What is this?

[Kober]

Click For Full-Size Image.

It finally rained and I went to see why the roof was leaking and found this. Anyone know what this is for?

[dougrainer]

mike-s wrote:

dougrainer wrote:

Tom N wrote:
Looks like a cellphone antenna from the connector.

-Tom, W3TLN

They do not install Cell Phone antenna's on RV's. That is a AM/FM connection. That is what they look like. Doug

Look at the male threads.

https://www.amazon.com/Magnadyne-RV70-96-Recreational-Vehicle-Stainless/dp/B001R5IYR8/ref=pd_sbs_107...

I agree with Tom. That doesn't look anything like a PL-259 (UHF) connector - there's no center pin. It looks like a TNC, which were commonly used for cellular antennas. And yes, back in the day when you could get phones which supported external car kits, people did install cellular antennas on their RVs.

Although it's hard to say without a closeup.

1. Back in the day, they did install Cell antennas, but NOT from the factory on cheaper motorhomes and not on trailers(which the OP has). Some very expensive motorhomes did install cell antenna's.
2. That connector is about twice as large as a cell phone cable antenna connector
3. Cell Phone Antenna's did/do not have that large round 3 screw mount base (missing in the photo).
4. I base my comments on 38 years of replacing RV Am/FM antenna's, since they seem to be knocked off pretty often. :B Doug

[mike-s]

dougrainer wrote:

Tom N wrote:
Looks like a cellphone antenna from the connector.

-Tom, W3TLN

They do not install Cell Phone antenna's on RV's. That is a AM/FM connection. That is what they look like. Doug

Look at the male threads.

https://www.amazon.com/Magnadyne-RV70-96-Recreational-Vehicle-Stainless/dp/B001R5IYR8/ref=pd_sbs_107...

I agree with Tom. That doesn't look anything like a PL-259 (UHF) connector - there's no center pin. It looks like a TNC, which were commonly used for cellular antennas. And yes, back in the day when you could get phones which supported external car kits, people did install cellular antennas on their RVs.

Although it's hard to say without a closeup.

[Tom_N]

dougrainer wrote:

Tom N wrote:
Looks like a cellphone antenna from the connector.

-Tom, W3TLN

They do not install Cell Phone antenna's on RV's. That is a AM/FM connection. That is what they look like. Doug

Look at the male threads.

https://www.amazon.com/Magnadyne-RV70-96-Recreational-Vehicle-Stainless/dp/B001R5IYR8/ref=pd_sbs_107...

I agree with you. The coax looks too stiff to be cellphone coax. It was a AM/FM antenna. -Tom, W3TLN

[Kober]

Thanks to everyone who replied! You guys rock! I agree, it was likely the AM/FM antenna since I don't see one left on the roof and the white plastic over for the Refrigerator vent just to the rear of this connector shows lots of black skid marks.

[dougrainer]

Tom N wrote:
Looks like a cellphone antenna from the connector.

-Tom, W3TLN

They do not install Cell Phone antenna's on RV's. That is a AM/FM connection. That is what they look like. Doug

Look at the male threads.

https://www.amazon.com/Magnadyne-RV70-96-Recreational-Vehicle-Stainless/dp/B001R5IYR8/ref=pd_sbs_107...

[Tom_N]

Looks like a cellphone antenna from the connector.

-Tom, W3TLN

[wa8yxm]

I will second "Antenna' but the the connector on the end of it looks more like what I see on AM/FM Automotive antennas than a PL-259 (not big enough)

However hard to tell the scale. If the coax says something ike RG-8 on it, then look for the other end, put a VHF "Scanner" type antenna on the roof and put a Weather Radio on the other end of the coax. Else.. Seal it up.

[dougrainer]

If you look, you see screw holes where the AM/FM antenna has been knocked off. It is a AM/FM antenna missing. Doug

[j-d]

Many TT's have a little AM/FM radio antenna. If there's such a radio inside, and no other antenna outside, then that's what it "was." That ring of sealant formed a great funnel to send rainwater inside.
If there's no music radio, or there IS one and it still works, see if you can put the cable down the hole connector first, leaving a little loop you can grab to pull back out if you ever need to. Then try to pull the sealant off, and put a patch with sealant over the hole. Dicor will come off if you ever have to get back in there.

I'm skeptical about CB because:

1. Much more likely to be used if it's usable on the road and in a TT it isn't.

2. The Connector doesn't look to me, like the PL259 type used for CB
since it doesn't have the prominent center pin as shown on the left side of the pic. There are versions that can be crimped not soldered, with the cable end looking like the crimps in the OP. But the center pin would still be there, and I don't see it.

3. The little bit of the wire I can see, looks to be "two wire" and not Coaxial like CB.

That said, and probably needless to say... Anybody can Wire Any Thing Any Way. AM/FM will play pretty well with almost anything from a coat hanger on up. CB will also listen. Good Transmit takes a LOT of quality work and that's hard to achieve on an RV body.

[bob213]

Radio antenna wire.

[Corkey05]

LittleBill wrote:
if your talking the thing to the right and lower, looks like the left over cable from a cb/ham radio, looks like they took the antenna and just left the cable

Yep, CB/Ham radio antenna - you know, the one you never used.

Looks like a low limb ate it.

[LittleBill]

if your talking the thing to the right and lower, looks like the left over cable from a cb/ham radio, looks like they took the antenna and just left the cable

[time2roll]

Is that some kind of coax? Looks like an antenna went some other direction.