Satellite/Dish Issue - Montana Owners Club

Travelling Three · 10-27-2017, 02:12 PM

I've seen several satellite issues on the forum and all of the issues get close to our problem but don't answer ours. My 2017 Montana, 3661RL and my neighbors 2018 Montana, when one connects the dish coax to the front room satellite connector in the convenience panel the receiver doesn't see the satellite. The receiver is connected to the satellite connector behind the tv. The receiver sends out 20vac to the satellite dish for it to operate correctly, we have no 20vac on either 5th wheel at the satellite connector in the convenience panel. Therefore the satellite connector/coax behind the living room tv does not go directly to the satellite connector in the convenience panel. The two satellite connections need to be cabled directly so the 20vac gets to the dish. My question is, is there a cabling diagram for our 5th wheels somewhere? Does anyone know where the convenience panel satellite coax go inside the 5th wheel? Thanks for any additional information you can provide.

topjustice · 10-27-2017, 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Travelling Three

I've seen several satellite issues on the forum and all of the issues get close to our problem but don't answer ours. My 2017 Montana, 3661RL and my neighbors 2018 Montana, when one connects the dish coax to the front room satellite connector in the convenience panel the receiver doesn't see the satellite. The receiver is connected to the satellite connector behind the tv. The receiver sends out 20vac to the satellite dish for it to operate correctly, we have no 20vac on either 5th wheel at the satellite connector in the convenience panel. Therefore the satellite connector/coax behind the living room tv does not go directly to the satellite connector in the convenience panel. The two satellite connections need to be cabled directly so the 20vac gets to the dish. My question is, is there a cabling diagram for our 5th wheels somewhere? Does anyone know where the convenience panel satellite coax go inside the 5th wheel? Thanks for any additional information you can provide.

How long of a cable are you using from your satellite antenna to the convenience center? Is it a carry out antenna? Sometimes the length (including the coach cabling) is too long to get a read, and/or the quality of the cabling may be low. Just a couple of thoughts.

BB_TX · 10-27-2017, 02:57 PM

Here is an older discussion showing some wiring diagrams. But the newest diagram is for 2012. Don't know if still valid or not.

http://www.montanaowners.com/forums/...ad.php?t=37324

**Carl n Susan** · 10-27-2017, 05:22 PM

The satellite cable design is for a dedicated circuit from the convenience center to the Living Room and another to the Bedroom (where there is a jumper to feed the basement). If you can't see the 20V signal on the coax, you will have to remove the panel around the convenience center to access the connections and wiring. More than likely the Old Worlds Craftsman failed to connect or tighten a connection. Or they might have reversed the living room and bedroom wires. I think they still have a plate with multi-RF connectors behind the TV. The coaxes may be switched there too. It is definitely time for some diagnostic work. A toner will help you trace the cables to ensure you have the right one.

**DQDick** · 10-27-2017, 06:01 PM

I had to remove the splitter behind the convienence center and hook the wires up directly for my dishes to work. In addition, the Winegard that uses a power booster can be on the end of an additional 50' of cable while the King that doesn't, have a booster, can only be on a 25' cable and it needs to be a top quality cable.

**AZ Traveler** · 10-27-2017, 07:15 PM

I also had to remove the splitter and wire direct. The splitter was behind the convenience center once you remove the panel behind it. A coax continuity tester really helps to troubleshoot.

Mudchief · 10-27-2017, 07:50 PM

Carl has given you some good info. On my unit the bed room and living room were reversed in the convenience center.

jfaberna · 10-28-2017, 07:20 AM

I have DirecTV working in my rig. 3 TVs, 3 different receivers. The LR to Convenience Center was mislabeled in the LR. It had an open F connector labeled Cable, but it was really the Sat connection. The TV was wired to an unlabeled F connector that was getting it's signal from the switch in the bedroom, the one that switched from Cable to TV Antenna.

Grzly03 · 10-30-2017, 09:24 PM

We made the mistake this summer of making our first night out on a 14 day trip the "hook it up for the first time" initiation into the world of portable satellite antennas and translator boxes. It took 9 days on the phone with DISH to get everything working reasonable well, and even then, it didn't last. I haven't been so frustrated in many years. I wrote a scathing letter to the service provider after returning home.

Here's some lessons we learned:
1. The satellite systems don't care what labeling is on the terminals anywhere in the RV. On 3 different RVs, they were not all labeled correctly. Finally, in frustration, I went to Frye's in Vegas and bought a coax continuity tester. Saved my bacon. Found out which terminals were pairs, and relabeled.
2. The instructions that come with portable antennas and translator boxes are woefully inadequate. You only learn the real deal by talking at length with the technicians, who themselves are only reading from a script. If you give them a problem that isn't covered by the script, 60% of them will be lost. You can learn a lot from the other 40%.
3. The importance of the total length of the of the coax cable run (antenna to terminal on outside of RV and from there through the RV to the translator box can not be minimized.) Nor can you be guaranteed that all of that hidden cable running through the RV is not damaged or doesn't have a poor connection is some hidden place. I am going to put a coax cable on the outside of the rear slide-out and hook up the antenna cable directly there.
4. And finally, (just found this out last week), if you have your Pay-as-you-go contract on hold for a few weeks, you can not be guaranteed that there hasn't been a software upgrade to the translator boxes. When you turn the Pay-as-you-go back on, always be sure they check the currency of your software versions, and make sure they know if you have more than one translator box so that both, by serial number get upgraded.

Going out again day after tomorrow, and hoping it all works well.

GRZLY 03

jfaberna · 10-31-2017, 06:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grzly03

W
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3. The importance of the total length of the of the coax cable run (antenna to terminal on outside of RV and from there through the RV to the translator box can not be minimized.)
4. And finally, (just found this out last week), if you have your Pay-as-you-go contract on hold for a few weeks, you can not be guaranteed that there hasn't been a software upgrade to the translator boxes. When you turn the Pay-as-you-go back on, always be sure they check the currency of your software versions, and make sure they know if you have more than one translator box so that both, by serial number get upgraded.

GRZLY 03

The little portable automatic aiming dishes are very sensitive to length and quality of cable. When they say 50 ', they mean from the satellite antenna to the receiver to include what's inside your RV. This is one reason I'm back to a tripod multiple LNB antenna. 200' is a practical limit for these. I also got good enough that I can aim my tripod as quick as the automatic system can figure things out. Plus I know when I'm off, I have all the data. The automatic ones either work or fail without much help to fix them.

On Pay as You Go, you also can't just tell them to cut it on for 1 month. They make you call back to turn it off so if you forget, you get changed another month.

richfaa · 10-31-2017, 08:03 AM

We learned from experience with our 06 3400 on labeling and wiring for sat. With the 13 3402 we took drill in hand and went through the side of the Rv direct to the Sat receivers .Connect on box on the outside looks like it was built that way.Easy to connect and no problems.

BB_TX · 10-31-2017, 08:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jfaberna

....
On Pay as You Go, you also can't just tell them to cut it on for 1 month. They make you call back to turn it off so if you forget, you get changed another month.

That is certainly true if you authorized automatic charges to your credit card. Since we only use ours a few random months during the year, I did not authorize auto charges to the credit card. So if we do not plan to use it the next month, I simply do nothing. And Dish will discontinue our service at the end of that month. When we plan to need it again, I call to get it reactivated and pay for another month. One way you have to call to deactivate it, the other way you have call to activate it, so calls are required either way. But at least I don't get charged if I forget to call. We are more likely to have a month in between usage, than to use it consecutive months so that works for us.

twindman · 10-31-2017, 01:32 PM

As far as cable length goes, I have the Winegard Pathways that state a max length of 50 feet. Woudln't work thru the convenience panel. I looked around my slide with the LR tv in it and the cable goes down thru the floor, then BACK AWAY from the convenience center, then up to the roof, I think, and finally forward. So by my guestimate, the coach has about 35-40 feet of cable winding around thru it. My dish did work with a 25 foot exterior cable, but not 50 foot.
My solution was to add a connecter to the outside wall right into the entertainment area in the LR. Run the cable from antennae right into this and all works great.

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