TV conundrum

[chunker]

My new Thor Omni has 3 TVs, all dumb ones. Typical cable connection and Winegard OTA antenna with coax, a cabinet that has the antenna power button and an HDMI splitter going to the 3 TV locations. Also has the coax splitter to the 3 TV locations. Oddly there is no satellite "shore connection" but the dealer had installed a Winegard Playmaker on the roof and ran the coax to that same cabinet. Antenna was installed for a customer that ended up not buying it. I got an extra receiver, Wally, to add to my fixed Dish account. But of course for the Dish to work I have to have clear access to the SW sky, a feature we didn't have the last 3 places we stayed. I was thinking about getting another playmaker to act as a portable for those cases.

DISCLAIMER; I am pretty ignorant about all the latest TV features or use of streaming anything. TV doesn't have a big influence for us and we don't watch many movies, don't game, and are not going to watch the last 400 episodes of any past show. We do want to be able to receive football on fall weekends, college not overpaid prima donnas pros pretending to be athletes. Bottom line our requirements and desires are fairly simple but want a clear signal. Local channels on networks have some of those games, not on cable channels.

If I get a second portable playmaker type satellite antenna can I attach that to the CABLE shore connection and make the coax connection in the cabinet to the Dish receiver there? Somewhere inside the cabinet the cable and OTA antenna are joined with a splitter. Is it necessary or better to add my own satellite shore connection to get coax to the sat receiver? I understand splitters degrade signals so minimizing them is desired.

To get some, maybe all, the streaming services if I even want them would require getting smart TVs. That's not a huge expense and would get a TV much better than the ones there. But since I'm not intending to use those services, not necessary to do until the current TV dies. Please speak/write slowly so I can understand.

[D20]

I do not think the satellite antenna will work connecting it to the cable TV connection if the signal has to go through the OTA antenna power panel. The satellite dish needs a straight shot to the Wally.

If you have an outdoor TV connection, you may be able to use that coax to connect the satellite antenna to get the signal up to the Wally in the AV cabinet.

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Originally Posted by D20

I do not think the satellite antenna will work connecting it to the cable TV connection if the signal has to go through the OTA antenna power panel. The satellite dish needs a straight shot to the Wally.

If you have an outdoor TV connection, you may be able to use that coax to connect the satellite antenna to get the signal up to the Wally in the AV cabinet.

That's kind of what I was thinking and need to make sure of the coax path from the outside connector to the cabinet. IF it doesn't go through the OTA antenna power box I might be able to disconnect someplace and go direct to the sat receiver. Right now a jumble of wiring with coax, HDMI, sat box etc.

[John Hilley]

No need to get Smart TVs for streaming, just add a ROKU or FireTV dongle. $30 to $50 each.

[Plasticman]

Ditto what John Hilley says. We use ROKU units instead of Smart TVs. Much cheaper and easier for us..

Rob

[lemodrop9344]

Chunker,
After reading about your setup, it appears what you might want to consider is a COAX selective distribution box.
All your coax signal sources (OTA, satellite(s), etc.) feed into this device as inputs. The output side goes to the appropriate TV via coax.
For any given signal source, you can choose to display it on any TV by selecting it on the front of the panel.

I don't think this is something you are going to find in most RV shops. With all the focus now on streaming & wireless, you may have trouble finding one anywhere. I have one in my '07 motor home.
Radio Shack sold them at one time. Might try a higher end audio video store.

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Originally Posted by lemodrop9344

Chunker,
After reading about your setup, it appears what you might want to consider is a COAX selective distribution box.
All your coax signal sources (OTA, satellite(s), etc.) feed into this device as inputs. The output side goes to the appropriate TV via coax.
For any given signal source, you can choose to display it on any TV by selecting it on the front of the panel.

I don't think this is something you are going to find in most RV shops. With all the focus now on streaming & wireless, you may have trouble finding one anywhere. I have one in my '07 motor home.
Radio Shack sold them at one time. Might try a higher end audio video store.

Sounds like what I had in out 07 Itasca DP a BOMB, Box of Many Buttons. All the existing signals went through it and push button selected where you want a signal to come from or go.

[traveldawg]

You don't need a smart TV... as others said any streaming type device would work... either a Roku 4k or the new Walmart ONN would work find... but then you'll need to figure out how to get the bandwidth to stream... and a cell data plan if no available WiFi....

geesh.... what a "rat hole" to have to climb down into for streaming.... (I know, I've 'been there done that').....

assuming Dish has the games you want watch satellite is so much simpler (and less costly a lot of times).....

You can interrupt the "Cable In" from your bay into your coach and install an A/B switch. Route the input to the switche's input and one output to the existing connection to the rig and the other to your Dish receiver. The trick is interrupting the cable in wire BEFORE it gets to any splitters or the antenna/cable selector box.

There are other ways to stream to your smart phone and "cast" it to your TV and avoid the whole 'streaming device thing'.... all get more technical than it sounds like you want to do.....

where in "LA"? My DW is from Fairhope.

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Originally Posted by traveldawg

You can interrupt the "Cable In" from your bay into your coach and install an A/B switch. Route the input to the switche's input and one output to the existing connection to the rig and the other to your Dish receiver. The trick is interrupting the cable in wire BEFORE it gets to any splitters or the antenna/cable selector box.

There are other ways to stream to your smart phone and "cast" it to your TV and avoid the whole 'streaming device thing'.... all get more technical than it sounds like you want to do.....

where in "LA"? My DW is from Fairhope.

I'm going to do some tracing of the cable wire and find that spot which works. Been busy with other projects. The games we watch are mostly on ESPN but some on networks. I'm not too technical, mostly mechanical so trying to avoid getting in too deep with technobabble stuff.

Hartford Al, the other side of the LA province.

[RKins]

Gee I didn't know they even made dumb TVs in 2021.

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Originally Posted by RKins

Gee I didn't know they even made dumb TVs in 2021.

Maybe not many but Thor managed to find a supply to install in the Omni and magnitude lines.