# Camper antenna/tv question



## Milkman (Aug 18, 2014)

My camper has one of the rollup antennas like most do.  I assume it is tied into the cable system outlets.  I have a small flatscreen tv.  I have used it fine with camp spots with cable, and have used it with a dvd player.
 I hooked the tv to the cable outlet and crank up the antenna at home.  I get zilch.  I live between Athens and Atlanta and should have some sort of antenna signal.

Am I missing a box or adapter thingy or something?


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## Phillip Thurmond (Aug 18, 2014)

I have the same question any help out there?


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## riprap (Aug 18, 2014)

Mine also ties in to the cable but it has a separate wire for the satellite. I can't get any stations at all at my house without the built in signal booster on. I just live 10 miles or so west of Atlanta.


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## Oldstick (Aug 18, 2014)

Don't know except the obvious that you have probably tried already.  On my flat screen at home I have to go into the antenna menu and change it from "cable" to "air".  (Also have to perform a one time new channel search on the "air" setting.)

My TV only has one coax input so I use a two way A/B switch and have to switch that between the cable and air feeds then change the menu setting as well every time. 

Other than that, maybe the antenna needs to be higher or an electronic booster needed.  I assume the cable and antenna are two separate lines.  If not, then possibly the cable inlet outside the camper needs to have a coax terminator on it, when using the antenna.


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## papasage (Aug 18, 2014)

i have tried several antennas and  i can`t git anything at  lake blackher  up  at camper haven  . have tried  the one that cranks up and put one on a pole that  said it was 75 mile range  . i also tried the  all direct  disk and in Cordele it would only pick up 3 channels and i had to turn it to do that


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## poohbear (Aug 19, 2014)

There should be a switch on the wall plate for the antenna make sure it is on this is the booster and dont work with it off


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## HoCoLion91 (Aug 19, 2014)

Most have a small black buttom at the wall plate at the coax wire connection.  Push the button. Green LED light should come on above button.  This is amplifier for antenna.  AS mentioned above, go to tv settings, set to antenna vs. cable and perform channel search.  If any digital channels nearby, it should find them.


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## Milkman (Aug 19, 2014)

poohbear said:


> There should be a switch on the wall plate for the antenna make sure it is on this is the booster and dont work with it off





HoCoLion91 said:


> Most have a small black buttom at the wall plate at the coax wire connection.  Push the button. Green LED light should come on above button.  This is amplifier for antenna.  AS mentioned above, go to tv settings, set to antenna vs. cable and perform channel search.  If any digital channels nearby, it should find them.



Our camper is parked over at the MIL's place. I will check and see if it has that button. 

Thanks !!


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## Ronnie T (Aug 19, 2014)

Most common problem people have in parks is getting their TV adjusted to the air antenna.  Mine works at home and in the woods.

Also check connections up at the antenna.


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## Milkman (Aug 19, 2014)

Ronnie T said:


> Most common problem people have in parks is getting their TV adjusted to the air antenna.  Mine works at home and in the woods.
> 
> Also check connections up at the antenna.



Ronnie,

If I remember correctly your camper and mine are very similar.  Does yours have this booster button as described in a couple of posts above?


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## Bob Shaw (Aug 19, 2014)

Remember, the new digital channels almost all run on the UHF band, and are very directional, and line of sight. The 75 and 100 mile antennas are generally rated that for VHF. The one I got is from a company in Canada. I can pick-up stations from 53 miles away, but I still get some pixilation and freezes at times. There is a free app for the iPhone called TV Towers USA that will show where all the antenas are and has a pointer that will show when your phone is pointing at it. Also, a lot of the newer TV's have a signal meter that you can use to fine tune the antenna.


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## Milkman (Aug 21, 2014)

Milkman said:


> Our camper is parked over at the MIL's place. I will check and see if it has that button.
> 
> Thanks !!



I went over there today and looked. the main tv plug near the door has the little button that must be the booster.  The other cable hookup back in the bunk bed doesnt have it.

thanks guys for helping me out !!


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## Ronnie T (Aug 25, 2014)

Milkman said:


> Ronnie,
> 
> If I remember correctly your camper and mine are very similar.  Does yours have this booster button as described in a couple of posts above?



Sorry took so long to respond.

Yes.  It has a booster button.


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## TimBray (Aug 26, 2014)

Don't forget to turn the booster back OFF when you go back to cable. DAMHIK.


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## MudDucker (Aug 26, 2014)

If it is an old pre-digital antenna, it is pretty much worthless.  ALL over the air TV went digital a couple of years back.  Get a new antenna for the digital signal.


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## Oldstick (Aug 26, 2014)

MudDucker said:


> If it is an old pre-digital antenna, it is pretty much worthless.  ALL over the air TV went digital a couple of years back.  Get a new antenna for the digital signal.



I could be wrong, but I think it is mainly that the TV needs to have a digital tuner.  The transmitter to antenna signals are still the same and mostly on the UHF band as mentioned above.  Probably some folks kicking themselves for hauling the old antenna masts off to the dump.


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## riprap (Aug 27, 2014)

TimBray said:


> Don't forget to turn the booster back OFF when you go back to cable. DAMHIK.



On both my campers it also runs on 12 volt. Remember to turn it off or there will be a dead battery if the camper is not plugged in.


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## Arrow Flinger (Aug 27, 2014)

MudDucker said:


> If it is an old pre-digital antenna, it is pretty much worthless.  ALL over the air TV went digital a couple of years back.  Get a new antenna for the digital signal.



Correct. UHF will not pick up digital signals


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## riprap (Aug 27, 2014)

Oldstick said:


> I could be wrong, but I think it is mainly that the TV needs to have a digital tuner.  The transmitter to antenna signals are still the same and mostly on the UHF band as mentioned above.  Probably some folks kicking themselves for hauling the old antenna masts off to the dump.



My 30 yr old antenna works fine on my house with a didgital TV. We even get them with rabbit ears and a digital receiver on the old tv at the hunting club.


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## Oldstick (Aug 27, 2014)

Antenna requirements

http://www.fcc.gov/guides/antennas-and-digital-television


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## Laman (Sep 3, 2014)

Don't know, my '98 motor home has the original antenna and I have changed both TV's to flat screen digital and I get plenty of channels as is.  Now mine has a box which allows you to switch from ANT. to AUX (cable) and yes you do have to have the amplifier on.


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## Bob Shaw (Sep 4, 2014)

From what I am told, RV antennas are tuned to receive both VHF and UHF signals. Basically all these "digital antennae" do is use a signal booster, which most of our RV antenna already have. Now, I'm not a TV antenna expert, but, that's what I've been told and squares with what I've experienced. I did add a Wingman addition to my Winguard antenna to boost the UHF "digital" signal, which did help, a little. Many of the new TV's have a signal strength meter, that will in all likelihood be your best friend for aiming your antenna. Also, be aware that the UHF signals are lower power and generally "line of sight" so you are not going to get good long distance reception, like you could with the old VHF signals. Basically, the government is trying to force us to pay TV, and free-up the TV air waves, which is a big part of why they went digital in the first place. 

I've got two TV's in my camper, a newer, larger one that gets excellent signal and a lot of channels, and an older smaller one that doesn't get as many channels nor is it as clear.

As for range, at R Shaefer Heard campground, on Lake West Point, I can get the Columbus channels, some Montomery channels and a few Atlanta channels. In Sebring Florida, with an outside antenna, I can get Tampa, Ft Myers, West Palm and Orlando channels, all 57 or a little more miles away. The big issue there is hills or large buildings between you and the tower. I do have an iPhone app that assists with aiming the antenna, except that my wife used trial and error and got more channels than I did using the app. And the antenna isn't pointing at any of the towers... go figure. I hope this helps.


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