Antenna booster

fixit5561 · 04-10-2010, 05:05 PM

Hey everyone,

I think I made a no-no. LOL

I was looking at the antenna booster in the wall and pulled it out. I had pulled it a little too hard and pulled the wire out of a splitter that one cable went to the bedroom, the other to the outside tv hookup. Do big deal just rescrew the end back on.

Well before I could do that the bare copper center wire jumped out of my hands and went right for the 120v outlet. Of course the bare wire went right into the socket , and a big spark jumped out and scared the crap out of me.

When I hook the TV up the antenna works fine, but when I hook cable up to it and shut off the booster switch, I only get about 30 channels and the reception is very bad. So I hooked up to the satellite outlet outside and then the TV to the sat. inside the TT. I get a great pic and get a ton of channels. Looke likeI fried something in the booster that lets the cable signal go through.

Now my question to all of you is two part. Could I have fried out the booster that is in the antenna itself on the roof too? And also how do I check to see if I did?

I know the booster in the wall is shot as it has some damage to the circuits on the board.

Thanks

Brian

delqcc · 04-11-2010, 12:45 AM

Brian; see if this link helps you out.

http://www.rvtechtips.com/?cat=46

fixit5561 · 04-11-2010, 02:11 AM

Dan,

Thanks a bunch, that helps a little, but didnt tell me how to check on top to see if I fried the antenna up there.

Brian

sheltieRV · 04-11-2010, 04:20 AM

Since all signals pass through the booster, my guess is either you fried something or shorted something. An Ohm meter would help you with the short (make sure TVs are disconnected). Might be simpler to just replace the booster rather than troubleshoot.

fixit5561 · 04-11-2010, 04:26 AM

Hi Sheltie,

Yes I agree I already ordered a new booster.

My concern was with the Antenna on the roof, is there anything up there that I could have fried out and how can I check it?

I dont want to replace the whole antenna if I dont have to.

Brian

Hamops · 04-11-2010, 08:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fixit5561

Hi Sheltie,

Yes I agree I already ordered a new booster.

My concern was with the Antenna on the roof, is there anything up there that I could have fried out and how can I check it?

I dont want to replace the whole antenna if I dont have to.

Brian

When I read your original thread,you stated that you tried the TV on the antenna and it worked fine so I don't think that you did anything to the amplifier in the head. You also mentioned that you tried your satellite system and it worked fine as well. The only thing that was not working was the CATV cable. Your description of the spark incident didn't say if youhad reconnected the pulled out cable or that it happened when you were trying to reconnect it. If the latter is the case, then I suspect the you may have damaged the CATV coax cable and it may have tobe replaced or it's also possible when you repaired the connection on the pulled cable you may have shorted a filament of wire from the sheath to the centre conductor. These two senarios, will cause yourlousy signal from the CATV system.Edited by: Hamops

fixit5561 · 04-11-2010, 09:08 AM

Hi Hamops,

OK I see I wasnt clear on the satellite hook up. I took the cable feed wire not a satellite hooked to a dish, and hooked it up to the sat in on the trailer. Then hooked up the TV to the sat output inside the trailer. I then went through the auto channel scan and got a bunch of channels just like cable is supposed to have. Im sorry I didnt clarify what I had done.

Afetr the spark I put the cable wire back together that I hit into the 120v outlet and then tried both the rear TV and the main TV and both got bad reception from the cable feed and only got about 30 channels when I reran the channel autoscan. The autoscan was done with the booster off.

I will check it out closer to see if I missed a ground wire and it is touching the center conductor, then get back on here and let you know what I found.

sheltieRV · 04-11-2010, 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fixit5561

Hi Sheltie,

My concern was with the Antenna on the roof, is there anything up there that I could have fried out and how can I check it?

There is not much to the antenna, just the cable that connects to it, then it is metal after that. Unless you kept the 120 connected for a long time, it would seem hard to melt down an RG56 connector. I would still vote for the booster or a shorted cable.

fixit5561 · 04-11-2010, 12:42 PM

Hi Guys,

I thought there were transistors in the antenna on the roof. I havent looked up there yet but read it somewhere I think. I just was wondering if I blew out them transistors, and if there was a way to check them. (I can always go on the roof and check each transistor individually with my ohm meter but firgured there maybe another way so I asked here)

Anyways Im pretty sure it is the booster now, I tookthe boostercompletely out of the loopand ran the cable through the trailer wiring and direct connected it to the TV and it works as it should. So with taking the booster out it tells me the wiring is fine and the booster is what is shot. So far that is.

Now Im gonna order a new booster and hook it up and se if the antenna works the way it should. If not I will have to buy a new antenna head. But Im thinking along the lines that you are Sheltie that it was just the booster.

What Im trying to do is run satellite to the bedroom via the internal wiring in the trailer. Im going to bypass the booster and just use the same wiring that goes to the bedroom with a splitter to run a second sat. signal to the bedroom. I have Dishnetwork with a duo receiver, which will run two TV's off the same box with each TV being able to watch two different channels at the same time, you of course have two remotes for the sat. box also.

I have it set up this way in my house and was thinking as long as I bypass the booster it should work no problem because, I wont be using the wiring for both cable and satellite at the same time, it will be one or the other.

I will let you guys know how it goes. The booster I ordered should be here next week sometime.

Thanks

Brian

jeb · 04-11-2010, 05:25 PM

There is probably an amplifier in the antenna head on the roof which takes 12v. If the antenna works ok, the problem isn't there.

If you are getting sat okay, that circuit is also okay.

I believe CR puts an entirely separate cable in for the satelite and that cable is not connected to the antenna as far as I know and that cable should be okay.
Did you pull the cable completely out of the plug on the end of the cable? If so, just sticking it back on ain't gonna cut it. It will never work if that's what you did.

If that's what you did, you'll have to buy another plug (Home Depot/Lowes has them) and put the new connector on the cable, following the directions on the which should come with the plug. If yoju buy a plug, make sure it's for yor cable, which should have a number on it, like RG-8 or RG-58...something like that. Make sure to get the right plug for your cable size.

Here's a good tutorial for the connector...

http://www.wikihow.com/Connect-Coaxial-Cable-Connectors

Please let us know if you pulled the cable out of the connector or if the connector was not torn up.

fixit5561 · 04-13-2010, 04:23 PM

Yes I did pull the cable end off of the cable wire but it is the screw on type so I made sure it was ok (the wire) and screwed it back on. Then I checked everyhting, the antenna worked fine but the cable signal was very distorted. The wall plate is fried. I checked it with my meter and it wasregistering bad at the board where it was a little black from the voltage.

Crossroadsused screw ontype ends on the cables, which I replaced all of them now with thecompression type cable ends for RG-6. Im glad to see that all the cable in the trailer is RG-6 type cable so no loss with the sat signal.

Yes you are right the satellite cable is seprate from the antenna and cable. The satellite only feeds the living room though.

I ordered a new wall plate and will install it once it gets here and let you all know how it goes once it is finished.Edited by: fixit5561

jeb · 04-15-2010, 10:27 AM

You can always split the sat cable and pull a separate leg into the bedroom or where ever you want it. As long as it ends up in a sat converter box it will be fine. Some folks like to put a sat outlet in the large basement on the street side so they can put a TV in there and watch it from the "front yard."

Good luck with the fix.

fixit5561 · 04-15-2010, 04:50 PM

Ok I got the new booster and it works perfectly.

I did the mod to so that I can get my Dish Network Duo receiver to work in the living room and the bedroom. No new cables to run through the wall just modify what is there and add a splitter.

First the TV2 coming off the booster goes to a spliter which splits the signal, one goes to the bedroom and the other goes to the outside feed on the curb side of the trailer for cable/analog TV outside. Thats the stock way that the trailer is wired.

So I took the satellite wall plate out, andbought a wall plate that had 2 plugs. One was named satellite in, the other, bedroom out. I ran one of the plug ends, bedroom out, to a splitter but backwards so making the out on the splitteran input. Then I ran from the originalbooster TV2 to the other side of the splitter out. Then the splitter in, was hooked to the other spliter that came off of the booster that went to the bedroom and outside outlet.

When I use the satellite, I plug the satellite in, into the receiver seperator (this is needed to run two TV's Dish Network supplies them). Then the first output from the sat. reciever goes to the TV in the living room via an HDMI cable. The second outputfrom the receiver, goes to the second bedroom plug that I changed out to a double plug for the satellite wall plate. Then the sat works perfectly in the living room and bedroom, and we can watch two different channels on both Tv's at the same time when using the satellite dish.

When you want to watch TV with the antenna or a cable hook up (which will happen when it is available, "cable"and I cant get satellite) just use it normally. But if there is a weak signal for cable in a campground I bought a 10db cable signal booster that I will hook up before the cable runs into the trailer and wa-la, a good strong cable signal. (I did have a little pixelation in the bedroom because of the splitter I added, and a long run for the cable from my house, hence the need for the outside cable signal booster).

Now you cant have satellite and cable at the same time hooked up, as the signals going down the one line going into the bedroomwont work, you have to use one or the other (cable/analog TV, or satellite)

So all I had to do tomodify it, to accept all the signals, is 1 double plug wall plate, 1 splitter (a cheap one works best the good ones have a circuit board in them and wont work backwards)2 jumper cables, and a 10db cable signal booster. Total cost was around $20.00-$25.00.

Thanks for your assistance everyone with the faulty booster.

Edited by: fixit5561

jeb · 04-16-2010, 05:58 PM

Glad to hear your repair went well.

Harp traverle · 05-31-2010, 07:48 AM

Do you know where the splitter is that crossroads originally supplies in the RV. I have a loose cable and need to track it down. It has to be on the splitter and would like to know where to look. We have the entertainment center, outside jack and a bedroom connection. I am wondering if it is by the outside jack or in the entertainment center.

shoetravel · 05-31-2010, 10:08 AM

On my '05 the splitter was inside the wall at the E-center. On mine the outlet in the bedroom didn't work. I fished the splitter out with a bent coat hanger and foundan end had pulled off the cableat the splitter. I installed a new end and problem solved.

I have found a lot of loose crimped connections in my Cruiser, not just the TV cable, also at the battery and the 12V panel. Seems like who ever was working the wiring back then needs a bit more hand strength.

Harp traverle · 05-31-2010, 11:52 AM

Was your entertainment center in a slide out?

fixit5561 · 05-31-2010, 12:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harp traverle

Do you know where the splitter is that crossroads originally supplies in the RV. I have a loose cable and need to track it down. It has to be on the splitter and would like to know where to look. We have the entertainment center, outside jack and a bedroom connection. I am wondering if it is by the outside jack or in the entertainment center.

Mine was the same as shoetravler, it was in the wall that the antenna booster is located in. Pull the booster and then look for the bedroom cable on the back of the booster, then follow that down and pull up that wire and the splitter that is for the bedroom and the outside jack with be at the end of about 12-18" of wire.

Harp traverle · 05-31-2010, 12:07 PM

We were just trying to figure if they brought two wires out of the slideout where the entertainment center is or one. Is yours in a slideout?

fixit5561 · 05-31-2010, 12:26 PM

No my ent. centr. is not in a slide out. but to split the signal, it will have to come off the antenna booster to go out to the jacks in the bedroom and outside.

I think ,but could be wrong, that they would send the wires either way, whether it was in a slideout or not.

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