Hi Everyone. Well, after 15 years the RV-Dreams Community Forum is coming to an end. Since it began in August 2005, we've had 58 Million page views, 124,000 posts, and we've spent about $15,000 to keep this valuable resource for RVers free and open. But since we are now off the road and have settled down for the next chapter of our lives, we are taking the Forum down effective June 30, 2021. It has been a tough decision, but it is now time.
We want to thank all of our members for their participation and input over the years, and we want to especially thank those that have acted as Moderators for us during our amazing journey living and traveling in our RV and growing the RV-Dreams Family. We will be forever proud to have been founders of this Forum and to have been supported by such a wonderful community. Thank you all!!
The MH I recently purchased has 2 old CRT type tv's, my brother just gave me a 19 inch flat screen he no longer wanted.
I want to replace the tv in the bedroom and can't get the FS tv to work when connected to the batwing antenna on the roof, it has an amplifier which I turn on and I know it works because both old tv's work on it.
Roger, either the 19 inch flat screen has no tuner (receiver) many smaller flat screens were made to be purchased inexpensively and need a DVR or external tuner hooked up to the TV or it has to be reprogramed to pick up the channels in your area (if you are in a different area than your bother). There may be other reasons but these are two that come to mind.
Flyone
__________________
Team Cockrum: 2001, F250 Diesel, 2012 33 FT. CrossRoads Cruiser Fifth Wheel
Roger, either the 19 inch flat screen has no tuner (receiver) many smaller flat screens were made to be purchased inexpensively and need a DVR or external tuner hooked up to the TV or it has to be reprogramed to pick up the channels in your area (if you are in a different area than your bother). There may be other reasons but these are two that come to mind.
Flyone
Hi Flyone,
I checked and it has a tuner, but I will try to reprogram. When i hook it up, the screen shows "No Signal".
Since the flat screen has a digital tuner it should pick up the digital signals and the analog too (just not as clear). Go into the settings/setup/options/etc. and make sure the input is set to receive outdoor antenna or air signal...most likely its set to receive cable and that won't pull in the outdoor feed.
When you want to watch local programming using the antenna connection, go to your TV’s input menu and select the antenna connection you set up in Step 4. When you want to return to watching cable channels, go to the menu and select your cable connection.
Since the flat screen has a digital tuner it should pick up the digital signals and the analog too (just not as clear). Go into the settings/setup/options/etc. and make sure the input is set to receive outdoor antenna or air signal...most likely its set to receive cable and that won't pull in the outdoor feed.
When you want to watch local programming using the antenna connection, go to your TV’s input menu and select the antenna connection you set up in Step 4. When you want to return to watching cable channels, go to the menu and select your cable connection.
Go into the settings/setup/ and do a channel search. You need to find the channels in your area. It could take a few minutes while it searches. Each time you move you'll have to do another search.
You will get no signal from digital TV stations (which are almost all digital now) until the TV is allowed to “scan” and find the channels.That’s why “no signal” is being displayed.
Down in the weeds here’s how this works:
The new digital TV tuners in the TV’s have to find each channel and then actually down load information about that channel (download from the TV station transmitter – Not the Internet) before the TV tuner becomes aware that a station is even exists.
You can’t peak the antenna on a station until the TV tuner has downloaded this information either during a scan or, allowed on some TV models, after you have manually found a channel and added it to the list.You have to read the manual to know how to do this.Other than tell you to scan not much else we can do.The TV setup menus are all different but have more or less the same options.
It is a bit of a chicken and egg deal to first point the TV antenna on the RV towards the stations.Sometimes you just have to crank it up, scan, and see what you get.Then turn it 30-45 degrees and scan again and see if you get more channels.Once you get the channels many TV’s have a signal strength meter and you can peak the antenna.But remember, with digital TV you either get an almost perfect picture or nothing.Peaking the antenna can improve picture reliability, but not quality,.
If anyone wants to know how to find out where the TV transmitters are located in a particular area so you can know where to point the antenna before you scan, go here:
The more exact your location you put in the more accurate the direction from you location the results.You can input longitude and latitude from you GPS and that is the best method.
Many times all you have to do is crank up the antenna; do a scan and all will be well.But, as always, it depends on your location and distance from the TV transmitter.
Two other points FWIW: Yes, the little amplifier in most newer RV TV antenna installations needs to be turned on and the good old RV Batwing type antenna is the best, especially if you add the little UHF “Wingman” for about $39 to the front.It’s available here as one example:
I do not recommend the smaller antennas covered in a small plastic dome.They don’t work as well.I didn’t say they will not work.I said they don’t work as well.