move in and out without stressing the coax.

So far, so good.
CA_Traveler
Explorer III
Sep 09, 2021
HD and multiple channel reception (My DTV records 5) require better coax and connectors - ie less loss and higher bandwidth. This is for better reliability. If by dealer you mean RV dealer then I'm not suprised.

I'm curious: Was the prewire adequate for the power wires to the dish?
CarnationSailor
Nomad
Sep 09, 2021
CA Traveler wrote:
HD and multiple channel reception (My DTV records 5) require better coax and connectors - ie less loss and higher bandwidth. This is for better reliability. If by dealer you mean RV dealer then I'm not suprised.

I'm curious: Was the prewire adequate for the power wires to the dish?

The installation was done by a Dish Network dealer that was an authorized installer of the RF Mogul antenna. He ran a new coax from the antenna thru the roof to the controller inside the rear/upper cabinet. He also connected the antenna to the controller with the multi-wire cable that provides power and control signals to the antenna.

To get the satellite signal from the controller to the receiver, he ran a new coax back up thru the roof to a pre-wired coax jack whos associated coax cable ran to the entertainment center where the receiver was located. (With the RF Mogul system, the satellite signal passes thru the controller to the receiver.)

He initially detected that the pre-wired jack was seriously corroded so he replaced it. When he checked out the installation, the system worked fine. (I don't know that he actually measured the quality of the signal going to the receiver. The system worked so apparently all was good.)

However, the problems I experienced where sometimes the receiver could acquire the signal and sometimes it couldn't, eventually lead to my running a new coax directly from the controller to the receiver (bypassing the pre-wired coax), and the problem went away.

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