Outside TV fuzzy on cable

My outside TV when on cable the picture is fuzzy, also has limited channels compared to other TV's after doing a channel scan. When I switch to antenna it is OK. The living room and bedroom TV's work fine on cable, just the outside. Any ideas on where to start looking for the problem?

I would inspect the splitters - particularly if you have one near the living room TV, and the coax connectors going into and coming out of that splitter, along with the coax connector to the TV with the problem.

Checked what appeared to be splitter at main TV, looked OK, but wondered if this was the splitter for outside TV or 1 in bedroom and I might have one in underbelly? What has me confused is the bad on cable but good on antenna.

The antenna and cable TV come together at the signal booster, which is probably located in the bedroom. From there there is common wiring that carries both signals. The Signal booster must be ON for antenna and OFF for cable. But since you have a good picture in the bedroom and living room, you probably have the signal booster set correctly.

Here's how yours is likely wired. The wiring usually goes from the signal booster to a coax wall plate in the pass through basement storage, where the signal is split. The other side goes to the living room. One output of the splitter in the living room feeds the living room TV and the other feeds the exterior TV.

It sounds like you're losing signal quality on both antenna (number of channels) and cable. That suggests a problem at or after the living room splitter.

It also could be a problem with the exterior TV. If you have a known-good coax cable, you might try plugging it into the side of the living room splitter that normally feeds the living room TV, with the other end going directly into the exterior TV. If the problem goes away, it's the splitter/wiring/connectors. If the problem continues, it's the TV.

travlingman said:

Checked what appeared to be splitter at main TV, looked OK, but wondered if this was the splitter for outside TV or 1 in bedroom and I might have one in underbelly? What has me confused is the bad on cable but good on antenna.

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If you have an outside AM/FM/CD/DVD player check to see if the radio antenna is connected to the roof antenna with coax through a splitter you'll most likely find behind the radio.

This was causing the cable to short out at the TV that was connected to that same splitter in our Prowler.

Thanks for the replies. Will take a look at the suggestions. Unfortunately I don't have cable hook up at home but will see if I can notice any difference with antenna.

I found years ago that the coax connectors on many campgrounds are corroded from exposure to the elements. I had a problem with a noisy, snowy signal from the campground cable. I sprayed their coax connector with electrical contact cleaner/restorer and the picture cleared right up. It might also be a poor piece of cox or its connectors.

travlingman said:

Thanks for the replies. Will take a look at the suggestions. Unfortunately I don't have cable hook up at home but will see if I can notice any difference with antenna.

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You will need an actual cable hookup at a campground that you can scan channels to see if it works.

Danemayer figured out one issue with it while at a Colorado HOC Rally last fall . . . in the ceiling plate with the coax/red button/cig lighter adapter in it.

When we worked on mine at home we put a little cable test device on the line in . . . said we were getting signal, then next time at a campground . . . nothing!

Then I tried an old DVD player with a coax output thinking that if the signal came through (which it did) that I had fixed it . . . NOT!

I ended up chasing it down while at campgrounds until I finally got it working.

We had an interesting seminar at the Las Vegas rally last week where we learned that some LEDs commonly used in RVs can cause significant electromagnetic interference (EMI).

I've had problems with my cable signal quality on and off for a few years. Sometimes the picture is fine. Other times terrible. In testing cable tonight, instead of finding LED problems, I found that in our rig the bedroom fluorescent lamps are causing tremendous interference with the cable signal.

You might start turning off lights inside and outside the coach and see if you get any improvement. If you have LEDs that cause interference, you might take a look at Gregg Wilson's LEDs that have EMI suppression circuitry.

The outside TV worked fine for 2 years until the last few trips. I noticed at 1 park with cable, but thought maybe it was a weak signal from the cable and since it was the outside TV, maybe the signal strength had something to do with it. The next 2 trips we were on antenna and really no issues, had 1 channel it didn't pick up compared to the other TV's. The last trip we had cable and I could barely see the picture. Other TV's were great. Going to try and run down the wiring path and see if I can spot anything. As far as anything being added, lights, LED's, nothing since we bought the camper.

At a park this weekend that has cable. On antenna, all TV's work fine. On cable, bedroom TV great picture, living room has a decent, somewhat grainy picture and no picture outside. Switched out splitter in living room, helped living room picture some, still no picture outside. Next I ran a cable from feed at bedroom TV to splitter in living room. Good improvement to living room TV, still no picture outside. Ran the cable from bedroom to outside TV, great picture. Ran a different cable from splitter in living room to outside TV, received same channels as living room TV, but all very fuzzy.

With the outside TV getting a good picture on antenna, but not cable, is it possible for the cable from inside splitter in living room to outside TV to be bad? I guess I don't understand how the cable can be good for antenna but not cable. Also wondering if the main problem could be between bedroom and living room as the picture degrades from there and gets worse to outside. But again, why is the antenna good and the cable pic not?

I have been having the same issue with my living room tv and out side tv being fuzzy. I took all the connectors apart and I mean (all)several times to double check. Could not find anything. I bye past the booster and same results.
I noticed when we would walk on the floor by the kitchen slide you could see the picture change with our foot steps or if I stomped on the floor a little it would change the picture momentarily with the vibration.
Today I got into it again. I looked along the slide and followed the wiring and tried to find a cable to trace for a junction box. As I was moving the wires as I got to the trailer frame I Only see two junction Boxs for electrical power for the slide (tv-fire place etc). I moved the the wires and it changed the picture. So I took covers off and tightened the wire nuts and the picture in living room and outside tv are back to normal and no issues.

Must have been a loose ground or power connection in the juction Boxs.

Maybe this might help someone else with their fuzzy TV's

Good luck
John

OK!!! My bad. I thought I had it fixed
Upon more investigation after it started to get fuzzy again, I traced the wires again alone the frame of trailer and as I moved the wires it messed with the TV. So Long story short there is a split bunch of cable and wires going through the frame and as I opened up the loom I found cables!! So I proceeded to pull. The cables and I found two that un screwed from a barrel connectors and dropped in the belly. The tv cable must have been just barely holding on.
Took down the under belly and found them and reconnected them and seems now I got it.

Hope this info can help someone down the road.

Are you saying that the cables are spliced together in the underbelly and had came apart? Also, how was your picture on antenna verses cable?

Yes the cables were spliced in the underbelly with a barrel connector. TV was fuzzy on both cable or antenna . Now no issues. Clear on both antenna and cable.

The satellite cable was just hanging and had been un hooked for a while. Now I need to try my tailgater some day when I'm in a clear spot to See if that will work now. I thought the tailgater was just junk but it may have been the the disconnected cable.

Thanks for the reply. My outside works fine on antenna but fuzzy on cable. Going to check anyway.