Bounder: TV wiring in Bounder

[tymzee]

Making another stab at figuring out the wiring for the entertainment system in our 2012 Bounder 33C!

To start, the previous owner had removed the rooftop satellite system so I'm trying to figure out is when the satellite was in place, where did the coax cables lead to? I'm wondering that even though there's no longer a sat system whether the coax left in place might be useful for other purposes? Perhaps a connection option for our Pathway X2 portable satellite dish?

Here's how things appear now as I've removed all the HDMI splitters etc.


The coax splitter here seems pretty straight forward:


I assume the "IN" input is from the antenna and that the "MTV" and "RTV" labels go to the middle/rear TVs respectively. What's the deal with the black coax cable on another "OUT" connection?

Also, there's four HDMI cables. One we figured out goes to the front TV, another goes to the main LR TV. Not sure about the other two. (?)

Finally (!) the TVs in the front & LR, don't appear to have any connectivity to the outside TV and the bedroom TV. Wondering if that was how it all was wired when there WAS a satellite in place?

[bucks2]

A tone generator and probe kit will make finding out where specific wires go much easier. Once you know which wire goes where, you can connect them as needed.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=tone+gene...nb_sb_ss_i_5_7

[tymzee]

Originally Posted by bucks2

A tone generator and probe kit will make finding out where specific wires go much easier. Once you know which wire goes where, you can connect them as needed.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=tone+gene...nb_sb_ss_i_5_7

Right, I do have a tone generator but given that the TVs are built-in I can't get to any of the points where the cables terminate. Now looking at just how to detach the TVs for tests as that may be the only way to figure it all out.

Fleetwood did send me a number of schematics but as there was a previous satellite installation and that seems to be the focal point of all the connections, it might as well be written in Greek. Might be clear to an engineer, but I can't make heads nor tails of it.

[SavnTheWales]

I may be able to help.
First, the switch on the left with the connector that says maintenance I believe is for a Direct TV dish. You won’t need that for Dish (pathway).

Second, to use anything but your antennae you MUST turn off the little round black switch on the far right white panel. If this is on it messes up your cable tv and any coax connections.

Third, you have 4 hdmi cables because 2 go to each tv (over drivers area and living room area). One hdmi is for satellite and the other for blue ray player that is normally located in that same compartment. Just hook up a blue ray player to one hdmi at a time and go thru the inputs on each tv till you figure them out. Normally there are 2 hdmi splitters there also. This is so the output on your Wally can go to 2 TVs at once. Same goes for blue ray.

Forth, if you have other TVs they probably do not have hdmi run to them (bedroom and outside). You will have to settle for using RCA connections. The DISH Wally has output for RCA, it’s just not high def. it looks ok, but you can tell low quality in TV guide. You should have an RCA to coax converter. This will transmit the Wally over coax to these other TVs. You will have to set those TVs for channel 3 or 4, depends on what you have the switch on the RCA to coax box set for. Just plug the RCA from Wally to the RCA to coax converter, then plug that coax into your big coax splitter.

Fifth, you only need one coax from Pathway dish to Wally. You probable have 2 coming from roof, just pick one and use it. The second could go to another receiver if you wanted to watch different channels on different TVs at same time. If you only have one receiver then just leave the other one unplugged.

Don’t confuse the coax from roof with the rest of the coax. The ones from roof are only for going to sat receiver. The other coax is for antennae or cable connection at RV park or transmitting Wally to tvs. There should be a coax input in your water bay for rv park cable tv.

Hope this helps.

[SavnTheWales]

I just remembered I created a video for this but had not uploaded yet. This should explain in more detail.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Go0W2FF2GY8

[tymzee]

This is a HUGE help-- thank you!!
I'm traveling at the moment (non RV) but plan to print out your detailed response as soon as we get back home.

I already see a few assumptions we had been making that were incorrect thanks for your info. I'll let you know how we make out and can all but guarantee I'll be back with some more questions.

Originally Posted by SavnTheWales

I may be able to help.
First, the switch on the left with the connector that says maintenance I believe is for a Direct TV dish. You won’t need that for Dish (pathway).

Second, to use anything but your antennae you MUST turn off the little round black switch on the far right white panel. If this is on it messes up your cable tv and any coax connections.

Third, you have 4 hdmi cables because 2 go to each tv (over drivers area and living room area). One hdmi is for satellite and the other for blue ray player that is normally located in that same compartment. Just hook up a blue ray player to one hdmi at a time and go thru the inputs on each tv till you figure them out. Normally there are 2 hdmi splitters there also. This is so the output on your Wally can go to 2 TVs at once. Same goes for blue ray.

Forth, if you have other TVs they probably do not have hdmi run to them (bedroom and outside). You will have to settle for using RCA connections. The DISH Wally has output for RCA, it’s just not high def. it looks ok, but you can tell low quality in TV guide. You should have an RCA to coax converter. This will transmit the Wally over coax to these other TVs. You will have to set those TVs for channel 3 or 4, depends on what you have the switch on the RCA to coax box set for. Just plug the RCA from Wally to the RCA to coax converter, then plug that coax into your big coax splitter.

Fifth, you only need one coax from Pathway dish to Wally. You probable have 2 coming from roof, just pick one and use it. The second could go to another receiver if you wanted to watch different channels on different TVs at same time. If you only have one receiver then just leave the other one unplugged.

Don’t confuse the coax from roof with the rest of the coax. The ones from roof are only for going to sat receiver. The other coax is for antennae or cable connection at RV park or transmitting Wally to tvs. There should be a coax input in your water bay for rv park cable tv.

Hope this helps.

[tymzee]

Originally Posted by SavnTheWales

Forth, if you have other TVs they probably do not have hdmi run to them (bedroom and outside). You will have to settle for using RCA connections. The DISH Wally has output for RCA, it’s just not high def. it looks ok, but you can tell low quality in TV guide. You should have an RCA to coax converter. This will transmit the Wally over coax to these other TVs. You will have to set those TVs for channel 3 or 4, depends on what you have the switch on the RCA to coax box set for. Just plug the RCA from Wally to the RCA to coax converter, then plug that coax into your big coax splitter.

Well thanks to your input I'm making progress. Figured out that the two green HDMIs in the front compartment with the DVD/Blu-Ray Player go to the front TV and the two orange HDMIs go to the Living Room TV. So far so good...

The "aha moment" was your explanation that the Bedroom & Outdoor TV need to connect via the RCA to coax box. That will hopefully solve the mystery of how to connect these TVs but... I don't seem to have this type of converter box (or I had it at one time and not knowing what it was for managed to lose it).

I assume that any generic such converter would work just fine? Off to Amazon if that's the case.

Originally Posted by SavnTheWales

Fifth, you only need one coax from Pathway dish to Wally. You probable have 2 coming from roof, just pick one and use it. The second could go to another receiver if you wanted to watch different channels on different TVs at same time. If you only have one receiver then just leave the other one unplugged.

Don’t confuse the coax from roof with the rest of the coax. The ones from roof are only for going to sat receiver. The other coax is for antennae or cable connection at RV park or transmitting Wally to tvs. There should be a coax input in your water bay for rv park cable tv.

Not quite clear what you're describing here? To this point I have just set the Pathway X2 out on it's tripod pointed towards the satellites. The coax from the X2 I just feed in through a window to connect to the Wally. What am I missing here?

Finally-- it is really strange (dumb) that they didn't run HDMI to the BR & outdoor sets. Last year I sometimes actually ran a long HDMI cable from the DVD, across the floor and up to the bedroom TV. Rube Goldberg would have been proud.

[SavnTheWales]

I have a roof mounted pathway. It has 2 coax cables that run from roof into cabinet. This dish allows 2 receivers to be connected to it. The only catch is that the dish obviously only points to 1 satellite at a time. So both receivers have to watch channels on the same satellite.

I agree I wish they ran hdmi to bedroom and outside tv. I am looking for the easiest route to do that with mine. Might just have to run along frame rail.

[KF5UMC]

One easy way to identify a unknown coax cable is to take a wire with alligator clips on both ends. On one end of a cable, connect one clip to the center pin and the other clip to the ground shield . Then use a OHM meter and check the continuity. Zero or a few OHMS = short and that's the cable with the alligator clips.

Good Luck!

[tymzee]

Originally Posted by KF5UMC

One easy way to identify a unknown coax cable is to take a wire with alligator clips on both ends. On one end of a cable, connect one clip to the center pin and the other clip to the ground shield . Then use a OHM meter and check the continuity. Zero or a few OHMS = short and that's the cable with the alligator clips.

Good Luck!

Thanks-- I do have a tone generator that I've used successfully in the past.

When I built my house years ago I installed home runs of coax and ethernet cables everywhere. Of course now, especially with the ethernet being wireless I'm left with all these wires just dangling in the utility room. Same with phone-- used to be wires, now it's all wireless.

[tymzee]

Originally Posted by SavnTheWales

I have a roof mounted pathway. It has 2 coax cables that run from roof into cabinet. This dish allows 2 receivers to be connected to it. The only catch is that the dish obviously only points to 1 satellite at a time. So both receivers have to watch channels on the same satellite.

I agree I wish they ran hdmi to bedroom and outside tv. I am looking for the easiest route to do that with mine. Might just have to run along frame rail.

I've considered the frame rail option myself.

So here's a pic of what was initially installed on our coach which I assume allowed for connections to the now missing satellite system on the roof:


Would I be correct in assuming that this consists of coax "IN" from the satellite and two "OUTs" to the front & living room TV respectively?

As for the Bedroom TV, here's a shot of all the wires over that TV.


Again, I'm assuming that these were vestiges of the old sat system. (?) I do know that the HDMI here connects to that TV. If I bought a 2nd Wally receiver, this seems like it would work here-- assuming I could get a coax connection to the receiver? Not sure where that coax connection shown here leads to and if that could be utilized somehow.