Need New Back-up Monitor

gmfryer · 04-22-2009, 02:55 PM

I have a '99 Alpine Coach that I recently removed the old TV and replaced it with a LCD TV. In this year coach this TV also doubled as the back-up camera monitor. Am I safe to assume that I can purchase any small TV and us it as a back-up monitor as long as it has a RF input jack? This just sounds to simple. I must be missing something.

RVDude · 04-22-2009, 03:48 PM

Why not a small LCD monitor like this to mount right on your dash?

This is a Voyager brand monitor - many are available. Just plug in the video RCA output from the camera. You can look here for more. I'll bet eBay has bunches to choose from and Google can find you more.

TheMcDonald3 · 04-22-2009, 05:33 PM

Hi gmfryer,
I have a '98 and did the same thing you did putting in an LCD so I needed a new backup monitor. If yours is similar to mine, and I think it is, it's not as simple as plugging in a new monitor via RCA plug. The old system has a proprietory "funky" connector. I ended up buying a cheap 7" monitor with an articulating arm and mounted it underneath the old TV cabinet towards the left side of the cockpit. I had to splice into the cable for power, etc. If you swapped out your old TV I bet you could do this as well.

gmfryer · 04-23-2009, 07:54 AM

I did some more investigating and found the silver splitter looking thing that is behind the TV. I see where one cable comes in (camera?) and one goes out (TV?) and a couple of what looks like 12v wires going to it that must power the camera(?).

So with this in mind I don't see why a conventional TV would not work, especially since that is the way it originally worked. Would it not be as simple as disconnection the output from the silver splitter and connecting it to the new TV input?

Another thought, the camera input to the silver splitter looks like a normal video input cable, could this be just plugged into a video input of a new smaller TV?

I am not quite sure why the monitor needs to be "special". Thanks for the reply's.