How do I get the tv channels?

[kdonnel]

I have just arrived in a rental Thor Four winds class C. I connected the coax from the pedestal to the outdoor coax connection on the camper. Inside I switched the TV to cable and scanned for channels. I get none.

I did find a coax outlet in a cabinet with the dvd player. There was a green light and a tiny push switch with the outlet. I found that if I can for tv channels while that is lit I get 50 or so antenna channels.

I would have thought that turning that off and scanning again would find the Disney channels. I tried scanning as cable and as antenna. I don't get any channels.

What am I doing wrong?

 

[bama_ed]

Well, not knowing how the RV is wired makes it a little tough.

Since you said that you found 50 or so "antenna channels" I am thinking that RV must have an over-the-air antenna which is what is wired down to the outlet by the dvd player.

On my little Vizio tv that I carry around when I tailgate at Alabama football games, there is a setting in the tv menu for "Tuner Mode" and the choices are "Antenna" or "Cable". So if you are getting antenna channels, it must be set to Antenna and you need it to be Cable to pick up Fort TV (which is a wholesale form of Directv I believe).

So here are the basic steps.

1. Ensure that the Tuner Mode is set to Cable (which you said you did)
2. Make sure you are using the right input option (on the back of tv are several ways to hook up: RBG, cable, HDMI, S-video, etc.)
3. Connect to coax cable that pulls its signal from the Fort pedestal (that's the tough one).

If you can take the TV outside and hook it up directly via coax to the pedestal to test the connection, you can get #1 and #2 worked out. #3 is a function of how the RV is wired. If you can get cable channels when the tv is outside and directly connected to the pedestal, you might have to end up running the coax, if long enough, through an open slot in the window.

That's all I can think of. Sorry.

Bama Ed

 

[Cousin Ed C]

Turn that little green light off (it's an antenna booster) then try to scan for cable stations again.

 

[stpetedisneydad]

Your TV may not have a built in QAM tuner needed to receive cable signals. A built in tuner for over the air signals will not decode cable signals. You may need to get one of the cable boxes from the Meadows Trading post.

 

[kdonnel]

I'm thinking the RV might just be wired wrong. I am the first to rent it. It had 22 miles on it when I picked it up. Or the pedestal doesn't work at my site.

I turned off the antenna and when I scan in antenna mode I get nothing. When I scan in cable mode I get nothing. When I turn on the antenna and scan in antenna mode I get antenna channels. When I scan in cable mode I get nothing.

 

[Disneypeach]

I had this happen to me at the Fort a while back and called Fort maint. They came out while I was at the park and "as if by magic"it was fixed.
BTW - my RV, bought new, had the cable coax installed incorrectly and was fixed as part of the warranty work which is the only reason I figured the issue wasn't my RV.

 

[stpetedisneydad]

I'm thinking the RV might just be wired wrong. I am the first to rent it. It had 22 miles on it when I picked it up. Or the pedestal doesn't work at my site.

I turned off the antenna and when I scan in antenna mode I get nothing. When I scan in cable mode I get nothing. When I turn on the antenna and scan in antenna mode I get antenna channels. When I scan in cable mode I get nothing.

This is exactly what will happen if your TV doesn't have a QAM tuner built in. Some of the newer flat panel TV's are not cable ready. The built in HD tuner the manufacturers say their TV's have are for over the air, or antenna, signals. That tuner will not decode cable signals. I have one of these TV's in my camper and had to get the cable box from the Meadows Trading Post. My older flat panels in the camper have the built in QAM tuner and no box was needed for those.

 

[kdonnel]

So according to avsforum, the seiki tv in the RV does not have a qam tuner. Tv didn't turn out to be something we missed though.

 

[peg110]

I have to wonder why they would have a TV without a QAM Tuner. It seems that most modern TVs should/would have it. I guess part of the thinking could be that as a Camper maybe you wouldn't have cable? Or that as a TV user if you want cable most of them require the tuner boxes specific to the provider so why build them with the QAM tuner?

Perhaps this is an older TV, but an RV with 22 miles on to have such an older TV would seem a bit odd too!

 

[stpetedisneydad]

So according to avsforum, the seiki tv in the RV does not have a qam tuner.

That is the same brand as mine. Needed the cable box to get the channels.

 

[kdonnel]

I have to wonder why they would have a TV without a QAM Tuner. It seems that most modern TVs should/would have it. I guess part of the thinking could be that as a Camper maybe you wouldn't have cable? Or that as a TV user if you want cable most of them require the tuner boxes specific to the provider so why build them with the QAM tuner?

Perhaps this is an older TV, but an RV with 22 miles on to have such an older TV would seem a bit odd too!

Apparently the cheap tv manufacturers are phasing out QAM. Fewer and fewer cable companies broadcast any channels in the clear that do not require a cable box. It saves the tv manufacturers a few cents. RVs come with cheap tvs.

 

[peg110]

Fewer and fewer cable companies broadcast any channels in the clear that do not require a cable box.

Oh.... Don't get me started on that. I think they do this more to make a buck "Renting" the cable boxes as if the cable service itself isn't expensive enough.

We used to have Comcast, and at the time I signed up, I specifically asked if I was required to have a cable box and was told NO! However, if I wanted to get the "On Demand" or the "Premium Channels" (HBO, CineMax, etc..) , then it would be required, but the first one is included. So I took it. Loved it (as much as anyone can "Love" comcast). Then they started sending out messages about the Conversion to Digital and that if your TV wasn't ready, then you would need a box (Their "Digital Transport Adapter" - DTA). The first 2 were free and the remaining were $1.50/month. I figured it was that your TV needed to be ready for "Digital" and didn't worry (all of our TVs were newer and digital ready). Eventually, I found out that it was more than that and that it was that you needed a special QAM tuner that only a select few TVs had. You could still get the cable without it but you would not be able to get all the channels. Thats because they scrambled them. Of course the first channels to get "Scrambled" were the MOST popular ones. (Go figure).

Anyway.... I hate having extra remotes, extra equipment, and most importantly, extra service charges....
I eventually left Comcast for Dish. Slightly cheaper, but MUCH MUCH better customer service. Price creep, however, with Dish (as with ALL providers), and I dropped them too. Now I have Broadcast, Netflix, and streaming through Kodi (formerly XBMC) and I get my TV Fix. (I get about 30 channels broadcast including (cringe) QVC and HSN!)

I did go back to Comcast for Cable Modem only though.