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rvethereyet · 02-07-2019, 08:38 PM

Lost my wonderful TV. Only thing I can think of is the cable broke. Any one have suggestions.

rk911 · 02-07-2019, 09:02 PM

simple things first.

- its unlikely the cable actually broke unless it is extremely old. and when that does occur it's likely to be the short section between the roof connector and the antenna. easy enough to replace.

- is your antenna amp on?

- have you changed locations and re-scanned for channels?

- is the TV actually working? how do you kmow?

rvethereyet · 02-07-2019, 09:13 PM

Got on the roof There is chaffing of the coax and what looks like rust.
So does a non amplified antenna still have an amp? How can I tell?

Yes I did drive the coach but it is back where it was. I did a rescan of channels

Yes my tv is working. Its fairly new and played a dvd.

So can you tell me how to check the continuity of the system?

Bob_C · 02-07-2019, 09:15 PM

Cheap way of checking is with a termination cap screwed onto the the cable end, and use an ohm meter with a probe touching the center solid wire and the other the other probe touching the outside of same connector.....the caps are available at either Lowes or Home Depot and decent hardware stores....come in a bubble pak...what is your RV?

rk911 · 02-07-2019, 09:25 PM

the problem is that you likely have several segments of coax. antenna to roof. roof to video switch (if yiu have one) or roof to tv. gut bob is right about hiw to check. you just need to be sure that you have terminated the actual end of the segment you're testing.

me? i'd replace the short section between the antenna and roof connector first. as coax ages moisture can invade the outer jacket and UV radiation can break down the coax. yup, i'd start there.

rvethereyet · 02-08-2019, 04:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bob caldwell

Cheap way of checking is with a termination cap screwed onto the the cable end, and use an ohm meter with a probe touching the center solid wire and the other the other probe touching the outside of same connector.....the caps are available at either Lowes or Home Depot and decent hardware stores....come in a bubble pak...what is your RV?

Hey Bob, I looked up termination cap, 2400 options. If you could wittle it down a little it will be quite helpful. I dont have a clue. 2003 newmar DS

**Spdracr39** · 02-08-2019, 05:04 AM

Run a cable directly from the antenna to the tv and see if it works that way. If it works better but not completely then you have an amp and it is bad. If it works perfect something in your cabling is bad. If it doesn't work at all either your antenna or your tv input is bad (assuming you are within range of a signal)

YC1 · 02-08-2019, 05:10 AM

To check a coax you need to disconnect each end. Put a short on one end with an alligator clip. Use an ohmeter on the other end. It should be very close to 0 ohms. Then remove the short and it should be infinite ohms.

Bob_C · 02-08-2019, 05:35 AM

A termination cap looks like a tire valve stem cap.....also will need a male to male coax cable connector.......screw this connector onto one end of coax, along with cap.....google coax cable termination caps...the male to male connector is used for connecting two lengths of cable together....if your antenna has a booster, almost sure it does, it'd be on the back side of the wall plate that the coax from the wall to tv is connected to.....and on that wall plate, there's a very small button and a small led light that needs to be on when watching tv, assuming you have a crank up antenna, called a batwing....so, when you turn on tv, and aiming antenna, with booster on, use the tv menu to make sure it's set to air, not cable, and scan for channels.....then you can fine tune the antenna for the best picture...if you have a cell phone, there are apps for locating tv towers...or if you've got neighbors, look to see where their antenna is pointed...

chunker · 02-08-2019, 06:10 AM

You can get a coax tester like this

Klein Tools VDV512-058 Coax Explorer Plus Tester

The one I got had 4 termination color coded caps and a little "holster" to keep track of them. With this you can check, good, bad, or shorted connection on a cable. Got mine at Home Depot. Use that Christmas gift card for it.

If you have to replace the coax, use the RG6.

FatChance · 02-08-2019, 06:13 AM

If your 2003 Newmar is like our 2004 MADP, it does not have the wall mounted booster (power inserter). Instead we have a BOMB (box of many buttons) video distribution box that inserts the 12v power into the cable to the OTA bat wing antenna. The power button on the distribution box must be "on" to receive OTA from the amplified antenna.

Bob_C · 02-08-2019, 06:40 AM

For no more then what a person uses a cable tester, I'd spend $6 instead of $22..but to each their own...and when testing coax, leave the booster off..

A32Deuce · 02-08-2019, 07:48 AM

My cable corroded and would not pass much of a signal. Put a new connector on and problem solved. They are not water proof and over time the center wire will corrode. Also the outer braiding corrodes and breaks down, but its the ground.

aether_one · 02-08-2019, 07:54 AM

The cable at the back of your TV does not go directly to the Antenna.
It goes to the DC injection board which injects 12 VDC on the coax which is carries by the cable from the injection board to the antenna.
The antenna actually has the amp in the head and requires the 12 VDC to work.

This is assuming you have a standard Wineguard Batwing antenna.