My Newmar Ventana came equipped with the Quest QS53D. There are very few products that will work in the same RV application (i.e., 12vDC and Co-Ax output cables). You may also run into the Magnadyne VCS-10, which is identical in form and function, but also performs as badly as the Quest product. Magnadyne, however, does not sell direct to consumer, only to RV manufacturers so your RV may come equipped with one. In all fairness, Quest Technology is working on a new Electronic switch to replace the QS53D. Let's hope they improve on the design. What follows is a Product Review I have been posting on any online retail store that sells or has sold the QS53D.
The QS53D was intended to provide a centralized switching solution and simplify the cabling between various video input devices and the TVs located within an RV. This product will also apply 12vDC to the Antenna Input of the QS53D so the wall plate associated with most RV antenna systems would not be necessary (the wall plate’s on/off switch performs two functions: when On, 12vDC would be applied to the Antenna’s signal amplifier and block the signal from the RV’s Cable connection; when Off, the Cable signal would be sent to the TVs instead of the Antenna signal).
The QS53D is a nice product, but unfortunately has an outdated design. Most HD Digital switches for the home have Composite, Component or HDMI video connections. The QS53D must use co-axial cable so that the TV’s tuners can be used for channel selection for over-the-air and cable TV signals. While co-ax is capable of carrying HD quality video, some RV manufacturers use poor quality cable and connectors, with too many RF Splitters that result in enough signal loss to negatively affect TV signals, especially Digital TV. A Video Control Center is a great way to reduce the amount of cables, connectors and splitters, but there are two inherent problems with the QS53D that must be addressed by the manufacturer in the next generation of this product:
1. The 12vDC applied to the antenna input may damage newer Automatic Amplified Antenna systems such as the Winegard Rayzar, but there is no way to disable it completely on the QS53D. An easy, inexpensive (under $5) work-around solution is to install a Voltage Blocking Coupler (VBC) between the antenna’s control panel and the ANT IN connector on the QS53D.
2. The mechanical switches used by the QS53D cause excessive signal loss which severely impacts antenna signals and weak campground cable signals. You must install an RF signal Drop Amplifier (15db or more forward gain, costs $30-$50) between your Cable/Ant inputs and the switch which, if installed correctly, will boost both your cable and antenna signals enough to compensate for the loss through the QS53D.
I was ready to return my new Rayzar antenna as defective. Connected through the QS53D, my TV Channel Searches found only 3 channels in one particular location which were only marginally watchable. Connected directly to my TVs 21+ channels were found. That is significant insertion loss with the QS53D in the mix. At multiple campgrounds connected to their cable system, we had horrible TV reception, also because of the QS53D.
Eliminating the Video Control Center completely is not an option in many RVs including our motor home because of the other equipment that is connected to it. However, the QS53D is one of the only available products that will work in an RV with 12vDC and co-ax cable. Quest Technology International should release an improved product that will provide a means to disable the 12vDC power to prevent accidental damage to new antenna systems, and utilize electronic switches with signal amplification to eliminate the insertion loss. The DVD function works great and strong video signals from a VCR or Satellite set top box will probably overcome the signal loss. But without the above two work-around solutions for Antenna and Cable, I cannot recommend the QS53D. Also note that I connected the Rayzar antenna to the Satellite and Aux inputs and noted the exact same degradation in signal, so unless you have a strong input signal regardless of which input you use, it will simply not overcome the loss induced by the switch box.
