Community Forums

SamKVA · 09-24-2021, 08:58 PM

My wife teleworks full time (I'm retired) and since we bought the 40IH, she has be able to work while on the road but cell connectivity is not always the greatest. I'm thinking of installing the WeBoost Drive Reach RV. My initial thoughts are to mount the external antenna to the rear ladder and run the cable through the dryer vent access and complete the inside installation. It would be great to hear any comments from anyone that has done a similar installation and/or how you did it differently.

Thanks!
Sam

jeskibuff · 09-26-2021, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SamKVA

My wife teleworks full time (I'm retired) and since we bought the 40IH, she has be able to work while on the road but cell connectivity is not always the greatest. I'm thinking of installing the WeBoost Drive Reach RV. My initial thoughts are to mount the external antenna to the rear ladder and run the cable through the dryer vent access and complete the inside installation. It would be great to hear any comments from anyone that has done a similar installation and/or how you did it differently.

Thanks!
Sam

If you're not using some of the rooftop antennas like satellite or Travlr, you likely have some unused coax connections you can take advantage of. My WeBoost Connect RV 65 system came with a flat coax connector that enables the coax to feed through a slide opening with little distortion of the weather stripping. I used it to connect to a cable from one of the satellite "hats" on the roof which the outdoor antenna can connect to. The other end of that cable can be traced to the A/V cabinet. From there I connected the cable to the input of the booster and the output from it is connected to one of the antenna coax wires (labeled "Surr") coming from the front overhead cabinet. I disconnected that one from the antenna splitter there and connected it to the coax that goes to the outdoor TV. I put an antenna splitter on the center TV coax and routed that to the outdoor TV. The internal WeBoost antenna then gets connected to the coax that used to go to the outdoor TV and you've got several options there on how you mount the internal antenna. I mounted mine to the bottom of the dinette tabletop which is real close to where I have my T-Mobile hotspot located. It gets the job done nicely without having to run any new wires.

jeskibuff · 09-26-2021, 10:22 AM

It looks like the Drive Reach model may not have the flat cable included, but you can buy it separately if it isn't:
https://www.wilsonamplifiers.com/wil...female-951177/

For $20, I'd rather just drill a hole in the side of the hat for a normal coax cable to come through and then just seal it up to keep water out.

jeskibuff · 09-26-2021, 11:21 AM

In case you got lost in the word salad of my first post, I thought that it might help by drawing a picture. You'll quickly see why my artistic talent is as valuable as Hunter's. If my dad had political influence to peddle, perhaps I could get several hundred thousand for them...what do you think?

The top picture is a depiction of my RV with four TVs in it, probably quite similar to yours (use your imagination, okay?). I have a front TV, center TV (over the fireplace), outdoor TV and rear (bedroom) TV. The little red thing on the roof is the TV antenna and coax (in red) connects it to the booster. It then gets routed to the various TVs via a splitter near the booster. I colored the coax going to the outdoor TV with red and green markers. There is also coax going to the back of the coach from the splitter labeled "surr" (in blue) and was not connected to anything in my coach.

The bottom picture shows the changes I made. I removed the "surr" and "outdoor" coax from the antenna splitter and joined them together. Instead of going to the outdoor TV, that red/green coax now goes to the indoor WeBoost antenna. The outdoor TV now gets its antenna signal from a splitter on the same coax line as the center TV. The "surr" coax gets connected to the WeBoost booster module somewhere close to the A/V cabinet. The input to the WeBoost comes from one of the coax cables coming from the unused satellite connections (several to choose from). On the roof of the coach, that coax is connected to the external WeBoost antenna.

SamKVA · 09-26-2021, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeskibuff

If you're not using some of the rooftop antennas like satellite or Travlr, you likely have some unused coax connections you can take advantage of. My WeBoost Connect RV 65 system came with a flat coax connector that enables the coax to feed through a slide opening with little distortion of the weather stripping. I used it to connect to a cable from one of the satellite "hats" on the roof which the outdoor antenna can connect to. The other end of that cable can be traced to the A/V cabinet. From there I connected the cable to the input of the booster and the output from it is connected to one of the antenna coax wires (labeled "Surr") coming from the front overhead cabinet. I disconnected that one from the antenna splitter there and connected it to the coax that goes to the outdoor TV. I put an antenna splitter on the center TV coax and routed that to the outdoor TV. The internal WeBoost antenna then gets connected to the coax that used to go to the outdoor TV and you've got several options there on how you mount the internal antenna. I mounted mine to the bottom of the dinette tabletop which is real close to where I have my T-Mobile hotspot located. It gets the job done nicely without having to run any new wires.

Very interesting! I've only been on the roof once since purchasing it so I will need to take another trip up there to look for "extra" connections.

Thanks!
Sam

jeskibuff · 09-26-2021, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SamKVA

Very interesting! I've only been on the roof once since purchasing it so I will need to take another trip up there to look for "extra" connections.

Attached is what one of the hats looks like. To check out the connections you would need to scrape off the sealant over each of the screws and slice off the portion that drips down to attach to the roof. The sealant basically is there to make sure the screws don't back out and the hat remains securely fastened to the roof. The center of the hat is where the connections are and they're probably all taped together. The hole in the roof where they enter is likely filled with sealant. The hat just makes it all the more waterproof.

Rather than take that apart (and seal it back up) to check connections, you may want to look for unused coax cables in the A/V cabinet first. They should be labeled nicely for you like "SAT #2" or "TRAVELLER". Once you determine which cables aren't being used, you can call Tiffin to find out which hat has the cables you're looking for (if you happen to have more than 1 hat on the roof). Or someone here with a 40IH may be able to tell you which is which.

SamKVA · 09-26-2021, 07:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeskibuff

Attached is what one of the hats looks like. To check out the connections you would need to scrape off the sealant over each of the screws and slice off the portion that drips down to attach to the roof. The sealant basically is there to make sure the screws don't back out and the hat remains securely fastened to the roof. The center of the hat is where the connections are and they're probably all taped together. The hole in the roof where they enter is likely filled with sealant. The hat just makes it all the more waterproof.

Rather than take that apart (and seal it back up) to check connections, you may want to look for unused coax cables in the A/V cabinet first. They should be labeled nicely for you like "SAT #2" or "TRAVELLER". Once you determine which cables aren't being used, you can call Tiffin to find out which hat has the cables you're looking for (if you happen to have more than 1 hat on the roof). Or someone here with a 40IH may be able to tell you which is which.

Again, very helpful. I didn't go on the roof today but I have extra coax connections in the A/V cabinet labeled in some strange way (TR1, TR2, etc.) in addition to the SAT2/Tripod connection. Not sure where they come from or go to but I'm going to call Tiffin tomorrow. We have full in-motion satellite system installed plus the tripod outlet in the wet bay so I'm not sure what else I have for "extra" connections on the roof.

If there aren't existing cables/connections, with four slide outs, it's going to be a challenge to get far enough up front for the WeBoost interior antenna without simply coming through the P/S front slide seal. Which is fine but if there are existing cables, I'd rather use them.

I know everyone wants them, but full wiring diagrams would be very helpful at this point.

Thanks!
Sam

jeskibuff · 09-26-2021, 09:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SamKVA

I have extra coax connections in the A/V cabinet labeled in some strange way (TR1, TR2, etc.) in addition to the SAT2/Tripod connection. Not sure where they come from or go to

I'm betting those TR# cables are for a Traveller, especially since there should only be one cable for the tripod coming from the wet bay.

jeskibuff · 09-26-2021, 09:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SamKVA

If there aren't existing cables/connections, with four slide outs, it's going to be a challenge to get far enough up front for the WeBoost interior antenna without simply coming through the P/S front slide seal. Which is fine but if there are existing cables, I'd rather use them.

One thing the WeBoost instructions mentioned was to have the indoor antenna in such a location that it wouldn't affect the outdoor antenna, causing feedback. My outdoor antenna is near the ladder and the indoor antenna is mid-coach and facing downwards so I haven't any feedback issues.

I'm betting you have an unused coax connection going to the front splitter that can be used and that your outdoor TV is just below your indoor lift TV so you could use the same routing that I'm using successfully. I have no idea why they have that extra "Surr" coax going to the back of the coach, but it does come in handy. If not and you don't mind sacrificing OTA reception on your bedroom TV you could take the WeBoost signal to the front of the coach using that connection.

jeskibuff · 09-26-2021, 09:20 PM

Another thing that is really handy for projects like this is a tone tester. For a bit over $40, this one from Home Depot can make it pretty easy to determine where some of those cables end up and you likely wouldn't even need to remove the hat to find out.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Klein-To...-705/311456018

**Lt Dan** · 09-26-2021, 09:44 PM

The TR1 and TR2 are for a Trav'ler installation. The other end of the cables will be on the roof between the mid and rear A/Cs near the centerline of the roof under a 12" diameter white dome.

SamKVA · 09-27-2021, 06:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lt Dan

The TR1 and TR2 are for a Trav'ler installation. The other end of the cables will be on the roof between the mid and rear A/Cs near the centerline of the roof under a 12" diameter white dome.

Thanks Dan!! Exactly the info I needed. I assume from there I can run a cable for the inside antenna following the same path as the coax and CAT6 cables that go to the forward and outdoor TVs? The door behind the fridge appears to house that nest of cables.

Sam

coldennis · 09-27-2021, 01:52 PM

I have a Travler and WeBoost RV installed. The wires all come into bedroom cabinet and used the Cat6 cable labeled Trl #1DVR. The indoor Antenna is located by bedroom TV along with the hotspot. Works very well when needed. I have a FlagPole Buddy RV Flag Pole 16 Feet that is attached to the ladder.

SamKVA · 09-27-2021, 02:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by coldennis

I have a Travler and WeBoost RV installed. The wires all come into bedroom cabinet and used the Cat6 cable labeled Trl #1DVR. The indoor Antenna is located by bedroom TV along with the hotspot. Works very well when needed. I have a FlagPole Buddy RV Flag Pole 16 Feet that is attached to the ladder.

I just measured the distance from the ladder to the front of the bedroom TV and it's 15+ feet so I won't need to go any further to prevent oscillations between the two antennas. This should be an easy install once I get on the roof and figure out how to remove the top hat and connect into the TR1 connection.

Thanks for all the help!
Sam