Forum Discussion

Rodallg's avatar
Rodallg
Explorer
Dec 02, 2014

TV AMP lost power.

Camping the past weekend and watched TV one night with great reception and the next day only had limited channels (3). Looking at the antenna booster plate I noticed the light was off and the switch made no difference in the reception so I suspect the booster either lost power or is inop, I haven’t had a chance to check for voltage yet so I was wondering where the fuse would be. All the schematics I have for the MH don’t show a fuse location so I was wondering where would be the best location to start looking. I have to assume there is a fuse in line for the amp.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thank you
  • Not knowing what rig you have makes any answer a guess. On our Gulf Stream, the fuse for the TV booster is located in the front drivers side electrical compartment. Found ours was bad when the radio stopped working from the house batteries. It's also powered by the booster fuse.
  • All good suggestions, I need to make time to do the trouble shooting.
  • sljkansas wrote:
    If memory serves me right, there is a fuse on board of the amp, pull the plate and check.


    That is what I remember also.
  • Without knowing your coach specific location of the 12VDC power source and associated fusing is a bit difficult. My 06 Hurricane power for the antenna amp power originates at the Battery Control Center (BCC) from the same fuse for the dash cigarette lighters if I remember correctly or it might have been the dash radio circuit. Either way it was from the BCC and not the chassis fuse panels of the builder installed panel next to my AC breakers.
  • If memory serves me right, there is a fuse on board of the amp, pull the plate and check.
  • RoyB's avatar
    RoyB
    Explorer II
    You might pull the Antenna WALL PLATE out and check the rear spade lug connections that supplies +12VDC to the board. It just pushes on. Might have become disconnected.



    I have no idea where the +12VDC comes from. I also don't know for sure if there is a soldered in small fuse on the circuit board or not. You will see one on the board if one is there.

    Power has to eventually comes from the 12VDC Power Distribution panel so either use a multimeter set to read 12VDC and go across each of the 12VDC fuses. The one that reads 12VDC will be the one that is OPEN.

    You can see the fuse tips on top of this ATC type fuse - place your multimeter to these two metal points while the fuse is still plugged into the 12VDC Power Distribution Panel. If the fuse is blown you will read 12VDC


    Or just pull each fuse to check it... You will see the inside wire burned into.

    Also you can use an IN-LINE POWER SOURCE some antennas use like the JACK ANTENNA. It comes with what they call a POWER MODULE or something like that. This goes in-line with the RG cable feeding between the antenna connection and the TV connection. The module then plugs into a 120VAC Receptacle.

    Jack Antenna Power Insertion Module


    Roy Ken
  • Or buy a Digital Voltmeter for $10 and do it the right way. It's the best cheap investment you will make.
  • One of those opportunities to use your jumper cables from the battery to nearby the booster, then use little ones to go from the cables to the booster... if that makes it work.. first lift one side, and then the other to see what is missing from the feed.

    It might be the negative side, or the positive side, or it might not work either way.
  • You didn't give a lot of info... year, model, etc, so I can only tell you that I had the same thing happen a couple of weeks ago. I bought my 98 Dolphin used. It did not come with the coach manual.

    After much searching online I finally was able to determine the fuse was on the 12V panel located in one of the outside compartments. There are many fuses on this panel, too many to pull and check. Easier just to use a Volt Meter to check both sides of each fuse for 12V. The one with voltage only on one leg, not the other, is open.

    Since the Antenna Booster was probably a factory install, it's not likely to have an in-line fuse.

    Mike