Community Forums

John Formon · 12-09-2021, 05:01 PM

HI Everyone

Need your expertise. I have a 2016 31 Open Road SA. My TV antenna just stopped working. When I try to auto program channels I get zero local channels. Has anyone experienced this and figured out what is the cure?

I have the black circular antenna on top of my roof.

Thanks!

kenandterry · 12-09-2021, 05:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Formon

HI Everyone

Need your expertise. I have a 2016 31 Open Road SA. My TV antenna just stopped working. When I try to auto program channels I get zero local channels. Has anyone experienced this and figured out what is the cure?

I have the black circular antenna on top of my roof.

Thanks!

So, how long ago did it work okay?
We’re you in the same location before and after it worked?
Is the booster button and light ON?

**Lt Dan** · 12-09-2021, 05:11 PM

Does your 2016 have the Mini State HD360 Antenna? Tiffin changed some time around 2016 so it's hard to know which one you have. If it is the HD360, there will be a panel in the cabinet that lets the antenna rotate. If you do have that type, your only recourse is to replace it and most replace it with the Winegard Rayzar. Here's a thread with a couple of options for replacement.
https://www.irv2.com/forums/f106/ota...on-561822.html

windfall96 · 12-10-2021, 05:23 AM

Have you checked ALL the connections from the antenna thru the booster to the TV? I would be suspec,t especially if the reception died after a travel day

John Formon · 12-10-2021, 08:51 AM

Hi Everyone

I REALLY appreciate the feedback.

The antenna died on a recent trip from Atlanta to Colorado Springs. The antenna worked fine before that.

My antenna is the disc type, but has no moving parts (I took it apart and checked)

My TV booster light is on (red light In my unit)

I’m thinking of taking a piece of coax cable and going directly from the booster to a tv and see what happens.

I’m also not positive when I run the “auto channel program routine” on the TV that I have the correct “input” selected. I need to work on this.

I’m a mechanical engineer but all this wiring is mind boggling (blue ray, sat dish, hdmi cables, coax)

Thanks again everyone

KanzKran · 12-10-2021, 08:59 AM

Check for the light on the wall plate, and for 12V at the coax where it connects to the antenna, assuming it's amplified, which it probably is. Most antenna amplifiers won't pass any signal at all unless they're powered.

It's also not unusual for coax cable connections to get crappy with age and weather exposure. You can use a spare coax with F-type connectors (factory made is best) to go from the antenna to the wall plate with power switch to bypass the OEM cable to see if that fixes the problem, assuming you have a spare cable laying around. Just run it through a window for testing purposes.

As to the TV, make sure you're scanning for 'antenna', not 'cable', as they don't use the same frequencies for the most part.

I have an omnidirectional 'flying saucer' on my roof, and as they say, it's equally bad in all directions, but it works well enough for me as we never spend two nights in the same place anyway. Only once were we not able to get any channels at all, so we watched a movie, preloaded on my ipad from Netflix.

jeskibuff · 12-10-2021, 09:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Formon

When I try to auto program channels I get zero local channels. Has anyone experienced this and figured out what is the cure?

I have the black circular antenna on top of my roof.

Have you tried in multiple locations? I used to have that Triplevision antenna on top of my rig but found it woefully inadequate. If you're currently in a zone with particularly weak reception you likely won't pick up any signal with it. I think it's highly unlikely that it just died, but there may be some electronics within it because I believe it does get fed a 12V boost on the line.

I was so dissatisfied with mine that I replaced it with a crank-up directional antenna. It required cutting a hole for the crank mechanism but it works much better.

kenandterry · 12-10-2021, 09:16 AM

Is it possible you’re so far from civilization that there’s no Over The Air (OTA) signals close by for you to “grab”?

jeskibuff · 12-10-2021, 09:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Formon

I’m also not positive when I run the “auto channel program routine” on the TV that I have the correct “input” selected.

You likely have only one coax antenna input to each TV and the auto channel will only work on it so if you're getting to that function, it's only got the one source it will look at.

John Formon · 12-10-2021, 09:35 AM

Thanks everyone

I’m currently camping in a park where I used to get good antenna reception so I’m pretty confident in the incoming signal.

Quick question. In my wet bay I have 2 coax connections. 1 is “cable”. 2 is “tripod”

Can this tripod connection be used with a new TV antenna?

jeskibuff · 12-10-2021, 09:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Formon

In my wet bay I have 2 coax connections. 1 is “cable”. 2 is “tripod”

Can this tripod connection be used with a new TV antenna?

If hooking up an external antenna, I'd use the "cable" inlet. That should travel to the front cabinet where the booster is and where the signal is distributed to the other TVs. The "tripod" connection will likely be terminated in the back of your coach where the main A/V components are. You'd have to switch the boost switch off to make the "cable" connection.

F4Gary · 12-10-2021, 10:28 AM

My older crank up type OTA antenna has an inline fuse before it gets to the BOMB. If it is blown, I get very little reception.

The Tripod input might be for a portable fixed sat antenna (on a tripod

).

jeskibuff · 12-10-2021, 10:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by F4Gary

The Tripod input might be for a portable fixed sat antenna (on a tripod

).

...which would be connected to a satellite receiver in the A/V cabinet. That receiver would then send its output to the other TVs using the HDMI splitter system. That coax signal would end there, but it is possible to connect the tripod coax to the coax intended to go to the rear TV (add a coax splitter if you still wanted OTA reception on the rear TV) if you connected an external antenna to the tripod connector. The signal would travel up to the front coax splitter where it would be distributed to the other TVs. This wouldn't be optimal as it would compete with the signal coming out of the booster switch unless you disconnected the coax from the output of the booster. The easiest method is just using the "cable" inlet.

John Formon · 12-10-2021, 05:59 PM

I’m going to read all your posts this evening. The amount of help you have all offered is unbelievable. I just want to personally thank everyone.

Also on a positive note… I started to have issues with my captains chairs peeling. I called Tiffin and spoke to Karen Timbs. She said she would see what she could do. Next thing I know Bob Tiffin called to say new upholstery was on the way N/C. When does the president ever call a customer????

Fantastic service by Karen and Bob. This experience made me feel better about the Thor buy out. When I mention that to Bob he assured me the family was still in control

Thanks again everyone. I will let you know how I make out troubleshooting my antenna.