Figuring out previous owner's madness

[Moffittclan]

I just bought a 2003 Damon Escaper 40' motorhome. We've had fivers before but our first motorhome, so we are trying to go through and set it all up. I'm working on trying to get the TVs working with local antenna, DVD, In-Motion satellite, etc but not getting anywhere fast...I know it works because when we picked it up from the consignment dealer, it was playing a local TV station.

This was the first thing I found when I pulling out all the wires...this was in the area where he ran his satellite to I believe (switch box and DVD are in another cabinet).



First, bare wires just hanging around worry me. I haven't taken a meter to any of them yet but I'm guessing they aren't live (else, why leave them like that?)

Then, this is the switch box that's installed:



I know we probably won't be able to figure this out without someone actually looking at the entire system, but suggestions on where to start? I'm pretty tech savy but since I don't know how the cables are ran for a motorhome, I'm a little lost where to start...I think I might basically disconnect EVERYTHING and start over plugging in one thing at a time...

[Dan_Henry]

If you can determine some of the wires are speaker wires take 1 1,2 volt battery and truch the wires to each end of the battery and the speaker should have small pop, won't hurt the speaker, A check with a volt meter with a good ground will find any hot wires. Put a butt splice on the hot ones so you don't short them.

Dan

[Moffittclan]

D.E.Bishop wrote:
Just yesterday I went through the same thing with our new 2002 Adventurer. The only real difference is our speakers are all hooked up with the exception of the bass in the floor.

We are leaving at the end of the month so I'll leave the sound system until we return.

If you would like some basic information regarding checking out the stuff you have, PM me and we can chat on line and I can help with wire to wire identification. I could write it all out here but it would leave me exhausted and answering direction by chat is easier.

Start with gatorcq's suggestion, it will solve most of your problems. Once the TV's and the DVD Player the remaining wires appear to be incidentals. I would avoid plugging in that wall wart shown in the picture with all the "speaker wires" hang loose.

Like I said PM me and I'll get back asap.

By the way is that CA, California or Canada/

Thanks! it's going to be California (Vandenberg, AFB). Based on what others have said, I think I'll start with the basic setup you guys mentioned and then start connecting from there. I think that rats nest MIGHT be the speakers because he installed all new speakers throughout the coach. So I guess I need a receiver to connect to that for sound...I'll keep working on it over the next week or so and hopefully trace some of these wires out!

[WyoTraveler]

Just a humble guess. Since they are hanging loose maybe they are all speaker wires. However, I would pick up a common ground somewhere else in the coach and check to see if any DC voltage exists on any of the wires. If not try to trace them back to speakers, or other cabinets and electronic equip. If it were mine I'd connect a audio generator through a capacitor and see if they were speaker wires. I know non electronic people will find that mess quite difficult..

[Big_Katuna]

As stated, those are speaker wires.

I would ditch the bomb and simplify the wiring. I ran HDMI to the new tv from the DVD AND SAT box, then ran an optical audio from the tv to the surround sound amp. Use tv remote to change inputs.

Your cable from outside to your sat box will work fine as lond as it is a direct run, no splitters or amps.

[D_E_Bishop]

Just yesterday I went through the same thing with our new 2002 Adventurer. The only real difference is our speakers are all hooked up with the exception of the bass in the floor.

We are leaving at the end of the month so I'll leave the sound system until we return.

If you would like some basic information regarding checking out the stuff you have, PM me and we can chat on line and I can help with wire to wire identification. I could write it all out here but it would leave me exhausted and answering direction by chat is easier.

Start with gatorcq's suggestion, it will solve most of your problems. Once the TV's and the DVD Player the remaining wires appear to be incidentals. I would avoid plugging in that wall wart shown in the picture with all the "speaker wires" hang loose.

Like I said PM me and I'll get back asap.

By the way is that CA, California or Canada/

[MrWizard]

The box is known as "the B.O.M.B."
AKA BOX OF MANY BUTTONS
it is the video switch box to choose which signal goes to which TV

[sdianel_-acct_c]

If you are anywhere near Quartzite AZ, Satellite Advantage is RV satellite company. That's all they do.
In Junction City OR, Advanced Satellite is the company that installed the satellite system in our 2004 Country Coach.
We use Sats2Go in Willis (Houston) TX for our satellite stuff. No way would we even try to figure out all the wires!! (not enough patience).

[mjbenedict]

Moffittclan wrote:
I just bought a 2003 Damon Escaper 40' motorhome. We've had fivers before but our first motorhome, so we are trying to go through and set it all up. I'm working on trying to get the TVs working with local antenna, DVD, In-Motion satellite, etc but not getting anywhere fast...I know it works because when we picked it up from the consignment dealer, it was playing a local TV station.

This was the first thing I found when I pulling out all the wires...this was in the area where he ran his satellite to I believe (switch box and DVD are in another cabinet).



First, bare wires just hanging around worry me. I haven't taken a meter to any of them yet but I'm guessing they aren't live (else, why leave them like that?)

Then, this is the switch box that's installed:



I know we probably won't be able to figure this out without someone actually looking at the entire system, but suggestions on where to start? I'm pretty tech savy but since I don't know how the cables are ran for a motorhome, I'm a little lost where to start...I think I might basically disconnect EVERYTHING and start over plugging in one thing at a time...

Those are most likely speaker wires. They all are color coded in pairs so I would pull the speakers and check the colors connected to them. They probably pulled the receiver and just left them hanging. I would have taped off and labeled for the future owner if that were me, some people only think of themselves though.

[wa8yxm]

That looks about like my Intruder, and no modes were made

Satellite.. if your antenna is roof mounted there should be a cable labeled SAT ANT or some such in the Equipment bay (Where the receiver goes) and a second cable Sat Out,, This is RF to the multi-switch in the other compartment.

That is the best I can give you

Ground mount antennas (I suggest you have one) will generally have an unmarked cable in the equipment bay since this is an after market modification.

[blangen]

As a fellow 40' Escaper owner (2004, here), I can tell you what might be missing.

In your cabinet where you have all those hanging wires, I have a Pioneer DVD player and Pioneer Audio/Video Multi-Channel Receiver. The Receiver drives all the speakers in the ceiling of the coach. It pulls the sound from the TV in the front of the coach. Frankly, that's all I use that cabinet for so what other things it does, I don't know.

Your second picture (the cabinet to the right of the TV in front) contains my switch box and satellite receiver.

I wish I could tell you more. Actually, since I'm currently sitting in Philadelphia (with lots of over-the-air stations) and your questions have peaked my curiosity, I'm beginning to play with the receiver to see what else it does. If you have any specific questions that I may be able to fiddle with things and figure it out, fire away. As you know, and what others have said, no one but you can really figure it out but me, here, looking at what is probably the same system, might be able help a bunch.

PS: I should probably add that I'm not offering to pull components out and mess with my own rats nest of wiring.... it works and I don't want to kill something. What I AM offering is to tell you about factory functionality, assuming most of what I have here is factory.

[gatorcq]

If the system is still wire correctly
Turn on the power switch (left side push button)

Press the TV Ant push button for TV1 and TV2. If and now if, the output cables are wire correctly, they should goto the RF coax fitting on the back of the TV (Ant in).

[p220sigman]

I would be tempted to start from scratch and replace all of the wires. I'd look to retain the antenna wiring, power/ground wiring (if you have it and can identify it), and speaker wiring (again, if you have and can identify it).

From my younger years as a car audio installer, it was usually quicker and easier to replace a bird's nest of wires rather than trying to determine what they do and where they lead to. I've even seen where the person who did a previous install would change color from one end to the other so that a red wire at the head unit would be a green wire at the amplifier. It can make tracking down issues very difficult and time consuming.

[RoyB]

Thats all part the game with the older RV's haha... Almost everyone adds their own mods to just about everything...

I saw one RG/Video cable run once that ran thru the ceiling somehow and then the wires came straight down from the ceiling to a TV set about a foot away from the wall all out in the open. Shortest distance I reckon...

Sometimes the best thing to do is rip it all out and put back what works for you...

No way anyone else can help you figure any of that out...

Good luck my friend haha...

Roy ken