Antenna works, cable doesn't

[linux3]

We don't often have campground sites with cable TV.
Couple of days ago we did and some stations were clear and some had a lot of "snow".
Today we have cable. When I scanned the channels the Contex TV only found 2 of 25 stations. One was very snowy and the other was clear.

I bought a new cable and now the scan finds all the stations but only one is clear. The rest are snowy.
Pulled the plug from the back of the RV, it's good.
Checked the cables to the TV and from the overhead, they are good.
Campground brought a small TV over and connected it to my site and everything was very clear.

Any thoughts?
I'm using the antenna and get 30 very nice stations.

[travelin texans]

Turn off the antenna booster. The booster MUST be "on", has a small led lit when on, for antenna watching & MUST be "off" for cable or satellite. Every time you move & change inputs you must go to tv set up menu & scan the channels.

[linux3]

I did not turn the booster ON. When traveling it's off.
I even tried turning it on and then off again.
No joy.

[craiggemt]

Cable box needed?

My TH has an input for satellite and one for cable. If yours does, try the other input.

[notanlines]

I don't think cable box is the answer. To expound on Texan's answer, assuming your green light is off and you have the park cable in the proper connection, I'll bet it is in the setup of the TV. When scanning be sure to set the antenna/input to "cable."

[flybouy]

Was this a new condition? Has the tv ever worked correctly on cable? You don't list the make or model of the tv so that may help. Some of the tv's provided by the trailer mnf do not a QUAM tuner and will not rec cable without a cable box if the cable provider doesn't convert the signal. If you do a search on this forum you will find many posts on this issue.

[Mikendebbie]

Sounds like you could have a bad splitter. If you were able to find it/ them - did you make sure all connections were tight? I have an issue with splitters in my Montana and the satellite connection. Until I get motivated to dig in and possibly re-wire the coach to provide direct dedicated coax for satellite (bypassing all splitters) - i will run a direct cable thru a nearby window. The cable connex and antenna feed works fine but my tailgater for Dish does not like splitters.

[Dave W]

Did you 'tune' the TV for local stations? Also, you need to set the TV to cable from antenna. I had a brain fade after buying this 5er - then read the instructions

[John-n-Theresa]

I had the same exact problem last year with my new 2017 175BH. OTA signals were great, but cable and satellite were a no-go. Turns out the outside connector was bad. Took the mounting plate off, popped out the coupler, replaced it with one that was a known good one, and now all is well. Troubleshooting cable issues can be a pain when the issue is a small one like mine was. Good luck.

[DocWMB]

Just a thought, as we've had this problem. Turn off all your LED lights to see if reception gets better. They are notorious for causing RF Interference. It may only be one of the fixtures.

[JimQ]

∆∆∆ Excellent suggestion. One of my interior lights causes interference and the bathroom light actually freezes the picture when I'm on the antenna.

[Hapycmpr]

I had a similar issue. The dealer claimed to have replaced the "bad" coax cable running from the exterior connector to the inside plate, still didn't work. I discovered a coax connector wasn't properly pressed on tight behind the plate with the short "jumper" cable. I installed a new connector and my problem was solved.

[Dave W]

Ah yes, LED lights. I can't use them on my truck either as they send a couple engine fault codes, a TPMS problem then tells me that the DEF reductant heater isn't working. It only makes sense that they can affect RV electronics.

[flybouy]

Originally Posted by Dave W

Ah yes, LED lights. I can't use them on my truck either as they send a couple engine fault codes, a TPMS problem then tells me that the DEF reductant heater isn't working. It only makes sense that they can affect RV electronics.

I would have to think that either the led's you are using are seriously flawed or the truck is. I have changed over several vehicles to led without issue. On my sig truck and our 150 King Ranch require a resistor on the turn signal to prevent a lamp out warning but that's all. If your truck is that sensitive to spurious rf then every trucker using his cb radio next to you should trip the codes.

[Nuke]

I had a similar problem that I chased for an entire season (OK, I wasn't very persistent). I replaced cable and end/parts until I was blue in the face. Finally chuckster57 (I think it was him - he's getting credit for it anyway) suggested that it was the antenna booster that was bad. I replaced the booster (bought a couple off of e-bay real cheap) and it solved the issue. After I removed the booster, I looked at it on my workbench (designed for electronics) and saw that several of the solder joints on the 'cable in' side were not making connection and ALL of the solder joints were less than acceptable. So what was included in the camper was of inferior quality to the cheap china junk I bought on eBay...

[Dave W]

Originally Posted by flybouy

I would have to think that either the led's you are using are seriously flawed or the truck is. I have changed over several vehicles to led without issue. On my sig truck and our 150 King Ranch require a resistor on the turn signal to prevent a lamp out warning but that's all. If your truck is that sensitive to spurious rf then every trucker using his cb radio next to you should trip the codes.

Thanks for your less then creative opinion.

This is not an unknown problem with vehicles that were not originally equipped LED lights. Additionaly, CB radios or even cell phones are not an equvalent as far as led rf emissions

[Wagnfixr]

Check your coax jumper wire. The ends of mine weren't crimped. Had TV trouble on our first trip out this year and when I checked the connections at the jumper, it fell apart!

[flybouy]

Originally Posted by Dave W

Thanks for your less then creative opinion.

This is not an unknown problem with vehicles that were not originally equipped LED lights. Additionaly, CB radios or even cell phones are not an equvalent as far as led rf emissions

And thank you sir for your snarky response. I was attempting to make a point that my personal experience with vehicles is that LEDs did not create the issues you listed. I have been following several truck forums and have not seen that issue reported either. I was not aware that these LED lamps emit more rf emissions than a cb or cell phone, could you please quote your source for that information? If this is true I'll remove every LED lamp in my house in fear of increasing cancer risks.

[linux3]

We have been traveling trying to get out of the rain so this response is kinda late:
1) Booster light is off.
2) TV was set to "Cable" and then scanned.
3) Using the antenna the picture is good so I'm assuming the QAM tuner is OK.
4) Next campground channels 2 - ~9 were snowy. Rest were clear.
5) Campground after that all channels were clear.

First campground it was raining like hell, less at next ones.
Could the issue be water in the connection? It was just a cable on a post at the first site.

The TV brand is a.... I forget, begins with a "C" and is common in TT's.
Do I need some kind of bypass filter or maybe a better TV. TeleVision not Tow Vehicle.

[Irv gates]

Dave W. I have the same coach as you and I have not been able to find a Dish conn for the TV in the Lounge. I have for the bedrm area only. I finally put a new cable directly in to the lounge TV slideout for dish. Works fine, but Dont understand the Manuf. idea of only tying in the front TV. IG