any ideas on the cabling for the cyclone..dont understand

[dm2776]

we bought a used 2008 cyclone 4012 (i think) back in 2010. we never are able to get directtv thru the rv.we have to hang the cable out a window and go direct to the dish. well i spent all day working on it..and this is what i have

1. have the winegard sateline plugged into satellite 2 in the cargo bay.
2. i put the reciever in the bedroom on the bottom coax.
3. out to tv on the receiver then goes into the top coax (which apparently goes to the top coax in the entertainment area)
4. top coax in the entertainment section plugs into tv that i can put on 3 and watch direct tv

whoo hoooo but only problem is i cant change channels so since this worked i thought i would be able to

1. remove the reciever from the bedroom and just connect those 2 with a cable
2. connect the reciever to the top coax in the entertainment and out to tv

so is something wrong with my logic or am i missing something. all i get is searching for signal when i hook it up that way.

 

[danemayer]

If I understand, if the receiver is in the bedroom, it works. If its in the living room it doesn't. I assume that you're plugging the dish into different coax connectors in the UDC.

Is that right?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[Garypowell]

First I will say that I don't know your rig or its wiring but have a couple of suggestions:

1. Set your system up without using any RV wiring. I first set mine up in the driveway just to see it work in its simplest form. Then if something does not work you can get help from directv just on the basic setup. My point here is that your problem might be just with the receiver and have nothing to do with the RV's wiring

2. Go to a big box store (H OR L,s) and buy a signal tracer. They are like $40. This will allow you to tone out your wiring so you know exactly what wire goes where. With this knowledge I write on the UDC connector in words I can understand where the wire goes.....like "main TV top con".

The toner will also help you find broken wires.

 

[Mizmary]

Directv came out to set ours up and just retired the entire camper for their system. It made it a bit simpler, but it was some work!

 

[dm2776]

did directtv rewire your camper???

 

[dm2776]

ok i admit i am somewhat stoopid but what is a UDC..my husband has some type tone generator which is how he knew the top coax in the bedroom went to the top coax in the entertainment area.

i did start with basic hookup so i knew it worked so then started to see if could use rv wiring. and i can as long as i leave the reciever in the bedroom. i guess i dont understand because i am using all the same wiring ..just moving the reciver in line. (winegard to sat 2/reciever input in bedroom/output goes to the cable from bedroom to entertainment/then to the tv) so why not (wingard to sat 2/use cable to connect two coaxs in bedroom that would get it to entertainment/then to reeiver then to tv in living room)..maybe the reciever acts as a generator and there is too much loss from winegard that has 50 ft of cable thru to the entertainment????

 

[dm2776]

"First I will say that I don't know your rig or its wiring"

hahahah and therein lies my problem...apparently neither to I--LOL

 

[boatto5er]

UDC is "Universal Docking Center". That's the compartment where your incoming water and cable connections are hooked in to the trailer.

 

[danemayer]

There are 2 sets of coax wires in the RV. One set is for satellite and the other is for antenna/cable. That's why there are 2 connectors at each location. When you connect the dish to the satellite connection that goes to the bedroom, and then you connect a receiver there, and connect the receiver to the TV, it's all good.

If you're trying to jumper the connections in the bedroom so you can then put the receiver in the living room, you're trying to send the satellite signal over the antenna/cable wiring. The signal booster will not pass satellite signals and the splitters in between the bedroom and living room may also not pass satellite signals.

You should have another connector in the UDC for satellite feed to the living room. That's where you would connect the dish in order to get to the living room.

 

[porthole]

Personally, having been in the same boat as you, I would start fresh and just add all new cable.

2 things you will most likely find, the cable ends are all poorly installed cable ends and that there is most likely no cable for SAT TV in the bedroom.

What you may find in the UDC are 3 coax connectors. One is for cable, one is for the LR TV for SAT and one is coming from the roof. There are COAX cable up in the roof for a roof top dish.

With a rooftop dish you would run a jumper between the two SAT TV inputs in the UDC.

There are most likely several splitters thorughout the camper. Every splitter is another place for a bad connection.


Less agravating to just install all new coax, for cable and SAT.

 

[Miltp920]

I just paid $75 for a service call to figure out how to make SAT TV work in my 2014 Cyclone that is wired for cable, SAT, and antenna. You would think this would be better labeled at the connections or explained in a manual since many of us campers prefer satellite service moving around as much as we do. My Direct TV guy took out a splitter behind the removable panel access in the basement that allows access to the backside of the incoming utilities connection -universal docking station? He said this splitter was not compatible with satellite (maybe because I have HD dish). He installed a new compatible splitter $15. He ended up using a gray cable that goes to the bedroom from the cable connection as a primary satellite signal directly to the bedroom. He moved the landing of the gray cable from the bedroom antenna to the bedroom satellite connector. i believe he told me that there were NO cables connected to the satellite connection in the bedroom. That receiver then back feeds the rest of the camper to display the same channel as is on the TV in bedroom. I have on the new splitter primary SAT to living room so I can run HD on my liv room TV on a separate HD receiver (existing original installed cable). He said he could put another splitter/distribution connector up by the HD liv room TV and it could back feed the other TVs to display the same channel as on the liv room TV to rest of coach. I currently prefer to have independent HD service in liv room. Since I have limited knowledge of how to best set up this system, I chose to pay the expert ( on my last four RVs). At the price we pay for brand new campers, you would think you would be able to just hook up at outside location and have it work, but maybe I expect too much. Good luck.

 

[Mizmary]

Yes- I meant "rewire!"

We ran all new cables to the televisions separate from the built ins. That way we can still use the original wiring while traveling and keep the antenna, etc.

 

[danemayer]

I just paid $75 for a service call to figure out how to make SAT TV work in my 2014 Cyclone that is wired for cable, SAT, and antenna. You would think this would be better labeled at the connections or explained in a manual since many of us campers prefer satellite service moving around as much as we do. My Direct TV guy took out a splitter behind the removable panel access in the basement that allows access to the backside of the incoming utilities connection -universal docking station? He said this splitter was not compatible with satellite (maybe because I have HD dish). He installed a new compatible splitter $15. He ended up using a gray cable that goes to the bedroom from the cable connection as a primary satellite signal directly to the bedroom. He moved the landing of the gray cable from the bedroom antenna to the bedroom satellite connector. i believe he told me that there were NO cables connected to the satellite connection in the bedroom. That receiver then back feeds the rest of the camper to display the same channel as is on the TV in bedroom. I have on the new splitter primary SAT to living room so I can run HD on my liv room TV on a separate HD receiver (existing original installed cable). He said he could put another splitter/distribution connector up by the HD liv room TV and it could back feed the other TVs to display the same channel as on the liv room TV to rest of coach. I currently prefer to have independent HD service in liv room. Since I have limited knowledge of how to best set up this system, I chose to pay the expert ( on my last four RVs). At the price we pay for brand new campers, you would think you would be able to just hook up at outside location and have it work, but maybe I expect too much. Good luck.

Hi miltp920,

I hope your expert didn't disable your antenna and cable TV feeds. Someone recently had a similar post and found that this was the case.