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Old 10-31-2020, 03:43 PM   #1
Brantel
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Key TV Question

Hello,

We just picked up our new 2021 Keystone Cougar H-T 32BHS and like most new Keystone models it comes with the Key TV system.

It seems pretty simple but as we are driveway camping, I decided to try it out on over the air channels.

The only TV installed in the living area only found 8 channels.

I noticed a strange unlabeled blue cable hanging loose in the wet bay where the Key TV module is located. I have no idea where this cable goes or what its intended purpose is.

Anyone have any idea what this cable is? Does it go to the roof for a satellite dish system which we don't have?

Should we have found more than 8 channels?
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Old 10-31-2020, 04:08 PM   #2
chuckster57
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Welcome to the forum

Are you sure the TV is set to "antenna" or "over the air"? there shouldn't be any cables hanging out anywhere. Can you post a pic?
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Old 10-31-2020, 04:14 PM   #3
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Your channel count will depend on how close you are to towers or repeaters. There aren't many over the air channels. The new TV's wont even show a channel that doesn't have good signal strength. I only get about 8 over the air channels on mine. Wish it were more...…..
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Old 10-31-2020, 04:20 PM   #4
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Originally Posted by chuckster57 View Post
Welcome to the forum

Are you sure the TV is set to "antenna" or "over the air"? there shouldn't be any cables hanging out anywhere. Can you post a pic?
Yep, "air" on this particular TV.

Here is a pic of the unknow cable:
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Old 10-31-2020, 04:24 PM   #5
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Your channel count will depend on how close you are to towers or repeaters. There aren't many over the air channels. The new TV's wont even show a channel that doesn't have good signal strength. I only get about 8 over the air channels on mine. Wish it were more...…..
I suspect that is the case here, we are about 50 miles from most tv transmission towers.

Found this page which kinda confirms what you stated. I also have my house and a mountain blocking over 180° of my line of site.
https://www.antennasdirect.com/transmitter-locator.html
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Old 10-31-2020, 04:24 PM   #6
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Can’t say I’ve seen that cable on any units I’ve worked on with KeyTV. Hopefully someone has your model that does have that.
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Old 10-31-2020, 04:26 PM   #7
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Can’t say I’ve seen that cable on any units I’ve worked on with KeyTV. Hopefully someone has your model that does have that.
When I chased it behind the panel it goes up thru the same chase as the plumbing for the front half bath. I kinda suspect it goes to the roof. It does not match any of the colors of any of the cables behind any of the wall plates.
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Old 10-31-2020, 04:28 PM   #8
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The number of OTA channels depends on where you are in relation to the station antennas. Remember, the days of rabbit ears, analog stations and fuzzy reception are gone. Now it is digital stations with an all or nothing signal. I have had anywhere from 2 to 68 stations depending on our location.

I can’t answer the blue cable question, but according to KeyTv there is nothing blue.
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Old 10-31-2020, 04:50 PM   #9
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Could it be a prewire for a rooftop Satellite system?
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Old 11-01-2020, 01:13 AM   #10
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From the blue lines on the diagram, I wonder if it is a cable feed from some outside access port on the other side of the rig? Perhaps if your camp cable is on the access door side of the rig, you screw it directly into the KeyTV box, but if it is on the opposite side of the rig, there is a coax port there and you need to screw the blue wire into the CATV connector?
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Old 11-01-2020, 02:17 AM   #11
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Could it be a prewire for a rooftop Satellite system?
That’s my guess. I will check it out up top.
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Old 11-01-2020, 02:18 AM   #12
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From the blue lines on the diagram, I wonder if it is a cable feed from some outside access port on the other side of the rig? Perhaps if your camp cable is on the access door side of the rig, you screw it directly into the KeyTV box, but if it is on the opposite side of the rig, there is a coax port there and you need to screw the blue wire into the CATV connector?
I can’t find another input jack anywhere else. IDUNO
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Old 11-01-2020, 04:37 AM   #13
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I did a little research on the blue coax and I am now leaning towards a pre-wire for a rooftop satellite dish. It’s location in the wet bay and it having just enough slack to screw into the KeyTv box makes sense. I think a trip to the roof is in order
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Old 11-01-2020, 06:20 AM   #14
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I did a little research on the blue coax and I am now leaning towards a pre-wire for a rooftop satellite dish. It’s location in the wet bay and it having just enough slack to screw into the KeyTv box makes sense. I think a trip to the roof is in order
On my old motorhome there was a sticker on the roof noting satellite prewire. Would need to cut a hole on the roof to get to it if installing a dish.
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Old 11-02-2020, 08:43 AM   #15
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I'm curious...We closed up, but I swear my 2020 doesn't have that cable. You could connect it to CATV and see if it makes a difference (maybe mine is already hooked up, so I didn't notice).
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Old 11-02-2020, 12:27 PM   #16
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I'm curious...We closed up, but I swear my 2020 doesn't have that cable. You could connect it to CATV and see if it makes a difference (maybe mine is already hooked up, so I didn't notice).
I did try connecting it to the CATV jack in the wet bay but it did not make any difference.

Honestly I think it goes to the roof. I found that the Winegard Air 360+ antenna has a satellite dish connection point on the side of it and I think this is where this mystery cable leads to.

When I picked up the rig, it was connected to the satellite input connector.
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Old 11-02-2020, 01:04 PM   #17
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Originally Posted by Brantel View Post
Hello,

We just picked up our new 2021 Keystone Cougar H-T 32BHS and like most new Keystone models it comes with the Key TV system.

It seems pretty simple but as we are driveway camping, I decided to try it out on over the air channels.


Should we have found more than 8 channels?
I have a 2020 Passport with key TV... at my house in drive I get at least 28 channels of which only about 10 have decent signal.. I'm about 50 miles from Detroit / tv towers... On every camping trip I've taken I've only been able to get 8 to 10 with only about 4 or 5 that get good reception..(don't pixelate)
Strange thing is that I added a TV to the bedroom...Samsung 24" with all the bluetooth and streaming goodies, using the provided Keystone tv hookup jacks on the ceiling... that tv out performs (reception wise) the TV that came with the TT... I'm thinking that some of it is TV related... better set, better reception on marginal stations.. The tv that came wih the trailer is a 32" unit that I've not found a brand name on... I'm going to replace it with a name brand set. The tv comes on and says PummelDrive or something like that... Not sure if that is the name of the TV or ?.
I've not been impressed with the Key TV personally but as a relatively new TT owner, I'm not sure what to expect.. I know that the fixed wing style antenna seems to be marginal at best... Not sure that helps or makes it more confusing... Just my observations of the Key TV system...
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Old 11-08-2020, 08:56 AM   #18
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It is definitely the prewire for roof mounted satellite. A great option.
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Old 11-08-2020, 09:05 AM   #19
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The Key TV system was a solution looking for a problem. It works no better or worse than the old push button amplifier that was in trailers for the last 50+ years. To the OP, I’m inclined to believe that the blue coax does, in fact, go to the satellite in port on your rooftop antenna to allow you to connect a roof mounted satellite antenna without having to go through the headaches of running the coax yourself. Your 8 channels is probably pretty good for your location, distance from transmitters & obstacles. Over-the-air digital TV was a government mandate & as usual, when the government gets involved, things normally do not get better. In the old days, you might get a little “snow” in the picture, but you could still watch the channel. Nowadays, it’s all or nothing. They call it “progress”.
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Old 11-08-2020, 09:56 AM   #20
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Originally Posted by Brantel View Post
Yep, "air" on this particular TV.

Here is a pic of the unknow cable:
The blue cable is for sat, it runs to the roof is you decide to install roof mount. If you use a ground mount Sat, you would just run the cable to the connection inside wet bay that is labeled Sat and leave the blue cable just hang.
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