Jul-06-2016 12:00 PM
Jul-06-2016 08:38 PM
srt20 wrote:
It's a TT/park model. 16 Keystone Hideout 38FKTS.
We are a ways out in the boonies, but everybody else gets radio and tv reception there. Of course I'm the only one with an omni antenna. The rest are all bat wings.
I'll get up on roof and get behind the stereo next time I'm up there.
We just got it in May so now I'm starting to fix/improve the stuff that bugs me or I don't like.
Thanks!
Jul-06-2016 08:26 PM
rk911 wrote:srt20 wrote:
One more question.
The radio reception is terrible as well. I thought I read someplace that the radio antenna is part of the omni antenna as well?
My last rv got excellent radio reception and this one doesn't even get a channel that's less than 20 miles away, which happens to be the channel I listen for baseball games.
If possible I would like to improve this as well vs just getting a portable radio.
Thanks again!
are you in a trailer or MH? my buddy has had a number of bumper pull trailers over the years and all of them have had a separate AM/FM antenna for the radio. I've owned 3-motor homes since 1986 and all of them have had a separate radio antenna on the roof. if you don't see another antenna on the roof of your RV and you can't hear anything then either the poor excuse for a TV antenna is also a poor excuse for a radio antenna; the factory forgot to install the radio antenna (hey, it can happen. the factory forgot to install the window by the sink on one of our motorhomes); or the cable isn't connected.
can you pull the radio and see if there is anything connected to the antenna connection in the back. maybe wiggle it a bit and see if something may have gotten crimped and is shorting out. worst case a simple automotive AM/FM antenna mounted where you can get a good ground (well, an OK ground will do)should produce results. if you're way the heck out in the boonies you may not be able to get FM but you should be able to get something on the AM band...especially at night when the sky wave takes over.
Jul-06-2016 08:11 PM
srt20 wrote:
One more question.
The radio reception is terrible as well. I thought I read someplace that the radio antenna is part of the omni antenna as well?
My last rv got excellent radio reception and this one doesn't even get a channel that's less than 20 miles away, which happens to be the channel I listen for baseball games.
If possible I would like to improve this as well vs just getting a portable radio.
Thanks again!
Jul-06-2016 08:02 PM
Jul-06-2016 07:04 PM
srt20 wrote:
Thanks. Yes basically I'm just looking to see what to do with the factory antenna boost switch. On or off.
Jul-06-2016 05:37 PM
rk911 wrote:srt20 wrote:Bill.Satellite wrote:this is exactly what I am looking for. I just wanted to know the proper way to hook up a residential antenna to my factory camper coax that has a booster.
OTA brodacast or satellite TV broadcast? Assuming you are within 5 miles of the satellite TV broadcast then you are golden. If you are outside that range you could always use your OTA TV antenna to watch the local 5 o'clock news and your satellite to watch everything else.
ok. since you're in a seasonal site just head out to your favorite big box store and get a residential antenna, X-feet of RG-6 antenna coax and a 10'-20' piece of PVC for a mounting mast. mount the antenna to the mast and connect the cable. lash the mast to the rear ladder or wherever convenient and run the cable to the TV through a window, fridge chimney, etc. locate the proper direction to point your antenna, scan for channels and away you go. if you want to add an amplifier there are amps designed for outside use and inside use...take your pick. TV signals are line-of-sight so, depending on the terrain between your antenna and the transmitters, height is your friend (hence the 10'-20' of mast).
if you want to use the factory coax then climb up on the roof. the coax from your RV antenna should terminate at a connector in the roof. run the cable from your residential antenna to that roof connector. or...just disconnect the RV coax from the back of the TV (or selector switch if you have one) and connect the residential antenna to the TV.
if you have more than one TV and you have a selector switch then connecting the residential antenna coax to the TV INPUT of the selector switch would be the way to go.
you can't use the RV amplifier since it is built into the RV antenna. the switch on the wall merely supplies power to the amp.
I hope this helps but gotta tell ya...it seems like a lot of trouble vs. just getting your locals via the satellite.
good luck.
Jul-06-2016 05:15 PM
srt20 wrote:Bill.Satellite wrote:this is exactly what I am looking for. I just wanted to know the proper way to hook up a residential antenna to my factory camper coax that has a booster.
OTA brodacast or satellite TV broadcast? Assuming you are within 5 miles of the satellite TV broadcast then you are golden. If you are outside that range you could always use your OTA TV antenna to watch the local 5 o'clock news and your satellite to watch everything else.
Jul-06-2016 05:11 PM
Jul-06-2016 05:08 PM
Bill.Satellite wrote:this is exactly what I am looking for. I just wanted to know the proper way to hook up a residential antenna to my factory camper coax that has a booster.
OTA brodacast or satellite TV broadcast? Assuming you are within 5 miles of the satellite TV broadcast then you are golden. If you are outside that range you could always use your OTA TV antenna to watch the local 5 o'clock news and your satellite to watch everything else.
Jul-06-2016 05:07 PM
Bill.Satellite wrote:
OTA brodacast or satellite TV broadcast? Assuming you are within 5 miles of the satellite TV broadcast then you are golden. If you are outside that range you could always use your OTA TV antenna to watch the local 5 o'clock news and your satellite to watch everything else.
Jul-06-2016 05:06 PM
rk911 wrote:srt20 wrote:rk911 wrote:srt20 wrote:
Background; new camper, has worthless omni disk antenna picks up nothing. Already have Directv but want locals at camp site. Seasonal site, camper will not be moved.
I had asked previously how to get better signal. Best answers were to get residential antenna.
I'm ready to get an antenna now, but what to I do about the OEM powered switch by the tv? Do I leave it off? Or will that prevent signal from passing through? Or do I have it on, but where does the power go then? I don't think I want to send power to an aluminum antenna with no booster on it?
Thanks for any help.
if all you want are the locals just call DirecTV and change your service address. that should do it. that's what we do with DISH Network and i'll bet it works for DTV as well.
The problem for us with that is we are weekenders at our seasonal. We have the same service at home. So we'd have to change service addresses all the time, which I don't think they allow.
DISH will change our service address once a day if we want. and we change it frequently when traveling. i'll bet DTV will, too. why not call and ask? maybe see what a second rcvr would cost to place in the camper for the season.
Jul-06-2016 05:02 PM
Bucky Badger wrote:srt20 wrote:
Background; new camper, has worthless omni disk antenna picks up nothing. Already have Directv but want locals at camp site. Seasonal site, camper will not be moved.
I had asked previously how to get better signal. Best answers were to get residential antenna.
I'm ready to get an antenna now, but what to I do about the OEM powered switch by the tv? Do I leave it off? Or will that prevent signal from passing through? Or do I have it on, but where does the power go then? I don't think I want to send power to an aluminum antenna with no booster on it?
Thanks for any help.
Just curious how far are you at your seasonal site that you can't get locals?
I was planning to take my DTV box from Madison and bring it to Mauston, 70 miles away seasonal site. Was hoping to get local automatically up there
Jul-06-2016 04:42 PM
Jul-06-2016 04:37 PM
Bill.Satellite wrote:Bucky Badger wrote:srt20 wrote:
Background; new camper, has worthless omni disk antenna picks up nothing. Already have Directv but want locals at camp site. Seasonal site, camper will not be moved.
I had asked previously how to get better signal. Best answers were to get residential antenna.
I'm ready to get an antenna now, but what to I do about the OEM powered switch by the tv? Do I leave it off? Or will that prevent signal from passing through? Or do I have it on, but where does the power go then? I don't think I want to send power to an aluminum antenna with no booster on it?
Thanks for any help.
Just curious how far are you at your seasonal site that you can't get locals?
I was planning to take my DTV box from Madison and bring it to Mauston, 70 miles away seasonal site. Was hoping to get local automatically up there
No reason to believe you will not get locals 70 miles from home. A couple of hundred miles can be a reall issue. Also, if you are already 100+ miles from the actual broadcast location, it would only take 50-100 miles driving away from that location to lose the signal. There is NO fixed number so no one can give you an exact number. The distance varies market to market as well as location to location. Generally, if you are within 100-200 miles of the center of the market you should be good. Keep in mind, that I said "generally".