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sdcyclist · 01-25-2008, 01:08 PM

What a difference! Everything works now with just the push of a button. No more re-setting sources and no more guessing. The bedroom TV now shows satellite. All that is left to do is try the external dish on our next outing. Oh, and my bank account needs to be replenished!

sdcyclist
2006 36FDDS
happy camper now

sdcyclist · 01-25-2008, 01:08 PM

What a difference! Everything works now with just the push of a button. No more re-setting sources and no more guessing. The bedroom TV now shows satellite. All that is left to do is try the external dish on our next outing. Oh, and my bank account needs to be replenished!

sdcyclist
2006 36FDDS
happy camper now

Basil Shannon · 01-26-2008, 05:15 AM

You confused me until I went back to a previous thread and found your post

"After owning my coach for nearly two years, I finally got fed up with the complexity of getting satellite TV. The final straw was when I purchased an external dish to receive around trees and the satellite port was dead. Despite the wiring diagram provided to me by WRV, it was impossible to understand the reality of the connections when compared to the diagram--too many splitters and coax spagetti. I even had an A/V guy look at the set up, he just shook his head and said "it will never work". So, I had the guts ripped out and the whole system re-wired with a high quality A/V controller. Now I'm waiting for the new show&tell demo."

1) Do you have a diagram of how your system is now connected?
2) What A/V controller are you now using? The Harmony is very frustrating to use sometimes.

sdcyclist · 01-26-2008, 02:22 PM

Hi Basil,

They installed a 6 input Winegard A/V controller. All the WRV coax and splitters were replaced with straight coax cabling. Each of the coax leads were identified with labels. The WRV 3 position switch was replaced and now there is only an A/B switch for Kingdome or external antenna. No diagram. I think any savy A/V guy could do the same for you. I live in San Diego and the work was done by RV Specialists.

Milo

takepride · 01-31-2008, 09:40 PM

Milo:

Did you add a connection under the coach for connecting the external satellite? Can the cable connection be used?

Jim A · 02-01-2008, 07:41 AM

The coach should have an auxiliary satellite connection point in the passenger side storage compartment, at the rear. Be careful, as there is also the antenna connection for an external TV nearby. Don't confuse them.

Unless they have done some rewiring, no, the cable connection cannot be used. That coax does not go to the satellite receiver.

Rusty Bear · 02-04-2008, 11:58 AM

I am in the planning stage of redoing my whole system and installing RG6 cable and an LCD TV in new cabinetry in my coach. Can you tell me which 6 input switch you used when re wiring your your system. I am hoping to get my system working with the ease you seem to have accomplished.
Jim

sdcyclist · 02-04-2008, 12:23 PM

Hi Jim and Vivian,

The thread you are looking for came from my first topic on 28Jan08. Here is the scoop:
"The video selector installed is a Winegard VS6412RV. As noted by Jim A, the video connections are by RCA plug which is not the best for signal transfer (S-video is next best and Component is the finest). Even though my satellite receiver is the RCA HD model, I did not subscribe to DirectTV HD programming. Since the changes have been made, I have not run a DVD to look for a decrease in image quality."

Other contributers to the topic have suggested connecting the DVD player component outputs directly to the inputs on your flat screen thus avoiding any image degradation from the RCA connector on the Winegard switchbox.

Milo
2006 36FDDS

Jim A · 02-04-2008, 02:48 PM

Jim,

Here is a link to the Winegard website to view the manual for the switch box that Milo referenced. This is the box that came in my '04 coach, wired by WRV just as it shows. And I left this wiring alone, other than using the mini-coax leads I referenced earlier in this thread. I would just not connect the "TO MAIN TV" coax. (And neither did WRV, since the plasma TV in my coach does not have a coax input.) My coach came with this wiring diagram, and it was correct.

http://www.winegard.com/mobile/pdf/2451996.pdf

Wiring as shown allows you to view any one of the inputs (antenna, cable, VCR, satellite, or DVD) on the bedroom TV or the outdoor TV, if you have one.

Assuming you might want to use the antenna and the cable TV, I would suggest getting a DVD recorder with both a digital and analog tuner. Use it in place of a VCR for tuning the over-the-air antenna or the cable. The digital tuner will allow you to receive digital HD signals off the air for free!! Or if your LCD TV has a digital tuner built in, any DVD player is good, and connect the "TO MAIN TV" coax to the coax input on the TV. You don't need an external tuner like I did.)

Then connect the component video output (or better yet HDMI if the TV supports it) from the DVD recorder to the component video (HDMI if available) input of the LCD TV. Then if desired connect the coax output from the DVD recorder (if it has one) to the "FROM AUX" input on the Winegard box. This would allow you to view the DVD recorder output on the bedroom TV if desired.

If you use a DVD recorder as a tuner, connect the "TO VCR" output connection on the Winegard box to the DVD recorder coax input instead. And the DVD recorder coax output to the "FROM VCR" Winegard connection.

Then connect the component video output from your satellite receiver (or DVR) to a second component video input on the TV. (Newer TV's should have more than one. If not, buy a component video switch.) If you have or want satellite HD channels, you HAVE to connect with either component video or HDMI to get high def signal to the LCD TV. If you don't have HD (like me), then the S-video connection is sufficient. In that case connect the S-video output from the satellite box to the LCD TV S-video input. As the Winegard switch guide shows, also connect the satellite receiver coax output to the "FROM SAT" connection. This allows the satellite output to get to the rear TV. (Both the front and rear TV's will get the same channel.)

Audio connections depend on what type of sound system you use. The easiest is if your TV has an audio out connection. Then you would need to connect the satellite receiver and the DVD recorder audio outputs to the TV. (HDMI includes both the audio and video in one cable.) Then the TV audio output to the sound system input.

Clear as mud? Thought so. Sorry about that.

Rusty Bear · 02-11-2008, 11:06 AM

Thanks for all the help. I'm still gathering information. I don't want to start the project until I have every thing ready to go. I am currently researching what to do with my back-up camera. My camera currently shows through my TV. When I change my TV I will have to get a new monitor for the camera. Does any one know if these monitors are generic or do I have to have to match it up to the camera? If not maybe I will have to upgrade the whole system. I would rather not get into installing a whole new camer system at this time.

Jim&MaryJo · 02-13-2008, 05:50 AM

On two other coaches, where I've helped buddies replace camera/monitor, the connections were composite (RCA jack) or coaxial. I'm guessing your connection will be one of these, so it shouldn't be a problem.