SAT IN apparently not connected

[Dennyha]

We finally took our maiden trip in our 2015 Cyclone 3010. We are extremely pleased with most everything EXCEPT our satellite wiring. I tried to hook up our Dish satellite wire to the SAT IN with the Dish receiver in the living room with the main TV. The receiver kept giving a "no signal" response. Finally, I ran the satellite wire outside directly through the slide out seal, and everything worked. I picked up a coax tracer, and it shows that the SAT IN (I tried the wire to the sat on the roof too.) was not connected to the sat hookups in the living room, bedroom, garage, or basement. None of the hookups appear to be connected to any of the other hookups. I pulled the faceplate contained the SAT IN and roof SAT, and there is a splitter just behind the SAT IN, and all connections on the splitter seemed tight. I unscrewed the coax from the splitter, and it still showed no connectivity to the inside terminals. Finally, I gave up. I'm taking the camper to Camping World for them to diagnose and fix it. I'm very disappointed that something that would have been easy to check at the factory left in non working order.

 

[OEFVET]

I bought a Klein Tools VDV512-058 Coax Explorer Plus Tester as suggested by someone else on this forum. It was well worth the $20. I was able to connect all TV's in a few minutes after using this tool. Also you may want to check that the jumper was installed at the UDC box. It is only used for satellite installation.

 

[Dennyha]

I think the jumper is only for using the roof mount. My satellite dish is a ground mounted unit, so I am going directly into the SAT IN connection.
Im going to check into the Klein Tools coax tester. If it's different from the audible continuity tester I tried, I'm always interested in another tool.

 

[Dennyha]

The service center has had my unit for 3 weeks. They've confirmed that the SAT only feeds to the garage. They've replaced some splitters, and so far, still no SAT signal to the living room, bedroom, or basement. They've been in contact with Heartland for wiring schematics, but it sounds like they're still stymied.

I miss my Cyclone.

 

[cookie]

Lets see, in three weeks they have determined that there is no signal to the living room.
It might be faster and easier to just run a new coax from the UDC to the living room.

Peace
Dave

 

[branson4020]

They're replacing splitters? Isn't the satellite wiring all direct home runs - a separate connection in UDC for each satellite signal destination?

 

[danemayer]

Here's a link to the Coax diagram for the 2015 Cyclone. Maybe you could ask CW if they could use this to run down the problem with a $20 tone generator from Home Depot. Three weeks should tell you they're not spending any time on it.

 

[ndmac]

I think the jumper is only for using the roof mount. My satellite dish is a ground mounted unit, so I am going directly into the SAT IN connection.
Im going to check into the Klein Tools coax tester. If it's different from the audible continuity tester I tried, I'm always interested in another tool.

Here is link to Klein tools site. Can find it for around $20-$30. Allows you to connect up to 4 color coded remotes and test multiple cables with out having to move them. Will also check cables for good/open/short etc.
http://www.kleintools.com/catalog/cable-testers-accessories/coax-explorer-plus-tester

 

[Dennyha]

They're replacing splitters? Isn't the satellite wiring all direct home runs - a separate connection in UDC for each satellite signal destination?

No, there is one SAT IN connection in the UDC, with a splitter just 6" behind that input. That is supposed to feed 4 locations (living room, bedroom, garage, and basement. )

 

[cookie]

Just a suggestion here, but I would disconnect the splitter and use a barrel connector to go direct from the UDC to the living room coax. This will tell you if the splitter is the problem.
Splitters are not all equal. They must be able to support the frequency that is being split.
Which satellite provider are you using?

Peace
Dave

 

[Dennyha]

Just a suggestion here, but I would disconnect the splitter and use a barrel connector to go direct from the UDC to the living room coax. This will tell you if the splitter is the problem.
Splitters are not all equal. They must be able to support the frequency that is being split.
Which satellite provider are you using?

Peace
Dave

We are using DISH at our campsite, but I'm getting nothing with a coax continuity tester between the UDC and the Entertainment Center in the Living Room (and bedroom, and basement). When I pulled the plate off in the UDC, that's where I saw there was a splitter just 6" behind the plate. Interestingly, the color of the coax, coming off of the splitter, was different than the color of the coax connected to the back of the plate in the Living Room. The schematic above looks like it should be a single run from the splitter to the Entertainment Center, but it apparently is not in my unit. Also, looking at the schematic from the link above, it differs from my unit in that my unit does not have a "Satellite Dish Output to Unit" connection in the area of the Entertainment Center. The schematic shows that this "Satellite Dish Output to Unit" is what feeds the signal to the bedroom and basement, so the lack of this "Satellite Dish Output to Unit" could explain why there is no signal in the basement or bedroom. It does not explain why there is no signal at the "Satellite Dish Input To Receiver" by the Entertainment Center, and why the coax color is different than the color of the coax coming from the splitter behind the UDC. I just want my satellite to work.

 

[Dennyha]

I did get an update from CW today. Apparently Heartland provided multiple schematics (could be this one, or maybe this one...) and a troubleshooting flowchart to chase down the problem. They did acknowledge that they are swamped with the weather breaking here, and hoped to give it a few hours today. We'll see...

 

[AAdams]

According to the diagram that Dan has listed above, there should be a direct run to one of the outlets in the living room, without a splitter on it. Then one of the other connections in the living room then feed the same channel to all tv's except the garage which shows it has it's own run from the UDC. Dish doesn't work through that splitter, I tried it and even bought other higher frequency ones, won't work. You can split the signal after it goes through a receiver, not before on the new DPPLus type installs unless you have special DPlus splitters. I just made a home run to the living room and the outside entertainment center since we only had two receivers.

If you have DISH Network then you can rewire it so they can each tv has their own receiver, but from what I've read on different web sites it would require that equipment be DPPlus or Dish Pro type and DP-44 be installed with runs to each tv from the new DP-44 switch and all the inputs from the sat dish go to DP-44 switch. If you need or want more than 4 tv's you just add another DP-44 switch. Your LNB will also have to be DPPlus type. The DP-44 will need a power inserter on the output #1.

For more on this type of hook up you may want to read here

The DP-44 only needs one input from a Dish 1000.2 that is a DPPlus or DPro type antenna to run 4 tv's.

According to the diagram of your unit the runs to all the tv's ( other than the garage ) terminate at a splitter behind the entertainment center, this is where you would install the DP-44.
They may have eliminated the other UDC hook up and thus that is why you have a splitter behind the one connection in the UDC. One leg to the garage and the other to the living room.
Eliminate the splitter and hook up direct to the UDC, if it works then the run is good. You can then test each tv the same way, with out the splitter to make sure the run is a straight through run. If they all are then install the DP-44. The DP-44 with the power inserter is about $69 on Amazon.

The problem is that Dish and Directv both have different equipment and hook ups. Even some of the newer equipment will not work with the older equipment. Way to many variables. Just hope the runs all terminate where you can get to them.

Hope this helps.

 

[DocFather]

For a DirecTV Genie wired system, all you need is a cable run from the UDC space to each of the 4 TV's and one cable to the satellite dish. The equipment included with the Genie system , if correctly hooked up, does the rest. My 4100 was wired that way to begin with and works great

 

[Dennyha]

If they can't figure it out, I may suggest they run a coax line from the UDC to the Entertainment Center in the living room, and to the basement. Right now, we only have one DISH receiver, and it's in the living room. I think we would sporadically move it to the basement to watch the TV outside. I don't think we would use the receiver in the bedroom or garage.
That being said, I hate to "settle" for something less than what I paid a lot of money for. I thought I'd have the option of using the DISH receiver wherever I want, not wherever it will "work".

 

[Dennyha]

We got the camper back, after making an agreement. They ran a coax from the UDC to the Entertainment Center in the living room, so that we can use the satellite receiver on our main television. After the season is over, we will take it back, and they will, one way or another, figure out how to get the satellite connected to the other TV areas. They will have more time, and I won't need the camper. In the mean time, we can use it. Should be a good compromise.

 

[Dennyha]

Time for a follow up to this issue. As my previous post indicated, the local service center agreed to run a cable from the UDC to my Entertainment Center so that we could use the SAT receiver for the camping season, and they would fully trace and fix the SAT wiring at the end of the season. I appreciate their effort to get me "back in the game" for the short camping season we have. Anyway, in my spare time, I was able to trace and map out all of the SAT wiring in my camper, and found numerous issues. The SAT wiring is nothing like the schematic provided by Heartland (linked on a previous post on this thread). What I found was, inside the UDC, they had a 1x2 splitter (900mHz instead of the 2.4 GHz needed for SAT). One line coming off of the splitter went to the ceiling in the bedroom for a potential roof SAT hookup, and the other line went to a 1x4 splitter above the entertainment center, accessible behind the speaker screen panel. The line to the ceiling, as well as the line to the runs from the UDC area across the basement (just behind the storage area), and goes up to the roof area just behind the inside control panel (you can access and see the lines by carefully removing the fuse panel to the right of the fireplace. On the 1x4 splitter above the entertainment center, there were 3 lines coming off; one to the garage SAT, one to the bedroom SAT, and one to the entertainment (living room) center. Two of the three lines were very loosely attached and were likely not able to pass a signal. The fourth output on the splitter was empty. I replaced the 1x4 splitter with a 1x3 splitter (both were 2.4GHz), and attached the 3 outputs tightly. I attached labels to all of the output cables to indicate where it ran. The UDC input for the roof cable actually ran to the basement SAT hookup. All of my SAT cables are now labeled. I attached the cable to the roof to the correct input in the UDC. I have correct splitters in all locations now. (BTW, the splitter for the ANT/Cable is also behind the speaker panel above the Ent. Center.) I now have SAT available to any location I desire. It's a shame it couldn't have come wired correctly by Heartland, but it forced me to get a better understanding of how my unit is wired. All is now well with the world (or at least with my camper.)

 

[campingusa]

I had the same problem with my 2015 cyclone checked continuity still could not find finely got the dealer to put some one on it that knew what he was doing , all the splitters were wrong for sat system replaced with pass through splitters fixed the problem they need to pass power through back to dish it worked . Never herd of this and check into this true

 

[Nbomar]

I'm going to try this on my 2014 Road Warrior. I can't get satellite signal anywhere unless I run the direct connection from the Winegard dish to the back of the receiver. None of the wiring in the camper does anything. I fooled with it for awhile and finally gave up and just run the wire through the bedroom window, across the basement, or through the slide seal in the living room depending on where I wanted to watch TV. It's a pain in the butt, but was the only solution I could come up with at the time. I agree that it is very disheartening the lack of consistency or inspection all of the campers I've ever seen have. When I've called Heartland on anything they've always given me multiple choice answers for most items because they "Don't know exactly which installer or how they set it up" for my camper. Seems like quality control is non-existent.

Time for a follow up to this issue. As my previous post indicated, the local service center agreed to run a cable from the UDC to my Entertainment Center so that we could use the SAT receiver for the camping season, and they would fully trace and fix the SAT wiring at the end of the season. I appreciate their effort to get me "back in the game" for the short camping season we have. Anyway, in my spare time, I was able to trace and map out all of the SAT wiring in my camper, and found numerous issues. The SAT wiring is nothing like the schematic provided by Heartland (linked on a previous post on this thread). What I found was, inside the UDC, they had a 1x2 splitter (900mHz instead of the 2.4 GHz needed for SAT). One line coming off of the splitter went to the ceiling in the bedroom for a potential roof SAT hookup, and the other line went to a 1x4 splitter above the entertainment center, accessible behind the speaker screen panel. The line to the ceiling, as well as the line to the runs from the UDC area across the basement (just behind the storage area), and goes up to the roof area just behind the inside control panel (you can access and see the lines by carefully removing the fuse panel to the right of the fireplace. On the 1x4 splitter above the entertainment center, there were 3 lines coming off; one to the garage SAT, one to the bedroom SAT, and one to the entertainment (living room) center. Two of the three lines were very loosely attached and were likely not able to pass a signal. The fourth output on the splitter was empty. I replaced the 1x4 splitter with a 1x3 splitter (both were 2.4GHz), and attached the 3 outputs tightly. I attached labels to all of the output cables to indicate where it ran. The UDC input for the roof cable actually ran to the basement SAT hookup. All of my SAT cables are now labeled. I attached the cable to the roof to the correct input in the UDC. I have correct splitters in all locations now. (BTW, the splitter for the ANT/Cable is also behind the speaker panel above the Ent. Center.) I now have SAT available to any location I desire. It's a shame it couldn't have come wired correctly by Heartland, but it forced me to get a better understanding of how my unit is wired. All is now well with the world (or at least with my camper.)

 

[avvidclif]

I am currently fighting the same problem. I received another wiring diagram from the factory but it still doesn't match what I have. I have an 8 port tracer coming and am going to map it out. The above info is great and the connections behind the UDC are what I have, whether or not they are correct I don't know. The splitters also are the cheap chinese not rated for Sat work. The connectors they used are all loose on the coax and I'm replacing each one with a new snap lock connector as I go. Like everyone else I have a sat feed in the bedroom, exterior, and entertainment center. All three runs are white coax. The coax behind the UDC is all black. Now to find the transition point.