On the road with dead awning and tv antenna

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harrisgowing
Posts: 338
Joined: Mon Jan 07, 2008 5:30 pm

On the road with dead awning and tv antenna

Post by harrisgowing »

Hope this very bright group can save us some repair money! Our electric Colorado Carefree awning switch is dead.
This happened last spring and we had it fixed - it was a fuse that even Camping World had trouble finding. This is a 2004 26' RSB. Any idea where the fuse is? It is not in the fuse box. Second, we are getting no antenna reception with our batwing and LCD tv. We did when we were out in May but not now. It is an Initial HDtv installed by BF in 2006 so we presumed it was digital. I bought a converter box but don't think it can be hooked up to the BF set up - we have a Kingdome and satellite box and everything seems to run through this. I sure can't figure it out. Any experience with this? Maybe a dead coaxial cable to the antenna? Maybe a new tv, arghhh? We are calling Kim in the morning. Thanks a lot from Charleston, SC, where we have been stranded due to an unfortunate turning experience with a parking meter and a busted tandem wheel on the back of the BF. Nice place to be stranded!

Judy
Chuck and Judy Harris
Oliver and Monty, the Cavaliers at the Rainbow Bridge; Timothy Dickens, the Cavalier puppy
2004 RSB
2015 Royal Splendor
Santana tandem bicycle
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whemme
Posts: 2110
Joined: Mon Aug 15, 2005 8:05 pm

Post by whemme »

Judy,

Can't help you with your electric awning problem as our 202 BF 2002 26' RSB coach is equipped with a manual awning.

However, I have a couple of things to check with your TV situation. Back in May 2009 when you last used your TV, all of the analog TV stations I believe were still on the air but have since been shut down. The only over the air TV stations now sending signals to TV antennas are the digital stations.

The Initial HDTV installed in your coach is probably in fact a digital TV which means that it has dual tuners - one tuner for analog stations and the other tuner for digital stations. However, you have to select which tuner you want to operate you TV with and most likely your TV was left in its analog TV tuner mode when you last used it. To now receive digital TV stations, you must go into your TV's menu setup mode and now select the digital station tuner. Read your manual on how to do this.

The other thing to check is to make sure that the TV antenna pre-amplifier is turned ON. On the TV wall plate, assuming it is a Winegard plate, there should be a little round black push-button switch. You push this switch to alternately turn ON and OFF the antenna pre-amplifier. When it is ON, there should be a little green LED light that illuminates on your wall plate.

Last question, is your TV working OK with your Kingdome and satellite box receiving satellite TV stations? If so, then I believe your TV to be working OK. However, I believe that reception of any satellite TV stations requires TV to be in the analog tuner mode as does using your TV connected to cable at RV parks. You should not need to install the HDTV converter since you Initial HDTV TV already is equipped with both types of tuners.
Bill Hemme - Spencer, Iowa
E-mail: whemme@earthlink.net
2002 Born Free (Ford E-450 V10) 26' RSB
2016 VW Golf GTI - toad
harrisgowing
Posts: 338
Joined: Mon Jan 07, 2008 5:30 pm

Post by harrisgowing »

Hi, Bill, I was hoping you were reading! There is nothing in the manual or on the TV that will let you switch from analog to digital. The settings permit switching from cable to antenna only, with fine tuning, which doesn't mention analog or digital. The instructions are very sketchy. The tv works fine on cable and on satellite and we were definitely picking up digital channels on the antenna last spring before the switch in June - the difference in picture clarity was obvious. We did have the BF detailed in June before we left, which made wonder about the connection, but it looks fine.
Chuck and Judy Harris
Oliver and Monty, the Cavaliers at the Rainbow Bridge; Timothy Dickens, the Cavalier puppy
2004 RSB
2015 Royal Splendor
Santana tandem bicycle
harrisgowing
Posts: 338
Joined: Mon Jan 07, 2008 5:30 pm

Post by harrisgowing »

Forgot to add that I have turned on the antenna amplifier and the green light is on, only we get snow when everyone else in the campground has antenna reception. We are at James Island County Park, same thing happened in NC. Husband says I should just read more!!
Chuck and Judy Harris
Oliver and Monty, the Cavaliers at the Rainbow Bridge; Timothy Dickens, the Cavalier puppy
2004 RSB
2015 Royal Splendor
Santana tandem bicycle
bill crommett

Post by bill crommett »

Chuck and Judy: Don't forget to come back for the James Island spectacle of lights after November 13 th. We never miss it.
iowaride
Posts: 55
Joined: Sat Mar 18, 2006 5:35 pm

programming tv

Post by iowaride »

I just skimmed the answers that you received but don't believe I saw anyone advise you that you have to do a search for the available channels whenever you move to a new area. This is when on the antenna for over the air signals.

I don't have the Initial model as you do, but with our digital TVs we click on "menu" and look for "set up" or "installation". (Your instruction book should help with finding which would be the correct nomenclature/selection on your TV if it is not under one of those two.) Once you find the "scan for channels" on your menu, select it. It may take several minutes to run through the scanning progression. Sorry if you are long past this idea, but thought would give it a shot. Good luck.
Sharon Harrington

PS When the TV is scanning it will look for both digital and analog and locate them. You shouldn't have to switch anything yourself, that is if yours works as ours do. There are still some low powered analog channels available in some areas.
charlesbell
Posts: 145
Joined: Wed Jun 17, 2009 9:41 am

Post by charlesbell »

Noted your comment that you assumed the Initial TV, installed by B.F. in 2006, was digital. The Initial TV on my 2006 Born Free, purchased in April 2006, was NOT digital. Charles in Titusville.
Charles / Cape Canaveral, Florida 2013 23FL
John S.
Posts: 477
Joined: Fri Sep 08, 2006 9:01 pm

Post by John S. »

Bornfree did not put in a digital TV in my 07 either. I changed it out for a phillips and get digital reception with that.

I also will say a trick to get the awning in is to take the batteries out and see if it is 12 or 24 volt and open up the connector and attach them right to the motor that way and bypass the fuse. It got a friends awning in when it was stuck out.
2015 Royal Splendor on Ford 550 none slide version
Former owner 2007 24foot rear bath painted and 2006 22 foot built for two
Former owner 1994 34 foot 2000 36 foot and 2001 42 foot FORETRAVEL's.
harrisgowing
Posts: 338
Joined: Mon Jan 07, 2008 5:30 pm

Post by harrisgowing »

Thanks, everyone, I knew I would find help! I have scanned for channels on antenna with no results. This is not a digital tv, unfortunately, I think. As to the awning, where are the batteries? Ours is stuck in the in position, thank goodness.

Judy
Chuck and Judy Harris
Oliver and Monty, the Cavaliers at the Rainbow Bridge; Timothy Dickens, the Cavalier puppy
2004 RSB
2015 Royal Splendor
Santana tandem bicycle
harrisgowing
Posts: 338
Joined: Mon Jan 07, 2008 5:30 pm

Post by harrisgowing »

Bill, I wish we could be here for the festival of lights. They are putting up the lights now and have some of them now off and on and it will be fantastic! Coming from the impoverished northern part of the country, we don't comprehend how a county can support anything as wonderful as James Island County Park, even without the lights. If you haven't been here, come any time of the year, you and your dogs will love it!
Chuck and Judy Harris
Oliver and Monty, the Cavaliers at the Rainbow Bridge; Timothy Dickens, the Cavalier puppy
2004 RSB
2015 Royal Splendor
Santana tandem bicycle
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bcope01
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Joined: Wed Dec 07, 2005 6:55 pm

Post by bcope01 »

From the manual ( http://www.carefreeofcolorado.com/pdf/052930A5.pdf ):

SYMPTOM: AWNING DOES NOT EXTEND

? POSSIBLE CAUSE (1): Key switch in the “OFFâ€
Barb & Bill
2004 Born Free 22' Built for Two (Sold)
no longer towing a 2008 Smart ForTwo

Escondido, CA
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whemme
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Joined: Mon Aug 15, 2005 8:05 pm

Post by whemme »

Judy,

Well, if your Initial LCD TV does not have a digital tuner then you have two choices.

1) Install your HDTV Converter that you bought

or

2) Change out the TV again for a digital tuner model

You called the TV installed by Born Free an "Initial HDtv", so since it has the "HD" in its name which should mean High Definition, I assumed it was a digital tuner model since in my opinion only digital TV stations can transmit High Definition video. Again, dig into your operators manual, it should state somewhere in there what type of TV you have.

The technical name for a TV with a digital tuner is a ATSC/QAM tuner
The technical name for a TV with an analog tuner is a NTSC tuner

If you want to supply me with the exact model number of your Initial TV, I will research it on the internet to determine if it is digital tuner equipped or not.

I would recommend that if you are going to install your HDTV Converter, that it be a model with the feature called "Analog Pass Thru". You want this feature so that you can easily switch off the converter and have analog TV signals from your cable hookup or your VCR/DVD player automatically pass thru the analog signal (thru the converter box) to your Initial analog TV.

And as iowaride indicated in his post above, TV reception in a RV always requires that when you move locations, that you do a new scan for TV channels within range - whether they are analog or digital channels.
Bill Hemme - Spencer, Iowa
E-mail: whemme@earthlink.net
2002 Born Free (Ford E-450 V10) 26' RSB
2016 VW Golf GTI - toad
lassen
Posts: 120
Joined: Sun Aug 14, 2005 10:56 am

Post by lassen »

Chuck & Judy....On our 2005 24RB the electric awning is powered from a fuse located on the auxillary fuse block. That is a six position fuse block located near the converter panel under the kitchen cabinet.

Jack
Jack & Jan
2005 24RB
Trisha

Post by Trisha »

The converter box for the analog to digital conversion *can* be hooked up with any setup. Your satellite cable is separate from your batwing antenna. The batwing antenna cable is the one with the black power boost switch. Run the coax from that outlet to the back of the converter box, and then run your outputs from the converter box to to the TV.

You might want the upgrade for the bat wing to extend it's reception capability. Available at camping world. Check to see if you have room for it based on rooftop mounting position first.

Digital does not equal high def. All it means is it isn't analog. Digital/analog is a transmission method. Standard definition can be either digital or analog. Definition means picture resolution and analog/digital is more analogous to ac/dc electricity. Think vacuum tube vs. diode. vacuum tube = analog, and diode = digital.

I don't know if there's such a thing as a high def analog signal or if the analog transmission/delivery method simply doesn't have enough bandwidth for a high-def signal. But definition vs. transmission methods are way too easily confused. The idiots out there selling high definition eyeglasses are just adding to the confusion. There is no such thing, technologically. We see in continuous tone, unlimited "definition" and glasses do not change that.

FWIW.
harrisgowing
Posts: 338
Joined: Mon Jan 07, 2008 5:30 pm

Post by harrisgowing »

Solved the awning problem - in the 2004 RSB the fuse box is under the vanity sink. The tv is a different issue. It appears that a digital box cannot be connected with the entertainment center tv and a satellite box configuration. After talking to Radio shack and BF, I have tried all hookups and nothing works. The guy at Radio Shack did say that several boxes were returned by motorhome owners. Guess I know what I am getting for Christmas.
Chuck and Judy Harris
Oliver and Monty, the Cavaliers at the Rainbow Bridge; Timothy Dickens, the Cavalier puppy
2004 RSB
2015 Royal Splendor
Santana tandem bicycle
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