satellite concections in a 2008 bighorn 3400rl

[markandrenita]

I thought we should start another thread as we have a 2008 bighorn 3400rl.
Anway we are trying to hook up with directtv hddvr reciever and a winegurad portable dish. I am hooked up to the right satellite hookup in the connection center, where the water and cable and all the stuff is.

There are two satellite connectors. I tried both and am not getting any satellitte signals. My dish is pointing into the sky and there are no trees here at flaming gorge resevoir in wyoming to block the signal.

So do I need to run a seperate cable from the dish through the window and into the reciever? I am hooked up to the tv, entertainment center, with a hdmi cord and am able to work through the connection screen but am stumped at getting a satellite signal.

 

[Larry W]

I had a similar problem with my 3055RL. One of the two satellite connections is for a roof mount antenna and the other one goes to the entertainment system area behind the television. With the DirecTv hddvr, you need to be aligned to the satellites and have a signal before the receiver can even recognize the satellite. It may help if you temporarily attach through the window to get your dish alligned and then determine with connection to use. After all of the I had a twisted cable that would not allow the signal to pass through and Camping World had to fix that.

 

[jbeletti]

Mark,

I agree with Larry on this. The first time peaking in that dish and proofing the internal wiring of the coach, I would use a separate cable from the dish to the receiver. Get the dish aligned and locked down. Then start routing that locked in signal through the coaxial cables within the coach.

If you have a volt meter, or one of those satellite meters with the light and tone, after you have the dish aligned, disconnect that separate coax from the input of the receiver. Connect the input of the receiver to the coach cable you think is going to the UDC. Then in the UDC, connect either the satellite meter or the volt meter (on DC using a 20V range) to see if you can either make the light come on, on the meter or detect 18 volts DC or whatever the receiver puts out to the LNB. When you can verify you have DC power at a connector in the UDC, you know you are on the right cable. Then connect the cable from the dish to that connector in the UDC. And of course, mark or make note of the connector in the UDC that is the one that goes back to the receiver.

Jim

 

[waynet]

How many transponders were reading a signal

After receiving a signal on your receiver, how many transponders showed a signal? I have a signal but on only three transponders! Not enough to get a satellite signal to continue the program sequence!

 

[markandrenita]

Thanks for the answers. Looks like I am off to Radio Shack to buy a satellite meter,(65 miles round trip you have to love SW Wyoming), and 50 feet of coaxle so I can reach the window.

Clear skies, MarkandRenita

Wayne, good luck on your quest. My wife and I have been on the phone for 4 hours with directtv as we are put on hold, transfered, etc, unitl they transfered us to the first number Camping World gave us.

 

[Shadowchek]

In our 08 3400Rl I found several loose connections in the coax and a stripped out connector. I went around to all of them I could get to and tightened them all up. There are 3 easy to get to under the entertainment slide and There was a splitter behind the basement wall where the vaccum is plus all of the connections behind the basement wall on the other side where the centrall docking station is.

Greg

 

[sjrellis]

Wayne, I spent about 45 minutes on the phone with Directv yesterday. "Duane" told me to use transponders 1, 2, and 3 and NOT to use 4, 22, 26, and 28. Of course, I didn't understand WHY. Just passing along what he said. He said a signal of 80-90% is good. We ain't got no signal...yet! I think we will try running the cable straight from the dish to the receiver and see how that goes. Even though nothing has been "changed" since we last used it, it ain't workin'!

 

[sjrellis]

While we are on tv's, we are experiencing another problem as well. With the antenna signal, our reception during the day is hit and miss. At night there is no problem with reception. We get more than 10 analog stations and also more than 10 digital stations. The intermittent reception is on both analog and digital stations.

It just dawned on me today, that we will need one of those "government" boxes for our rv tv's before 2-2009. I haven't paid any attention to that, since we have satellite at home and on the road, but do rely on the antenna for local stations in the rv.

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

While we are on tv's, we are experiencing another problem as well. With the antenna signal, our reception during the day is hit and miss. At night there is no problem with reception. We get more than 10 analog stations and also more than 10 digital stations. The intermittent reception is on both analog and digital stations.

It just dawned on me today, that we will need one of those "government" boxes for our rv tv's before 2-2009. I haven't paid any attention to that, since we have satellite at home and on the road, but do rely on the antenna for local stations in the rv.

Jim & Sandra, we have the exact same problem here in Coloma, WI. Great picture at night after around 10PM and during the morning around 9 the picture goes south. We have Direct and use it during the day but we don't have networks as were "borrowing" our son's extra receiver. We have received our coupons for DTV but probably won't need them. Our LR tv is HD and most of the time we're on cable down south in TX and next year we're moving to Cozy Inn. and they have cable. Where are you now???

 

[ChopperBill]

While we are on tv's, we are experiencing another problem as well. With the antenna signal, our reception during the day is hit and miss. At night there is no problem with reception. We get more than 10 analog stations and also more than 10 digital stations. The intermittent reception is on both analog and digital stations.

It just dawned on me today, that we will need one of those "government" boxes for our rv tv's before 2-2009. I haven't paid any attention to that, since we have satellite at home and on the road, but do rely on the antenna for local stations in the rv.

I just put one of those DTV boxes on the bed room set for the "air" antenna. I get 12 stations that come in PERFECT with the antenna DOWN!

 

[sjrellis]

Hey, Ray. We are in Louisiana, Mo. We've been watching some of the clean-up from the flooding here. We are going to move into Illinois after the park is back up and running, though. Is Cozy Inn where Jim stayed last summer? I remember him saying they had cable.

A question about those government boxes...do you need them if you have a digital tv? I "knew" we didn't need one, but since I had forgotten about the rv, now I have questions.

The br tv gets "pixelated" during the day and also goes to "no service". The lr tv just goes to no service...often!