Aerials and Satellite dishes

[Kitty1]

Sorry if this seems to be going over old ground again, but I really have tried looking back through past posts to find the answer and I am still confused

I have an aerial socket in the battery box, can I use it to attach my dish instead of taking the coax cable through the window as I do now?

The reason I haven't been able to just try it and see is that I am confused by what happens to the cable in the overhead locker. I have a status 530 box in there with 3 coax cables, I assume one goes to the aerial one to the socket in the battery box and one to the socket by the tv. The trouble is I don't know which is which and I think I've tried every permutation. Can anyone help?

If it would help I could take a leaf out of sprockets book and take some photos next time I'm at the 'van.

Thanks Sophie

 

[Reg]

They are probably all connections to an aerial and the box is a signal booster.

You cannot run a sat dish cable through a booster it must be connected directly to the sat box.

 

[Kitty1]

They are probably all connections to an aerial and the box is a signal booster.

You cannot run a sat dish cable through a booster it must be connected directly to the sat box.

Thanks for that Reg. I take it that means the battery box socket is only for connecting an aerial and not a dish...pity!

 

[Reg]

Exactly!

 

[JTQ]

As you have a Status 530 it is most important that the coax coming out of the aerials aluminium tube goes in the one correct hole in the "booster" box. This is clearly marked with an aerial logo [might need to use a mirror to see underneath]. It is the hole furthest from the red led light; nearest the wall to which the box is mounted.

The other two outlets are to connect to TVs. In our case one is routed to the van's TV; the other to an external socket so we can use a TV in the awning. Neither of these are aerial inputs or suitable for inputting a external TV feed as found on many CC sites.

Everything concerned with this is for terrestrial TV, these are not anything to do with any Satellite inputs. If you don't want to route your satellite coax through the window you will need a dedicated external coax connector [ideally an "F" type] and in the van this must be connected to your satellite decoder [like Sky-box or FreeSat]

 

[SirRogerFFS]

Sophie.

I can only tell you how our set up was on an Ace Supreme that like yours there was a socket in Battery box this enabled us to connect into that connector via an adaptor, now what we had in the Ace was.........when you get to the amplifier there was a spare cable this again needs an adaptor to go into your sky box jobs, a goodun

If your not sure ask Parksy for my email and Ill put you right from there

Sir Roger

,

p

 

[Reg]

Sir Rog

Are you sure that you were running a SAT BOX through an amplifier???

 

[lohr500]

Hi Sophie,

When you look at the wall socket near where the main TV would sit, does the socket have just one aerial lead point, or two?

On our latest Ace Supreme, the main TV point has two aerial connections. One is a conventional push in connector which routes back to the Status amplifier & roof aerial. The other is a screw on sat type connector which routes directly to the battery box connector.

If you only have one aerial connector on the wall panel by the TV then the battery box conector will link to one of the 3 coax plugs near the status 530 box. In this case, the other two coax cables will be one coming from the roof aerial and one going to the TV point. If you can work out which is which, then you could get a male to male adaptor and connect the plug coming from the battery box directly to the plug going to the TV point. Then connect your sat dish to the battery box socket and the sat signal will be fed directly to the TV point!!

If you have, or can borrow a multi-meter,

Unplug all of the plugs going into the status box.

Put the multimeter into continuity buzz mode or Ohms reading mode.

Using the two probes on the multimeter, put one across the central hole on the battery box aerial socket and the other on the outer ring of the socket.

One at a time, short out the inner pin and outer metal ring on each of the plugs by the box (use a bent paper clip or something similar).

When the meter buzzes or shows a reading you will be shorting out the plug that goes to the battery box.

Then put the meter across the socket by the TV and do the same shorting out, one at a time with the remaining two plugs near the status box. When the meter buzzes/moves, you know you then have the lead going to the TV point.

The remaining lead by deduction must then go to thye roof aerial.

Hope this makes sense!!

 

[SirRogerFFS]

Reg

Sorry on our Ace ., the battery box connection didnt go through the status so it wasnt a problem and of course now it all different with new conection on the status sysytem

Sorry for the confusion.

Sir Roger

 

[Kitty1]

As you have a Status 530 it is most important that the coax coming out of the aerials aluminium tube goes in the one correct hole in the "booster" box. This is clearly marked with an aerial logo [might need to use a mirror to see underneath]. It is the hole furthest from the red led light; nearest the wall to which the box is mounted.

The other two outlets are to connect to TVs. In our case one is routed to the van's TV; the other to an external socket so we can use a TV in the awning. Neither of these are aerial inputs or suitable for inputting a external TV feed as found on many CC sites.

Everything concerned with this is for terrestrial TV, these are not anything to do with any Satellite inputs. If you don't want to route your satellite coax through the window you will need a dedicated external coax connector [ideally an "F" type] and in the van this must be connected to your satellite decoder [like Sky-box or FreeSat]

Thanks JTQ I think I understand now, what you've said makes sense. Thanks a lot Sophie

 

[Kitty1]

Hi Sophie,

When you look at the wall socket near where the main TV would sit, does the socket have just one aerial lead point, or two?

On our latest Ace Supreme, the main TV point has two aerial connections. One is a conventional push in connector which routes back to the Status amplifier & roof aerial. The other is a screw on sat type connector which routes directly to the battery box connector.

If you only have one aerial connector on the wall panel by the TV then the battery box conector will link to one of the 3 coax plugs near the status 530 box. In this case, the other two coax cables will be one coming from the roof aerial and one going to the TV point. If you can work out which is which, then you could get a male to male adaptor and connect the plug coming from the battery box directly to the plug going to the TV point. Then connect your sat dish to the battery box socket and the sat signal will be fed directly to the TV point!!

If you have, or can borrow a multi-meter,

Unplug all of the plugs going into the status box.

Put the multimeter into continuity buzz mode or Ohms reading mode.

Using the two probes on the multimeter, put one across the central hole on the battery box aerial socket and the other on the outer ring of the socket.

One at a time, short out the inner pin and outer metal ring on each of the plugs by the box (use a bent paper clip or something similar).

When the meter buzzes or shows a reading you will be shorting out the plug that goes to the battery box.

Then put the meter across the socket by the TV and do the same shorting out, one at a time with the remaining two plugs near the status box. When the meter buzzes/moves, you know you then have the lead going to the TV point.

The remaining lead by deduction must then go to thye roof aerial.

Hope this makes sense!!

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply.

 

[Kitty1]

Thank you all for your contributions. I can't for the life of me remember if there are two points at the TV I think there may be and I think they are different one being a push in and one being a screw in. But that might just be wishful thinking because the other bit with the multi-meter sounds a bit complicated although the way you describe it Tony, makes me feel that I could do it if I can get hold of a multi-meter.

I will investigate further and if I need a multi-meter I'll ask around to see if any of my friends have such a thing.

I'll let you all know how I get on, thanks again, you've all been great.

Sophie

 

[BigTim]

Hi Sophie

I don't know about the possibilities of using the aerial socket you mention but I have another suggestion. I have recently moved into caravan satelliting and I set up my satellite outfit for the first time at Easter. As was our first time using it I ran the Sat lead through a window which I locked on the "first notch". This was a little drafty as there were gales on Anglesey whilst we were there.

I was considering fitting a satellite point on the wall I have now, however, discovered an alterative. I bought on

ebay a ribbon cable with F connectors on each end. This is so thin that it is able to have the window completely closed on it. One end connect to cable to dish and the other end to a short fly lead in the 'van.

Not so neat as an extenal socket maybe but a lot easier to fit and no risk of damaging the 'van. I bought 2 ribbon connectors, one's a spare, from ebay for

 

[lohr500]

Thank you all for your contributions. I can't for the life of me remember if there are two points at the TV I think there may be and I think they are different one being a push in and one being a screw in. But that might just be wishful thinking because the other bit with the multi-meter sounds a bit complicated although the way you describe it Tony, makes me feel that I could do it if I can get hold of a multi-meter.

I will investigate further and if I need a multi-meter I'll ask around to see if any of my friends have such a thing.

I'll let you all know how I get on, thanks again, you've all been great.

Sophie

Fingers crossed then!!

If it is a relatively new van then you may well have the two points. In which case it is easy, as the battery box socket will go straight to the screw type satellite aerial connection point by the TV.

 

[Woody3]

There is a simple and inexpensive solution.

If your battery box is in the side of the caravan and under a seat it's easy. Get a back-to-back F-type connector which has a nut on the middle. Drill a hole of the right size and in an appropriate place in the battery box so that a cable can be attached on the outside. Run a cable inside the 'van from the inside of the connector to wherever you put the sat box when it is use. All you need to do is connect the cable from the dish to the outside of the batt box and take it out through the same notch that carries the mains cable, taking care that the cable does not get crushed.

Use F100 or similar foil screened cable throughout. The type of cable, usually white, that the 'van manufacturer will likely have fitted is too lossy to use effectively with the frequencies used for sat..

 

[Kitty1]

Hi Sophie

I don't know about the possibilities of using the aerial socket you mention but I have another suggestion. I have recently moved into caravan satelliting and I set up my satellite outfit for the first time at Easter. As was our first time using it I ran the Sat lead through a window which I locked on the "first notch". This was a little drafty as there were gales on Anglesey whilst we were there.

I was considering fitting a satellite point on the wall I have now, however, discovered an alterative. I bought on

ebay a ribbon cable with F connectors on each end. This is so thin that it is able to have the window completely closed on it. One end connect to cable to dish and the other end to a short fly lead in the 'van.

Not so neat as an extenal socket maybe but a lot easier to fit and no risk of damaging the 'van. I bought 2 ribbon connectors, one's a spare, from ebay for

 

[Kitty1]

There is a simple and inexpensive solution.

If your battery box is in the side of the caravan and under a seat it's easy. Get a back-to-back F-type connector which has a nut on the middle. Drill a hole of the right size and in an appropriate place in the battery box so that a cable can be attached on the outside. Run a cable inside the 'van from the inside of the connector to wherever you put the sat box when it is use. All you need to do is connect the cable from the dish to the outside of the batt box and take it out through the same notch that carries the mains cable, taking care that the cable does not get crushed.

Use F100 or similar foil screened cable throughout. The type of cable, usually white, that the 'van manufacturer will likely have fitted is too lossy to use effectively with the frequencies used for sat..

Thanks Woody,

I have several options now and no excuses for not getting this sorted out. Thanks again for taking the time to reply. Sophie.

 

[John_374564387]

Thanks Woody,

I have several options now and no excuses for not getting this sorted out. Thanks again for taking the time to reply. Sophie.

Hi before you start drilling

and buying stuff try this.

Pull out the two black

cables from the Status,

join them together with a

co-ax connector, this

connects the socket in

the battery box direct to

the tv socket in the

caravan,plug your dish

into the battery box

socket with a normal co-

ax plug then make a

cable up with a co-ax plug

on one and a sat plug on

t'other end for your

receiver. I have had no

problems with my Humax

nor my cheapo Bush

freesat box using this

method