RV Cable Issues

[ztoddb]

I purchased my 2014 class c rv used. Ever since purchasing, I never get cable in any campground I hook up to. I purchased a new Wineguard antenna and thought having a new panel in the RV (Where you switch the antenna on and off) would fix the problem. I have tried different cables to hook up the campground cable to the RV. I have also put the RV in the shop and had them test the cable from the exterior to the cable panel in the RV. The shop states that when they hooked it up to a cable box, it worked. I am not looking to purchase a Direct TV plan or satellite.
What type of Cable Box do I need to put in my RV that will allow me to get the cable signal in the campgrounds?
Thanks
Zach

[Bill_Satellite]

Miles Away wrote:
There are some RV Parks that require a cable box to get cable TV>

With regard to your not getting cable signal, make sure you have turned OFF the antenna amplifier (used to bring in weak over the air signals) as it will block cable reception.

He has done that and post that he had done that at least twice. He know how to do it as he has been successful in getting cable TV at a couple of campgrounds so he needs to be in contact with the campground when he is having issues to determine what's different about that particular setup.

[Miles_Away]

There are some RV Parks that require a cable box to get cable TV>

With regard to your not getting cable signal, make sure you have turned OFF the antenna amplifier (used to bring in weak over the air signals) as it will block cable reception.

[Sam_Spade]

Bill.Satellite wrote:

If you are getting cable from some campgrounds then you know there is nothing wrong with your cabling or the Cable/TV power supply switch.

Not necessarily. His failure percentage is VERY high.

In my limited experience, about 80% of the campgrounds do NOT require any kind of box or converter.

This could be a simple matter of a connector on the cable that he uses from cable post to camper going bad, coupled with a worn connector on about 80% of the campground outlets.

[Bill_Satellite]

ztoddb wrote:
As an update to my original post,
When we use over the air antenna, all tvs work. So its not the cable inside the coach from the wall plate to the TV's.
We do get Cable TV in SOME campgrounds just by hooking up the cable to the outside of the rig, turning off the antenna button on the wall plate, and doing an AUTO search under CABLE on each tv. (using no cable box) So it appears the cable running from the exterior of the rig to the wall plate is fine.

But in MOST campgrounds, we hook up to the cable and get nothing. Disney Included. I would say that 2 of 10 campgrounds we get a cable signal. And we always get OTA tv on all 4 TV's. So its not coax cable problem in the RV. I just notice that everyone else gets Cable TV with no problems but I only get it occasionally according to what campground I am in. Disney advises that no cable box is needed.

I will check the TV's to see if they are QAM type TV's. I replaced one of the TV's last year with a cheap TV purchased from Walmart (less than $100). I didn't fix the problem but I frankly didn't check to see if it had a QAM tuner.

If you are getting cable from some campgrounds then you know there is nothing wrong with your cabling or the Cable/TV power supply switch. What you need to be doing is talking to the campground owner to find out why THEIR service is not working properly. They may need to check the pole for service. I have run into many campgrounds where service is fairly intermittent throughout the sites. If they have any special requirements they will be able to tell you and if some unique settings needs to be used or a cable box needs to be used (almost never) they can tell you as well.

[Edd505]

Bill.Satellite knows what he's talking about. I had TV issues in a 2017 and he was able to guild me in making repairs. I also used this tool to track 3 separate coax's to 3 TV's and found a bad cable connection. (bad cable)

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Klein-Tools-VDV-Coaxial-Explorer-Plus-Tester-VDV512-058/202520424

Hooking the CG cable to the MH should give signal to all TV's without anything else. Turn off booster, TV Menu -to Cable -channel search - done.

[shastagary]

one of the questions you should be asking at any park you check into is if they have cable tv and is a decoder box needed to get it. that should prevent a lot of guessing and wasted time trying to figure it out. and just because they have cable doesn't mean that every site automatically has a good working connection. they usually would not know it does not work unless someone reports it.

[wa8yxm]

Many campgrounds you need to "Rent" a set top box from the park office.

THIS IS NOT THE CAMPGROUND's FAULT

In the oldest days Cable was not encryped. They they came up with the idea of "Premimum" channels and they handled them two ways. Either with filters that blocked them (Did not work well) or they encrypted and sold you a Set Top Box

Then they had so many channels you had to have an STB for every set

THen TV makers started making "Cable ready" so you did not need an STB
SO if you wanted a 2nd or 4th set you just added a splitter an hooked up No added income for the Cable Crooks

SO now some systems have gone all encrypted. That way they can ding you for Each and Every Set.

I got fired once for saying all the cable companies are crooks. Ting is. I can prove it.

[ztoddb]

As an update to my original post,
When we use over the air antenna, all tvs work. So its not the cable inside the coach from the wall plate to the TV's.
We do get Cable TV in SOME campgrounds just by hooking up the cable to the outside of the rig, turning off the antenna button on the wall plate, and doing an AUTO search under CABLE on each tv. (using no cable box) So it appears the cable running from the exterior of the rig to the wall plate is fine.

But in MOST campgrounds, we hook up to the cable and get nothing. Disney Included. I would say that 2 of 10 campgrounds we get a cable signal. And we always get OTA tv on all 4 TV's. So its not coax cable problem in the RV. I just notice that everyone else gets Cable TV with no problems but I only get it occasionally according to what campground I am in. Disney advises that no cable box is needed.

I will check the TV's to see if they are QAM type TV's. I replaced one of the TV's last year with a cheap TV purchased from Walmart (less than $100). I didn't fix the problem but I frankly didn't check to see if it had a QAM tuner.

[CA_Traveler]

Good suggestion since a bad external coax would also fail with a direct TV connection.

OP Maybe someone has a coax you could borrow.

[shawdowboss]

If you repair shop verified that there is a good signal through the coach, you may need to simply replace the cable you use from the exterior connector to the campground cable connection.

Use RG6 cable and keep it to 25' or less. Get a good connector to and make a second 25' cable for the rare times you need something longer. Some of the cheaper RG56 cables breakdown and start causing problems.

If the park has cable and doesn't say you need a box, then you should be able to hookup the TV and search for a signal. I haven't run into too many that have a QAM only for TV signal.

[CA_Traveler]

TechWriter,

Thanks for that information on the optional QAM tuner. I checked my MH Sharp TVs and they have all 3 turners, as does my home LG TV.

NTSC - analog, ATSC - OTA digital and QAM (64/256) - digital cable.

Found this: "A QAM tuner allows your TV to tune to digital or HD channels. Most, but not all, TV’s that were made after 2006 have a QAM tuner built in."

But my tuners are rarely used as the HDMI input from the DTV box does it all.

[Sam_Spade]

TechWriter wrote:
then work at a campground that has digital cable. Time after time I'd hear, "But my TV is new. Why doesn't it work?"

You are not helping matters any, really.

Just because a coax has digital signals on it, does NOT mean that it is "digital cable".

The most common newer built systems in RV parks carries digital signals on over-the-air frequencies. The older ones carry analog signals on the old analog OTA frequencies.

MOST campgrounds that say they have "digital cable" don't really......and no external converter is required.

IF.....you work at a place that has "real" digital cable extended to the individual campsites, then you should fully expect to get that question about 50 times a day.....IF you don't explain it to new arrivals up front......and supply those who need it (most everybody) an appropriate converter box.

[TechWriter]

Bill.Satellite wrote:
The digital transition was completed by 2009 so I can't imagine a 2014 coach not having a digital tuner.

Bill, there are two kinds of digital TV tuners -- ATSC for OTA (required) and QAM for digital cable (optional).

If you think all the TVs in newer RVs have both of these tuners, then work at a campground that has digital cable. Time after time I'd hear, "But my TV is new. Why doesn't it work?"

[Bill_Satellite]

The digital transition was completed by 2009 so I can't imagine a 2014 coach not having a digital tuner.