Satellite, Shelving, Roof, Studs newbie questions

infinity06 · 05-02-2014, 06:06 AM

Hi everyone,

My name is Mark and i am new to RVing. With that being said i have spent a lot of time in my sunset trail and i had some questions if anyone could help.

My first question is regarding studs or as to the construction of these travel trailers. Are there studs that can be found for mounting shelves? I want to incorporate Direc Tv but space is limited at the front Tv. I though about getting a shelf that mounts to the ceiling above the tv to hold the receiver but i dont want to randomly start ripping screws in.

Another questions is the roof - I have heard you cannot walk on it? Can you mount a dish on the roof? Like the bowl looking dishes? If so are you just putting screws in any old place? I'm familiar with houses and you always look for studs or you always have plywood in the roof. I'm not sure about the rv's

the third question is if anyone has changed the stereo system? The genesis system and speakers aren't very good in terms of quality. Being a bit of an audiphile i could definitely enjoy installing some JL audio speakers just for some better quality.

Lastly is the quality. I bought my trailer brand new and i have leaks at the stitching where the awning meets the rv, bad led lights in the awning roller and weather stripping that is popping by the windows. While i love the trailer and prefer it over being in the house i am m a little disappointed in some of the build quality. Just looking for some feedback on this.

Thanks everyone and Happy RVing!

mnsunset · 05-02-2014, 07:28 AM

Here is a thought, Why not use an inexpensive IR repeater. Then you could mount the DTV receiver anyplace. Even in the front storage or under the bed. Out of site. I use IR repeaters in my house and they work great.

WildWildWest · 05-02-2014, 07:29 AM

Welcome to the forum, Mark.

I would address your build quality issues under warranty. Often see small things like this because the manufacture process is rapid assembly line. Always little repairs that seem to be needed with new units. LED lights seem to be a common one - very low cost product.

Not sure if your roof is walk on or not, but most in the light trailers are not. Have you looked at a portable automatic satellite dish that can be moved? I think one is the Winegard Carryout. No need for permanent mount on roof.

Wall studs are aluminum so mounting shelves means finding them and using appropriate anchors. I don't think I would want anything attached to your ceiling.

There will be more Sunset Trail owners chiming in soon who will be better equipped to answer your other questions.

mnsunset · 05-02-2014, 07:30 AM

Before you mount the dish to the roof. I think you need to think where will you be using the RV most? You may want a portable dish that can be run out to an area near your RV free of trees and obstructions. Otherwise you will always need to park the RV more in the open to get best reception. I would rather nestle the RV into some trees and shade, run a cord to a portable self setting dish and relax.....

Loneoak · 05-02-2014, 07:35 AM

Hi Mark, and welcome to the forum. There are many knowledgeable people here who will have lots of great advice for you.

If the studs you are looking for are on the exterior walls, I have found by looking at our trailer on a cold, dewy morning that the studs are visible. All you would have to do is take some measurements outside and then transfer them to the inside. If the studs are on interior walls, perhaps someone else can help you.

If it were me, I would have a satellite dish professionally installed if that is the route you want to take. Since you are in the U.S., may I make another suggestions that does not require poking holes into your roof. It is called a Tailgater and is a satellite dish in plastic box. You place it on the ground and it finds its own signal. A neighbor of ours in Florida had one and we were very impressed with how it worked. We are in Canada so we have our own satellite issues that I won't go into.

As for the speaker issues, I am sure others have ideas as we are not audiophiles.

There has been much said about the quality of trailers these days and you wil find many posts on this forum about that. They hurry the production along too fast for any quality workmanship to be done and cut costs wherever they can in order to boost their profit. On the other side of the coin, the consumers are always looking for the best price, so it is a vicious circle.

We purchased our Cruiser last year in April and have been to various dealerships several times getting warrantee work done - first in Michigan where we bought it, then in Florida where we spend the winter, and lately in Ottawa near where we live. As a matter of fact the unit is currently in Ottawa getting the last of the work done. Our issues included a bedroom door that would not close, a nail pop that kept popping in the wall, trim around one of the slides that split, and the covering along the bottom that came loose. All of these issues are attributed to poor workmanship. We also had a short in the switch between the fireplace and hot water tank -we cannot run the HWT on electric and the fireplace at the same time so there is a switch for that. This could have started a fire but was repaired in Florida after we smelled something burning.

So good luck with your trailer, use it lots the first year so you ca identify all the problems and have them fixed.

Gcross1468 · 05-02-2014, 10:50 AM

As others have said before me, placing the dish permanently on your roof means parking with a Southwestern clear view all the time. Portable is the way to go and the tailgater seems to be one of the better choices that I've found.

I hadn't thought about the IR remote before but that seems like a fantastic idea!! (Thanks MNSUNSET!) Just make sure wherever you put the satellite receiver that there is "breathing" room. Most units tend to get warm and need air.

As for the audio system, I too hate the stock Genesis and the speakers. There's not much that you can do without a bunch of mods but I have found that you can add a nice kicker to help get some bass going on. Search the other areas on this form and I'm sure you'll see the posts that tell model, brand and even where to put the unit.

kbravo1974 · 05-02-2014, 11:18 AM

HI Mark,
I recently went with Directv in my Camper. I have mounted 3 Directv H25-500 HD Receivers in The master Bedroom, Bunk area and Main TV. The picture attached shows the receiver mounted behind the TV (Look Mom No Wires). I have the Dish on a Tripod. I have too thought about the Roof mounted dish, but then yes your limited to satellite accessibility so portable is the way to go.
Best of luck to you and your new toy.

hondavalk · 05-02-2014, 11:37 AM

I have the Jensen system in mine and replaced the ceiling speakers with these. When ordering speakers their mounting depth is what you have to watch.
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_107DXI6...51s.html?tp=95

infinity06 · 05-02-2014, 12:12 PM

Thanks for all of the responses - i appreciate it.

Looks like i will check out IR emitters to relocate the boxes

I will probably just get a pole and mount a slimline dish so i can get Direc TV HD and have all 3 televisions functional. I am seasonal here locally but i do take my kids to Disney and stay in the RV instead of the hotels. Moving it twice a year shouldn't be too much trouble.

For the audio - im going to pull some specs on the genesis and see if i cannot upgrade it. Most probably wont care but i am intrigued as to what can be done there.

Thank you for all of your help once again.

infinity06 · 05-02-2014, 12:15 PM

i see what you did there - at first i didnt get it -

Ok that makes sense, i was trying to use my HD DVR receiver and its a lot larger. It also requires the power injector that's inline with the RG6 Coax.

kbravo1974 · 05-02-2014, 12:35 PM

Yeah, I like the H25's because they are so small. I used the SWM3 LNB on a Slimline Dish and mounted the power supply for the dish to the incoming line. To complicate things even more I Made the Plug for the Main TV and H25 Receiver along with the Dish Power supply run on a 12v to 110v Inverter. (In the picture the Green Light is the Power supply for the dish.

Also Before you get craze replacing the Sound system try just replacing the ceiling speakers. I did and what a difference.

mike06081969 · 05-03-2014, 07:56 AM

Welcome aboard, and good luck to you with your new camper. Looks like most of your questions have been answered. I will say that I have been considering trading in my Cruiser on a newer model and I've been researching different ones. The Sunset Trails, as far as what I've been able to determine, do NOT have a walk-on roof. If you need to get on the roof for some reason, you will need to use a piece of plywood or something to bridge between the rafters. For cleaning the roof, you can just use a long handled brush and stand on a ladder.

Chateau Duke To Go · 05-03-2014, 08:51 AM

We got our new RV in August 2013. We have had quite a number of minor and moderate issues. I suggest getting a pad to leave in the unit and make an exhaustive list and have them addressed under warranty. Be aware the warranty process is nothing like in the automotive industry and is frustrating. A positive about Crossroads is that if it is a minor issue and you are handy, they will ship you parts directly. I like that since you don't have to "deal" with a dealer.

I too swapped the speakers. I had some good technical advice from Crutchfield. Since the Jensen head is so low powered you have to be careful that the speakers have a high efficiency rating. There is a couple of threads dedicated to speakers.

OhioMark · 05-03-2014, 08:54 AM

Great advice so far above. Roof is not walkable for ultralights, but you have Your best bet is to check with customer support. My rule of thumb is if they don't offer a ladder option, it is not walkable. Portable dish is the way to go. Don't mount anything on the ceiling inside.

As far as shelving, again confirm with customer support on the wall stud weight capacity. I've always gotten through the first time calling customer support and they're awesome to answer questions on your specific trailer.

Indy_Smiths · 08-04-2014, 10:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by infinity06

.....the third question is if anyone has changed the stereo system? The genesis system and speakers aren't very good in terms of quality. Being a bit of an audiphile i could definitely enjoy installing some JL audio speakers just for some better quality.

Our unit has one of the Jensen units. Unsatisfied with the sound quality, I installed an additional Boston Acoustics system with sub and 2 satellites and tied it in to the "C" speaker set which was unused on our Jensen unit. Therefore, from inside I turn on A and C and balance out the volume between the two systems depending on what we're listening to or watching (BA has it's own volume control). Check out my original post at http://www.crossroadsowners.com/foru...ston+acoustics. Boston Acoustics has discontinued this system but you can still find some around for $99-150. I chose the BA because of the size of the subwoofer. It fits in the closet next to our entertainment center.

If you would like a couple pictures, send me a private message and I'll email you a couple of basically what I did.

By the way, as far as satellite, we are using the Dish Tailgater. It's portable and fits underneath bed for storage.

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