What's that coax jack for?

[ECones]

We took delivery yesterday of a 2017 Thor ACE 30.1. The television in the living area has a coax cable from the wall to the TV, but there’s another coax jack in the cabinet behind the TV. I’ve noticed that the TV only works on the antenna if the button on that jack is pushed and the light is on. So, I supposed they’re interconnected somehow.

But what’s that empty jack for? I need to connect a DirecTV dish and receiver and wondered if there’s a way to utilize that jack.

Thx

[jmcgsd]

Tom_M wrote:
A search on Amazon for Winegard wall plate found this:
Winegard RV-7542

Thanks.

[Tom_M1]

A search on Amazon for Winegard wall plate found this:
Winegard RV-7542

[jmcgsd]

Old-Biscuit wrote:
IF you have a double coax jack wall plate like this then bottom one is for TV (OTA & Cable) and top is for SAT (straight connection)
Power button ON for OTA.....off for cable------doesn't matter for SAT

Old-biscuit do you know the part # for that plate? Been looking for one since I bought me DISH satellite. Best I could do was a dual RG6 Jack but no power insertion on it.

[ECones]

Bill.Satellite wrote:
The cable signal will work fine with a splitter but you will have issue with satellite TV. You are going to have to trust me on this but if you don't that's OK, too. Enjoy.

Thank you, Bill.

We were able to see some, but like I said, we didn't try them all. I'll compare what I get at home with what I get in the RV and decide whether we really need them all or not.

You folks have been a big help.

[Bill_Satellite]

The cable signal will work fine with a splitter but you will have issue with satellite TV. You are going to have to trust me on this but if you don't that's OK, too. Enjoy.

[ECones]

Bill.Satellite wrote:
You will not get all of your channels with that setup. You need to replace the splitter with an A/B switch to all the satellite to properly pass the signal. If may appear to work at the moment but it will not work fully with a splitter in place. Get a good quality A/B switch for best results.

Do you mean all the channels on the DirecTV or cable? I seem to get a full lineup on the DirecTV, though I've not actually tried to watch them all ;). I won't know about cable until I actually try to use it somewhere.

[Bill_Satellite]

You will not get all of your channels with that setup. You need to replace the splitter with an A/B switch to all the satellite to properly pass the signal. If may appear to work at the moment but it will not work fully with a splitter in place. Get a good quality A/B switch for best results.

[ECones]

Bill.Satellite wrote:
Sorry, I missed the part about wanting to add DirecTV. Assuming you are talking about a portable ground mounted unit there is an easy modification that will allow you to use the cable connection outside.
You remove that wall plate and locate the coax that is connected to the Cable port. Disconnect that cable and connect it to the Input side of an A/B switch. Run a new short coax from the A port right back to the wall plate where you disconnected the cable and connect a coax to the B port that runs to your satellite receiver. When you want to watch OTA TV you push the power button to on and if you want satellite or cable you push the power button to off and use the A/B switch to make a selection. If you don't forsee ever needing park Cable (like me!) you just disconnect the cable connection and run it directly to the satellite TV receiver.
There are a few trailer/5th wheel manufacturers who utilize splitters for the Cable connection sending the signal to various locations in the coach. If yours is wired that way then this will not work as you will only get 1/2 your channels and a new dedicated coax will need to be run.

Got 'er done almost exactly like you suggested. Instead of an A/B switch I used an old splitter I had lying around. I removed the cable from the "cable" side of the Cable/Antenna switch to the input side of the splitter. Then I ran one cable to the DirecTV receiver, and the other back to the Cable side of the switch.

And it works! At least at the house it allows me to watch TV from the antenna on any of the three TVs, and DirecTV on the living room TV. We won't know about park cable until we actually try it at a park, but about that only time that happens is when our view to the satellite is completely blocked.

I'm actually sort of amazed it didn't require the A/B switch, but for now, the splitter is working.

Thanks again for the input.

[Bill_Satellite]

Johno02 wrote:
When you start talking about a satellite dish, that is a whole different subject. All I am going to say is that a satellite dish should be connected DIRECTLY to the satellite receiver input with no switches, power supplies or anything else. From the receiver to the TVs, you can do whatever you want. The signals from and to a satellitedish and from an OTA antenna or park cable are completely different animals. Now let the fight begin!

The only fight would be that all of those signals are actually the same. They all need to get from point A to "the correct" point B. Whether I send an OTA signal a Cable signal or a Satellite signal over the same coax they all work exactly the same as long as the the thing on the other end is capable of decoding the signal being sent. Using a good quality, high isolation, A/B switch will have no degradation of signal whether you connect cable or satellite and the OTA situation doesn't change as it is a separate circuit (which goes through that wall plate a/b switch by default).

[Johno02]

Comes from a time when many folks had VCRs (if you don't know what that is, don't worry about it) and were able to record or playback through it. The extra plug on the front was a lot easier than playing with all the wires, and would work with whatever input your had. Then satellite boxes came and things got complicated.

[wa8yxm]

For some reason some RV's are wired that way.. Since the wall plate with the "Open" port (Jack) is the one with the switch.. you can use that jack for a VCR or DVR to record one show while watchign another, It is just another "Antenna' connection, either rooftop (Switch on) or park cable (Switch off) In fact the identification for that jack is "TV-1" just so you know.

Why they do it that way I do not know.

[DownTheAvenue]

When I had my trailer, the second jack went to the bedroom. It was great, because I used one satellite receiver in the living room of the trailer and sent the signal from that receiver to the bedroom television.

[Bill_Satellite]

Sorry, I missed the part about wanting to add DirecTV. Assuming you are talking about a portable ground mounted unit there is an easy modification that will allow you to use the cable connection outside.
You remove that wall plate and locate the coax that is connected to the Cable port. Disconnect that cable and connect it to the Input side of an A/B switch. Run a new short coax from the A port right back to the wall plate where you disconnected the cable and connect a coax to the B port that runs to your satellite receiver. When you want to watch OTA TV you push the power button to on and if you want satellite or cable you push the power button to off and use the A/B switch to make a selection. If you don't forsee ever needing park Cable (like me!) you just disconnect the cable connection and run it directly to the satellite TV receiver.
There are a few trailer/5th wheel manufacturers who utilize splitters for the Cable connection sending the signal to various locations in the coach. If yours is wired that way then this will not work as you will only get 1/2 your channels and a new dedicated coax will need to be run.

[Johno02]

When you start talking about a satellite dish, that is a whole different subject. All I am going to say is that a satellite dish should be connected DIRECTLY to the satellite receiver input with no switches, power supplies or anything else. From the receiver to the TVs, you can do whatever you want. The signals from and to a satellitedish and from an OTA antenna or park cable are completely different animals. Now let the fight begin!