satellite installation 37QB

I am interseted in putting a new satellite system in my new fifth wheel. First of all, I am a total novice at satellite systems, but not totally helpless! I am not sure how to do the install. I am wondering if the satellite feed on the outside of the RV, will feed every coax in the RV? I have one hook up for cable (simple to figure out), and a sattelite hook up. In my mind (heres where it could really go wrong), I should be able to get a satellite antenna that will support numerous recievers, hook it into my satellite feed. Then put a reciever at each of my coax outlets, and wah-lah! SATELLITE!. I have not purchased my equipt yet. For fear my master plan will not work. I would love for someone to enlighten me on how I am probably way off target here. Any advice is appreciated!!!!!
 

danemayer

Well-known member
Hi jeremyhart72,

The basic idea is sound. You need a dish that supports multiple outputs, or a splitter that will work with the dish. You need receivers that are compatible with the dish. If you have multiple satellite coax lines in your RW, you can feed dish output to each, with receivers attached to the other end of the coax.

Satellite signals will not work on the cable/antenna coax wiring in your rig - the satellite frequencies won't pass through the signal booster or splitters used on those lines.

Many Heartland trailers have the outside satellite connections in the UDC (above the water connections). If your rig is pre-wired for a rooftop unit, there may be 4 connectors. 2 go to the rooftop pre-wiring. The other 2 typically go to the living room and bedroom. If you install a rooftop dish, you would use jumpers to connect the rooftop wires to the living room/bedroom connectors in the UDC. If you use a tripod mounted dish, you would just connect the dish to the living room/bedroom connectors in the UDC.

Some rigs have basement TV and exterior wall TV coax lines, but I don't think any of those are for satellite connections. If you want to place a receiver at one of those locations, you'd need to run new coax, or skip the receiver at that location and replicate the output of one of the other receivers to that location. Same if there's a single coax connection for a garage TV. It's probably cable/antenna, not satellite.

There are other important considerations. Dish or Directv is key. High def vs Standard Def is key. Auto-satellite aiming vs manual setup is key. Once you make those choices, you can start looking at dish and receiver choices.
 
Thanks for the reply danemayer,
I will be taking my Bighorn in for some warranty work in a couple weeks. I know that it is prewired for a rooftop satellite. I am going to get the dealer to give me a full run down on a hook up, and possibly do an install for me, along with the 4 slide toppers I am having them do. I want to stay away from the rooftop unit, one for cost, and secondly for the ability to set an antenna away from the rv in case of trees. I know that it is asking alot to be able to have the ability to watch different channels on 4 tv's in an rv, but for the cost of the unit. I think it is a valuable upgrade. I do appreciate the advice on this, and it has given me alot more information about my new Heartland!
 
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