Digital Conversion that isn't going right! long story.

Dave from MN · 03-06-2009, 05:49 PM

Adding the digital converter per the details on this forum should have been a breeze but .......
First I had to make sure I had a good analog signal. It is late Jan. & I am staying at a RV park in AZ that includes cable tv with the rent. I’m not sure what if any channels I can get. I can only get one very poorly. It doesn’t make any difference if amplifier is on or not. No one in the RV park is using their antenna & they don’t understand why I want too. (There’s your sign!) I had 12 volts at the batwing so I decided I needed a new batwing. I order a RV2005 along with 2 different makes of splitters that would pass DC voltage from summitsource.com .The bat wing comes in while I am there. Not 2 different splitter but the 2 of the same kind that DON’T pass through DC voltage! Still without them in the circuit, I can’t get a signal! I am heading for an RV park in New Mexico that I know I can get some TV stations by antenna. I try it here. I get a signal but it doesn’t make any difference if the amplifier is on or off. First I call Winegard. I tell her my problem. She said she checked if there was a TV station that could be received here in Elephant Butte. She says there isn’t any listed, so how can the batwing be broke.(There’s your sign!) I tell her “I can receive 4 signals but the amplifier doesn’t do anything”. She says again that there are no stations in my area! (There’s your sign!) She finally did gives me a customer number & a return number. To prove the batwing was bad all I had to do was try it on a working system by just removing the cable from someone’s batwing & connect mine. Then try it out. It should be easy to find someone! Wrong! The best I could find was someone that wanted to check my TV to make sure I had it programed right! (There’s your sign!) Maybe summitsource sent me a non-amplified batwing. No markings on the batwing to say what it is. The guy at summitsource says the it shows you were sent a amplified batwing & your 30 days are up! (There’s your sign!) I sent the batwing to Winegard! We will see how that turns. No great hopes! Oh yes, I did find a splitter at a Radio Shack that does work but at a good high price! Thanks for letting me whine!

John Hilley · 03-09-2009, 09:28 AM

I think you are over complicating things. I don't know that you really need that DC passing splitter. To test your system, just leave every thing as it was originally and install the DTV converter on the VCR. This is easy as all you have to do is remove the antenna lead from the VCR, connect the VCR antenna lead to the DTV converter, take the cable provided with the DTV converter and connect the DTV converter Out to the VCR antenna In. Set your Video Selector to Antenna for VCR and VCR for TV1. Set TV to channel 3, if you don't see the setup for the DTV, use the VCR Remote or button on the VCR to select TV Mode.

http://www.winnebagoind.com/resource...Television.pdf

http://www.winnebagoind.com/resource...20Part%202.pdf

Dave from MN · 03-10-2009, 12:18 PM

John,
You must have missed this in my post.
"Still without them in the circuit, I can’t get a signal! I am heading for an RV park in New Mexico that I know I can get some TV stations by antenna."

John Hilley · 03-10-2009, 12:36 PM

Another thing I have learned, first at GNR at the Winegard seminar, is that the UHF portion of the Sensar antenna is unidirectional. When I set up here north of Yuma at the Imperial Dam LTVA, I could get all the channels on analog, could only get 2 digital. I turned the antenna 180 degrees and got them all.

RetiredSKP · 03-11-2009, 09:16 AM

Dave from MN,

I had a similar experience, no change with amplifier. I discovered that the coax connecter at the batwing end of the cable was rusted internally and made no connection with the also rusted internally female connecter on the batwing. I replaced both connecters, (I am an electronic tech). Excellent signal now. New DTV box works great. Good luck.

RetiredSKP

Dave from MN · 03-11-2009, 04:05 PM

RetiredSKP, I did run a coax from the back of the video switcher out the door & conneect it to the batwing. No improvement. I see I forgot to add that to my first post.
I received a call from Winegard today telling my Batwing tested OK! She is going send me a new one but doesn't think that will help. I'm back to square one! We don't watch TV anyway, so I'm not going to do anymore until I get home. Just put on the new batwing when it gets here.

Dave from MN · 03-21-2009, 01:12 PM

I finally got the analog signal from the antenna working. Bad Winegard video switch unit. Winegard no longer makes the video switch with s-connectors. VS-503. I had to go through Winnebago to get the same unit made by Quest (qs-503) for over double the cost. Being we hardy ever watched TV, I'm wondering if the video switch ever worked on the antenna.

Jim Stewart · 03-21-2009, 01:27 PM

What most people in the rest of the USA think of New Mexico!

Several years ago, when the Olympics were held in Atlanta Georgia, my wife and I decided to go. We called to order tickets for certain events from the US Olympic Organization. They asked my wife where we lived, she replied New Mexico, the girl on the other end of the phone said we had to call our own country. My wife explained to her that she was calling from New Mexico, not Mexico and that we were US Citizens. The girl on the other end of the phone said I don't care if your from New Mexico or Old Mexico, you have to call your own country if you want tickets.

Here's your sign!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Off topic I know, but New Mexico made me think about that time in our past. We used to keep a small cabin cruiser at Elephant Butte Reservoir, if you tell them Truth or Consquences New Mexico, they might get it!