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Old 09-06-2017, 02:48 PM   #1
LFord
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Dumb Questions? Smoke Detector/TV Cable

I sent the following to Keystone Customer/Owner Support with no response yet (other than crickets chirping in the background!) regarding my 2016 Passport Ultra Lite Express 199ML (purchased earlier this year):

The Smoke Detector in the unit does not work, and would not emit a "test sound" when I pushed the test button.

I opened up the smoke detector, and found (see attached photo) that something appears to be missing. I cannot tell if the empty or open compartment inside the smoke detector is supposed to house a battery or not. If so, what size/type of battery? Is it supposed to be a 9-volt DC battery?

Apparently, the dealer I bought this unit "new" from (RV Wholesalers, Lakeview, OH) totally missed this on the pre-delivery inspection when I bought this unit "new" in April of this year. I was not advised about this.

Also, I have not been able to receive any TV channels on the TV. In checking all visible cables and wires, I noticed the TV cables in the attached photo appear to "loop" from one connector to the other in the cabinet underneath the Jensen electronics control center and above the TV itself. What is the purpose of the configuration of those TV cables in the configuration shown?

Thanks,
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Old 09-06-2017, 02:57 PM   #2
ctbruce
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Yes you are missing a 9v battery. It won't chirp without one.

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Old 09-06-2017, 03:24 PM   #3
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Were you present for the PDI???? The whole idea for this inspection is that the buyer can witness that everything works and is in good condition and can have any questions answered.

#1. The smoke alarm ... You have to first determine if the alarm is hard wired to 12v dc or it is battery. The manufacturers use the same housing for both. In the package of paperwork that came with the trailer should be all of the manuals for each item installed in your trailer. That is the most reliable place to find info on the specific alarm you have.
If you cannot find the paperwork. Loosen the screw you see in the photo and take it away from the wall to see if there are any wires connected to it. If wired, there should be a fuse in the power panel labeled for it or show a red led if blown. If no wires ... the manufacturers name and model number should be on the back label. "Google is your friend" search for that brand and model and it will tell you if it should have a battery compartment or Keystone did not wire it. (in your photo there is no battery connector )

#2 TV ...... Have you turned on the booster and set up the tv for OTA or ANT (Not cable or Sat) and ran a scan for available channels. That is usually the problem. Booster must be on for antenna and off for cable.

JM2¢ Hank
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Old 09-06-2017, 03:25 PM   #4
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For TV channels via OTA broadcasts, you'll need to make sure the booster is on. It's the little button on the middle cover. The light should be on. Keep it off when hooked to standard cg cable.
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Old 09-06-2017, 03:25 PM   #5
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The dealer probably removed the battery because it was chirping. I don't know about your television cable set up. Sometimes there is a loop to connect it from another system. They put one of these in my house and I've never used it. I'd pull the cable plates and see if you can figure out what is routed where on the cables. I have one input that comes from the antenna or cable input and the I have AV cables that connect from the stereo DVD player. If I want to use the antenna the amp needs to be on (push button near the 12v receptacle) and the tv input needs to be on TV. I then have to run a channel auto scan while it looks for channels. For cable tv setting are the same except you need to tell it you are connected to cable and rerun the auto scan with the amp off.


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Old 09-07-2017, 06:07 AM   #6
LFord
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Dumb Questions?

Quote:
Originally Posted by hankpage View Post
Were you present for the PDI???? The whole idea for this inspection is that the buyer can witness that everything works and is in good condition and can have any questions answered.

***
JM2¢ Hank
Yes, "Hank," I was present for the PDI, otherwise I would not referenced the PDI in my initial question. I definitely recall the CO2 and Propane detectors being tested, and would have sworn this one was too. But in the middle of the PDI, I got called to the admin offices to sign all the paperwork, and for all I know the Dealer rep removed the battery while I was gone. I found out later he completely filled the fresh water tank (43 gal.) when I asked for only 10 or 15 gals., just enough for 1 night on the road going back home (500+ miles). Frankly, I should have stayed ALL DAY at the dealership, checking EVERYTHING thoroughly, and then spent the night at a nearby campground and started out the next morning. But, I was trying to beat a severe line of weather that was moving in, I had only from roughly 9 AM to 12:30 PM for the PDI, and in late April, in North Central Ohio, I don't think I want to be there when a squall line comes through.

As this was (is) my first travel trailer/RV, I'll know better next time.

Thanks,
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Old 09-07-2017, 08:57 AM   #7
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Larry, Looking closer at your photo, the space where the screw is appears to be the battery compartment. Polarity (+ or - ) should be stamped in the plastic .... hard to tell from photo but it does look like 9v. My CO detector is AA, smoke alarm is 9v and LP detector is hard wired so it is anybody's guess, but most are 9v. Be sure to let us know what you find. .... Hank
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Old 09-07-2017, 09:28 AM   #8
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Larry,

have you solved the TV antenna problem yet? Several posters here have told you that the booster needs to be turned for the antenna fed portion of the cabling to be functional. Then the TV needs to be setup just like any other new TV. Because you are mobile, you may have to do a channel search anytime you move the trailer to a new campground.

Now, finding the booster is the real challenge. A lot of them are in the bedroom adjacent to the TV location. In my Cougar, there's a slideout compartment for a CRT style TV. The booster and antenna connection for that are on the wall inside the compartment. That area of your coach is the best place to begin looking. I did not see in the pic of the TV cabling that you posted so it is most likely near one of the other TV locations.

If it helps, most of the boosters are made by Winegard, and look similar to this pic. Some may have more gizmos on them, but they all have a little switch (slide or push button), an LED to show you when it is on, an F style antenna connection, and many have the 12vdc power outlet like the one in this pic.


When you turn the booster on, it provides signal to all the TV outlets in the trailer.

Edit to add: the booster is a 12vdc device so you need either the convertor running if you're on shore power, or the battery turned on if you're boondocked. If you flip the switch and the LED remains dark, check your 12vdc system.
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Old 09-07-2017, 02:49 PM   #9
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SteveC7010 Yes, I did turn the booster for the TV antenna on. I'll keep trying; it may be a matter of getting the rig in a good location for reception.

By the way, I'm K4AEC.

Thanks
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Old 09-07-2017, 03:33 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LFord View Post
SteveC7010 Yes, I did turn the booster for the TV antenna on. I'll keep trying; it may be a matter of getting the rig in a good location for reception.

By the way, I'm K4AEC.

Thanks
OK, it wasn't clear in the earlier posts if you'd gotten that far.

Back when I first got the Cougar and started participating here in the forum, it was pretty common to find the antenna and satellite coax lines not properly tightened down. On the backside of every antenna/satellite connector panel are more F connectors. You may have to pull them from the wall and check each connector to be sure it's snugged down.

The other thing you can do is grab a multimeter and check the continuity of all the cabling. You can't check it through the booster amp, but you can check everything before the booster and everything after it, all the way to the TV cables. Remember that these are moderate quality F connectors at best, and they are installed on the coax on the fly as they wire up the trailer. That leaves a lot of room for problems. Supposedly they test everything before the unit leaves the factory, but we all know that is not as reliable as we'd like it to be.

With everything being digital TV these days, the antenna has to be pointed more precisely than in the old days of analog transmissions. Presuming that you've got one of the crank-up and 360 degree turning Winegard batwing antennas, it can take a lot of fiddling to get the antenna pointed right and then get the TV to search out the available channels.

One last point, it's a general rule of thumb that digital tv signals don't travel as far as analog, presuming the same power output and antenna structure at the transmitter. Digital is also much more susceptible to obstructions in the line of sight where analog is a bit more forgiving. So for the receiving end, your old analog tv tuner could pick a decent signal out the at the very fringes where the digital ones need a more consistent signal for proper decoding or they don't decode at all.

If you search back through the threads, you'll find a bunch of them, all with pretty much the same issues as you.
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Old 09-08-2017, 08:11 AM   #11
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Follow your coax cables. My 2015 32' ultra lite elite had a splitter installed backwards. The unit has 3 tv's. From the amp a coax ran to the bunkhouse. Splitter was in the wall behind Jack. From that splitter it ran to main bedroom. After fixing Keystones screwup it works great.

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Old 09-17-2017, 11:40 AM   #12
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As previously stated, the smoke detector could be hardwired for 12v or just have the 9v battery missing. Either way, I would investigate further to make sure, the detector itself is designed to be a life saving device in the event of a fire. If in doubt, purchase a Kidde or First Alert from a nearby lowes or other source that is battery operated and install it. Just remember to change out battery on regular intervals (depends on temperature, usually 1 year).

The TV coax loop you have pictured is for connecting cable TV or satellite. The in (cable)/out (Satellite dish) for either of those will be on the outside of your rig. I use mine for satellite, the receiver connects to one end of that loop on the inside (should be labeled) and the dish connects to the outside F connector (should be labeled, there could be another TV outlet outside too). In that case you may have to trace the cables.

I replaced the stock antenna for OTA channels to a King OmniPro and still get very limited channels. Do a search, I posted a mini review on my experience.

Hope this helps..
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Old 09-17-2017, 01:40 PM   #13
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I had a difficult time trying to figure out what was going on in my rig with regards to the TV coax lines. I purchased a Klein Tools VDV Coaxial Explorer Plus Tester from Home Depot and quickly found what the issues were. Took the frustration out of the picture. Plus I had a new tool.
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Old 09-17-2017, 01:54 PM   #14
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Plus I had a new tool.
Always a plus getting a new tool!
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Old 09-20-2017, 10:44 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hankpage View Post
Larry, Looking closer at your photo, the space where the screw is appears to be the battery compartment. Polarity (+ or - ) should be stamped in the plastic .... hard to tell from photo but it does look like 9v. My CO detector is AA, smoke alarm is 9v and LP detector is hard wired so it is anybody's guess, but most are 9v. Be sure to let us know what you find. .... Hank
I finally heard back from Keystone factory owner support (I had sent them the same question and picture), and they sent back a somewhat "terse" reply that "Yes" a 9-v battery goes into that holder.

Thanks.
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Old 09-20-2017, 12:56 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LFord View Post
I finally heard back from Keystone factory owner support (I had sent them the same question and picture), and they sent back a somewhat "terse" reply that "Yes" a 9-v battery goes into that holder.

Thanks.
Larry, Glad to hear that you got it straightened out. Now all you need is a 9v battery that YOU can take out when it starts beeping in the middle of the night for no apparent reason. If it gets cold in your area, the battery will most likely not make it through winter. Plan on replacing it every spring.
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