Itasca Suncruiser Satellite Cable Access

[McLee]

I have a 2004 Itasca Suncruiser 33V and want to add a satellite receiver and portable dish antenna. Is it possible to connect the antenna cable to the external cable TV plug and connect the receiver in the line adjacent the TV? I have read that some feed lines have filters, etc. that are incompatible with the satellite signal.

[golden]

Originally Posted by mlmurrah

I have a 2004 Itasca Suncruiser 33V and want to add a satellite receiver and portable dish antenna. Is it possible to connect the antenna cable to the external cable TV plug and connect the receiver in the line adjacent the TV? I have read that some feed lines have filters, etc. that are incompatible with the satellite signal.

I was told a couple of years ago that it couldn't be done. I find this hard to believe, but I'm not an electrician. All I do is to run the cable through a back window and attach it to the TV in the Bdr. Works great.

[dirko]

Hi Ho: The problem may be that satellite receive antennas require a dc voltage to be supplied through the cable for the LNB's. This means that a direct dc connection must be available from the receiver to the dish.

About 7 years ago after some thought we decided to get an antenna that automatically acquires and tracks the satellite. I know it isn't cheap, but we have one thing less to worry about when setting up....and we get local channels within about 300 miles of home.

Dirk

[emiddleb]

Yes you can do this if your internal coax cable run doesn't have any splitters along the path. I have done so on my Vectra.

You need to research "diplexer" on the web.

They are a special type of "Y" connectors that allow two cables/signals to be combined on a single coax and then split back out at the other end and handle the DC power issue to the sat dish.

At your external cable tv hookup you install one diplexer so you have two hookups, one for cable and one for your sat dish. At the TV cabinet side you install the 2nd diplexer, splitting out the Sat signal to your sat box and the cable signal to your normal hookup (i.e. switchbox.)

This preserves both your ability to hook up to cable tv as well as a Sat dish without running a 2nd coax through your RV. The trick is you can't have the Sat stuff go through any switch box such as usually installed on the RV. It will require you to plug your Sat box into your TV differently than the regular cable (like using Video 1 or Aux or whatever) and then switch the TV source to whatever you want to watch.

Here's where I got mine but you should research and shop around...

http://www.prosatellitesupply.com/SA..._SPLITTERS.htm

[emiddleb]

Here's a simple diagram for what I said in above email... see attachment.

[Wizard]

I ran a coax from my Sat input box located in the drivers overhead compartment, where I placed the receiver, down through the windshield post on the drivers side to under the dash. Drilled a small hole through to the outside near the mirror from under the dash and installed a flip up coax connector on the outside. I sealed it with some sealer I got from CW (can't remember the name) and its been working for several years. I use a VuCube.

[McLee]

Thanks, emiddleb, for the info and detailed sketch and, Wizard, for the custom installation info. I think I know how to do it now.

[Tom N]

You can use the cable TV connection to run your satellite. There is no splitter or filter in this line. You'll have to unconnect the coax from the switch box and then connect it to the satellite receiver. The dish will be connected to the outside cable in connection.

If I were you I would consider running an new independent coax line to your entertainment area devoted to sat only. The outside termination does not have to be adjacent to the cable TV in. It can be located in a more convenient location to the entertainment area such as under the hood.

-Tom

[Beabop]

We put an outside jack on our 2000 to the rear of the drivers door and used a portable dish until we mounted a rootop dish.

[Clay L]

There are several ways to do it. I used a diplexer before I discovered that the Winegard wallplate acts as an A/B switch.

Winegard recommends the diagram below.
Note that this assumes your front TV is connected to the coax connector on the front of the wall plate. but Winnebago doesn't do that. The wire below labeled "to second TV" goes to a splitter that sens the signal to both the front and rear TV.

What Winegard calls a "power supply" below is the wall plate with the antenna booster switch and LED showing when the amplifier is on.

If you still want to be able to use the external cable in for both cable TV and the external dish just add an A/B switch to switch the incoming coax from the sat receiver sat input to the sat receiver TV input.

One thing not shown in the diagram is using the RCA type connections between the sat receiver and the TV. I connect them and get a better picture with no interference from any local channels. You have to select a "video in" with your TV menu instead of using channel 3 (for example).

[Tom N]

Clay;

The diagram you posted does not apply to the Suncruiser. The original poster has a Suncruiser. The Suncruiser uses a Winegard switch box/power supply rather than the wall power supply shown in your diagram.

Starting in 2005 Winnebago placed a SAT IN connection in the utility bay along side the CABLE IN. I nice solution would be to download the TV coax wiring diagram from the Winnebago website and wire your 2004 coach according to the 2005 wiring diagram.

-Tom

[emiddleb]

Tom,

I agree. That's why I posted the diplexer info.

My 2004 Vectra didn't have the prewire for Sat either. I went to the local hardware, bought a 2-coax wall plate and replaced the existing single-coax plate and stuffed the diplexer behind the plate. By then adding the 2nd diplexer where the "cable" coax came out in the TV area I was able to avoid running a 2nd coax.

With this change I now have two coax connectors in the bay - "cable" and "sat" and the ability to use either/both at the TV. Since I had already swapped for a hi-def LCD screen I simply plugged in the sat box through an HDMI cable and left the TV/cable coax as it was through the Winegard switch box.

Ed

[Clay L]

Originally Posted by Tom N

Clay;

The diagram you posted does not apply to the Suncruiser. The original poster has a Suncruiser. The Suncruiser uses a Winegard switch box/power supply rather than the wall power supply shown in your diagram.

Starting in 2005 Winnebago placed a SAT IN connection in the utility bay along side the CABLE IN. I nice solution would be to download the TV coax wiring diagram from the Winnebago website and wire your 2004 coach according to the 2005 wiring diagram.

-Tom

I didn't realize the Suncruiser had the switch box - sorry about that.

As far as rewiring mine per the 2005 Winnebago diagram - the diplexer setup I have been using since 2004 works great so I think I will stick with it.

[mickey53usa]

On my 99 Adventurer, I took the inbound "cable" connecion, put an "A/B" switch on it. One side "A" goes to the outside cable on the switch box and the "B" goes to the sat Receiver "in" connection. I just have to change the cable connection on the receiver. I can connect the outside sat dish to the "cable" connection on the RV, change the switch setting and change the cable on the back of the receiver and I am good to go.

[Tom N]

Originally Posted by Clay L

I didn't realize the Suncruiser had the switch box - sorry about that.

As far as rewiring mine per the 2005 Winnebago diagram - the diplexer setup I have been using since 2004 works great so I think I will stick with it.

Even though not clear, my second paragraph was directed to the original poster. Sorry can no longer edit.

I know there are many ways to do this wiring. My suggestions were the 2 simplest and cheapest.

-Tom

[John-D]

Well, it can be done, how easy depends on your video distribution system

If you have the wall plate with the 12 volt outlet, antenna connection, button and light, then you need to dig into that box and make some changes I truly do suggest digging but not the same changes

If you have a box of many buttons (Such as a Flex-Vision system) you can unhook the park-cable from the back, but again, I suggest leaving it alone

Now. why:

Satellite specs call for quality RG-6 cable, Your rig is likely wired with el-cheapo RG-59 Both cables come in different quality (Quality and El-cheapo) The BEST RG-59 is ALMOST as good as the worst RG-6

However the worst RG-59 has over 4 times the loss of RG-6 foot per foot (Signal loss) so for my rig, the Distribution is in the front, teh connection all the way back the rig's 27 feet, and I'm 6' so figure nearly 60 feet of cable that's the equal of 240 feet of RG-6, and as I recall 300 feet is the limit (Add 50 feet of RG-6 and you are over limit)

So, My suggestion: A brand new run of RG-6. Good stuff, not the el-cheapo

[Clay L]

Originally Posted by John-D

SNIP

Satellite specs call for quality RG-6 cable, Your rig is likely wired with el-cheapo RG-59

John, since at least 2004 Winnebago has been using RG6 in their Class A's.
Don't know what the quality is though.