First Long Trip - Key TV Issue

[markcee]

So, if I understand the KeyTV controller correctly, as long as I see a blue LED inside the panel I should be good to go. No need to switch anything elsewhere. The problem I'm having is that I have been at two parks with a large cable channel lineup in the last two nights, but I am unable to receive any of them.
I'm plugging my (new) coax cable from the pedestal to the CATV port in the KeyTV panel (illuminated with the blue LED). I turn on my only TV, set the antenna mode to 'cable' and run a channel scan. All I get are 7000 RF channels and a few channels which look like regular OTA digital locals (2.3, 2.4, ABC etc).

I removed the KeyTVpanel from the exterior to check the connections. There is a black coax secured to the Antenna port and then various colored coax cables in ports 1, 3 and 4. All were tight.

Thanks for any suggestions?

[sourdough]

Mark my "KeyTV" does not work either. Had CATV techs come out and tell me that "it don't get from here (KeyTV module) to "there" (CATV plug at TV). No idea and have not dug into it since I don't really care about CATV....but I DO want it to work. Read lots of issues pertaining to KeyTV - sort of like "InCommand".

[NH_Bulldog]

A couple of quick ideas: 1) Check to see if your coax at the wall plate behind the TV is attached to the Catv/Ant port. If it is, try swapping it to the Sat connection. 2) On the KeyTv box, note what color coax goes to each number, then pull the wall plate at the TV and see what color coax is there. Generally port 1 goes to main TV, 2 goes to bedroom, 3 to second bedroom or garage, and 4 goes to outdoor. 3) Try running the cable in through a window directly to the tv and see if that works.

I will try to attach the troubleshooting guide.

[markcee]

Originally Posted by sourdough

Mark my "KeyTV" does not work either. Had CATV techs come out and tell me that "it don't get from here (KeyTV module) to "there" (CATV plug at TV). No idea and have not dug into it since I don't really care about CATV....but I DO want it to work. Read lots of issues pertaining to KeyTV - sort of like "InCommand".

hah...same here, it's not a huge deal but sure would like everything to work....a little TV isn't a bad thing when it's still 104 outside!

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by markcee

hah...same here, it's not a huge deal but sure would like everything to work....a little TV isn't a bad thing when it's still 104 outside!

Got that! Ain't been out running around much for the last several days trying to dodge the heat and pouring sweat.

[JRTJH]

You might try running the campground cable coax through a window (temporarily) to verify that the TV is working properly. That will rule out 1/2 of the system and leave you "fighting the dealer/Keystone" for the answers to why their part doesn't work, or leave you fighting Legend (or your TV brand) customer service for answers to why their TV won't scan cable channels properly.

[markcee]

Originally Posted by NH_Bulldog

A couple of quick ideas: 1) Check to see if your coax at the wall plate behind the TV is attached to the Catv/Ant port. If it is, try swapping it to the Sat connection. 2) On the KeyTv box, note what color coax goes to each number, then pull the wall plate at the TV and see what color coax is there. Generally port 1 goes to main TV, 2 goes to bedroom, 3 to second bedroom or garage, and 4 goes to outdoor. 3) Try running the cable in through a window directly to the tv and see if that works.

I will try to attach the troubleshooting guide.

Thanks for the TS guide, will dig into that now. Here is a pic of the current connections:




I have 3 connection points in the coach. I removed the plates on all three and found the following:

Primary TV - Purple
Outdoor Kitchen - Orange
Bedroom - Gray

What do you make of this compared to the physical connections in the picture? Confused by the primary being purple as that is labeled as 'FM' on the color coded splitter behind the KeyTV access door.

I would try to run the cable direct to see if that eliminates the TV (and my physical patch cable) as an issue, but won't work at this site. I have a 25' cable and I can't get it to the TV directly as parked.

[NH_Bulldog]

In your picture, I see grey, brown and orange on the KeyTv box, but you said the coax at the wall plate for the primary TV was purple? Have you tried to program the TV location in the bedroom or outdoor kitchen?

[markcee]

Nope....We only have the one TV

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by markcee

Nope....We only have the one TV

If your current coax limits your ability to reach the TV "directly" to connect it to the campground cable utility, then either take the TV off the mount and walk it to an area within 25' of the campground connector, so the cable will reach, or delay troubleshooting until you get to a more convenient location.

Or, you could buy another 25' coax, or maybe a 50' coax. Trust me when I say that at some campgrounds, you'll probably be using all 75' sooner or later.

[ctbruce]

What color cable goes to your primary tv hook up? Does it match what is hooked into the key tv box?

[NH_Bulldog]

Originally Posted by markcee

Nope....We only have the one TV

Take the TV to another location (bedroom or outdoor kitchen and try it out. That will determine if the issue is KeyTv or the cable run to the main Tv.

[flybouy]

Originally Posted by JRTJH

If your current coax limits your ability to reach the TV "directly" to connect it to the campground cable utility, then either take the TV off the mount and walk it to an area within 25' of the campground connector, so the cable will reach, or delay troubleshooting until you get to a more convenient location.

Or, you could buy another 25' coax, or maybe a 50' coax. Trust me when I say that at some campgrounds, you'll probably be using all 75' sooner or later.

Simple solution. Get a 50' cable at WalMart or (the cg store if you're feeling rich) and run from bedroom or you could pull the key TV box back out and run it from it to the TV. If it doesn't work then you've isolated the problem as that box. If it does work, then you've isolated the problem as the wording between the key TV box and the TV.

[ChuckS]

simple to check what color is actually going to your only TV set... Remove coax cable from TV set and remove remove the 3 coax cables on Key TV module

now use small piece of wire and at TV set Coax end jumper across from center pin to shield "Conenctor"

Now at coax ends removed from Key TV module use multi meter in ohms position and check each coax cable remove from center pin to shield for continuity...

One should show continuity and others should be open

No need to move TV sets and guess at whats wrong... assuming you find one coax that reads continuity then connect it to TV1 and with coax from RV park connected do channel scan

if no stations found then KeyTV module is bad

Also have you tried scanning for OTA stations with the RV park cable removed? if there are any local stations the OTA shold detect them if keyTV module is working

[flybouy]

Originally Posted by markcee

So, if I understand the KeyTV controller correctly, as long as I see a blue LED inside the panel I should be good to go. No need to switch anything elsewhere. The problem I'm having is that I have been at two parks with a large cable channel lineup in the last two nights, but I am unable to receive any of them.
I'm plugging my (new) coax cable from the pedestal to the CATV port in the KeyTV panel (illuminated with the blue LED). I turn on my only TV, set the antenna mode to 'cable' and run a channel scan. All I get are 7000 RF channels and a few channels which look like regular OTA digital locals (2.3, 2.4, ABC etc).

I removed the KeyTVpanel from the exterior to check the connections. There is a black coax secured to the Antenna port and then various colored coax cables in ports 1, 3 and 4. All were tight.

Thanks for any suggestions?

In reading this again the bold section struck me as odd. If you had the tv scanning for cable channels then it should not have been using the over the air tuner. Are you sure the park cable doesn't require a decoder box?

I've been in a few campgrounds where the cable is provided by a local cable company and not the cg itself. Many cable providers will not scramble a few of the "basic" channels so that if connect directly without a converter box those channels will come thru.

Just a thought.

[markcee]

Originally Posted by flybouy

In reading this again the bold section struck me as odd. If you had the tv scanning for cable channels then it should not have been using the over the air tuner. Are you sure the park cable doesn't require a decoder box?

I've been in a few campgrounds where the cable is provided by a local cable company and not the cg itself. Many cable providers will not scramble a few of the "basic" channels so that if connect directly without a converter box those channels will come thru.

Just a thought.

No decoder box was required. Same thing a tonight's location. I will probably let it go until I am at our multi-day stop in Ohio and then dig into it. To me it seems like the primary TV cable (that is in the wall behind the TV) is purple, yet I have no purple cable back at the KeyTV junction box. Almost like it wasn't run there. I suspect if I moved the TV to another location and/or got a longer cable I will find the other connection points work.

[flybouy]

If the TV works on the antenna then it must have a coax running to it. After thinking about it you could pick up a double female coax adapter and connect the park cable to the output cable bypassing the key TV box.

[markcee]

So, I finally had a chance to look at this further. As a refresher:

* My primary TV has a PURPLE coax cable connected to its wall plate

* PURPLE is listed as "FM" on the KeyTV module and there is nothing plugged into that port

* Bedroom wall plate is GRAY and is connected to the KeyTV module

* Outdoor Kitchen wall plate is ORANGE and is connected to the KeyTV module

Tonight, I made a regular connection from the park pedestal to the KeyTV module's CATV port. However, inside the coach I disconnected the existing primary TV coax from the back of the TV and instead ran a coax cable from the bedroom connection point to the primary TV. I ran a cable channel scan and found all the cable channels listed in the park's brochure.

So this issue seems to verify that my primary TV (PURPLE coax) was never run back to the KeyTV module.

Also, why is my primary TV's cable purple anyway? The KeyTV module's color coding lists PURPLE as 'FM'. I do have a Furrion DVD/Radio mounted right below the primary TV. Could this be PURPLE should be connected to?

[NH_Bulldog]

You could pull the audio/video unit and see what is plugged into the back of it, should just be 4 screws holding to the cabinet.

[flybouy]

Originally Posted by markcee

So, I finally had a chance to look at this further. As a refresher:

* My primary TV has a PURPLE coax cable connected to its wall plate

* PURPLE is listed as "FM" on the KeyTV module and there is nothing plugged into that port

* Bedroom wall plate is GRAY and is connected to the KeyTV module

* Outdoor Kitchen wall plate is ORANGE and is connected to the KeyTV module

Tonight, I made a regular connection from the park pedestal to the KeyTV module's CATV port. However, inside the coach I disconnected the existing primary TV coax from the back of the TV and instead ran a coax cable from the bedroom connection point to the primary TV. I ran a cable channel scan and found all the cable channels listed in the park's brochure.

So this issue seems to verify that my primary TV (PURPLE coax) was never run back to the KeyTV module.

Also, why is my primary TV's cable purple anyway? The KeyTV module's color coding lists PURPLE as 'FM'. I do have a Furrion DVD/Radio mounted right below the primary TV. Could this be PURPLE should be connected to?

What's more important than the color of the cable is whether or not it's connected at each end. There is no difference in the color of the cable other than the color. If the cable at tv1 (living room) is purple then the purple cable in the KeyTV box should connect to tv1.