Community Forums

jcgribks · 09-05-2017, 01:55 PM

Have a 96 Suncruiser 34RQ. Owned for 9 yrs. installed new flat screen TVs about 8 yrs ago and used to have good picture. Had the roof re-sealed last fall and don't know if they removed and reinstalled the roof OTA crank up antenna or not but haven't had a good picture since. I've tried 2 different coax cables while at different campground shore connections to my rig connection. Still fuzzy picture.

By the Winnebago diagrams, my cable comes in next to the plumbing on the mid left side and goes up to and along the roof to the front TV connection plate. From there it splits goes back to the rear TV and then from there splits to the external entertainment hookup. The OTA crank up antenna goes forward from the right side of the roof to the front TV connection plate.

I'm wondering if they damaged the coax when they removed and reinstalled the crank up antenna, would that cause my interference and fuzzy picture?

I'm going to go buy a new 100ft coax cable to try and see if my home cable TV will work and try my normal hook up and try hooking it up to my external entertainment hookup.

tstillman · 09-05-2017, 02:12 PM

This may be a dumb question, but do you have an OTA signal booster?
It's usually in an inconspicuous location.

Be sure the LED light is off. If it's on it will interfer with a parks cable signal.

I'm assuming you have the bat-wing style OAT antenna.

jcgribks · 09-05-2017, 02:47 PM

Yes. The original brochure says I have the booster but I'll have to find it. I don't know how it would have gotten switched on as I usually do all my own work.

Old-Biscuit · 09-05-2017, 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcgribks

Yes. The original brochure says I have the booster but I'll have to find it. I don't know how it would have gotten switched on as I usually do all my own work.

Has to be ON for regular antenna TV reception

BUT if left ON it will cause interference when using a CG cable connection

Antenna booster (amplifier) s in the head of antenna up on roof.

ON/OFF button for booster is on a 'wall switch' where TV coax cable connects OR if you have a 'bomb' (box of many buttons) turn it OFF when using 'cable'

jcgribks · 09-05-2017, 05:58 PM

I found it and it was off so that's probably not the problem. I think by the Winnebago diagram the roof antenna is hooked up behind that outlet with the little switch so I'm going to unhook it to rule it out. Any other suggestions?

Thanks, John

**Lt Dan** · 09-05-2017, 10:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcgribks

I found it and it was off so that's probably not the problem. I think by the Winnebago diagram the roof antenna is hooked up behind that outlet with the little switch so I'm going to unhook it to rule it out. Any other suggestions?
Thanks, John

That booster switch is also a splitter/diverter for the cable and OTA antenna. You should have two coax cables coming in (antenna & cable) and one going out to the TV. You can use a small double female coax connector to bypass the splitter to see if it has gone bad.

adamfolger · 09-05-2017, 10:15 PM

I am an RV park manager and deal with this complaint every day. You have to do a channel search. On the TV's remote go to menu, then mode (cable) and then auto search. Takes about 10 min for channel search. All posts above are correct but you still have to do a channel search in the menu screen. I do this stuff every day so back at me if problem persists.

jcgribks · 09-06-2017, 05:17 AM

Ok. I didn't do a channel search but I did go through changing the channels and all were different and all very fuzzy. I'm going to unhook the antenna there at the booster switch and run a line from my house cable box to see if I can narrow it down to what is wrong.

jcgribks · 09-06-2017, 02:36 PM

Well I have google fiber and the converter boxes only hook up your tv via an hdmi cable or analog cables (red, white, yellow). I thought I could get a 100' coax and run it out to my motorhome and plug it in like I do at any campground but no. So now without going to a campground I don't know how I'm going to track down what is wrong with the coax inside my rig.

adamfolger · 09-06-2017, 06:25 PM

You just said you did not do a channel search, which you have to do with these new flat screen tvs. A channel search is not just flipping thru channels with the channel changer...An auto channel search is a function of the menu screen, which you open by hitting the menu button on the TV's original changer ( not the Dish/Direct remote ). Running the cable thru the window and hooking directly to the tv will by pass any interior cable issues the rv may have. I still say the problem is MOST likely that you have not done an auto channel search. Rvers usually assume that there is a cable problem when the reception is fuzzy. 90% of the time it is not. Again...menu screen, cable mode, auto search. If you hook the cable directly to the tv ( not he Dish box but the tvs cable connection ) and do the menu thing and you still have a fuzzy screen ...then it IS a cable issue. Lowes sells a cable toner for about $25 that connects to each end of the cable and sounds a tone if the cable continuity is good. Every rver should have one.